Experimental investigation of magnetic ring fins with variable spacing in a hemispherical solar still: A 4E assessment
6 affiliations
- 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering in Al-Kharj, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia
- 2Energy and Renewable Energies Technology Research Center, University of Technology, Baghdad city, Iraq
- 3Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey
- 4Research Centre for Solar Energy, Department of Integrated Research and Discovery; Physics, Koneru, Guntur city, India
- 5Mechanical Power Engineering and Energy Department, Faculty of Engineering, Minia University, Minia, Egypt
- 6Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia
Abstract
The shortage of freshwater and the high energy consumption of traditional desalination methods require the development of renewable energy-based desalination methods such as solar stills. Although solar stills are simple and low cost, their limited productivity remains a barrier to their widespread use. Therefore, the present study aims to enhance the performance of a hemispherical solar still using magnetic rings within the distillation basin. These rings work as fins and a source of a magnetic field that improves evaporation. The novelty of this study lies in the use of a variable-spacing array of magnetic rings by changing the number of rings and analyzing the effect on the performance using comprehensive 4E analysis. The experiments were performed in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia, during August 2025. The standard solar still (SHSS) was compared with four improved models containing 5, 10, 15, and 20 magnetic rings. The performance of different cases was assessed based on freshwater productivity, energy and exergy efficiencies, economic indicators, and environmental performance. The results indicated a significant enhancement in performance with an increase in the number of magnetic rings. Basin water temperature increased from 45°C in the SHSS to 50.5°C in the MHS-HFM-20. Daily productivity also increased from 4.37 L/m²·day to 7.50 L/m²·day, with an increase of 72%. Thermal and exergy efficiency also improved by 56% and 172%, respectively. Economically, the production cost reduced from $0.011/L to $0.007/L, a reduction of approximately 36% and payback period decreased from 0.27 to 0.176 year with a reduction of 35%. Environmentally, the quantity of mitigated carbon dioxide emissions increased from 2.52 tons to 4.55 tons, reflecting the positive impact of the proposed technology on carbon emission reduction.
Related
- Experimental and Numerical Investigation of End-Tab Geometry Effects on the Compressive Response of Ultra-Thick CFRP Laminates
- Integrated Experimental and Computational Investigation of Fluorinated Benzoylthiourea Derivatives: Structural Characterization, Hirshfeld Surface Analysis, Antioxidant Activity, and MAO–B Inhibitory Potential for Parkinson’s Disease
- Photoreactivity of E-N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)cinnamamide in Methanol and Solid State: A Complementary Experimental and Theoretical Investigation
- Experimental and Computational Investigation into the Formation, Rearrangements, and Capture of Carbonyl-Substituted Bicyclobutonium and Related Cations
- Green synthesis of Ag/MgO nanocomposites from red pepper seed waste for efficient sunlight-driven diclofenac degradation: experimental investigation and EEFO-optimized DT_LSBoost predictive modeling
BibTeX
@article{abdullah2026experimental,
title = {{Experimental investigation of magnetic ring fins with variable spacing in a hemispherical solar still: A 4E assessment}},
author = {Abdekader S. Abdullah and Eyad Zaky and Suha A. Mohammed and Ismail Solmaz and Sengottain Shanmugan and Hamada Mohamed Abdelmotalib and Khaled Harby},
journal = {PLOS Water},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pwat.0000568},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/water/article?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000568},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Experimental investigation of magnetic ring fins with variable spacing in a hemispherical solar still: A 4E assessment
AU - Abdekader S. Abdullah
AU - Eyad Zaky
AU - Suha A. Mohammed
AU - Ismail Solmaz
AU - Sengottain Shanmugan
AU - Hamada Mohamed Abdelmotalib
AU - Khaled Harby
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/06
JO - PLOS Water
DO - 10.1371/journal.pwat.0000568
UR - https://journals.plos.org/water/article?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000568
AB - The shortage of freshwater and the high energy consumption of traditional desalination methods require the development of renewable energy-based desalination methods such as solar stills. Although solar stills are simple and low cost, their limited productivity remains a barrier to their widespread use. Therefore, the present study aims to enhance the performance of a hemispherical solar still using magnetic rings within the distillation basin. These rings work as fins and a source of a magnetic field that improves evaporation. The novelty of this study lies in the use of a variable-spacing array of magnetic rings by changing the number of rings and analyzing the effect on the performance using comprehensive 4E analysis. The experiments were performed in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia, during August 2025. The standard solar still (SHSS) was compared with four improved models containing 5, 10, 15, and 20 magnetic rings. The performance of different cases was assessed based on freshwater productivity, energy and exergy efficiencies, economic indicators, and environmental performance. The results indicated a significant enhancement in performance with an increase in the number of magnetic rings. Basin water temperature increased from 45°C in the SHSS to 50.5°C in the MHS-HFM-20. Daily productivity also increased from 4.37 L/m²·day to 7.50 L/m²·day, with an increase of 72%. Thermal and exergy efficiency also improved by 56% and 172%, respectively. Economically, the production cost reduced from $0.011/L to $0.007/L, a reduction of approximately 36% and payback period decreased from 0.27 to 0.176 year with a reduction of 35%. Environmentally, the quantity of mitigated carbon dioxide emissions increased from 2.52 tons to 4.55 tons, reflecting the positive impact of the proposed technology on carbon emission reduction.
SN - 2767-3219
ER -