Design, production, and performance analysis of a pyramid-type solar desalination system: an experimental study

With the rapid increase in the world population and the rapid decrease in clean water resources, access to clean water is rapidly progressing to become a worldwide problem. Moreover, global warming, especially caused by fossil fuel-based energy production, triggers the rapid depletion of water resources. In addition to being a basic nutrient, water is a basic need in almost every sector. The increase in the rate of industrialization and population density also stands out as important factors in the rapid depletion of clean water resources. According to international research, by 2030, almost half of the world's population will have problems in accessing clean water. For this reason, obtaining clean water, especially by using renewable energy sources, is of global importance. In this context, solar desalination systems come to the fore. Solar-assisted desalination systems attract attention as an environmentally friendly technology as well as being economical and sustainable. Especially in rural areas where access to traditional energy sources such as electricity grids, batteries or fossil fuel energy sources is limited, solar-assisted desalination systems can meet the average freshwater requirement of a family. Although solar-assisted desalination systems are economically feasible, the water production cost is around $/L 0.03 and still needs improvement compared to large-scale production systems. For this reason, even minor improvements in the efficiency of these systems are important. In this study, the design, production, and performance analysis of a pyramid-type solar desalination system will be made. With the tests to be performed at different radiation values, the daily production amounts of the produced system will be observed.