Analysis of an inclined solar still with baffles for improving the yield of fresh water

•Experiments are conducted for January, February, March and April 2014.•Theoretical results are validated by experimental data.•Total yield from solar still with and without baffles are found as 5.4 and 3.4kg/m2 respectively.•With an average solar intensity of 8.12kWh/m2 and wind velocity of 1.88m/s yield is maximum. In the present study, the performance of an inclined solar still with and without baffles are studied. From the study, it is identified that the yield of fresh water and the evaporation of water inside the solar still are completely dependent on the retention time of water with solar radiance. Furthermore, a theoretical and experimental analysis is carried out in order to evaluate the performance of the solar still using RHN (Ravi–Harris–Nagarajan) Model. The yields are 5.4kg/m2day±3.6% for solar still with baffles and 3.4kg/m2day±3% for solar still without baffles during April month with a total daily intensity of 8.125kWh/m2. The yield of the solar still is increased by 1.68 times the solar still without baffles. Results prove that the improvement of yield from inclined solar stills depends on the contact time of flowing water with solar radiance and temperature of the absorber.