This paper presents an experimental investigation of a novel multi-effect solar desalination based on humidification-dehumidification process. The main objective of this work is to determine the operational and performance characteristics of the system with use of packed porous plastic balls and finned heat exchangers. The effect of operating parameters such as the heating temperature, the seawater flow rate (M-w) and the air flow rate (V-a) on the system performance is studied. The performance indicators CUR (defined as the ratio of the condensation heat of water produced relative to the heat input) and yield of the device are calculated from the measured temperatures and flow rates for different operating conditions. A set of performance curves under the different desired conditions are presented. The experimental results indicate that the yield of the system increases with increasing the water flow rate and the air flow rate; the yield of the unit can reach 63.6 kg/h at the water flow rate of 1000 kg/h. Owing to re-utilisation of condensation heat between two desalination loops, the GOR of the multi-effect solar desalination system can reach about 2.1. A further improvement of this multi-effect solar humidification-dehumidification desalination could be expected through optimisation of design and operation. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.