NUST Institutions Library Catalogue

Regions across the world lack the availability of clean and freshwater. Traditional solar still (s)
have been made, however their current low output remains a barrier. This study presents a
design that incorporates mild steel fins of varied geometries to enhance the productivity of a
square stepped solar still. Under real world conditions, the three fin geometries : 0.5 inch
cylindrical, 1 inch cylindrical and tree shaped fins, all with a maximum height of 2 inches, were
fabricated from mild steel and were analyzed for thermal performance potential.
When compared to a baseline which was finless, the experimental results demonstrated
significant efficiency enhancements, with average daily efficiency rising from a baseline of
23.27 % to 26.1 %, 27.8 %, 29.23 % for the 0.5 inch cylindrical, 1 inch cylindrical and tree
shaped fins respectively. Furthermore, distilled water quality, from all the enhanced
configurations, consistently met WHO potable water standards.
In conclusion, the integration of mild steel fins proves to be a highly effective and
economically viable method for significantly augmenting heat transfer, evaporation rates, and
overall productivity in stepped solar still (s). This design presents a promising approach, for
advancing sustainable desalination technology in remote and water scarce communities.