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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Water is an important resource for human beings, yet there are inhabited places tormented
by the scarcity of it. The present study is concerned with places where, seemingly, the best way to get
water is through solar distillers. These places should have, typically, high values of solar irradiation
and a lack of human and economic resources to build and operate complex equipment. A set of sites
scattered around the world was chosen, and then the presumed productivity and thermal efficiency
that solar distillers would have if they were installed at these places was calculated. The mathematical
model used with this purpose assumes steady-state operation; the values of mass of water distilled
and distiller efficiency were calculated for every hour, but the results presented are annual averages.
Then, an economic study was made based on local costs of construction materials for the distillers,
the workforce, and the prices of water to predict the payback time of solar distillers. Finally, a study
on environmental impact, particularly in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, was made to
compare reverse osmosis (RO) with solar distillation. For the sites studied, typical values of annual
water output are in the range of 414 dm3/m2, for Évora, up to 696 dm3/m2, for Faya Largeau; the
minimum efficiency was found for Évora, as 11.5%, and the maximum efficiency was found for
Tessalit, as 15.2%. Payback times are very high, regardless of the areas of the globe where solar
distillers are implanted. Regarding GHG emissions, solar distillation is preferable to RO.
Description
Keywords
Solar desalination Distillers Fresh water Arid areas GHG emissions