International Journal of Energetica (IJECA) https://www.ijeca.info ISSN: 2543-3717 Volume 7. Issue 1. 2022 Page 23-27 This open access article is licensed under the CC BY-NC license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) Page 23 Effect of plastic fins on a traditional solar still's efficiency A. Khechekhouche 1* , A. M. de Oliveira Siqueira 2 , Nabil Elsharif 3 1 Technology Faculty, El Oued University, ALGERIA 2 Chemical Engineering Graduate Program, Federal University of Viçosa, BRAZIL 3 Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Benghazi, LIBYA * Corresponding author E-mail: abder03@hotmail.com Abstract –Solar distillation is a relatively straightforward and environmental method. It is used in many countries and especially in isolated areas to treat polluted water. In this context, two similar solar stills of 50 x 50 cm were used in the same climatic conditions in order to test the influence of plastic fins on the performance of this device. The results show that there is a negative effect on the output of the distiller with a rate of 8.8 %. So this way is not recommended for researchers in this field. Keywords: Solar energy, Solar distillation, Water output, Pure water. Received: 02/04/2022 – Revised 05/05/2022 – Accepted: 27/05/2022 I. Introduction Solar energy is a plentiful, renewable, free, and environmentally friendly source of energy. Algeria is a North African country with a fascinating energy potential, namely solar energy [1-3]. This energy can be used to treat dirty underground water [4-7]. Several research labs throughout the world produce their prototypes [8-10]. According to the literature [11,12], the solar still is a straightforward device to construct. It is a process that is directly tied to the intensity of solar radiation, and any change in the latter causes a change in the still's productivity. An experimental investigation found that productivity is 1127 ml during the summer and 119 ml during the winter when solar radiation is low [13]. The purpose of all investigations, whether experimental, numerical, or simulation-based, is to increase the solar still's production. Studies on cooling the glazing, or the condenser, have been focused on improving the efficiency of this device. According to the findings of a study on the cooling of a solar still's glass cover, daily production increased by 32.8 % [14]. Another recent study discovered that combining a high thermal conductivity absorber with a glass cover cooling system increases efficiency from 105.9% to 107.7% [15-17]. Others conducted an experimental investigation to see the effect of variation in glass cover thickness and the use of double glazing on the performance of conventional solar stills, while others concentrated their research on modifying the angle of cover to best maximize their device. The findings show that the angle of the glazing, as well as the thickness of the glazing, has a direct impact on the solar output. In the case of double glass, the data suggest that the solar still performance is significantly reduced [18-22]. The heating of brackish water is another component of the study. Some study has used phase change materials (PCM) in the field of solar distillation to boost the productivity of the solar still. It raises the temperature of the water and speeds up the evaporation process. This substance is effective in the solar still, although its performance is dependent on the type of material and its concentration [23,24]. Despite their high cost, nanofluids have been utilized in solar distillation for a few years. On the one hand, the data demonstrate that the rate of A. Khechekhouche et al. / International Journal of Energetica (IJECA) Vol. 7, N°1, 2022, pp. 23-27 Page 24 improvement varies greatly depending on the composition of the nanofluid and its concentration in the solar still's water basin. Other criteria, such as the quality of the water to be treated and its thickness, come into play as well [25,26]. The use of available tools such as CFD, Matlab, or others to examine heat and mass transfer, temperature evolutions, and other aspects of solar stills is known as numerical modeling. They are efficient tools for constructing mathematical models that researchers can use to validate their findings [27-30]. The heating of brackish water is another focus of the study. Some research has been done to improve the productivity of solar stills. The heating of brackish water is another focus of the study. Some studies have used pebbles, granites, metal plates, charcoal, Aluminum wastes, Palm Fibers, sand, or sponge pieces to boost the solar still's output. The results demonstrate that natural material improvement ranges from 15% to 273 %, with cubic sponge pieces having the highest upgrading value [31-37]. The objective of this work is to see the effect of plastic fins on the performance of a conventional solar still. II. Material and method Two solar stills were tested in March at the University of El Oued, south-eastern Algeria. The first still SSR is taken as a reference still and the second SSM still is taken as a modify still. So plastic fins were placed in this second still in order to know the effect of the fins on the output of our device as shown in Figure 1. Temperature and water quantity measurements are taken every hour during the 8 hours of the experiment. Figure 1. Measurement system setting up III. Results and analysis III.1. Solar radiation and ambient temperature Sun distillation depends heavily on solar radiation. The progression of this radiation over time is depicted in Figure 2. Additionally, it displays the changes in ambient temperature over time. Note that the maximum radiation is 880 W/m 2 between 12:h00 and 13:h00 and the maximum ambient temperature is 31°C at 14:h00. Figure 2. Evolution of solar radiation and ambient temperature III.2. Internal glass temperature evolution Figure 1 represents the evolution of the temperature of the glass cover (inner face) during the duration of the experiment. We notice that the temperatures increase until reaching their maximum values between 13:00h and 14:00h and we note that the temperatures of the inner face of the two stills are almost the same, which suggests that the temperature of the water will influence the output of the stills. Figure 3. Evolution of internal glass cover temperature A. Khechekhouche et al. / International Journal of Energetica (IJECA) Vol. 7, N°1, 2022, pp. 23-27 Page 25 III.3. Water temperature evolution A live image of the experiment is shown in Figure 4 along with the water temperature variation of the two solar stills. It should be noticed that the SSR's water temperature is higher than the SSM's water temperature. This illustrates that the plastic fins on the solar still's water basin have no beneficial impact on the water's ability to be heated. Figure 4. Water temperature evolution III.4. Accumulation output of pure water Figure 6 represents the output of the 2 solar stills as a function of time. We notice from the beginning of the experiment, that the output of SSR is higher than the output of SSM and this is throughout the experiment. The change in pure water accumulation from the two solar stills is seen in Figure 7. Keep in mind that over the course of the experiment's eight hours, the SSM distiller gathered 432 ml of pure water, and the SSR distiller 470 ml. Therefore, there is a 38 milliliter discrepancy. What demonstrates that plastic fins cannot be viewed as a technique for solar distillation enhancement Figure 6. Evolution of hourly output Figure 7. Accumulation output of pure water IV. Conclusion An experiment was done to test the effect of plastic fins on the performance of a solar still. the results show that:  The temperature of the front side of the glass cover is the same.  The water temperature of SSR is higher than SSM.  The output of the Modify Solar Still SSM is lower than the Reference Solar Still SSR with an output of 8.8%. It can be said that plastic fins are not a means of improvement in solar distillation. 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