Effects of nano-enhanced phase change material and nano-coated on the performance of solar stills

Solar desalination is a widely used system for producing drinking water from solar energy. Freshwater pro-duction with renewable energy and without environmental pollution are the benefits of using solar still in addition to being cost-effective. This study aimed to enhance the performance of solar desalination using porous media, nano-enhanced phase change material, and nano-enhanced absorption (nano-coated). The anthracite media was placed in saline water to increase the absorption of solar energy. CuO and Al2O3 nanoparticles at concentrations of 0.1 and 0.3 wt% were mixed in paraffin wax to increase the thermal properties of phase change material (NEPCM) and poured into 12 copper pipes located on the anthracite. CuO nanoparticles were dispersed in black paint and covered on the copper pipes so that the thermal conductivity of black paint increase. The results indicated that the productivity of the solar stills improved by 55.8% and 49.5% using CuO and Al2O3 nano-enhanced PCM at a concentration of 0.3 wt% and CuO nano-coated, respectively. Additionally, the added CuO and Al2O3 nanoparticles at 0.1 wt% reduced the melting point by 2.1 degrees C and 1.8 degrees C, respectively. The CPLs of the solar stills were equal to 0.1$/L and 0.104$/L using CuO and Al2O3 nano-enhanced PCM at a concen-tration of 0.3 wt% and nano-coated, respectively. Moreover, nano-coated increased the water production rate of the solar still by about 5.7%.

Automated summary

The performance of solar desalination systems was enhanced using nanoparticles, with improved productivity and cost-effectiveness.