Performance analysis of waste brick magnesia as a storage material in a solar still

Abstract

In this current study, a single basin solar still (SBSS) was explored in the climatic state of Patan (23.84 N, 72.12 E) India over March 2019. The SBSS was examined with the use of waste brick magnesia (WBM) for the same amount of water (10 L). For experimentation, three same-sized SBSS were taken with 3 and 6 kg WBM and without storage materials. It was found that a daytime yield for SBSS of 2.27 L without storage materials was obtained; and this was reduced for SBSS with 3 and 6 kg WBM to 1.96 and 1.75 L, respectively. It has also been noticed that the yield of SBSS during off-sunshine hours due to the energy storage capacity increased with WBM but the combined (daytime + off-sunshine hours) yield was found reduced with an increment in a mass of the WBM. It was found that the maximum instantaneous thermal efficiency of the SBSS without WBM, 3 and 6 kg WBM was 60.24%, 45.65%, and 54.26%, respectively. Overall thermal efficiency was also determined and obtained to be higher for SBSS without WBM as storage.