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Re: Solar Ovens/Water distilation



Try:  Back Home (Magazine)
      Backwoods Home (Magazine)
      Home Power (Magazine)
      Mother Earth News (Magazine)
      Kansas Wind Power (Company)
      Lake Michigan Wind and Sun (Company)

There were articles on solar distillation in the Caribbean (sp?) in one 
or more of the magazines.  I believe one of the two companies sells/sold 
commercially built versions of the distiller described below, in 3 or 
four sizes.
 
Solar Distiller Description

Basicly the distiller is a flat table 4' by '4' (4' by 8') with walls.  
The walls are about 6" high in front and about 12" in back, and slanting 
on the sides.  The distiller is covered with glass pane(s).  There is a 
fresh water collection trough on the front wall about 1" below the 
glass.  It has a hose leading to a fresh water container.

Operation

The table/distiller is filled about half height with salt water.  The sun 
heats the water which evaporates and collects on the glass (which is 
colder than the air and water in the distiller).  Because the glass is 
slanted from the front of the distiller, the condensed water moves to the 
front of the glass/collector and falls into the unsalted water collector, 
thence to the fresh water container.

At, or after, sunset the distiller is drained to get rid of the salty 
water which is saltier because of the water that was removed.  Rinsing 
with new (less) salty water helps.  Then the distiller is refilled with a 
new charge of salty water for the next day.

I don't remember the average daily output.


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