Modification and Testing of Parabolic Concentrator Solar Water Distiller Project Report

“Modification and Testing of Parabolic Concentrator Solar Water
Distiller”
A
Project Report
Submitted
in partial fulfillment
for the award of the Degree of
Bachelor of Technology
in Department of Mechanical Engineering
Supervisor: Submitted by:
Mr. Manoj Kumar Sain Siddharth Bhatnagar (12ESKME417)
(Reader) Deepak Singh (12ESKME408)
Rajesh Chordia (12ESKME410)
Sanjay Kumar Yadav(12ESKME412)
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Swami Keshvanand Institute of Technology, Management &
Gramothan, Jaipur
Rajasthan Technical University
May 2016

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CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Project Report entitled “Modification and Testing of
Parabolic Concentrator Solar Water Distiller” has been submitted by us for
fulfillment of the partial requirement of B. Tech. degree in Mechanical
Engineering. The work contained in this report is carried out by us under the
guidance of Mr. Manoj Kumar Sain and under the coordination of
Mr. Ajay Kumar Dhanopia and Mr. Sudhanshu Chajjed.
Supervisor:
Siddharth Bhatnagar
Mr. Manoj Kumar Sain
Rajesh Chordia
Project Coordinator:
Deepak Singh
Mr. Ajay Kumar Dhanopia
Sanjay Kumar Yadav
Mr. Sudhanshu Chajjed

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT
In pursuing our Bachelors of Technology in Department of Mechanical Engineering
undertook the task of completing our Project “Modification and Testing of Parabolic
Concentrator Solar Water Distiller”
We are grateful to many people for their insights and encouragement. We may not possibly
mention the names of all those people who have enriched and improved my knowledge. But
without the names of some people this Project Report would not be possible.
At the outset we would like to thank Dr. R. K. Pachar (Principal) and
Dr. S. L. Surana (Director Academics) for providing the facilities to pursue this Project in
such a prestigious and professional institution.
We would like to express our profound gratitude to Mr. Ajay Kumar Dhanopia (Sr. Lecturer),
our project coordinator.
We would also like to thank Dr. N.K. Banthiya (HoD- Mechanical Engineering) and
Dr. Alok Mathur (Professor) for their cooperation and support in the Project Tenure.
Finally, we take this opportunity to Thank Mr. Manoj Kumar Sain (Project Guide) for
showing faith in us and giving us full freedom to work. He has been a great source of
inspiration, guiding us whenever we needed his help. Working on the Project has been
interesting and rewarding due to support and freedom he has given us. We would also like to
thank Mr. Priyanshu Jain and Mr. Arjun Patidar for helping us with the Programming.
Last but not the least, we thank all those who directly or indirectly contributed & helped us,
while working on the project.
Siddharth Bhatnagar
Rajesh Chordia
Deepak Singh
Sanjay Kumar Yadav

iii
ABSTRACT
The modification and testing of a Parabolic Concentrator Solar Water Distiller is the
objective in order to enhance the efficiency as well as the usability of the existing product,
better performance is ensured by the control through microprocessor and sensors and so did
the overall operation by using a chain drive mechanism. The power unit is simply a battery
and a solar panel which also is used to track the sun’s position along with the equipped
sensors. The reduction in weight is achieved by using reflective aluminum metal sheets in
place of mirrors, thus making the set-up reliable enough to withstand routine life bumps.

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CONTENTS
Particulars Page No.
Certificate i
Acknowledgement ii
Abstract iii
List of Figures v
Chapter-1: Introduction 1
1.1 Scope of Project 1
1.2 Previous Developments 3
1.3 Objective 3
1.4 Site Selection 3
1.5 Maintenance 4
1.6 Safety Concerns 4
Chapter-2: Literature Review 5
2.1 Historical Background 5
2.2 Parabolic Concentrators 6
2.3 Solar Distillation 6
Chapter-3: Design Procedure 7
3.1 Identification of Need 7
3.2 Idea Generation 8
3.3 Concept Selection & Finalization of Design 8
3.4 Main Units 9
3.5 Components 10
3.6 Drawings 14
Chapter-4: Computer Program 19
Chapter-5: Fabrication 24
5.1 Arc Welding 24
5.2 MIG Welding 25
5.3 Lathe Operations 26
5.4 Metal Cutting 27
5.5 Metal Sheet Cutting 27
5.6 Finishing Operations 28
5.7 Programming 28
Experimental Procedure 29
Chapter-6: Result and conclusion 30
Chapter-7: Future scope 32
References 33

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Number Figure Name Page Number
Fig.: 3.1 Base Frame 9
Fig.: 3.2 Iron Frame 10
Fig.: 3.3 Parabolic Dish with Stand 11
Fig.: 3.4 Motor 11
Fig.: 3.5 Solar Plate 12
Fig.: 3.6 Battery 12
Fig.: 3.7 Circuit 13
Fig.: 3.8 Assembled Project 13
Fig.: 3.9 Components 14
Fig.: 3.10 Motor and Dish 15
Fig.: 3.11 3D Model of Project 16
Fig.: 3.12 Isometric View of Project 17
Fig.: 5.1 Arc Welding 24
Fig.: 5.2 MIG Welding 25
Fig.: 5.3 Facing Operation on Lathe 26
Fig.: 5.4 Turning Operation on Lathe 26
Fig.: 5.5 Sheet Metal Cutting 27
Fig.: 5.6 Grinding Machine 28
Fig.: 5.7 Flow Diagram 29
Fig.: 6.1 Average Annual Increased Usage 30

1
Chapter-1
INTRODUCTION
Human life sustainability depends mainly on water, together with the supply of energy.
Unfortunately, industrial Growth caused a deprivation of fresh portable water due to the
ground contamination, as well as surface water streams. This obstacle resulted in the
dispossession of the country’s water growing in alarming phase. Distillation is carried out by
several ways. Most of the existing distillation plants use fossil fuel as a source of energy. All
scientists agreed that the solar energy is one of the most acceptable alternatives for energy
supply in many parts of the world. Solar energy direct use is an admissible option that
eliminates the major required operating cost. Solar distillation depicts a most simple and
attractive technique compared to other distillation processes. It is suited to small and tiny
units in areas where solar energy is widely abundant.
Solar distiller design claims harmony of many factors like: efficient usage of energy, prevent
water leakage, real time tracing, user friendly, safe and portable.
1.1 Scope of Project
People in conventional energy deficient countries may benefit from the employment of a
solar water distillation system. The employment of a tracking system greatly improves the
ability gain from solar irradiation. However the potency of solar cell is often inflated with the
planning of parabolic solar concentrator and therefore the implementation of solar tracking
system. Solar tracking system is an application of employing a reflector and rotor angle as an
output channel to drive a motor. The motors can react because the mechanism of the sensor
to positive it continuously focuses on the target of sun. By employing a programming based
interface, closes loop management is enforced to produce interaction between sensor and
movement angle as a tool to regulate the motor to trace the sun. Solar tracking system with is
an efficient tool to extend the potency of the solar cells. As the sun is often half-track with
the parabolic solar concentrator, the voltage, current and power received can continuously

2
vary. This analysis may offer important improvement in energy usage. This project can be
continued and upgraded to urge the upper potency to the almost level.
In single axis or dual axis solar tracking system, we use solar panels that rotate to track the
maximum light intensity position with the help of microprocessor. But the problem lies in the
fact, here we have to use large solar panels of different wattage whose cost increases and
space requirement is also very large. If we want to generate huge electricity then we need
high capacity solar cells of large size which is economically difficult.
 Inefficiency in production
A common criticism of solar energy is that it is comparatively inefficient. Solar
efficiency refers to the amount of radiation that solar panels can convert to electrical
energy, which is roughly 20%. Hence, a large surface area is required to produce lots
of electricity.
 High installation cost
Capital costs associated with solar energy installation are very high. Particularly not
helpful is the high upfront costs of buying solar panels. Henceforth, we use a cyclic
parabolic concentrator and mount on it a rotating shaft with sensor connections that
help to rotate the shaft and hence the concentrator with the position of the sun. Here
arrangements are so made that light rays coming from different positions at different
instants get reflected through dish and after reflection from the parabolic
concentrator, meet at the focus. Thereby, it increases the intensity at focus.
A dish (parabolic concentrator), on the other hand, is formed by rotating the dish about its
axis; the focus remains a point are often called Point-focus concentrators. This parabolic
concentrator being attached to the shaft rotates with the container and thereby helps to
concentrate the light rays at the focus. The concentrator is so chosen that its focus coincides
with the container.

3
1.2 Previous Developments
Parabolic concentrator solar water distiller were firstly developed as very simple devices
used solely for the purpose of water distillation using solar energy but due to the fact that
they weren’t as efficient and their usability throughout the day was also not as much as it
should be hence they weren’t the typical “Value for money” product which a customer looks
to buy.
Passage of time saw the development and launch of Parabolic Concentrator Solar water
distillers mated along the Solar Trackers which ensures the maximum usability throughout
the day time as well as increased the overall efficiency of the product, due to this the
maintenance cost and running costs were reduced to minimum but the drawback left behind
was the high initial cost of the product which surely cannot be affordable to the major
fraction of the population.
1.3 Objective
The main aim of our project is that to increase the overall usability and the efficiency of the
product for distillation purpose by the help of microprocessor assisted real time based solar
tracking. The rotation is achieved by the means of stepper motor along with the chain drive
mechanism and bearings; we also planned to reduce the weight as much as possible so that
the motor and the drive system can rotate the dish.
1.4 Site Selection
Parabolic Concentrator Solar Water Distiller has its own requirements in terms of the
installation site such that there should be adequate amount of sunshine available throughout
the daytime, also since the calibration is based depending upon the sun’s position it is hence
latitude dependent of the area where it is to be installed so, the distilled needs to be precisely
calibrated according to the requirement. The most important consideration is that the distiller
remains at a good height and away from the reach of humans as disturbances caused to it can
result in unacceptable results.

4
1.5 Maintenance
The product’s major advantages include that it is easy to maintain and the maintenance cost
is also low, though minimal maintenance is required such that the lubrication of the
mechanical parts such as the Chain Drive Mechanism, special care is required for the
electrical parts such as motor, battery, circuits etc. as direct contact of them with water can
result in malfunction or electric shocks. Since, the product is automatic therefore it is not
advised to interfere manually during its operation, as the motor performance can be adversely
affected by doing so.
1.6 Safety Concerns
The user is advised to stay away during the operation of the product, specially the reflecting
metal sheets should not be touched at any cost as it will result in injury due to the very high
operating temperature of it, electrical components such as motor and battery should not be
disturbed other than by any specialized person, as it may result in electrical shock, the
maintenance tasks should be performed after disconnecting the battery terminals thus cutting
the supply.

5
Chapter-2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Historical Development
Parabolic Concentrator Solar water distiller were firstly developed as very simple devices
used solely for the purpose of water distillation using solar energy but due to the fact that
they weren’t as efficient and their usability throughout the day was also not as much as it
should be hence they weren’t the typical “Value for money” product which a customer looks
to buy [1, 6, 7].
Passage of time saw the development and launch of Parabolic Concentrator Solar water
distillers mated along the Solar Trackers which ensures the maximum usability throughout
the day time as well as increased the overall efficiency of the product, due to this the
maintenance cost and running costs were reduced to minimum but the drawback left behind
was the high initial cost of the product which surely cannot be affordable to the major
fraction of the population [2, 5, 9].
We planned to design such a Parabolic Solar Water distiller which will have all the features
of the existing product yet it’ll be so cheap that it’ll be affordable to the general masses; also
we planned that the product should be as light as possible so that it can be portable. We
reduced the cost of the mechanisms by simply controlling the movement by microprocessors
and the components responsible for the movement were as simple as the chain drive
mechanism of bicycle and wiper motor of automobiles.

6
2.2 Parabolic Concentrators
The other type of parabolic concentrator solar water distillers may include simple non
adjusting solar water distiller, single axis solar water distiller and dual axis solar water
distiller, along with this the parabolic concentrator’s working also depends upon with the
type of sensor or tracker to which it is being mated, which may include pre-programed
microprocessor or a sensor based microprocessor controlled unit which can detect the
changes and respond to them in real time [1, 2, 5, 10].
2.3 Solar Distillation
Solar distillation can be understood as simple as the process of water distillation carried out
without the use of any conventional source of energy such as electricity etc. instead of that
Solar energy which is found in abundance and has no such by- products or environmental
hazards and thus by converging the sun rays to a particular focus results in the availability of
heat energy which further can be used in order to distill the water adequate for regular
domestic purposes [3, 4, 8].

7
Chapter-3
DESIGN PROCEDURE
3.1 Identification of Need
The motivation behind selecting the very project for our team was that to modify and repair
the Parabolic Concentrator solar water distiller to such a horizon that the device can be a very
versatile product which can be used to its utmost level. In order to accomplish our target we
identified maximum of the current demands which needs to be attended in order to design,
develop and fabricate the product.
We decided to fabricate the Water distiller such that it uses non-conventional source of
energy which is available in abundance and is inexhaustible, for this we considered the
option of Solar Energy as an energy source, other considerations and priorities include that
the product should be cheap and its one-time cost should be as low as possible also, the
maintenance cost should be minimum which we ensured as the product is relatively cheaper
than the other competing products in the market, and the major area of its merit is the low
maintenance required by it and hence the maintenance cost are literally negligible. The
product has a very simple yet productive operation as its very user friendly which is achieved
by the fact that it is easy to assemble, the all-round simplicity ensures that it is easy for the
user to operate the product. In order to enhance the overall product there was a strong need of
it to be versatile, so that it can find its extensive application in very remote areas with least
amount of resources available, also apart from the energy input from the sun, a battery too is
attached so that the solar energy can be stored and can be used for other applications too, but
the most important need which we realized was the solar tracking done by the means of
sensor due to which there will be a significant amount of increase in the efficiency of the
product as the hours if its operations will be increased.

8
3.2 Idea Generation
The initial idea was simple; to repair and modify the existing parabolic concentrator solar
water distiller in such a way that the overall usability and therefore the efficiency of the
device gets increased, this could’ve been achieved by increasing the operational hours of the
device, for which we decided to mate the existing solar water distiller with a single axis solar
tracker device, by this the solar tracker can track the throughout changing position of the sun
as the day proceeds thus recording and adapting accordingly it can make the parabolic dish
getting in sync with the sun’s position and adapting itself as per the requirement thus
increasing the working hours of contact with the sun rays contributing to increase in the
usability and efficiency of the product.
Modifications to the initial frame unit were also planned as due to the presence of large
number of mirrors on the existing device there was a significant increase in the weight of the
frame unit due to which it became very difficult for any person to move it from one place to
another, also since there were many mirrors there was always a threat of them getting
cracked or stripped of from the frame unit. To tackle this problem and to increase the
reliability and reduce the weight we planned to remove the mirrors and the mesh and instead
of them we used highly reflecting aluminum metal sheets for the reflection purpose, this not
only reduced the weight of the frame but also the sheets are more reliable than mirrors.
3.3 Concept Selection and Finalization of Design
We selected the very same idea which we thought as it was feasible, realistic and can be
completed. As per our planning we modified the frame unit by detaching the mirrors and
attaching the reflective aluminum metal sheets, fabricated a support frame system on which
the parabolic dish is mounted at an angle of 27 degree as the latitude of Jaipur is 27 degree
north [12], for making the easy movement of the dish possible with the provided input we
used bearings on both the ends of the shaft on which the dish is mounted which is further
connected to a gear chain mechanism which is powered and controlled by the wiper motor
which gets the input from the microprocessors and sensors, there is battery as well as solar

9
panel present for energy input purpose. We finalized the design such that the parabolic
concentrator solar water distiller was to be mated with single axis solar tracker unit.
3.4 Main Units
For easy understanding we divided the whole product into 4 units which are:
1. Frame
The structure with simple framing fabricated with square iron bars accommodating a
centered rod on which the parabolic concentrator dish is mounted, with bearings
welded on either ends for smooth operation. Fig. 3.1 shows the Base Frame.
Fig. 3.1- Base Frame
2. Driving Mechanism
Driving Mechanism include the Wiper motor and the Chain Drive Mechanism which
constitute of the Chain ring and cogset.
3. Controlling Mechanism
The motion controlling is done by the means of sensors, the solar panel, the circuit
unit and the microprocessor. The motion to be delivered is only processed by the
controlling unit before it is sent as an output to the driving mechanism

10
4. Power Source
A battery along with the solar panel are the power sources for the product, the solar
panel charges the battery by converting the solar energy into electrical energy while
battery performs its task of circulating the power throughout the system for its
required functioning.
3.5 Components
1. Iron Frame
The frame is made by welding square iron bars together. Fig. 3.2 shows Frame.
Fig.3.2 - Iron Frame
2. Concentrating Dish
The Parabolic Concentrating Dish is simply a dish but instead of using mirrors as the
reflecting media, reflective aluminum metal sheet is used for the same, the sheet is
fastened to the dish by the help of nut and bolts as shown in Fig. 3.3.

11
Fig.3.3- Parabolic Dish with Stand
3. Chain Drive Mechanism and Bearings
The chain drive mechanism includes the basic parts of the same mechanism that is
found in a simple bicycle such as the bearings, chain, 48T chain ring and 18T cogset.
4. Stepper Motor
Two-way Stepper Motor of 7.5 amp rating is used; the motor has a RPM of 60 while
the torque is 23 N-cm. Fig. 3.4 shows the Motor.
Fig. 3.4- Motor

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5. Solar Panel
12W Solar Panel is an essential component in tracking sun’s position as well as is
useful in recharging the battery by converting the solar energy into electrical energy.
Fig. 3.5 - Solar plate
6. Battery
A 12V 7.5A Battery is used for powering the whole system, as it is self-sufficient in
driving the wiper motor and the electrical components of the circuit.
Fig. 3.6- Battery

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7. Circuit
The electrical circuit houses the microprocessor encoded with the computer program
by which the movement and the racking will be monitored and controlled.
Fig.3.7– Circuit
Fig.3.8 shows the Assembled condition of the project.
Fig.3.8: Assembled Project

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3.6 Drawings
Fig.3.9: (1) Sprocket, (2) Cogset, (3) Battery, (4) Solar Panel.

15
Fig.3.10- (1) Motor; (2) Concentrating Dish

16
Fig.3.11: 3D Model of Project

17
Fig.3.12: Isometric View of Project

18
BILL OF MATERIAL
Table - 1
Sr.No. Name Qty. Price
1 Aluminium sheet 1 500
2 Gear 2 200
3 Bearing 2 200
4 Solar Panel 1 1500
5 Motor 1 800
6 Battery 1 800
7 Sprocket Chain 1 150
8 Relay Circuit 1 1000
9 Others - 500
Total=5650
Table 1: Bill of Materials

19
Chapter-4
COMPUTER PROGRAM
The following program is written using the Embedded C programming language and the
software used to write the program and its testing is done in Arduino IDE and the
microprocessor used is Arduino Uno.
void setup()
{
pinMode(3,OUTPUT);
pinMode(4,OUTPUT);
pinMode(5,OUTPUT);
pinMode(6,OUTPUT);
// put your setup code here, to run once:
}
void loop()
{
digitalWrite(3,1);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,1);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(30);
digitalWrite(3,0);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,0);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(10000);
digitalWrite(3,1);
digitalWrite(4,0);

20
digitalWrite(5,1);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(30);
digitalWrite(3,0);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,0);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(10000);
digitalWrite(3,1);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,1);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(30);
digitalWrite(3,0);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,0);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(10000);
digitalWrite(3,1);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,1);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(30);
digitalWrite(3,0);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,0);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(10000);
digitalWrite(3,1);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,1);

21
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(30);
digitalWrite(3,0);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,0);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(10000);
digitalWrite(3,1);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,1);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(30);
digitalWrite(3,0);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,0);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(10000);
digitalWrite(3,1);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,1);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(30);
digitalWrite(3,0);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,0);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(10000);
digitalWrite(3,1);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,1);
digitalWrite(6,0);

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delay(30);
digitalWrite(3,0);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,0);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(10000);
digitalWrite(3,1);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,1);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(30);
digitalWrite(3,0);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,0);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(10000);
digitalWrite(3,1);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,1);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(30);
digitalWrite(3,0);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,0);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(10000);
digitalWrite(3,1);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,1);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(30);

23
digitalWrite(3,0);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,0);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(10000);
digitalWrite(3,1);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,1);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(30);
digitalWrite(3,0);
digitalWrite(4,0);
digitalWrite(5,0);
digitalWrite(6,0);
delay(10000);
digitalWrite(3,0);
digitalWrite(4,1);
digitalWrite(5,0);
digitalWrite(6,1);
delay(12000);
digitalWrite(3,0);
digitalWrite(4,1);
digitalWrite(5,0);
digitalWrite(6,1);
delay(3600000);
}

24
Chapter-5
FABRICATION
The manufacturing of the product included many of the manufacturing processes which are
as follows:
5.1 Arc Welding
Arc welding is a type of welding that uses a welding power supply to create an electric arc
between an electrode and the base material to melt the metals at the welding point. They can
use either direct (DC) or alternating (AC) current, and consumable or non-consumable
electrodes. The welding region is usually protected by some type of shielding gas, vapor, or
slag. Arc welding processes may be manual, automatic, and semi-automatic.
Fig.5.1: Arc welding
Manufacturing of the framework was done by welding the metal bars by arc welding process.
Because the ability to bend the electrode and small space the electrode takes allow the
process to be used in comparatively tight spaces. The self-shielded process can weld with a
very long electrode stickout.

25
I. High electrode efficiency
II. Greater deposition rate
III. Less post welding cleaning
IV. Can weld almost all metal
V. The process is easily automated
5.2 MIG Welding
Metal inert gas (MIG) is a welding process in which an arc forms between a consumable wire
electrode and the work piece metal(s), which heats the workpiece metal, causing them to melt
and join. Along with the wire electrode, a shielding gas feeds through welding gun, which
shields the process from contaminants in the air.
A constant voltage, direct current power source is most commonly used but constant current
as well as alternating voltage can be used.
I. Consumable electrodes are easy to feed
II. No filler rod is needed
III. Welding is simple
IV. Inert gas shield protects the weld automatically
V. Faster welding speed
VI. Simple to learn
The dish was mounted on the base such that it was welded first to a base plate and later
welded to the main frame using the MIG welding because dish is heavy and to sustain load or
rigid tight joint MIG welding is suitable.
Fig.5.2-MIG welding

26
5.3 Lathe Operations
In order to achieve the required components we performed the operations such as Facing,
Turning, Chamfering and Drilling on the Lathe machine.
I. Facing
Facing is the process of removing metal from the end of a workpiece to
produce a flat surface. When a lathe cutting tool removes metal it applies
considerable tangential force to the workpiece. To safely perform a facing
operation the end of the workpiece must be positioned close to the jaws of the
chuck. The workpiece should not extend 2-3 times its diameter from tha jaws
unless a steady rest is used to support the free end.
Fig.5.3: Facing operation on lathe machine
II. Turning
Turning is a machining process in which a cutting tool, typically a non-rotary
tool bit, describes a helical tool path by moving more or less linearly while the
workpiece rotates. The cutting of faces on the workpiece is perpendicular to
its rotating axis.
Fig.5.4- Turning operation on lathe machine

27
It is the removal of metal from the outer diameter of a rotating cylindrical
work piece. It is used to reduce the diameter of work piece and to produce a
smooth finish on the metal. Step turning and taper turning both were used to
fabricate the shaft.
5.4 Metal Cutting
The metal cutting is done by a relative motion between the work piece and the hard edge of a
cutting tool. Metal cutting could be done by a single point cutting tool or multi point cutting
tool. The unwanted raw metal was to be removed so metal cutting operations using the
manual hacksaw, automatic hacksaw Machine and automatic cutter were done.
5.5 Sheet Metal Cutting
Sheet metal cutting is a major classification of many different press working operations. The
separation is caused by shearing forces acting on the metal through the edges of the punch
and die.
Since sheet metal was also associated with the project we cut the sheet metal by the means of
sheet cutter in order to get the desired output.
Fig.5.5: Sheet metal cutting

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5.6 Finishing Operations
Operations such as Grinding and Filing were also performed in order to improve the surface
finishing as well as in cases where extra metal was to be removed.
Grinding is an abrasive machining process that uses a grinding wheel. Grinding practice is a
large and diverse area of manufacturing. It can produce very fine finishes and very accurate
dimensions.
A grinding machine often shortened to grinder, is any of the various power tools used for
grinding. Accuracy in dimension in grinding is of the order of 0.000025 mm.
Fig. 5.6– Grinding machine
5.7 Programming
Programming is done with the help of Arduino, it is an open source prototyping platform
based on easy to use hardware and software. It is able to read inputs- light on a sensor, finger
on a button. Programming is done on the hourly basis each hour it rotates the dish 10 degree,
Arduino includes resistors, relays, Integrated Circuits which provides the output in the form
of signals to the battery, which transmits the required power to the motor to rotate the dish.

29
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
The Parabolic Concentrator solar water distiller uses sunrays to detect and recharge the
battery; the working can be understood as when the sunlight falls on the Solar Panel and the
Dish which are installed at the same angles i.e. 27 degrees considering the latitude of Jaipur
City, the Solar panel use the input and convert it into electrical energy and thus recharges the
Main Battery while on the other hand for the distillation purpose to take place the sunlight
must fall on the dish in a good amount and intensity. The microprocessor unit is powered by
another smaller battery; the microprocessor is programmed such that it regulates the flow of
power to the Main Battery which provides the necessary amount of current to the motor
which rotates the dish. The programming done is such that there is a rotation of about 5
degree of the dish from its initial position every half an hour [13].
Fig.5.7: Flow Diagram
Sunlight
Sunlight
Charging
Power to
Motor
Power to
MP
Regulate
Power
Desired Movement

30
Chapter-6
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION
The modification done resulted in significant increase in the efficiency and the usability of
the product as the Average Annual Peak Daytime in Jaipur city is only 6 Hours [11] i.e. the
product is only useful for the specified amount of time throughout the day; whereas the
Average Annual Daytime is 8 Hours 50 minutes [11] for which the product can be used for
the distillation purpose for 170 minutes more thus increasing the efficiency by a considerable
47%.
Average Annual Peak Daytime = 360 min/ day
Average Annual Daytime = 530 min/ day
Increase in Average Annual Usage/ day = 170 mins
Percentage Increase in Usage = (170/ 360) * 100 = 47.22 % ~ 47%
Fig. 6.1 shows the comparison of the usability of the previous and the new product.
Fig.6.1: Average Annual Increased Usage.
Average Annual Peak Daytime = 360 min/ day
Average Annual Usable Daytime = 530 min/ day
Average Annual Daytime = 730 min/ day
Increase in Average Annual Usage/ day = 170 mins
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Modified
Product
Old
Product
Average
Annual
Increased
Usage
(mins/day)
Average
Annual
Usage
(mins/day)

31
Efficiency Increase as compared to the Original Product = [(530-360)/530]*100
= (170/530)*100
= 32.07 % ~ 32%
Overall Efficiency Increase = [(530-360)/730]*100
= (170/730)*100
= 23.28 % ~ 23%
The Modification and testing of the Parabolic Concentrator Solar Water Distiller being
successfully performed yielded the results revealing a significant 47% more usability and
efficiency of the product as compared to its predecessor, the frame work is sturdy enough to
handle routine life bumps, the product is lightweight enough so that it can be portable, the
overall user experience is simple yet productive.
These are the following points:
I. Sun tracking system, internal and external reflectors, extended surfaces, energy
storage are the efficient performance improvement modifications in the solar
distiller.
II. High amount of salinity in the feed water decreases the yield of a solar distiller.
III. Ambient condition like solar radiation, temperature, and wind speed directly
affect the distillate output.
IV. Aluminum is better material compare to steel and copper for the absorber due to
light weight, cheap and efficient.
V. Humid air properties significantly affect the performance of solar system and
need to consider during thermal modeling.

32
Chapter-7
FUTURE SCOPE
The modified product employs a single axis tracking mechanism which can only respond and
adapt to the sun’s position and the inclination of the dish is totally dependent upon the
latitude of the location where it is to be installed thus when moving away from the location
can result in the non-function ability of the product, to tackle this the dish mounting
mechanism can be updated to a Double axis mechanism where one axis will be responsible
for the sun tracking task while other can be used for adjusting with the latitude of the location
of installation.
I. To harness the large solar radiation concentrators should be tested with
different designs of solar stills.
II. Thickness of wick materials needs to be optimized for future work.
III. To increase the solar collected area for improvement in the system.
IV. Water cover cooling and hot water circulation can be tested in inclined wick
solar still for higher output.
V. From future view point , combination of different parameters with new
simple and practical designs of passive solar still can make solar distillation
technique high efficient.

33
REFERENCES
[1] Bello- Ochende, T., and Meyer, J.P., “Solar Tracking for a Parabolic Dish used in Solar
Tracking,” Journal, Dept. of Mech. & Aero.Engg., University of Pretoria, pp. 3, 13
[2]Chaichan, M.T., and Kazem, H.A., 2104, “Water solar distiller productivity enhancement
using concentrating solar water heater,” Elsevier Case studies in Thermal Engg., 5, pp. 151-
159
[3] Saha, P., and Goswami, S., 2014, “Light Sensor based automatic solar tracking system
using parabolic reflector and lens focusing action for maximum power point tracking,”
IJETAE, 4 (2), pp. 286-289
[4] M.F.El-Refaie, Performance analysis of the stationary- reflector/tracking- absorber solar
collector, 1989, Energy Conversion andManagement 29(2),pp. 111-127.
[5] S.T. Ahmed, Kh.I. Abaas, Water distillation enhancement using domestic solar water
heater, 2008, 26 (5).
[6] Garg H.P. and PrakashJ., 2000 “Solar Energy” Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi.
[7] Gowtham, M., SharathChaner, M., Mallikarujanan, K.V., and Karthikeyan, N., 2011,
“Concentrated Parabolic Solar Distiller with Latent Heat Storage Capacity”, IJCEA, 2 (3),
pp. 185- 188.
[8] Stine W.B. and Harrigan R.W. (1985) “Solar Energy Fundamentals and Design”. John
Wiley and Sons Inc., New York.
[9] J. Rizk, and Y. Chaiko “Solar Tracking System: More Efficient Use of Solar Panels”
Proceedings of World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology Volume 31 July
2008 ISSN 2070-3740.
[10] Alternative Energy Tutorials, Parabolic Trough Reflector, 2011, http://www.alternative-
energy-tutorials.com/solar-hot-water/parabolic-trough-reflector.html
[11] latlong.net, <http://www.latlong.net/place/jaipur-rajasthan-india-5130.html>
[12] Weather Spark beta, <https://weatherspark.com/averages/33936/Jaipur-Rajasthan-India>
[13] The Weather Channel, < http://www.weather.com/>

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Modification and Testing of Parabolic Concentrator Solar Water Distiller Project Report