A Solar Driven Decentralized Small Scale Water Purification System for Remote Communities /

Abstract

In decentralized areas with modest quantum fresh water needs, the bubble column (BC) humidification dehumidification (HDH) desalination systems are attributed to have excellent outcomes. The current work comprises of a bubble column humidifier to raise the humidity level in the air and a bubble column dehumidifier to remove moisture from the air once it has been humidified. The solar thermal water heater, a sustainable energy source, supplied the thermal energy needed for the HDH system's operations. A nanofluid based flat plate solar water heater, which has a considerably greater thermal efficiency than the traditional surface absorption-based solar thermal collector, was used to heat the saline water. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) along with the deionized water is mixed in weight percentage to make the nanofluid with Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) utilized as a surfactant. The results illustrates that the hourly fresh water productivity is inversely connected with bubble generation hole diameter whereas it is directly correlated with the temperature of water, water height in the column, and mass flow rate of air . The system's best experimental yield was recorded to be 0.75 L/d for a saline water temperature of 60°C, 0.005 kg/s mass flow rate of air, diameter of bubble producing hole of 2.5 mm, 40 °C of air temperature, and a water height in the BC of 7.5 cm in humidifier. The hourly fresh water productivity ranged from 0.4 to 0.75 L/h throughout the investigation. For 0.005 kg/s mass flow rate of air, the system had a GOR of 0.5. The effectiveness of the system was recorded to be 0.79. The cost per liter of water productivity is merely $ 0.0334, with a system’s payback period of 1.3 years