Use of computational fluid dynamics for solar desalination system: a review

Abstract

Only about one percent of the world's water is potable, with the remainder being saline in nature. Saline water is converted to drinkable water through the use of solar energy in the process of solar desalination. In the field of potable water production, solar desalination is widely regarded as one of the most promising technologies currently in development. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of a solar desalination system are discussed in the following review article. Aspects of it include, among other things, the determination of distillate output as well as various heat transfer coefficients and multiple point temperatures. The current work includes the application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to single slope solar stills, double slope solar stills, stepped solar stills, humidification and dehumidification systems, among other things. CFD is a critical tool for determining the thermal performance of solar desalination systems, as demonstrated in this review paper.