Comparison of the efficiency of the single and double-slope solar stills in dry regions (Case study: Zabul city)

Jahantigh, Mansour; Jahantigh, Moien

doi:10.22059/ijswr.2025.379282.669754

Comparison of the efficiency of the single and double-slope solar stills in dry regions (Case study: Zabul city)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Mansour Jahantigh ¹

Moien Jahantigh ²

¹ Corresponding Author, Department of Soil Conservation and Water Management, Sistan Agriculture and edition Natural Resources Research Center (AREEO) Zabol, Iran.

² Department of Soil Conservation and Water Management, Sistan Agriculture and edition Natural Resources Research Center (AREEO) Zabol, Iran.

10.22059/ijswr.2025.379282.669754

Abstract

The Sistan region is experiencing significant water stress due to an ongoing drought and water scarcity crisis. In response, the utilization of saline water resources through desalination techniques has become crucial for addressing diverse water demands in this area. This study explores the efficiency of single and double slope Solar stills in Zabol City. The dimensions of the basin Solar stills were 60×95 cm, which covered with glass. To increase the absorption capacity and reduce thermal energy waste, the tank color was chosen to be dark. Inside the Solar stills thermometer was placed to measure the temperature. The results showed that the evaporative-distillation process lead to remove the pollutant and improve the improved quality indicators, including water hardness (TDS), salinity (EC), and BOD in the produced freshwater. The findings indicated that evaporative distillation led to the removal of pollutants and improved quality indicators, including total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC), and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). A comparison of the internal temperatures of the systems indicated that the highest internal temperature was created in the double-slope basin solar stills, which was significantly higher than that of the single-slope type (p ≤ 0.01). The findings also showed that the double-slope solar still had a higher efficiency (28.6%) than the single-slope type (24.5%), which was statistically significant at the one percent level (p ≤ 0.01). Comparing the performance of double-slope and single-slope solar stills showed that the double-slope system has higher performance in producing fresh water, and the use of solar energy is considered a potential for the development of evaporation-distillation desalination plants in the Sistan.

Keywords

Efficiency

Solar stills

saline water

Solar energy

Subjects

Introduction:

Water is one of the basic needs of human life and good health on earth. Access to water is one of the most important challenges in developing countries, especially in dry areas. So that with population growth and socio-economic development of societies, countries are limited in meeting their water needs. The most important sources of surface and underground water in some places are salty, which needs to be desalination. One of them is the solar distillation method. This method is very simple and low-cost, and it is suitable for supplying water to areas with low population and places where water supply is difficult. This method is very simple and low-cost, and it is suitable for supplying water to areas with low population and places where water supply is difficult.

Objective:

This study explores the efficiency of single and double slope Solar stills in Zabol City. The purpose of this study is to investigate the performance of the single and double-slope solar still collectors in the climatic conditions of Zabol city in the southeast of the country.

Material and method:

The dimensions of the basin Solar stills were 60×95 cm, which covered with glass. To increase the absorption capacity and reduce thermal energy waste, the tank color was chosen to be dark. Inside the Solar stills thermometer was placed to measure the temperature. The results showed that the evaporative-distillation process lead to remove the pollutant and improve the improved quality indicators, including water hardness (TDS), salinity (EC), and BOD in the produced freshwater. The findings indicated that evaporative distillation led to the removal of pollutants and improved quality indicators, including total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC), and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD).

Result and Discussion:

A comparison of the internal temperatures of the systems indicated that the highest internal temperature was created in the double-slope basin solar stills, which was significantly higher than that of the single-slope type (p ≤ 0.01). The findings also showed that the double-slope solar still had a higher efficiency (28.6%) than the single-slope type (24.5%), which was statistically significant at the one percent level (p ≤ 0.01). Comparing the performance of double-slope and single-slope solar stills showed that the double-slope system has higher performance in producing fresh water, and the use of solar energy is considered a potential for the development of evaporation-distillation desalination plants in the Sistan..

Author Contributions

All authors contributed equally to the conceptualization of the article and writing of the original and subsequent drafts.

Data Availability Statement

Data is available on reasonable request from the authors.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the reviewers and editor for their critical comments that helped to improve the paper. The authors gratefully acknowledge the support and facilities provided by the Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, Soil Conservation and Watershed Management Research Institute, Organization (AREEO), Iran.

Ethical considerations

The Authors avoid falsifying data, plagiarism and misconduct.

Conflict of interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.

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