This work promotes the performance of the single basin solar still by means of preheating the salinewater using
an integrated flat plate collector arrangement. A conventional single slope single basin still and a single slope flat
plate collector basin still (FPCB still) are fabricated with the same basin area of 1 m2. The FPCB still is fabricated
similar to a conventional still, with the integration of a horizontal flat plate collector arrangement to form six
small compartments in the basin. The projected space between the consecutive basins acts as an extended
surface which increases the temperature of the basin as well as the flat plate collector where the saline water is
preheated before it enters the basin. Due to separate compartments (absorber plate) in the basin, the mass of
water reduces and the evaporation rate increases for the same depth ofwater in the basin. Experiments are carried
out by varying thewater depth in the basin and using thewick and energy storing materials in basins of both stills.
The FPCB still gives about 60% higher distillate than the conventional still for the same basin condition. Economic
analysis shows that the cost of distilled water for the FPCB still is lower than that for the conventional still.