A project dissertation submitted to the Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS Civil Engineering Program in partial fulfillment of the requirement for. A rooftop solar distillation tile was developed with three different designs to study productivity based on the design. The solar roof distillation panels are made as a closed chamber (0.3 x 0.25 m2); the side and bottom are made of 2mm steel and the top is covered with a glass cover with a 25o slope.
A collection tray is installed at the end of the room to collect the condensed water. Another two designs are painted black and one of the sinks will be set with aluminum fins. The performance of the solar roof was influenced by the solar radiation at the site, the design of the basin and the water depth in the basin.
The sunroof distilling tiles are tested for 10 days and the highest production is from sink painted black with aluminum fins which is 2.8 L per day. First of all, I want to thank my family and friends who happen to be in my life and get me into this intensity and individuals who support either directly or. Finally, I would like to thank all my friends who helped me.
Also for those who are not mentioned in the above but support me in other ways, I would like to thank everyone.
- Background
- Problem Statement
- Objective
- Scope of Study
As the solar still is heated by the sun, the water evaporates and then condenses due to the glass cover. To maximize efficiency, three rooftop solar stills will be tested, each with a different additional component. The world will face shortages of water and non-renewable energy resources as the global population grows.
This will greatly affect countries that have water resources limited only to seawater, such as the Middle East and North Africa. Desalination of seawater is required to produce fresh water from seawater, and solar distillation is an excellent approach to overcome this problem, but is less popular for use due to low productivity. The study will only be focused on a scoping study which means that the experiment will only be conducted at one site which is Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Sri Iskandar, Perak.
The heat and light energy can vary from one place to another depending on the weather conditions at the location. However, the concept can be used in developing a larger scale that can be applied to any place where enough solar energy is received.
Global Water Availability
To maximize global water availability, the world's largest water resources must be harnessed: the ocean. The ocean itself comprises 97.3% of the total water on Earth and consists of 5 oceans: the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and the Southern Ocean. The current range for the volume of the world's ocean is 1.3 to 1.5 billion cubic kilometers and will continue to expand over time (Elert, 2016).
According to this, water desalination is needed to convert seawater into fresh water, which is achievable with current technology. Solar distillation is a fantastic approach to seawater desalination, as it is powered by renewable energy, which is the sun to operate.
Single Basin Single Slope Solar Still
Project Schedule
Design of Solar Roof Distilling Tiles
- Ordinary Solar Roof Distilling Tiles
- Solar Roof Distilling Tiles with Black Paint
- Solar Roof Distilling Tiles with Black Paint and Aluminium Fins
This can contribute to the productivity as the basin will receive greater heat compared to the usual sunroof distilling tiles. The size of the sunroof distillation tiles will be the same as the regular ones. The aluminum fins will absorb the reflected heat that hits the water surface and conduct the heat to the sink.
Experimental Setup
Water Quality Test
- pH Test
- Color Test
- Turbidity Test
Efficiency
This energy will be used to calculate the efficiency of the solar roof distillation panels. Result A: Solar Roof Distillation Plates with Black Paint and Aluminum Fins Result B: Solar Distillation Plates with Black Paint. The results showed that the productivity of distilled water is based on solar radiation.
The higher the solar radiation on the given day, the higher the distilled water produced. Solar roof distillation panels with black paint and aluminum filaments (outlet A) give the highest productivity compared to outlet B and outlet C. This is due to the aluminum sheets absorbing the reflected sunlight which gives off heat extra toward the pelvis compared to others.
Based on the Malaysian drinking water quality standard, the pH is met for all output, however the color is not met and for the turbidity, only output A is up to standard while output B and C are not. The reason why the production water does not reach the standard may be due to the improper coating of the basin (steel) which makes the remains of the basin mixed with the water. The efficiency is calculated on the maximum production which is on 7 November 2016 with the solar radiation of 4.16 kWh/m2/day.
This is due to the aluminum slats, which give more heat to the pool by absorbing reflected sunlight. Solar distillation tiles will be a great alternative to solve the water shortage in today's world. It will promote the use of solar distillation, as it uses renewable energy to operate, i.e. solar energy.
Although it will not be used to supply water to the whole area, but in the coastal area, it will benefit them in energy and water resources. Solar roof distillation panels with black paint and aluminum filament give the highest output due to the sheets that enable the basin to retain more heat than compared to other basins. Finally, for water quality, the whole pond should use good material and suitable lining in order to prevent waste mixing with distilled water.
Effect of water depth on the productivity of double slope single and double basin solar stills. Effect of water depth on internal heat and mass transfer in double slope solar stills.
