Low-cost high-efficiency solar steam generation by wick material with graphite micro/nano particles

TL;DR

This paper presents a low-cost, high-efficiency wick-type solar steam generator utilizing graphite micro/nano particles, achieving 84% efficiency and providing insights into optimizing particle concentration and size for improved performance.

Contribution

It introduces a novel wick-based solar steam generator with enhanced efficiency through heat localization and thin-film evaporation, supported by experimental and theoretical analysis.

Findings

Energy efficiency reaches 84% at 1 kW/m2

Optimal particle concentration is 60 g/m2

Smaller particles yield higher efficiency

Abstract

Generating water steam by solar energy is a significant process for many fields. In this paper, a low-cost high-efficiency wick type steam generator is proposed. It's based on the heat localization and thin-film evaporation. The measurements show that the energy efficiency is 84 % at 1 kw/m2. Besides, the dependence of efficiency on particle concentration and size are discussed. The optimal particle concentration is found at 60 g/m2, and a smaller particle size gives higher efficiency. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical prediction based on thin-film evaporation theory. Our study offers a new in-depth understanding of low-cost high-efficiency solar steam generation.