ItemArticle

Characteristic Equation Development for Conical Active Solar Still With/Without Photovoltaic Thermal for Sustainable Solution to Clean Water Scarcity: A Comparative Study

Title
Characteristic Equation Development for Conical Active Solar Still With/Without Photovoltaic Thermal for Sustainable Solution to Clean Water Scarcity: A Comparative Study
Creator
Pal, Narayan Das; Kumar, Nandan; Saxena, Abhishek; Harender; Singh, Desh Bandhu
Description
To address global water scarcity and promote sustainable freshwater solutions, a novel solar distillation system has been developed and numerically analyzed. Three cases namely (a) conical solar still (CSS) consisting of partially covered photovoltaic thermal (PVT) flat plate collectors (FPCs), (b) CSS with fully covered PVT-FPCs, and (c) CSS containing FPCs have been considered. Detailed thermal models for different cases have been developed, and the results are compared. An experimental validation of case (a) has been presented. The root mean square percentage deviation for water temperature, condensing cover temperature, and yield is obtained as 5.30%, 4.90%, and 9.11%, respectively. The conical geometry of the proposed system increases the condensing surface area and reduces the shading effect, improving distillation performance. Results show that the maximum collector outlet and basin water temperatures reached approximately 99.8 C and 95.2 C, respectively, at the mass flow rate of 0.04 kg/s and N = 8. Among the configurations, case (c) demonstrated the best performance, achieving a daily distillate yield of 6.44 kg and a maximum instantaneous efficiency of 88.28%. However, case (c) is not self-sustainable. In comparison, cases (a) and (b) recorded yields of 4.70 kg and 3.33 kg and maximum instantaneous efficiency of 79.76% and 25.32%, respectively. The suitability of cases (a) and (b) depends on the requirements of users. Case (a) is suitable when comparatively low electrical output and high yield are required, whereas case (b) is suitable when high electrical output and low yield are required. Copyright 2026 by ASME.
Source
Journal of Solar Energy Engineering ;Volume;148;Issue;3;Article No.;31004;
Date
01-01-2026
Publisher
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
Subject
clean energy; collector; conical solar still; efficiency; heat transfer; photovoltaics; PVT collector; renewable; renewable energy; solar; solar distillation; sustainability; thermal modeling; thermodynamics; water scarcity
Coverage
Pal N.D., Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), Uttarakhand, Dehradun, 248002, India; Kumar N., Department of Mechanical Engineering, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Deemed to be University, Delhi NCR, NH-91, Tehsil Dadri, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, 201314, India; Saxena A., Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Dev Bhoomi Uttarakh and University, Uttarakhand, Dehradun, 248007, India; Harender, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Deemed to be University, Delhi NCR, NH-91, Tehsil Dadri, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, 201314, India; Singh D.B., Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), Uttarakhand, Dehradun, 248002, India, Centre of Energy Research, Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), Uttarakhand, Dehradun, 248002, India
Rights
Restricted Access; Hardcopy may be available in the library
Relation
ISSN: 1996231; CODEN: JSEED
Format
online
Language
English
Type
Article

Citation

Pal, Narayan Das; Kumar, Nandan; Saxena, Abhishek; Harender; Singh, Desh Bandhu, “Characteristic Equation Development for Conical Active Solar Still With/Without Photovoltaic Thermal for Sustainable Solution to Clean Water Scarcity: A Comparative Study,” CHRIST (Deemed To Be University) Institutional Repository, accessed June 18, 2026, https://archives.christuniversity.in/items/show/22987.

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