Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry· 2026Q2
Heat transfer and fluid dynamic performances of a stepped solar still: CFD simulation and experimental validation
- 0citations
- Q2SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
A novel transient CFD model for a stepped solar still (SBSS) was developed, eliminating the need for pre-specified glass cover and basin water temperatures, and accurately predicting performance with a 6.2% deviation in daily productivity compared to experiments.
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Key points
- Developed a novel transient CFD model for stepped basin solar stills (SBSS) without requiring predefined glass cover and basin water temperatures.
- Incorporated solar irradiation absorption and radiative heat transfer using Rosseland, solar loading, and solar ray tracing equations.
- Used RNG k-epsilon turbulence, water vapor species, and energy equations, avoiding volume of fluid multiphase techniques.
- Validated model against experimental results, achieving a 6.2% deviation in daily accumulated productivity (4557 mL m⁻² simulated vs. 4289 mL m⁻² experimental).
- Experimental daily thermal efficiency was 35.2% while simulated was 38.5% (9.4% deviation).
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract In this work, a novel transient CFD modeling procedure for a stepped basin solar still (SBSS) was developed, with no requirement to specify the glass cover and basin water temperatures as boundary conditions. The solar irradiation absorption and heat transfer by radiation in various elements of the SBSS were accounted for by solving the Rosseland, solar loading and solar ray tracing radiation equations. Instead of applying volume of fluid for multiphase techniques, RNG k-epsilon turbulence, water vapor species equations and energy equations were solved. This developed model was enabled to predict the SBSS performance with acceptable agreement after validation with the experimental results. The simulated and experimental daily accumulated productivities of the SBSS were 4557 mL m −2 and 4289 mL m −2 , with a 6.2% deviation. The experimental daily thermal efficiency at 1 cm water depth was 35.2%, while the simulated was 38.5%, with a 9.4% deviation.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, 2026 · DOI ↗
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