A review on recent developments in solar distillation units

TLDR: In this article, an emphasis has been given to review the effects of various operating and geometric parameters, and thermodynamic optimization on the performance of a solar still, including the second law of thermodynamics.

Abstract: The solar still is gaining popularity among the scientific community for the production of distillate and fluoride free water due to its low cost and simple working principle. Continuous efforts have been made by various researchers to increase its productivity. Various techniques and configurations have been attempted in the literature to enhance the efficiency of the solar still. Many researchers have also studied different parameters influencing the performance of solar stills. Thermodynamic analysis, such as, energy balance and losses by using the second law of thermodynamics have also been reported in the literature. However, optimum combinations of the operating parameters in addition to thermodynamic optimization for high distillate yield as well as the efficiency have not been thoroughly studied in the literature. In the present work, an emphasis has been given to review the effects of various operating and geometric parameters, and thermodynamic optimization on the performance of a solar still.