Design of Solar Powered Purification System Using Fresnel Lens

Koo, Yee Her (2026) Design of Solar Powered Purification System Using Fresnel Lens. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

Water scarcity is a growing global issue exacerbated by rapid population growth, climate change, and pollution of freshwater resources. In many developing and remote regions, access to clean and safe drinking water is limited, creating an urgent need for sustainable and energyefficient solutions. Desalination has emerged as a viable method to convert saline or brackish water into potable water. However, conventional desalination techniques such as reverse osmosis and multi-stage flash distillation are often energy-intensive, costly to operate, and dependent on fossil fuels, making them environmentally unsustainable and inaccessible in off-grid areas. This project investigates the design and performance of a solar-powered desalination system that utilizes a Fresnel lens to enhance thermal efficiency. The Fresnel lens acts as a solar concentrator, focusing sunlight onto a small area of the desalination chamber to significantly raise water temperature, thereby accelerating the evaporation process. The system operates on the principle of evaporation and condensation, where the heated salinewater evaporates and condenses on a cooler transparent surface, producing clean distilled water. The prototype was designed using cost-effective and locally available materials, emphasizing portability, simplicity, and suitability for small-scale applications in remote locations. Experimental testing was conducted under natural sunlight conditions to evaluate the system’s thermal performance, freshwater yield, and overall efficiency. The results showed a substantial productivity improvement compared to traditional solar stills, with the system achieving higher water temperatures and greater distillate output in less time. The produced water metWorld Health Organization (WHO) standards, confirming the system’s ability to effectively remove dissolved salts and impurities. Additionally, the use of the Fresnel lens enabled better heat concentration without the need for electrical power, highlighting the system’s potential as a lowcost and renewable water purification solution. In conclusion, the integration of Fresnel lens technology into a solar desalination system proves to be a promising advancement in the field of sustainable water purification. The system’s affordability, efficiency, and independence from grid electricity make it particularly suitable for deployment in sun-rich, resource-constrained environments. This project contributes to ongoing efforts to develop practical, environmentally friendly, and scalable solutions to address the global challenge of freshwater scarcity