TRANSIENT SIMULATION STUDIES ON A MULTISTAGE STACKED TRAY SOLAR-STILL

This paper presents a computer simulation model for studying the trans ient performance of a multi-stage stacked tray solar still. The model is validated against the results of simulated experiments on a three-s tage solar still having electric heater as the heating source. In orde r to appreciate the developed model, numerical calculations have been made to evaluate the performance of the system heated by a solar colle ctor corresponding to the typical climate of Delhi, India. Effects of number of stages and ratio of collector area to the bottom tray area ( A(c)/A(b,1)) on the distillate output have also been studied correspon ding to the average days of the coldest and hottest months in Delhi.