Attia, Mohammed El Hadi ， Bady, Mahmoud
2026-03-01 INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS IN HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER 2026 172(卷), null(期), (null页)
This study introduces a novel six-cylinder metallic inox scrubber (CSMI) to significantly enhance the performance of hemispherical solar distillers (HSDs) for sustainable freshwater production. Four CSMI configurations-inline, zigzag, circular, and parallel-were experimentally evaluated against a conventional HSD (CHSD) in El Oued, Algeria. The results demonstrate that the spatial arrangement of the scrubbers critically influences productivity, with the parallel configuration (HSD-P&CSMI) achieving the highest freshwater yield of 6.05 L/m2/day. This represents a 58.3 % increase over the CHSD yield of 3.82 L/m2/day, attributed to enhanced microscale turbulence, superior heat distribution, and maximized evaporation surface area. A comprehensive 4E (Energy, Exergy, Economic, and Environmental) analysis confirmed the superiority of HSD-P&CSMI, revealing a thermal efficiency of 80 %, an exergy efficiency of 9 %, and a cost-effective water production cost of 0.040 $/L. Furthermore, this configuration can mitigate approximately 3.33 tons of COQ over a 10-year lifespan. The study concludes that the HSD-P&CSMI design offers a highly efficient, scalable, and economically viable solution for addressing water scarcity in arid regions.