Abstract:
This research comprehensively analyzed a unique solar desalination unit that operates on concentrated solar energy. The analysis primarily focused on evaluating three crucial components: the condenser, flash chamber, and brine heater. Testing was initially performed using seawater sourced from the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. Subsequently, to investigate the influence of salinity on the system performance, the device was tested under variable salinity levels ranging from 15,000 ppm to 35,000 ppm. Key parameters, including condenser temperature, brine heater temperature, and distillate production, were measured throughout the experimentation. The findings unveiled an inverse correlation between salinity and distillate production, as increasing the salinity from 15,000 ppm to 35,000 ppm resulted in a decline in distillate production. The maximum distillate achieved was 2400 ml/h at a salinity level of 15,000 ppm, corresponding to a constant feed rate of 0.2 l/min. The average energy efficiency of the brine heater was determined to be 61.9%. Moreover, the average exergy efficiencies were calculated as 81.3% for the condenser, 4.4% for the brine heater, and 44.3% for the flash chamber. Mathematical models were subsequently developed to establish the relationships between salinity and various system responses. Furthermore, performance metrics such as gain output ratio, energy utilization factor, and specific energy consumption were evaluated. The proposed system has a maximum gain output ratio of 16, a maximum energy utilization factor of 2.2, and a minimum specific energy consumption of 299.3 kWh/m3.
Ahmed, F., Abdul Aziz, M. S., Shaik, F., & Khor, C. (2023). Salinity impacts on a unique desalination system embedded with concentrated solar energy for cleaner production. Journal of Cleaner Production, 140223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.140223
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