Experimental Analysis of a Solar Desalination Prototype

. This paper presents the experimental investigation of a solar desalination prototype using the humidification dehumidification principle at the weather conditions of Calicut City. The prototype is designed and fabricated at the National Institute of Technology, Calicut to conduct the experimental investigation of the dynamic behaviour of the solar desalination unit during summer season (November, December & January) and during a typical day in December was carried out to study the temporal evolutions of the temperature of air and water and the relative humidity at the inlet and the outlet of each component of the system. The results showed excellent behavior of series of parabolic reflectors over flat plate solar collector and enhanced productivity, thermally efficient and simultaneously reaches a maximum temperature of more than 75°C in a short time. The running cost of the system is low as it consumes very small power to run a small air blower and a water pump reducing the final cost per liter of fresh water.