Thermal Management of the Solar Evaporation Process

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation has caught wideattentionfor water purification due to its green and environment-friendly properties.The key issue is how to effectively utilize solar radiation for evaporation.To fully understand the thermal management of the solar evaporationprocess, a multiphysics model has been built by the finite elementmethod to clarify the heat transfer process for the improvement ofsolar evaporation. Simulation results indicate that the evaporationperformance can be improved by tuning the thermal loss, local heating,convective mass transfer, and evaporation area. The thermal radiationloss of the evaporation interface and thermal convection loss to thebottom water should be avoided, and local heating is good for evaporation.Convection above the interface can improve evaporation performance,although it would enhance the thermal convective loss. In addition,evaporation also can be improved by increasing the evaporation areafrom 2D to 3D structures. Experimental results confirm that the solarevaporation ratio can be improved from 0.795 kg m(-2) h(-1) to 1.122 kg m(-2) h(-1) at 1 sun with a 3D interface and thermal insulation between theinterface and bottom water. These results can provide a design principlefor the solar evaporation system based on thermal management.

Automated summary

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation has gained attention for its environmentally friendly properties. A multiphysics model using finite element method is developed to study thermal management and improve solar evaporation. Results show that tuning thermal loss, local heating, convective mass transfer, and evaporation area can enhance evaporation performance. Experimental results confirm that the solar evaporation ratio can be significantly improved with a 3D interface and thermal insulation between the interface and bottom water. These findings provide design principles for solar evaporation systems.