IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/renene/v253y2025ics0960148125012923.html

Enhancing pyramidal solar still performance with a cost-effective PCM encapsulation technique: A heat transfer and 6E analysis study

Author

Listed:
  • Patel, Jay R.
  • Shrivastava, Utkarsh
  • Naresh, Y.
  • Banerjee, J.

Abstract

The freshwater shortage is a major worldwide issue, especially in dry and isolated areas with little access to fresh water. Although there are many other desalination methods, passive solar desalination is a more environmentally friendly option because many other techniques require significant energy inputs. However, the intermittent behavior of solar radiation affects the performance of the solar still, and integrating Phase Change Materials (PCMs) can resolve this issue. Freshwater production can be increased with different PCM storage methods. However, the modifications in SS improve system performance but increase the cost per liter (CPL). Thus, the novelty of the present research lies in developing cost-effective and efficient PCM storage methods in SS for efficient desalination. Under the climatic condition of Surat (21°17′ N, 72°83′ E) in the winter season, four different solar still configurations are experimentally investigated: (I) Conventional solar still, (II) Modified solar still with PCM tray below basin, (III) Modified solar still with PCM in cans and (IV) Modified solar still with PCM in copper tubes with copper fins. A comprehensive 6E and heat transfer analysis is conducted on all the proposed designs. The freshwater yield was achieved as 2.03 L/m2 in Case I, and it was increased by 22.3 %, 57.7 %, and 51.23 % in Cases II, III, and IV, respectively, compared to Case I. The higher freshwater production in Cases III and IV is due to high evaporation, with values of evaporative heat transfer coefficient of 14.06, 15.22, 26.55, and 25.41 W/m2-K for Cases I, II, III, and IV, respectively. Case III with PCM in cans was found most efficient with 36.5 % and 2.86 % energy and exergy efficiencies, respectively. The economic analysis indicated the Cost per liter value as 0.0197, 0.0222, 0.0152, and 0.0201 $/L for Cases I, II, III, and IV, respectively. The environmental analysis indicated 62.8 % and 53.9 % higher CO2 emission mitigation in Case III and IV, respectively, compared to Case I. The value of the energy payback period, energy production factor, and exergo-economic parameter in Case III are 1.19 yr, 0.84 yr−1, and 21.37 kWh/$, respectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Patel, Jay R. & Shrivastava, Utkarsh & Naresh, Y. & Banerjee, J., 2025. "Enhancing pyramidal solar still performance with a cost-effective PCM encapsulation technique: A heat transfer and 6E analysis study," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 253(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:253:y:2025:i:c:s0960148125012923
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.123630
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148125012923
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.renene.2025.123630?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Khalilmoghadam, Pooria & Rajabi-Ghahnavieh, Abbas & Shafii, Mohammad Behshad, 2021. "A novel energy storage system for latent heat recovery in solar still using phase change material and pulsating heat pipe," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 2115-2127.
    2. Pandey, Nagendra & Naresh, Y., 2024. "A comprehensive 4E (energy, exergy, economic, environmental) analysis of novel pyramid solar still coupled with pulsating heat pipe: An experimental study," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 225(C).
    3. Hedayati-Mehdiabadi, Erfan & Sarhaddi, Faramarz & Sobhnamayan, Fatemeh, 2020. "Exergy performance evaluation of a basin-type double-slope solar still equipped with phase-change material and PV/T collector," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 2409-2425.
    4. Mohtasim, Md. Shahriar & Kibria, Md. Golam & Pranto, Md Mahamudul Hasan & Das, Barun K., 2025. "Hybrid PVT integrated pyramid solar still: 11E, sustainability, and sustainable development goals assessment," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Shoeibi, Shahin, 2025. "A systematic review on the economic viability of solar desalination: influence of design innovations and enhancement strategies," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 402(PA).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Shoeibi, Shahin, 2025. "A systematic review on the economic viability of solar desalination: influence of design innovations and enhancement strategies," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 402(PA).
    2. Alhadri, Muapper & Alshammari, Shaher & Alshammari, Abdulhamid F. & Muneer, Saqib & Ahmed, Mohamed M.Z. & Sharshir, Swellam W. & Elashmawy, Mohamed, 2026. "Experimental study on the performance of an enhanced stepped solar still aided by PCM materials with external reflectors," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
    3. Jamil, Furqan & Hassan, Faisal & Shoeibi, Shahin & Khiadani, Mehdi, 2023. "Application of advanced energy storage materials in direct solar desalination: A state of art review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    4. Yu, Qinghua & Chen, Xi & Yang, Hongxing, 2021. "Research progress on utilization of phase change materials in photovoltaic/thermal systems: A critical review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    5. Jianhong Liu & Dong Liu & Fumin Shang & Kai Yang & Chaofan Zheng & Xin Cao, 2024. "Experimental Study of Thermal Performance of Pulsating-Heat-Pipe Heat Exchanger with Asymmetric Structure at Different Filling Rates," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-15, July.
    6. Sun, Xiaoqin & Lin, Yian & Zhu, Ziyang & Li, Jie, 2022. "Optimized design of a distributed photovoltaic system in a building with phase change materials," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 306(PA).
    7. Cui, Yuanlong & Zhu, Jie & Zhang, Fan & Shao, Yiming & Xue, Yibing, 2022. "Current status and future development of hybrid PV/T system with PCM module: 4E (energy, exergy, economic and environmental) assessments," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    8. He Fu & Min Dai & Hanwen Song & Xiaoting Hou & Fahid Riaz & Shuai Li & Ke Yang & Imran Ali & Changsheng Peng & Muhammad Sultan, 2021. "Updates on Evaporation and Condensation Methods for the Performance Improvement of Solar Stills," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-26, October.
    9. Jiangwei Liu & Yuhe Xiao & Dandan Chen & Chong Ye & Changda Nie, 2024. "Melting and Solidification Characteristics of PCM in Oscillated Bundled-Tube Thermal Energy Storage System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-17, April.
    10. Jesus Fernando Hinojosa & Saul Fernando Moreno & Victor Manuel Maytorena, 2023. "Low-Temperature Applications of Phase Change Materials for Energy Storage: A Descriptive Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-39, March.
    11. S, Shankaranarayanan & Murugan, Deepak Kumar, 2025. "Recent trends in thermal energy storage for enhanced solar still performance," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    12. Saada, Yasmina & Benmenine, Djamel & Settou, Belkhir & Korichi, Zineb, 2025. "Experimental investigation of solar desalination in Algeria: Performance, economic feasibility, and climatic variability analysis of geothermal-integrated and glass-cooled solar stills," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 333(C).
    13. Lee, Ga-Ram & Park, Chang-Dae & Lim, Hyuneui & Cho, Sung-Hoon & Choi, Seok-Min & Lim, Byung-Ju, 2023. "Performance enhancement of a diffusion-type solar still: Wettability and flowability of condensation surface," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 209(C), pages 277-285.
    14. Abdelgaied, Mohamed & Kabeel, A.E., 2021. "Performance improvement of pyramid solar distillers using a novel combination of absorber surface coated with CuO nano black paint, reflective mirrors, and PCM with pin fins," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 494-501.
    15. Maseer, Muayad M. & Ismail, Firas Basim & Kazem, Hussein A. & Hachim, Dhafer Manea & Al-Gburi, Kumail Abdulkareem Hadi & Chaichan, Miqdam T., 2024. "Performance enhancement of photovoltaic/thermal collector semicircle absorber tubes using nanofluid and NPCM," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 233(C).
    16. Xiaohuan Zhao & Yue Zhu & Hailiang Li, 2022. "Micro-Channel Oscillating Heat Pipe Energy Conversion Approach of Battery Heat Dissipation Improvement: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-29, October.
    17. Wei Lu & Jay Wang & Meng Wang & Jian Yan & Ding Mao & Eric Hu, 2025. "Nanoparticle-Enhanced Phase Change Materials (NPCMs) in Solar Thermal Energy Systems: A Review on Synthesis, Performance, and Future Prospects," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-45, August.
    18. Xu, H.J. & Han, X.C. & Hua, W.S. & Friedrich, D. & Santori, G. & Bevan, E. & Vafai, K. & Wang, F.Q. & Zhang, X.L. & Yu, G.J. & Xu, H.F., 2025. "Progress on thermal storage technologies with high heat density in renewables and low carbon applications: Latent and thermochemical energy storage," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 215(C).
    19. Wang, Wei-Wei & Zhang, Hong-Liang & Song, Yong-Juan & Song, Jia-Wei & Shi, Dun-Ke & Zhao, Fu-Yun & Cai, Yang, 2022. "Fluid flow and thermal performance of the pulsating heat pipes facilitated with solar collectors: Experiments, theories and GABPNN machine learning," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 1533-1547.
    20. Ying, Xuchen & Huang, Weijia & Liu, Wenhua & Liu, Guiliang & Li, Jun & Yang, Mo, 2022. "Asymmetric phenomenon of flow and heat transfer in charging process of thermal energy storage based on an entire domain model," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 316(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:253:y:2025:i:c:s0960148125012923. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/renewable-energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.