Experimental investigation of shape-enhanced rotating cylinders with electric heaters and solar panels for augmented pyramid solar still performance A. S. Abdullah, Mutabe Aljaghtham, Wissam H. Alawee, Z. M. Omara, Fadl A. Essa Plos One, 2026 This work investigated the influence of various amendments on a pyramid solar still with rotating cylinders (RCPSS) and rotating corrugated cylinders (RCCPSS). We compared distillate yield from the RCPSS with a baseline design (PSS) to assess the effectiveness of each modification. The study explored incorporating reflectors, silver nanoparticle-infused phase change material (PCM-Ag) composites within the cylinders, and a vapor-withdrawing fan with an external condenser. In addition, three electric heaters were fixed on the basin water to raise its temperature. The energy required to run the heaters was captured from a PV system. Also, the effect of covering corrugated cylinders with wick on the performance of the modified still was also studied. The RCCPSS significantly outperformed the PSS, producing 8500 mL/m² of freshwater daily compared to 3100 mL/m², representing a 174% increase in distillate. Additionally, heaters and PCM-Ag composites further enhanced distillate yield by 244% and 365%, respectively. However, the most optimal configuration involved combining a wick, heaters and fan. This setup yielded the highest distillate production (14950 mL/m²), a 382% increase over PSS, and achieved a thermal efficiency of 75%. Finally, the freshwater production cost was lower for the RCPSS with wick, heaters and fan ($0.01/L) compared to the PSS ($0.02/L). The work demonstrates a strong commitment to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation.
The impact of using magnetic nanoparticles and a magnetic field on the performance of PCMs used in a spherical solar still for water desalination HM Almongy, SA Mohammed, I Elbatal, ERI Mahmoud, AE Kabeel, ... International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer 176, 111288 , 2026 2026 Citations: 1
Multi-Stage Vertical Cylindrical Solar Still Enhanced with Wick, Magnetic Field, and Preheated Feed: Experimental Energy, Exergy, Economic, and Environmental Analysis A Alghafis, A Alrashidi, F Alshammari, FA Essa Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, 108183 , 2026 2026
Experimental enhancement of energy, exergy, economic, and environmental performances of a three‑stage vertical cylindrical solar still with capillary wicks at different water … A Alghafis, A Alrashidi, F Alshammari, FA Essa Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, 1-14 , 2026 2026
4E study for enhancing the performance of tubular solar still via different absorbers, various capillary fabrics, and thermal storage materials K Alnamasi, FA Essa Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers 182, 106595 , 2026 2026 Citations: 4
Performance of a novel concave solar still integrated with vertical zig-zag wick technology and phase changing material M Bassyouni, A Basem, I Elbatal, AE Kabeel, MM Abdelwahab, ... Journal of Energy Storage 152, 120598 , 2026 2026 Citations: 4
Machine learning-based performance prediction of a three-stage Wick-enhanced vertical cylindrical solar still: Comparative analysis of GPR, SVR, and MLP models AH Elsheikh, K Alnamasi, FA Essa Applied Thermal Engineering, 130734 , 2026 2026 Citations: 1
Experimental investigation of shape-enhanced rotating cylinders with electric heaters and solar panels for augmented pyramid solar still performance AS Abdullah, M Aljaghtham, WH Alawee, ZM Omara, FA Essa Plos one 21 (3), e0330070 , 2026 2026 Citations: 1
Enhanced conventional solar still performance with water unit, vertical wick system, and PCM-Ag nano integration HM Almongy, II Elbatal, AE Kabeel, WH Alawee, ZM Omara, FA Essa, ... Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, 107877 , 2026 2026
High-Temperature Tribological Performance of Fe₃Al-Based Self-Lubricating Composites Reinforced with ZnO and Ti₃SiC₂ M Tawfik, F A Essa Journal of Contemporary Technology and Applied Engineering 5 (1), 130-143 , 2026 2026
Water recovery of drying waste using a thermoelectric cooler and PV/T assisted A Elbrashy, MK El-Fakharany, MA Al-Sood, FS Abou-Taleb, FA Essa Scientific Reports 16 (1), 4087 , 2026 2026 Citations: 6
Multifunctional passive enhancement of solar desalination using natural materials in an inverted Pyramid Basin: Thermal and 4E performance analysis M Egiza, MR Diab, M Nassar, M Alhosary, M Rozza, AH Elsheikh, ... Applied Thermal Engineering, 129649 , 2026 2026 Citations: 2
Enhancing freshwater production and cost-effectiveness in humidification-dehumidification (HDH) technology: Novel wheat straw packing and configuration optimization FA Essa, M Mohamed Othman, M Mohamed Younes, ZM Omara, H Khalil Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects 47 … , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Experimental investigation of vertical solar still with rotating discs FA Essa, FS Abou-Taleb, MR Diab Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects 47 … , 2025 2025 Citations: 88
Evaluating the Performance of Spherical and Hemispherical Solar Stills with Various Configurations–A Detailed Review AS Abdullah, WH Alawee, S Shanmugan, M Ibrahim, ZM Omara, FA Essa, ... Results in Engineering, 108844 , 2025 2025 Citations: 5
Hydrogen Embrittlement in Storage Tank Materials and Welded Joints A Elsheikh, A Ali, FA Essa, MAE Omer, MG Abou-Ali, N Ma Materials Today Sustainability, 101282 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
An extensive analysis of ways to improve the characteristics of phase change materials in solar distillers SM Shaaban, A Basem, WH Alawee, AS Abdullah, MG Abou-Ali, ... Journal of Energy Storage 139, 118800 , 2025 2025 Citations: 3
Optimizing pyramid distiller performance with rotational corrugated cylinders, reflectors, and PCM-fan integration for enhanced freshwater production AS Abdullah, M Aljaghtham, ZM Omara, FA Essa Separation and Purification Technology 377, 134317 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Friction Reduction and Wear Behavior of ZnO/SnS-Reinforced Fe3Al Composites Synthesized via Spark Plasma Sintering MM Tawfik, FA Essa, MAE Omer, AH Elsheikh Journal of Materials Research and Technology , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Optimizing a solar-driven hybrid desalination-power plant with parabolic trough collectors, multi-stage flash, and reverse osmosis: Mathematical modeling and artificial neural … FA Essa, M Abd Elaziz, AH Elsheikh Separation and Purification Technology, 136162 , 2025 2025
Numerical Simulation by RETScreen Expert of Solar Hot Water Production for 12 Stations Installed on Algeria A Nahoui, Z Haddad, B Chekchek, M Salmi, FA Essa, F Tahrour, D Zied CLEAN–Soil, Air, Water 53 (11), e70044 , 2025 2025
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Applications of nanofluids in solar energy: a review of recent advances AH Elsheikh, SW Sharshir, ME Mostafa, FA Essa, MKA Ali Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 82, 3483-3502 , 2018 2018 Citations: 564
Enhancement of modified solar still integrated with external condenser using nanofluids: an experimental approach AE Kabeel, ZM Omara, FA Essa Energy conversion and management 78, 493-498 , 2014 2014 Citations: 526
Enhancing the solar still performance using nanofluids and glass cover cooling: experimental study SW Sharshir, G Peng, L Wu, N Yang, FA Essa, AH Elsheikh, ... Applied thermal engineering 113, 684-693 , 2017 2017 Citations: 462
Experimental study on tubular solar still using Graphene Oxide Nano particles in Phase Change Material (NPCM's) for fresh water production AE Kabeel, R Sathyamurthy, AM Manokar, SW Sharshir, FA Essa, ... Journal of Energy Storage 28, 101204 , 2020 2020 Citations: 365
The effects of flake graphite nanoparticles, phase change material, and film cooling on the solar still performance SW Sharshir, G Peng, L Wu, FA Essa, AE Kabeel, N Yang Applied energy 191, 358-366 , 2017 2017 Citations: 354
Effect of using nanofluids and providing vacuum on the yield of corrugated wick solar still ZM Omara, AE Kabeel, FA Essa Energy Conversion and Management 103 (2015), 965–972 , 2015 2015 Citations: 339
Improving the performance of solar still by using nanofluids and providing vacuum AE Kabeel, ZM Omara, FA Essa Energy conversion and management 86, 268-274 , 2014 2014 Citations: 335
An enhanced productivity prediction model of active solar still using artificial neural network and Harris Hawks optimizer FA Essa, M Abd Elaziz, AH Elsheikh Applied Thermal Engineering 170, 115020 , 2020 2020 Citations: 307
Improving the trays solar still performance using reflectors and phase change material with nanoparticles AS Abdullah, FA Essa, HB Bacha, ZM Omara Journal of Energy Storage 31, 101744 , 2020 2020 Citations: 281
The cooling techniques of the solar stills' glass covers–A review ZM Omara, AS Abdullah, AE Kabeel, FA Essa Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 78, 176-193 , 2017 2017 Citations: 281
Experimental investigation of corrugated absorber solar still with wick and reflectors ZM Omara, AE Kabeel, AS Abdullah, FA Essa Desalination 381 (2016), 111–116 , 2015 2015 Citations: 271
Improving the performance of trays solar still using wick corrugated absorber, nano-enhanced phase change material and photovoltaics-powered heaters AS Abdullah, ZM Omara, FA Essa, MM Younes, S Shanmugan, ... Journal of Energy Storage 40, 102782 , 2021 2021 Citations: 269
Numerical investigation of modified solar still using nanofluids and external condenser AE Kabeel, ZM Omara, FA Essa Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers 75, 77-86 , 2017 2017 Citations: 258
Rotating-drum solar still with enhanced evaporation and condensation techniques: comprehensive study AS Abdullah, FA Essa, ZM Omara, Y Rashid, L Hadj-Taieb, GB Abdelaziz, ... Energy Conversion and Management 199, 112024 , 2019 2019 Citations: 248
Augmentation of a solar still distillate yield via absorber plate coated with black nanoparticles AE Kabeel, ZM Omara, FA Essa, AS Abdullah, T Arunkumar, ... Alexandria Engineering Journal 56 (4), 433-438 , 2017 2017 Citations: 245
New design of trays solar still with enhanced evaporation methods–comprehensive study AS Abdullah, MM Younes, ZM Omara, FA Essa Solar Energy 203, 164-174 , 2020 2020 Citations: 235
Experimental investigation of convex tubular solar still performance using wick and nanocomposites FA Essa, WH Alawee, SA Mohammed, HA Dhahad, AS Abdullah, ... Case Studies in Thermal Engineering 27, 101368 , 2021 2021 Citations: 206
Rotating discs solar still: New mechanism of desalination FA Essa, AS Abdullah, ZM Omara Journal of Cleaner Production 275, 123200 , 2020 2020 Citations: 204
Fuel economy in gasoline engines using Al2O3/TiO2 nanomaterials as nanolubricant additives MKA Ali, P Fuming, HA Younus, MAA Abdelkareem, FA Essa, A Elagouz, ... Applied energy 211, 461-478 , 2018 2018 Citations: 204
Improving the tubular solar still performance using square and circular hollow fins with phase change materials M Abdelgaied, Y Zakaria, AE Kabeel, FA Essa Journal of Energy Storage 38, 102564 , 2021 2021 Citations: 200