Parameters affecting solar still productivity

In this work, investigation of the main parameters affecting solar still pe rformance under the weather conditions of the Suez Gulf area is considered. Four solar still units are designed and constructed to operate under the s ame weather conditions with different design parameters. A general equation is developed to predict the daily productivity of a single sloped solar st ill. The developed equation relates the dependent and independent variables which control the daily productivity. This equation could be used to predi ct the daily productivity with a reasonable confidence level (maximum error +/-5%). (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.