The document discusses the necessity of clean drinking water for the 1.1 billion people lacking access to it, emphasizing solar water distillation as a reliable purification method. It outlines the principles and experiments of solar distillation, highlighting various designs and their efficiency and drawbacks. The ongoing research aims to develop a device that is economical, efficient, and simple to manufacture and use.

1. Solar water distillation for drinking purposes.

2. Introduction
Clean drinking water is the basic necessity for every
human being, but about 1.1 billion people in the world
lacked proper drinking water.

3. Water purification
There are many different types of water purification processes
such as filtration, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet radiation, carbon
absorption, but the most reliable processes are distillation and
boiling .

4. Boiling and distillation
Boiling is used as a method of water purification. Boiling is
commonly advocated as an emergency water treatment method,
or as a method of portable water purification in rural or
wilderness settings without access to a potable water
infrastructure.
Water purification, such as distillation, is especially important in
regions where water resources or tap water is not suitable for
ingesting without boiling or chemical treatment.

5. Solar water purification
In solar distillation water is evaporated; using the energy of the
sun then the vapor condenses as pure water. This process
removes salts and other impurities.
Solar energy is allowed into the collector to heat the water. The
water evaporates only to condense on the underside of the
glass. When water evaporates, only the water vapor rises,
leaving contaminants behind. The gentle slope of the glass
directs the condensate to a collection trough, which in turn
delivers the water to the collection bottle.

6. Existing products
Although there are many innovative products available in
the market but most of these products are either too
expensive ,inefficient, heavy and cumbersome or too
complicated to use.

7. Abstract
There are many methods and processes of solar distillation
and many solar distillation devices are available in the
market, but these devices are very bulky, expensive or not
very efficient.
There is a requirement for a device which is highly efficient,
economical, simple to manufacture and maintain. This can
be achieved through understanding theory,
experimentation and learning from existing products.

8. Theory
Energy from the sun per square meter per day = 1000 Watt (1300 Watt accurately)
= 1000 x 3600 joules perhour
= 3600 kilojoules per hour
Heat of vaporization of water = 2257 kilojoules per kg
Specific heat of water = 4.19 kilojoules per kg per Kelvin
Factors effecting evaporation
Concentration of vapor in air
Surface area of water
Pressure of vessel
Temperature of water
Boiling point of water at sea level is 100 degree C.
Boiling point of water may be decreased by decreasing the pressure.
-pressure may be decreased by going "above sea level".
-pressure may be decreased by "applying a low pressure"
Relatively cooler surface for condensation.
High vapor pressure
Low temperature

9. Solar distill (Icarus experiment)
Constructing a solar water
distiller using available
utensils like plastic for
casing, aluminum for
absorption of heat, glass
and the thermocol for
insulation. Got the
temperature of water up to
60 degrees and 100 ml of
distilled water in 4 hours.
Surface area: .12 mt square
(1 sq feet)

10. Solar distill (Icarus experiment)
Output:
After 4 hours under the sun an output of 150 ml of
pure distilled water.
Drawbacks:
Large number of parts,bulky

11. Radiator for condensation (Icarus experiment)
Condensation using a car radiator and a
steamer
Results: very efficient
Drawbacks: bulky

12. Concave mirror (Icarus experiment)
Using an old dish antenna and covering it with
reflective plastic film to obtain concentrated
solar energy.
Wooden sticks burn in 10 seconds with a
temperature of 500 degrees. Heats water to
95 degrees in 45 minutes.

13. Concave mirror distiller (Icarus experiment)
The concave mirror was then placed under a structure with the focus on a
vessel holding one liter of water .
The vessel is then connected to a plastic bottle kept under the structure
through a flexi pipe.
Surface area: 0.7 sq mt
Results: water boils in 40 minutes
Drawbacks: focus point continuously shifts

14. Concave mirror distiller (Icarus experiment)
The same experiment is conducted using a metal pipe instead of a flexi pipe.
Results: water condenses faster when
in contact with metal.
Drawbacks: focus point continuously shifts.
Condensation not
efficient

15. Curved Acrylic reflector (Icarus experiment)
The structure
the structure comprises of a metal
framework on which the curved acrylic will
be mounted.
The focus of the curve which is a straight
thin line will fall on a metal pipe which is
half filled with water to be distilled.
the water level is controlled by a vessel
connected by a flexi pipe.
The heated water then boils to vapors and
is passed through a steel pipe for
condensation.

16. Curved Acrylic reflector (Icarus experiment)
Surface area: 1 sq mt
Results: water boils in 20 minutes
Drawbacks: there is loss of heat due to
large surface area.
condensation not effective.

17. Thank you
Research is in progress
Those interested in collaborating please contact.
We have some refinement directions from Aurore….
which we are working on.
www.icarus.co.in
Collaborators
•Icarus Design, Bangalore
•Aurore , Auroville, India
•Kunal Singh, NID, Ahmedabad.