title: Effect of air flow on tubular solar still efficiency.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An experimental work was reported to estimate the increase in distillate yield for a compound parabolic concentrator-concentric tubular solar still (CPC-CTSS). The CPC dramatically increases the heating of the saline water. A novel idea was proposed to study the characteristic features of CPC for desalination to produce a large quantity of distillate yield. A rectangular basin of dimension 2 m × 0.025 m × 0.02 m was fabricated of copper and was placed at the focus of the CPC. This basin is covered by two cylindrical glass tubes of length 2 m with two different diameters of 0.02 m and 0.03 m. The experimental study was operated with two modes: without and with air flow between inner and outer tubes. The rate of air flow was fixed throughout the experiment at 4.5 m/s. On the basis of performance results, the water collection rate was 1445 ml/day without air flow and 2020 ml/day with air flow and the efficiencies were 16.2% and 18.9%, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  THE EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WAS OPERATED WITH TWO MODES: without and with air flow between inner and outer tubes. The rate of air flow was fixed throughout the experiment at 4.5 m/s.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  On the basis of performance results, the water collection rate was 1445 ml/day without air flow and 2020 ml/day with air flow and the efficiencies were 16.2% and 18.9%, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Dr. NGP Institute of Technology, Coimbatore 641 048 Tamilnadu, India.
authors.forename: Arunkumar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thirugnanasambantham
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore 41 020 Tamilnadu, India.
authors.forename: Jayaprakash
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rajan
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore 41 020 Tamilnadu, India.
authors.forename: Amimul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ahsan
authors.affiliation: Research and Development (Renewable Energy), NSP Green Energy Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Chennai, Tamilnadu, India.
authors.forename: Vinothkumar
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kandasamy
keywords: Compound Parabolic Concentrator; Desalination; Tubular Solar Still