Optimal design of the stand-alone developed hybrid system for producing pure water and drying the plants for remote regions

The present study aims to develop an innovative hybrid system powered by solar energy to dry plants and produce pure water, suitable for remote regions that suffer from power problems and the problem of lack of pure drinking water. This was done by integrating a two-stage dryer unit with modified solar still with an air injection system and external condenser to dry plants as well as produce pure water. The integration of the modified solar still and external condenser with the two-stage dryer unit aims to increase the rates of pure water productivity, by injecting the hot humid air that leaves the drying unit into the modified solar still. The performance of the developed and innovative hybrid system was studied theoretically, and the mathematical models were validated using the previously published experimental results. The results presented that, the suggested two stages of the dryer with reheating represent an excellent design that improved the mass of water that was removed from the products by 72.65% as compared to only the first stage of the dryer unit. The proposed innovative developed hybrid system can be produced cumulative pure water with a rate reaching 49.94 liter/day, with an improvement of 592.65% as compared to only modified solar still with air injection. Also, the proposed innovative developed hybrid system represents a good choice which improved the gain output ratio by 177.93% on average as compared to only a two-stage dryer unit with reheating.