how does a solar distiller work

A solar still, also called a distiller, makes pure water the same way rain is made. The sun’s energy shines and heats the air and the water inside the still causing the water to evaporateand condenseon the cooler glass above (the glass acts like a cloud). The water then drains down into a water-catching trough and out to a container.

Full Answer

What is a solar water distiller and how does it work?

What is a solar water distiller? A solar distiller is basically a simple, waterproof, oblong “box” with a piece of glass on top that the sun shines through, which utilizes the sun’s energy to distill the water.

What is the difference between solar distillation and electric distillation?

However, unlike electric distillation, its solar counterpart doesn’t need electricity to boil the water. The sun can heat the water to 212 degrees Fahrenheit, which causes the water to evaporate and makes for an energy-efficient process.

What are the benefits of solar distillation?

Another benefit to solar distillation is that it wastes no water in its purification process. All of the water that is distilled returns the same volume of water it had while untreated. Water is such a precious resource, so it is an excellent benefit to conserve it while using it.

What do you need to make solar distillation work?

For solar distillation to work you need a still, and this still needs to be able to evaporate the water to remove the impurities, and it needs to create an environment where condensation can occur. Lastly, you’ll need to be able to gather the water as condensation occurs.

Why use multiple solar distillation systems?

What is Solar Water Distillation?

How does heat transfer occur in a distillation system?

How does a solar still work?

What is the main part of a distillation still?

How does water flow through wicks?

Why do we use solar stills?

See 2 more

What is the major issue with solar distillation?

The drawbacks to using solar energy for distillation are the high initial cost and the intermittent nature of the sun. Due to these limitations, the present capacity of solar desalination systems worldwide is about 0.01% of the existing large-scale conventional distillation plants.

How do solar still purify water?

Solar still produces 12 times the clean water of commercial versions. Tanklike devices called solar stills use the sun to evaporate dirty or salty water and condense the vapor into safe drinking water.

Can you distill water with solar power?

A solar still or a solar water distilling unit is a device that uses the sun's energy to distill water. Distillation is the process of separating clean water from contaminated water. The advantage of solar water distiller is that it runs on the energy of the sun, rather than needing an external power source.

How does a solar still convert seawater to freshwater?

Sunlight passes through a transparent insulating layer at left, to heat up a black heat-absorbing material, which transfers the heat to a layer of wicking material (shown in blue), where it evaporates and then condenses on a surface (gray) and then drips off to be collected as fresh, potable water.

How can I make distilled water without electricity?

The process of distilling is simple: Heat tap water to the point that it turns to vapor. When the vapor condenses back to water, it leaves behind any mineral residue. The resulting condensed liquid is distilled water.

Do solar stills work in winter?

The short answer is yes, solar panels can still do their job during the winter months. Surprisingly, solar panels actually generate electricity more efficiently when the temperatures are colder, making the winter season the ideal time for maximum energy production efficiency.

How can I make solar distiller at home?

0:231:26How to Make a Solar Still - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipStep 5 place a rock in the center of the plastic. Over your water bottle. When the water in the holeMoreStep 5 place a rock in the center of the plastic. Over your water bottle. When the water in the hole evaporates. It will condense on the underside of the plastic.

Does a solar still remove bacteria?

The sun's energy heats water to the point of evaporation. As the water evaporates, its vapour rises, condensing into water again as it cools. This process leaves behind impurities, such as salts and heavy metals, and eliminates microbiological organisms. The end result is pure (potable) water.

How do you make distilled water from the sun?

0:073:42Renewable Energy: Solar Water Distillers - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipWater place it inside the still and through the process of being heated by the Sun evaporating. AndMoreWater place it inside the still and through the process of being heated by the Sun evaporating. And then condensing on the surface of the glass or in this case Plexiglas.

Can salt water be made drinkable by solar energy?

solar-powered desalination unit, device that transforms salt water into drinking water by converting the Sun's energy to heat, directly or indirectly, to drive the desalination process.

What is advantage of solar distillation?

Multiple solar distillation systems are required to produce a large quantity of distilled water. Advantages: It is a relatively cheap and low-maintenance system. It can be used at the household level and scaled up through programmatic approaches.

How efficient is a solar still?

Energy and exergy efficiency of conventional solar distillation system is found to be in the range of 20–46 and 5–7 %. So there is large work needed in the existing designs of passive solar still to improve its performance at reasonable cost.

Does a solar still remove bacteria?

The sun's energy heats water to the point of evaporation. As the water evaporates, its vapour rises, condensing into water again as it cools. This process leaves behind impurities, such as salts and heavy metals, and eliminates microbiological organisms. The end result is pure (potable) water.

Does the sun purify water?

Sunlight offers a useful means of purifying water, particularly in countries that lack reliable energy sources. Ultraviolet light is widely used to kill microbes, but accounts for only 4% of the solar spectrum.

What are the benefits of using solar power to purify water?

The benefits of Solar Disinfection are:Proven reduction of viruses, bacteria, and protozoa in water.Proven reduction of diarrheal disease incidence.Simplicity of use and acceptability.No cost if using recycled plastic bottles.Minimal change in taste of the water.More items...

Why is a solar still useful?

How Is It Used? Solar stills are used across the world to provide clean, drinkable water to the masses. Some solar stills are used in homes to help reduce energy costs and pollution, while others are used in poverty-stricken areas around the world where there are no other sources of clean drinking water.

How does a solar distiller work?

Its operation principle is that the basin solar distiller collects heat to make seawater evaporate. However, water vapor that is generated by heated seawater cannot be completely condensed on a glass cover plate. Some of the water vapor is pumped into an external condenser by an electric fan. There is a cooling coil within the condenser. When hot water vapor sent from the distiller contacts the cooling coil, it will condense on the coil and generate distilled water as it cools down. The advantage of this design is that inside the distiller is in negative pressure because of the extraction of an electric fan, and this is favorable to evaporate water. The disadvantage is that the equipment is more complicated, making investment costs higher, and it needs an electric part to run.

What are the parts of a solar distiller?

The saturation air humidification–dehumidification type solar distiller consists of three parts: solar collector, evaporator, and condenser. For improving the efficiency, some systems add an air preheater and the heat exchanger between cold and hot seawater. Figs. 6.70 and 6.71 show two tower solar distillers according to air humidification–dehumidification processes.

How does a solar collector work?

During the operation, the hot seawater heated by the solar collector is sprayed downward at the evaporation section of the tower. Sprayed seawater inversely contacts the air to produce heat and mass exchanges in which air is heated and at the same time is humidified continuously to reach a saturation state. Finally, the saturation hot air is sent into the condenser, where it is cooled to release the freshwater. In the heating air process, the hot seawater decreases its temperature and goes out of the tower with a little higher temperature than ambient temperature. The hot saturation air is cooled in the condenser to produce freshwater. And at the same time, the hot saturation air also heats the entering seawater. The waste gas is removed from the top of the tower.

What is the energy production factor of SDU?

Energy production factor of any SDU represents the overall performance of the system . EPF is the reverse of EPT and the ideal value of EPF is represented by one on the basis of annual evaluation of performance for that system. The standing achievement of SDUs is represented by EPF and it corresponds for a system, as higher as the EPF value as better as the solar distillation system will be. EPF according to energy and exergy of SDUs can be evaluated by using Eqs. (4) and (5). Tiwari and Mishra (2012) represents EPF for active SDU as:

What is a solar collector?

The solar collector generally is made of vacuum tube solar receivers or flat plates, which provide the heat energy for the solar distiller. The evaporator usually is filled up within corruptible solid porous material. Seawater flows through the heap material from up to down and the air passes through the heap material from down to up to form the counter flow heat exchange with seawater. The condenser general consists of a gas–liquid heat exchanger with fins. Sometimes cold pure water also can be used as the medium, which is circulated by a pump, to contact with hot saturation air so as to form a directly contacting type condenser.

What is condensation on a solar basin?

For a traditional basin solar distiller, water vapor condensation on the glass cover plate is the heat and mass transfer of natural convection process , which limits the improvement of system performance. To enhance the process of water vapor evaporation and condensation, Mohamad et al. [11] came up with an active design with an external condenser as Fig. 5.11 shows.

Where annual thermal exergy output is given by Ex out and P m - P u is the?

where annual thermal exergy output is given by Ex out and P m - P u is the net electrical energy output from PVT.

MAKE YOUR OWN RAIN – PURIFY WATER USING THE SUN

A solar distiller is basically a simple, waterproof, oblong “box” with a piece of glass on top that the sun shines through, which utilizes the sun’s energy to distill the water. The distilled water is then rendered safe for drinking and cooking, with absolutely no contaminants that are found in regular (potable) water.

How does it work?

Solar stills are JUST LIKE MAKING RAIN. In nature, the sun (solar energy) shines and heats the water in lakes, rivers, and the ocean, and causes the water to evaporate into the air as water vapor. Then it cools down and condenses in the sky as clouds and it finally falls as rain.

How good is the water?

The water that is made in these stills is a better quality than store-bought purified water because it is ultra-pure. It is some of the cleanest, most pure water you can get on the planet.

What kind of applications are these stills good for?

For the homeowner, RVers/campers, people in rural areas, solar enthusiasts, survivalists, more. Grant projects, such as those implemented by the El Paso Solar Energy Association (EPSEA) helped people get solar stills, which I was the Project Manager for in the early 2000’s.

Learn how to build a solar still

The great thing about solar stills is that you can “make your own rain” at any time on any sunny day. All you need is to build a single basin solar still–these are the most simple distillers to make, yet very effective and efficient. You can generally get about 5 liters of water per day out of a 2×4′ sized still.

Solar Still Construction Plans

You can also purchase a BOOK copy of the original EPSEA step-by step Solar Water Distiller Construction Plans can be bought through SolAqua as well ($27 ). I do not make any money if you buy from them.

Where you can buy a solar distiller

Single basin stills for an individual or families can be bought commercially at places like SolAqua or you can build the still yourself (SolAqua also has a kit for the hard-to-find items for around $249).

What is solar distillation?

Solar distillation is a method or technique used to separate water from contaminants, or materials harmful to the human body. These materials can be naturally occurring like salt or harmful manmade contaminants. The process of solar distillation can make dirty water and salt water safe for human consumption through vaporization.

How does distillation work?

Distillation works by applying heat to the water (with solar distillation this is of course energy from the sun). In nature the sun acts as a heat source to dissolve water after it rains. In both cases of rain evaporation and distillation the water leaves any harmful materials behind and rises. When the temperature and pressure are perfect ...

What is the process of distilling water?

A similar mass method of distilling water is known as Multiple Effect Distillation or MED. MED consists of several different stages. First the seawater is heated by steam in tubes. This leads to partial evaporation, and lends steam to the next stage. The process is then repeated over and the steam gathered creates electricity through turbines, which actually creates the energy used for MED.

What happens when water is vaporized?

When water is vaporized it is heated, which causes it to rise as steam. This leaves the contaminants and anything besides pure water separated. It’s important to remember there is a big difference between solar desalination and solar distillation. The two terms become confused very easily and they even sound the same.

How is solar water used?

The water can then move on to being used as clean drinking water across the world. It can be used to cook with, or to bathe with. Water is necessary for any and all life, and the World Health Organization estimates that over a billion people lack clean water resources.

How to make a water vapor?

You dig a decent little hole, deep enough to fit both the bowl and the cup in. In the cup you want your impure water, and your bowl can be empty. Place the bowl in the center and the cup off to the side. Once in place cover everything with your plastic material and set a rock in the middle, over the bowl. The sun’s heat will vaporize the water in the cup, and gather on the plastic. The plastic material will capture the vaporized water, and this will become drops of water that run down the plastic into the bowl.

How to make impure water?

In the cup you want your impure water, and your bowl can be empty. Place the bowl in the center and the cup off to the side. Once in place cover everything with your plastic material and set a rock in the middle, over the bowl. The sun’s heat will vaporize the water in the cup, and gather on the plastic.

What is Solar Distillation?

It is the process of using energy from the sun to separate freshwater from salts and other contaminants present in water. It is a simple and cheap technology that has benefitted many.

How long does it take to distill a still?

Its distillation speed is approximately six liters of water per sunny day, which means that in order to get the best experience from your still, you will likely have to wait 24 hours before collecting the water. Talk about being something worth waiting for!

What is a single effect still?

Single-effect still: The simplest and most common form of solar distillation stills. It uses one interface to evaporate and collect the condensate water. Multi-effect still: Similar to the single-effect still, except it features multiple components, which help speed up productivity.

What is the best method of water purification?

Alongside fellow purification method reverse osmosis, distillation is recognized as one of the best methods for water purification. It can remove heavy metals, arsenic, salts, nitrates, bacteria, some carcinogens, ...

Does solar distillation work?

Perhaps the most significant con to solar distillation is that it only works during the daytime. The sun is a key component in this purification method’s success, and unfortunately, it is a limited resource. Those who use it as a water supply will need to find an alternative light source or purification method to keep producing water around the clock.

Is solar distillation better than purification?

One of the most significant concerns with alternative water treatment methods is that they waste more water than purify. Another benefit to solar distillation is that it wastes no water in its purification process. All of the water that is distilled returns the same volume of water it had while untreated. Water is such a precious resource, so it is an excellent benefit to conserve it while using it.

Is solar distillation still a good technology?

As we touched on before, solar distillation still is a straightforward technology and can be made with many types of materials, including cheap ones like plastic. And because they don’t use any electricity or have any moving parts, it makes it a low cost and low maintenance option for water-stressed areas or may not have the budgets to dedicate to more expensive setups.

How does a solar still work?

A solar still works on two scientific principles: evaporation and condensation. First, the water that needs to be purified is placed in the trough with the black bottom. The solar still is then allowed to sit in the sun, which allows the still to absorb the sun's short-wave energy. As the energy is absorbed, it starts to heat the water. As the temperature of the water rises, the liquid H20 is converted into steam and evaporates towards the glass ceiling, leaving anything that is not pure H20 in the trough below.

What is solar still?

A solar still is a green energy product that uses the natural energy of the sun to purify water. The solar-still process uses the sun instead of other sources such as fossil fuels to gain the energy needed for purification. Solar stills are then able to supply pure water for drinking and cooking, even in areas where there are no other sources ...

What is the second principle of solar energy?

Condensation. The second scientific principle on which a solar still acts is condensation. After the water begins to evaporate, it hits the glass ceiling. The water slowly condenses on the glass, causing pure water droplets.

How does H20 evaporate?

As the energy is absorbed, it starts to heat the water. As the temperature of the water rises, the liquid H20 is converted into steam and evaporates towards the glass ceiling , leaving anything that is not pure H20 in the trough below.

What is solar still?

A solar still is an invention that uses sunlight to purify water.

What happens when water vapor hits a glass?

Next, the process of condensation occurs. This is when the water vapor molecules hit the glass or plastic ceiling of the solar still and turn into water droplets. This is the same type of condensation you see when you are drinking cold water out of a glass or cold can. 4. After condensation, the water droplets are forced by gravity ...

How does the sun evaporate salt water?

The process of evaporation only lifts pure molecule of H2O into the air of the container, leaving the dirty parts of the water sitting in the trough. 3. Next, the process of condensation occurs.

How to improve efficiency of solar water distiller?

The main contributor to efficiency for a solar water distiller is the temperature difference between the top surface of the water and the bottom surface of the glass. The greater difference between the temperatures of the two surfaces, the more condensation. Cooling the glass from the top can improve efficiency 5% to 25%.

How does solar water distillation improve efficiency?

The main contributor to efficiency for a solar water distiller is the temperature difference between the top surface of the water and the bottom surface of the glass. The greater difference between the temperatures of the two surfaces, the more condensation. Cooling the glass from the top can improve efficiency 5% to 25%.

Why is there less incline in distillers?

This amount of incline allows the condensation to drip down the glass efficiently. Less incline could allow the water to fall back into the water tray. (The incline of the glass in a distiller has little to do with solar absorption or angle to the sun. The sun passes directly through the glass; therefore it has a negligible effect on the heating ...

What is DIY alternative energy?

DIY-Alternative-Energy.com is a participant in Google Adsense and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. These are advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn a very small fee when a visitor uses one of the clearly marked Sponsor ads provided by Google or Amazon.

Does the sun pass through glass?

The sun passes directly through the glass; therefore it has a negligible effect on the heating of the water – so the 35 degree glass incline that some people are talking about has to do with solar collectors – not solar distillers.)

Do you need a filtration system for a solar water distiller?

You may be considering an expensive home filtration system, but if you have a large enough solar water distiller you may not need the filtration system. With a device that fits easily in a sunny corner of your backyard, you can distill up to gallons of water a day – with no expensive filter replacements – ever.

How does solar energy work?

How Does Solar Work? The amount of sunlight that strikes the earth's surface in an hour and a half is enough to handle the entire world's energy consumption for a full year. Solar technologies convert sunlight into electrical energy either through photovoltaic (PV) panels or through mirrors that concentrate solar radiation.

Why is solar energy important?

Solar energy can help to reduce the cost of electricity, contribute to a resilient electrical grid, create jobs and spur economic growth, generate back-up power for nighttime and outages when paired with storage, and operate at similar efficiency on both small and large scales.

What is CSP in solar power?

Concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) systems use mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto receivers that collect solar energy and convert it to heat, which can then be used to produce electricity or stored for later use. It is used primarily in very large power plants.

What is solar energy?

Solar Energy 101. Solar radiation is light – also known as electromagnetic radiation – that is emitted by the sun. While every location on Earth receives some sunlight over a year, the amount of solar radiation that reaches any one spot on the Earth’s surface varies. Solar technologies capture this radiation and turn it into useful forms of energy.

What are the two types of solar energy?

There are two main types of solar energy technologies—photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP).

Does solar energy end with electricity?

Solar energy technology doesn’t end with electricity generation by PV or CSP systems. These solar energy systems must be integrated into homes, businesses, and existing electrical grids with varying mixtures of traditional and other renewable energy sources.

Why use multiple solar distillation systems?

Multiple solar distillation systems are required to produce a large quantity of distilled water. Advantages: It is a relatively cheap and low-maintenance system. It can be used at the household level and scaled up through programmatic approaches. There are climate change adaptation and mitigation benefits.

What is Solar Water Distillation?

Finding different ways to use our renewable resources (for example, solar power) has become an interest. Solar water distillation is the process of using energy from the sunlight to separate freshwater from salts or other contaminants. The untreated water absorbs heat, slowly reaching high temperatures. The heat causes the water to evaporate, cool, and condense into vapour, leaving the contaminants behind. Solar stills can be used for low capacity and self-reliant water supplying systems.

How does heat transfer occur in a distillation system?

The heat transfers in the distillation system are governed by external and internal modes. The external heat transfer mode occurs due to convection and radiation, which are independent from each other and occur outside the still. The heat transfer within the solar distillation unit is referred to as the internal heat transfer mode, which occurs due to radiation, convection, and evaporation. In internal heat transfer mode, the mass transfer is accompanied by radiation and convective heat. Water flowing through the wick surface gets heated and evaporated into vapour. The saturated vapour condenses in the lower surface of the glass cover after releasing the latent heat of vapourization. The condensed water droplets trickle down due to gravity and are collected in the drainage channel. The more wicks, the more heat can be transferred to the salt water and more product can be made. A plastic net can also catch salt water before it falls into the container and give it more time to heat up and separate into brine and water. Glass’ absorption of heat is negligible compared to that of plastic at higher temperatures.

How does a solar still work?

How it Works. Solar water distillers or solar stills are usually used in remote areas where there is limited access to freshwater. The basic principles of solar water distillation are simple, yet effective, as distillation replicates the way nature makes rain. A solar still works on two scientific principles: evaporation and condensation.

What is the main part of a distillation still?

The main part of the still is the basin, this is where the water you are going to distill is poured. Side walls are what give the still structure. The material used should be able to resist heat transfer to the area surrounding the still. The more heat trapped, the more efficient the water system. It should also be able to support the cover and prevent the water from spilling. The top cover is what is used to collect the condensed vapour from the distillation process, and the only way for heat to get into the still. The cover should be transparent, resistant to water absorption, easily cleaned, and very smooth. The distilled water is collected into a trough or passage, which then trickles out into a channel.

How does water flow through wicks?

Water flowing through the wick surface gets heated and evaporated into vapour. The saturated vapour condenses in the lower surface of the glass cover after releasing the latent heat of vapourization. The condensed water droplets trickle down due to gravity and are collected in the drainage channel.

Why do we use solar stills?

The heat causes the water to evaporate, cool, and condense into vapour, leaving the contaminants behind. Solar stills can be used for low capacity and self-reliant water supplying systems.

What Is Solar distillation?

How Does It Work?

• The easiest way to describe how solar distillation works is that the sun purifies the water by removing it. Although it sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, the process of solar distillation has actually been around for centuries. It works by mimicking the natural water cycle in the way that it purifies water. First, untreated water is plac...

See more on thescienceofwater.com

What Are The Pros and Cons?

The Science of Water