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=== Absorber ===
=== Absorber ===
Part of my earlier research looked into simple cost effective solar selective surface design. Selective surfaces are special materials that absorb the solar light spectrum very efficiently and emit it out at very low rates. They are very important in high efficiency solar technology however many of the products are proprietary or very expensive. So I looked into the academic research and found that coating a piece of aluminum with a resin infused with finely crushed charcoal to be a very good selective surface. I tried many resins with polyeurethane being the highest performing but also somewhat prone to cracking if it gets too hot. Polyethylene is good to buy dries very glossy, decreasing quality. I measured temperatures over 80 degrees celsius on the back of the absorber plate on this prototype(without wicks)
Part of my earlier research looked into simple cost effective solar selective surface design. Selective surfaces are special materials that absorb the solar light spectrum very efficiently and emit it out at very low rates. They are very important in high efficiency solar technology however many of the products are proprietary or very expensive. So I looked into the academic research and found that coating a piece of aluminum with a resin infused with finely crushed charcoal to be a very good selective surface. I tried many resins with polyurethane being the highest performing but also somewhat prone to cracking if it gets too hot. Polyethylene is good to buy dries very glossy, decreasing quality. I measured temperatures over 80 degrees Celsius on the back of the absorber plate on this prototype(without wicks)
[[File:SelectiveSurfacing.jpeg|thumb|right|DIY selective surface]]
[[File:SelectiveSurfacing.jpeg|thumb|right|DIY selective surface]]


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=== Reflector ===
=== Reflector ===
I used mylar film mounted to plywood with contact adhesive to bond the two. It had no protection from the elements and was damaged easily as well as not providing an optically clear image. I mounted my reflector on a hinge at the base of the absorber and then controlled the tilt with strings that I tied around the device. I used a spring loaded clasp from an old rain jacket to control the length.
I used Mylar film mounted to plywood with contact adhesive to bond the two. It had no protection from the elements and was damaged easily as well as not providing an optically clear image. I mounted my reflector on a hinge at the base of the absorber and then controlled the tilt with strings that I tied around the device. I used a spring loaded clasp from an old rain jacket to control the length.


=== Wicking Bed ===
=== Wicking Bed ===
This was one of the hardest problems and I spent a lot of time trying to solve it. The idea being that I could mount the wicks with spaces in between them but so that water wouldn't drip down around them. I tried multiple techniques without much success. No matter how I tried to make it water tight. The water would eventually start dripping through.
This was one of the hardest problems and I spent a lot of time trying to solve it. The idea being that I could mount the wicks with spaces in between them but so that water wouldn't drip down around them. I tried multiple techniques without much success. No matter how I tried to make it water tight. The water would eventually start dripping through.
<!-- Here is a sample gallery.  -->
 
<gallery caption="Sample gallery">
<gallery caption="Sample gallery">
File:AcrylicSlits.jpg|This first test I laser cut a peice of acrylic and inserted wicks into 1mm slits spaced 10mm apart. This design leaked when water was poured over it
File:AcrylicSlits.jpg|This first test I laser cut a piece of acrylic and inserted wicks into 1mm slits spaced 10mm apart. This design leaked when water was poured over it
File:RubberStack.jpg|Stacking silicon rubber extrusion with wicks and aluminum plate wedged between
File:RubberStack.jpg|Stacking silicon rubber extrusion with wicks and aluminum plate wedged between
File:EvenlyStacked.jpg|All plates stacked between rubber extrusions. Then with wooden piece screwed on the end to compress.
File:EvenlyStacked.jpg|All plates stacked between rubber extrusions. Then with wooden piece screwed on the end to compress.
File:DowelBand.jpg| This attempt used bent aluminum glued to wooden dowel with large rubber band wrapped around the dowel. The aim being to provide rigidity and elasticity. The rubber bands were meant to create a gasket so that water would only flow down the wicks. Once all stacked in the channel a peice of wood was fastened to compress them all.
File:DowelBand.jpg| This attempt used bent aluminum glued to wooden dowel with large rubber band wrapped around the dowel. The aim being to provide rigidity and elasticity. The rubber bands were meant to create a gasket so that water would only flow down the wicks. Once all stacked in the channel a piece of wood was fastened to compress them all.
</gallery>
</gallery>


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=== Condenser plates ===
=== Condenser plates ===
I used 0.5mm aluminum plates cut 200x300mm. These were integrated into the wicking system for accurate spacing. I tried many mounting techniques but the dowel one worked quite well. Except where the device was out of square and at the bottoms where they were just hanging freely. Without a rigid guide the plates weren't evenly spaced.
I used 0.5mm aluminum plates cut 200x300mm. These were integrated into the wicking system for accurate spacing. I tried many mounting techniques but the dowel one worked quite well. Except where the device was out of square and at the bottoms where they were just hanging freely. Without a rigid guide the plates weren't evenly spaced.
[[File:AluminumPlates.jpg|thumb|right|Bent 0.5mm aluminum condenser plates glued to 12x20mm square dowel. Also bent at the base to create the distillate channel
[[File:AluminumPlates.jpg|thumb|Bent 0.5mm aluminum condenser plates glued to 12x20mm square dowel. Also bent at the base to create the distillate channel


]]
]]
=== Distillate Collection ===
=== Distillate Collection ===
With the channel at the base of the aluminum plates there were two holes drilled. Under those holes was glued a channel and a hole in that channel to a pipe. That pipe could then be fixed to a bottle or other collection device.
With the channel at the base of the aluminum plates there were two holes drilled. Under those holes was glued a channel and a hole in that channel to a pipe. That pipe could then be fixed to a bottle or other collection device.
[[File:DistillateCollect.jpg|thumb|right|Upside down view of the prototype. Distillate channels on each side with PVC pipes glued]]
[[File:DistillateCollect.jpg|thumb|Upside down view of the prototype. Distillate channels on each side with PVC pipes glued]]
 
   
 


== Costs ==
== Costs ==

Revision as of 12:17, 14 June 2017

Render of the Solar Pura prototype in Fusion 360.
Solar Pura is an appropriate technology project aiming to provide safe drinking water by harnessing the power of the sun.

Around 2 billion people lack access to clean drinking water across the globe and many of those live in arid and remote areas perfect for the implementation of a highly efficient, low cost, small scale solar still. The aim is for it to produce between 5-10 liters of fresh water per day in a sunny climate, enough for a small family’s needs. The design has been optimised to be lightweight, low cost, robust and user friendly. And a scale functional prototype has been built and tested.

Solar Pura is part of my honours thesis in the school of design at RMIT in Melbourne, Australia. It is the culmination of a year of research into creating technology that can empower those caught in the poverty cycle and how by open sourcing designs and solutions we can give people the means to be self sufficient and build resilience for communities in need.


Vertical multiple effect diffusion type solar stills vs basin solar stills

You can learn about the mechanics and history of solar stills here solar stills and here improving basin solar stills and here understanding solar stills. These pages have a lot of great information on how single effect basin solar stills function. This design would have to be the norm for low tech solar distillation.


After many experiments and a lot of research I decided that a single effect basin type solar still could not meet these criteria and looked towards more experimental and complex designs. That is how I came across the work of R.V Dunkle and his 1961 paper on the topic of multiple effect diffusion solar stills[1]. As well as contemporary research groups such as Hiroshi Tanaka et al from Japan[2]. As well as researchers from Taiwan national university also exploring this space [3].

The principle behind the vertical multiple effect diffusion solar still is best described visually:

Multi effect diffusion principle

The multi effect diffusion principle works by stacking plates very close together to create different cells or 'effects' this is so that the latent heat of vaporization can be recycled multiple times before being dissipated into the atmosphere. From the diagram, Heat enters the device from the left while water is fed from above onto absorbent wicks. The wicks are laminated to one side of the conducting plate while the other side acts as the condenser. When the water on the wick is heated via conduction through the plate it vaporizes and then 'looks' for the next coldest surface to condense upon (the next plate) where it then drips down into a collection gutter that routes the distillate into a storage vessel. This process is repeated for as many effects as the device contains.

Researchers mentioned above have found that around 12 effects is optimal before returns are diminished. With 5mm spacing between plates being optimal to create the effect. This has lead to productivity for these devices to be anywhere from 20 to 40 liters per day per square meter. This is a 4 - 8 x increase in productivity compared to a single effect basin type still.




Project goals

For my project I developed 5 key design goals to focus my research around:

  • low cost
  • high efficiency
  • mobility
  • robustness
  • usability.

I followed a simple iterative methodology with 3 key stages

  1. Research - read academic research on the topic and ideate on their findings
  2. Experiment - develop experimental prototypes to test new concepts
  3. Evaluate - learn from experiments for next iteration of development

Design

There is very little experimental research that has been done on the construction and optimization of these devices. Most of Tanaka's designs he never built fully functional prototypes, just tested 1 effect and theorized the rest of the work. While the team at Taiwan university did build their prototypes, they were all hooked up to evacuated tube collectors that could supply a steady stream of 100 degree heat to the device. This coupling adds so much cost and complexity that in my eyes moves the technology beyond Appropriate Technology applications.

The inspiration for my design came from the Tanaka's paper from 2005 [4] where in he describes a multi effect diffuser that is coupled to a flat plate collector. I was very attracted to this idea because of its integration of the solar collector and the condenser. So from that point to move forward I used 3d CAD tools to flesh out the various systems and went about building my first prototype.

I synthesized the literature into a design consisting of 10 key subsystems:

  • Feed water flow control - Storage of feed water and controlling the rate at which it is fed to the wicks
  • Frame/mounting - The way in which all the components are mounted and housed & the spacing between the plates
  • Absorber - The solar selective surface absorber that absorbs the sun
  • Optical cover - Mounted in front of the absorber that prevents convective losses
  • Reflector - Mirrored surface that reflects the sun onto the absorber
  • Wicking Bed - The way in which the wicks are mounted and fed water
  • Insulating Panels - Side and back panels that prevent heat loss
  • Wicks - The material for wicking the feed water down the device
  • Condenser plates - The plates that act as condensers and conductors to create the multi-effect diffusion reaction
  • Distillate Collection - The way the distillate flows and is collected

And then I developed a scale prototype to test the interactions between these systems

Prototype # 1

This was an early prototype to help physically model the different ideas I was trying out. To save on costs I kept it quite small with an approximate absorber area of 300x200mm and 6 effects with 20mm gaps

Testing prototype #1 in the Sun


Feed water flow control

For this component I made a box with volume around 5 liters. I then drilled a hole and inserted a plastic irrigation valve. This didn't work very well. The control wasnt great enough for the low flow rate I needed

Frame/mounting

I used qubelock aluminum extrusion(Australian brand). It is a simple system that uses aluminum square tube joined with plastic joiners. this provided room for the plates to be stacked, support to stand the device up and all necessary mounting points.

Absorber

Part of my earlier research looked into simple cost effective solar selective surface design. Selective surfaces are special materials that absorb the solar light spectrum very efficiently and emit it out at very low rates. They are very important in high efficiency solar technology however many of the products are proprietary or very expensive. So I looked into the academic research and found that coating a piece of aluminum with a resin infused with finely crushed charcoal to be a very good selective surface. I tried many resins with polyurethane being the highest performing but also somewhat prone to cracking if it gets too hot. Polyethylene is good to buy dries very glossy, decreasing quality. I measured temperatures over 80 degrees Celsius on the back of the absorber plate on this prototype(without wicks)

DIY selective surface

Optical cover

For this prototype I used 2 walled polycarbonate for the optical cover. It provided superior convective heat loss mitigation for the absorber but may have also diminished light transmissivity.

Reflector

I used Mylar film mounted to plywood with contact adhesive to bond the two. It had no protection from the elements and was damaged easily as well as not providing an optically clear image. I mounted my reflector on a hinge at the base of the absorber and then controlled the tilt with strings that I tied around the device. I used a spring loaded clasp from an old rain jacket to control the length.

Wicking Bed

This was one of the hardest problems and I spent a lot of time trying to solve it. The idea being that I could mount the wicks with spaces in between them but so that water wouldn't drip down around them. I tried multiple techniques without much success. No matter how I tried to make it water tight. The water would eventually start dripping through.

Insulating Panels

Panels were made from 5mm plywood with 20mm EVA foam squares glued on. They press fit into the frame and were made so they could be easily taken on and off while testing

Wicks

Wicks were made from common dish cloths. These were chosen for their inexpensiveness and ubiquity. As well as their wicking properties and antibacterial designs that may help. The problem with this design is that they are only secured at the top and so they dont stay laminated to the aluminum plates, causing contamination. Also there was no way to secure the first wick to the back of the absorber as it was mounted flush to the frame with no gaps.

Condenser plates

I used 0.5mm aluminum plates cut 200x300mm. These were integrated into the wicking system for accurate spacing. I tried many mounting techniques but the dowel one worked quite well. Except where the device was out of square and at the bottoms where they were just hanging freely. Without a rigid guide the plates weren't evenly spaced.

Bent 0.5mm aluminum condenser plates glued to 12x20mm square dowel. Also bent at the base to create the distillate channel

Distillate Collection

With the channel at the base of the aluminum plates there were two holes drilled. Under those holes was glued a channel and a hole in that channel to a pipe. That pipe could then be fixed to a bottle or other collection device.

Upside down view of the prototype. Distillate channels on each side with PVC pipes glued

Costs

You may describe your costs here.

header 1 header 2 header 3
row 1, cell 1 row 1, cell 2 row 1, cell 3
row 2, cell 1 row 2, cell 2 row 2, cell 3

See Help:Tables and Help:Table examples for more.

Discussion

Your discussion.

Next steps

The next steps.

Conclusions

Your conclusions.

References

Contact details

Get in touch at mflood124875%gmail.com (replace % with @) if you want to know more about the project or chat about solar stills. All plans are freely avaialble by request

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