Parametric Study of Vertical Diffusion Still for Water Desalination

Diffusion stills have been effective in water
desalination. The present work represents a model of the distillation
process by using vertical single-effect diffusion stills. A semianalytical
model has been developed to model the process. A
software computer code using Engineering Equation Solver EES
software has been developed to solve the equations of the developed
model. An experimental setup has been constructed, and used for the
validation of the model. The model is also validated against former
literature results. The results obtained from the present experimental
test rig, and the data from the literature, have been compared with the
results of the code to find its best range of validity. In addition, a
parametric analysis of the system has been developed using the
model to determine the effect of operating conditions on the system's
performance. The dominant parameters that affect the productivity of
the still are the hot plate temperature that ranges from (55- 90°C) and
feed flow rate in range of (0.00694-0.0211 kg/m2-s).





References:
[1] World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Facts and
Trends: Water, WBCSD, 2009. (Online). Available: www.wbcsd.org/
Pages/EDocument/EDocumentDetails.aspx?ID=137. (Accessed
September 2013).
[2] R. Dunkle, "Solar Water Distillation: The Roof Type Still and a
Multiple-Effect Diffusion Still," International Heat Transfer
Conference, University of Colorado, vol. 5, pp. 895-902, 1961.
[3] Cooper, P.I., Appleyard, J.A., "The construction and performance of a
three effect, wick-type, tilted solar still," vol. 12, pp. 4-8, 1967.
[4] K. Selcuk, "Design and Performance Evaluation of A Multiple-Effect,
Tilted Solar Distillation Unit," vol. 1, no. 8, 1964.
[5] Elsayed, M., Fathalah, K., Shams, J., and Sabbagh, J., "Performance of
Multiple Effect Diffusion Stills," Desalination, vol. 51, pp. 183-199,
1984.
[6] M. M. Elsayed, "Effects of Parametric Conditions on the Performance of
an Ideal Diffusion Still," Applied Energy, no. 22, pp. 187-203, 1986
[7] Garter, F., Durrbeck, M., Rheinlander J., "Multi-effect Still fot Hybrid
Solar/Forssil Desalination of Sea and Brackish Water," Desalination,
vol. 138, pp. 111-119, 2001.
[8] Tanaka, H., Nakatake, Y., "A Vertical Multiple-Effect Diffusion-Type
Solar Still Coupled With a Heat-Pipe Solar Collector," Desalination,
vol. 160, pp. 195-205, 2004.
[9] Tanaka, H., NakatakeY., Watanabe, K., "Parametric Study on a Veritcal
Mutiple-effect diffusion-Type Solar Still Coupled with a Heat-Pipe
Solar Collector," Desalination, vol. 171, pp. 243-253, 2004.
[10] Bouchekima, B., Gros, B., Ouaches, R., and Diboun, M., "The
Performance of The Capillary Film Solar Still Installed in South
Algeria," Desalination, no. 137, pp. 31-38, 2001.
[11] E. V. Somers, "Theoretical Considerations of Combined Thermal and
Mass Transfer from a Flat Plate," ASME J. Appl. Mech, vol. 23, p. 295–
301, 1956.