Effect of Water Depth on Productivity of Solar Still with Thermal Energy Storage

Solar desalination is a simple and economical method which utilizes solar energy for producing fresh potable water from sea water or brackish water. In the present work a double slope single basin solar still has been constructed coupled with inbuilt thermal energy storage material. A comprehensive study was made to evaluate the effect of water depth in the basin on productivity of the still. Experiments were conducted in different conditions with black gravel powder as thermal energy storage material. The results indicated decreasing water depth increased the productivity of the still.