A highly productive basin-type-multiple-effect coupled solar still

A newly designed multiple-effect solar still with a triangle cross-section consisting of a horizontal basin liner, a tilted double glass cover and the vertical parallel partitions in contact with saline-soaked wicks is presen ted and theoretically analyzed. Solar radiation is absorbed in the basin an d in the first partition, and the partition section recycles the energy fro m the basin as well as solar energy, which is directly absorbed by the firs t partition. A single distillation cell with a 5-mm diffusion gap between v ertical partitions has been experimentally explored. No contamination of di stillate with saline water was experimentally detected in the single distil lation cell, and the experimental observation of the wick and the measureme nts of the temperature drop through the cell with the 5-mm gap showed that dry patches hardly appear on the wick. The proposed still with 5-mm diffusi on gaps is theoretically predicted to produce distillate of 15.4kg(-2) m(-2 )d(-1) on a sunny day of G(ti)=22.4 MJ/m(-2)d(-1) solar radiation, and its efficiency is about 3.5 times larger than the average experimental value fo r the conventional basin type stills by Cooper [20] and 1.2-1.6 times large r than the experimental maximum values of the conventional multiple-effect stills [3,9].