Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 29, 2025
07:18
Experimental System of Solar Adsorption Refrigeration with Concentrated Collector
Published on: October 18, 2017
14.6K
Recent Progress on Passive, Thermally Localized Solar-Driven Multistage Water Evaporation
Hyeon Tae Kim1, Morteza Afsari2, Noel Peter B Tan3,4
1Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, P.O. Box 123, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.
Membranes
|May 26, 2023
Summary
Multistage solar-driven water evaporation (SWE) devices offer cost-efficient freshwater production. This review examines designs, highlighting factors like condenser staging and absorbers for improved efficiency in portable desalination systems.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Materials Science
- Renewable Energy Engineering
Background:
- Solar-driven water evaporation (SWE) is a promising technology for cost-efficient freshwater production.
- Multistage SWE systems are gaining attention for their simple structure and high solar-to-thermal conversion rates, achieving 1.5–6 L m-2h-1 (LMH).
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and examine current multistage SWE devices.
- To analyze unique characteristics and freshwater production performances of various designs.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of multistage SWE device designs.
- Examination of condenser staging, spectrally selective absorbers (including PV cells), water flow direction, layering, and material composition.
Main Results:
- Key distinguishing factors include condenser staging and absorber types (e.g., high solar absorbing materials, PV cells, absorber-concentrator coupling).
- Device performance is influenced by heat/mass transport, solar-to-vapor efficiency, gain output ratio, and water production rate.
- Variations in mechanisms and materials are employed to overcome current efficiency limitations.
Conclusions:
- Reviewed multistage SWE designs demonstrate potential for small-scale solar desalination.
- These systems can enhance freshwater accessibility in regions with limited resources.
Keywords:
absorberevaporatormembranemultistage distillationpassive desalinationphotothermal materialsolar energysolar water evaporationthermally localizedwater purificationMore Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:39Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation
17.7K
The physical form of a substance changes on changing its temperature. For example, raising the temperature of a liquid causes the liquid to vaporize (convert into vapor). The process is called vaporization—a surface phenomenon. Vaporization occurs when the thermal motion of the molecules overcome the intermolecular forces, and the molecules (at the surface) escape into the gaseous state. When a liquid vaporizes in a closed container, gas molecules cannot escape. As these gas phase...
17.7K
01:18Vaporization
34.8K
The physical form of a substance changes by changing its temperature. For example, raising the temperature of a liquid causes the liquid to vaporize (convert into vapor). The process is called vaporization—a surface phenomenon. For vaporization to occur, kinetic energy must be greater than the intermolecular forces that keep molecules bonded. The amount of energy needed to vaporize a quantity of liquid at a given pressure and a constant temperature is called the heat of vaporization. When...
34.8K
01:20Mechanisms of Heat Transfer II
3.3K
In convection, thermal energy is carried by the large-scale flow of matter. Ocean currents and large-scale atmospheric circulation, which result from the buoyancy of warm air and water, transfer hot air from the tropics toward the poles and cold air from the poles toward the tropics. The Earth’s rotation interacts with those flows, causing the observed eastward flow of air in the temperate zones. Convection dominates heat transfer by air, and the amount of available space for the airflow...
3.3K
01:14Mechanisms of Heat Transfer I
4.4K
Just as interesting as the effects of heat transfer on a system are the methods by which the heat transfer occur. Whenever there is a temperature difference, heat transfer occurs. It may occur rapidly, such as through a cooking pan, or slowly, such as through the walls of a picnic ice box. So many processes involve heat transfer that it is hard to imagine a situation where no heat transfer occurs. Yet, every heat transfer takes place by only three methods: conduction, convection, and radiation.
4.4K
01:19Mechanism of heat transfer
1.3K
Understanding heat transfer mechanisms is essential for understanding how our bodies maintain balance in different environmental conditions. When the environment is thermoneutral, the body is in a state of balance, neither using nor releasing energy to maintain its core temperature. However, when the environment is not thermoneutral, the body employs four heat transfer mechanisms to maintain homeostasis: conduction, convection, evaporation, and radiation. These mechanisms facilitate heat...
1.3K
01:57Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
25.8K
Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.
25.8K