Assessing the Economic Viability of Solar Distillation Employing a Rotating Hollow Cylinder.

This study includes an experimental investigation of a conventional and improved solar still, both dual-tilt. The enhanced solar energy is coupled to a rotating hollow metal cylinder. The purpose of this study is to enhance the productivity of solar energy in the production of distilled water and reduce the production cost. The hollow cylinder enhanced the surface area needed for water to evaporate, while the thin layer of basin water in contact with the cylinder surfaces reduced the thickness of the layer of water to be heated. Adding an aluminium mesh layer to the surface of the rotating hollow cylinder caused the temperature of the basin water to rise, increasing the distilled water throughput from the still. This study included calculating the economic feasibility of the traditional and improved solar stills, as the cost of the traditional still is about 87 dinars to produce one litre, while the improved still costs 65 dinars to produce one litre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]