Performance evaluation of inclined copper-stepped solar still in a wet tropical climate

•An inclined copper-stepped solar still was fabricated and studied under actual metrological conditions (wet tropical climate) in Bangi, Malaysia•The theoretical and experimental findings show good agreement for the inclined copper-stepped solar.•The maximum productivity for the theoretical and experimental were 474 mL/m2h and 605 mL/m2h.

In this study, an evaluation on the efficiency of an inclined copper-stepped solar still was performed through theoretical and experiment. Inclined trays were used to increase the efficiency of a system. The theoretical calculations and the experiment were conducted by the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, UKM, Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor. Experimental data was utilized to test the theoretical model and the results show good acceptance between the experimental and theoretical data. The convective, evaporative, and radiative heat transfer coefficients and the water productivity and efficiency were calculated for each hour. The findings revealed that the maximum hourly productivity in the inclined copper-stepped solar still for the theoretical and experimental were 474 mL/m2 h and 605 mL/m2 h. Additionally, the daily efficiency varied between 28.33 and 29.5% for the inclined copper-stepped solar still from September to December 2016.