Browsing by Author "Saravanan, S."

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Application of Solar Desalination Technology to Provide Safe Drinking Water for Water-scarce Areas in Jaffna Peninsula
    (Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2018) Kunaseelan, S.; Saravanan, S.
    Jaffna is fully depending on ground water or ground water for their entire water demand. The available water is contaminated by sea water and other anthropogenic contaminants. Due to this, the people of the area are facing severe water quality issues. Alternative sources should be adopted to rectify the problem. Reverse osmosis is one of the solutions, but it is very expensive. Solar desalination technology is the cheapest method for desalination. A solar desalination plant utilizes solar energy, converting it to heat energy. A special nano cloth was used as solar collector and Polythene cover was used as condenser. The nano cloth captures water that evaporates during the sunshine and then it condenses and collects into outlet grid. Water source, temperature of the raw water and flow rate of raw water were changed to determine the rate of desalination. Saline water, brackish water and ground water sources were used. The Electrical conductivity of the desalinated water was observed to be in the range of 200 µS cm-1 -205 µS cm-1 for sea water, 34 µS cm-1-150 µS cm-1 for brackish water and 25 µS cm-1 -70 µS cm-1 for groundwater. Raw water temperature was changed as 305 K, 310 K and 315 K, the rate of desalination were observed as 0.37 L h-1 m-2,0.47 L h-1 m-2 and 0.54 L h-1 m-2 respectively. Inlet flow rate was changed as 2 L h-1,2.85 L h-1 and 3.33 L h-1, the rate of desalination was observed as 0.61 L h-1 m -2, 0.67 L h-1 m-2and 0.62 Lm-2 respectively. Rate of desalination of the ground water, brackish water and saline water were 0.35 L h-1 m -2, 0.39 L h-1 m-2 and 0.37 L h-1 m-2, respectively. These results indicate that there is no significant difference of efficiency with the water matrix, increasing with raw water temperature. This solar desalination system can produce 10 L —15 L desalinated water per day in dry season. Therefore, it is suggested that, this method is suitable for mainly isolated islands of Jaffna which are facing severe water scarcity.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Assessment of Ground Water Salinity in Upparu Lagoon Area in Jaffna with Respect to Salt Water Intrusion
    (Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2018) Thananjeyan, K.; Perera, M.D.N.D.; Wijethunga, S.; Saravanan, S.
    Groundwater is the only source of fresh water that is directly consumed by most inhabitants in Jaffna. However, salinity in ground water has become a serious problem in Jaffna Peninsula and affected to deteriorate the water quality. Further it has been noted that lagoons may be directly responsible for the increased salinity of abandoned agricultural lands in the area. Therefore, this study assessed the extent of the saltwater intrusion in Upparu lagoon which is a major water resource in the Jaffna Peninsula and nearby areas. In this study, 196 sampling points (132 wells in the east bank and 64 wells in the west bank of the lagoon) were selected by using GIS grid net method. Samples were collected along the banks of the lagoon at 1 km intervals and at each selected point, 4 samples were taken; inside the lagoon, 100m, 200m and 500 m away from the lagoon during the time period from August to November 2016. Electrical Conductivity (EC) and pH were tested to find the salinity and alkalinity of water samples. Salinity and pH distribution maps were prepared according the drinking and irrigation water quality standards by using GIS Arc map software. The average EC values in September at the lagoon and at 100 m, 200 m, and 500 m away from the lagoon were 22.44 mS cm-1, 8.47 mS cm-1 5.32 mS cm-1, 3.60 mS cm-1 while in November those were 24.60 mS cm-1, 12.63 mS cm-1, 7.45 mS en ` and 4.94 mS cin-1, respectively. Salinity level of groundwater increased during the dry season due to low rainfall, high temperature with high wind speed and therefore, water in the lagoon may not be suitable for irrigation during dry season. The pH of water in both lagoon and the wells was considerably high. pH in well water, 500 m away from the lagoon, is within the recommended level for drinking. Based on the results, it can be concluded that water in lagoon is not suitable for drinking and irrigation. Saltwater intrusion was increased and groundwater is contaminated with saltwater in dry periods due to the lateral seepage of salt water in Upparu lagoon area. However, well water can be used for drinking and agricultural activities if the distance from the lagoon to wells is increased.