Performance Enhancement of Single Slope Solar Still With Sensible Heat Storage System: An Experimental Investigation Under Climatic Conditions of Northeast India

This study conducts an experimental assessment to investigate the influence of black gravel and cylindrical cement fins as thermal heat storage materials in a single-slope solar still. The trials are performed under the meteorological conditions of North-East, Silchar (24.76°N, 92.80°E), India. The performance of each modification is evaluated experimentally and compared to a conventional solar still (CSS) at three different water depths in the basin: 2 cm, 4 cm, and 6 cm. The study assessed the cumulative distillate output, along with a 4E analysis (energy, exergy, economic, and ecological analyses) of the solar stills. The outcomes show that at a 2 cm water depth, the daily yield and efficiency of the solar still with black gravel (SSBG) are 27% and 18% higher, respectively, when compared to the CSS. Additionally, the solar still with cylindrical cement fins (SSCCFs) achieved the highest daily production of 4462.4 mL/m² with an efficiency of 41.5%. The cost assessment disclosed that the cost per liter of distillate water produced by SSBG and SSCCF is 18% and 23% lower, respectively, than the CSS at a water level of 2 cm. Moreover, the SSCCF improved carbon credits by 26% and enhanced carbon emission mitigation by 110.87% compared to the CSS at the same water depth. Solar stills equipped with energy storage provide a cost-effective solution for tackling water scarcity.