Solar Desalination

Prof. Moustafa Elsayed

01/27/15

Introduction
WHO: 480 millions of human beings are suffering
from acute lack of water

5 million died per year due to this

23 million m3 seawater is desalinated every

day
46 000 m3 (0.02 %) is produced by means of
renweable energy

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Solar Desalination Methods

Solar Thermal Methods
Solar Power Methods

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Solar Thermal Methods

Generation of heat energy from sun
Use heat energy in a desalination process

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Solar Thermal Methods

Solar still
Solar diffusion still
Multi-effect evaporation
Multi stage flash evaporation
Humidification-dehumidification
Freezing using absorption cooling process

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Solar Power Methods

Vapor compression
Reverse osmosis
Freezing
Electro dialysis

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Energy Requirements
Method

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kJ/kg

PR

Reserve Osmosis

30

77

Electrodialysis

50

46

Absorption vacuum freeze

63

37

Vacuum freeze/ vapor compression

102

25

Multi-effect, multistage distillation

125

19

Multistage, flash/vertical tube distillation

175

13

Vapor compression distillation

186

12

Vertical tube evaporator distillation

204

11

Multistage flash distillation

251

Single-effect roof-type solar still

4350

0.53

Solar Still

A well-designed
solar still can
produce 2 to 4
liters (or quarts)
of water per
square meter of
basin area

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Arrangements of Solar Stills

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Productivity of Solar Still

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Output of a solar still

Q = E x G x A/2.3
Daily output = 0.30 x 18.0 x 1/2.3
= 2.3 liters (per square meter)

yearly output: approximately one cubic meter

per square meter

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Heat Fluxes in Solar Still

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Greenhouse-Integrated Stills

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Greenhouse-Integrated Stills
Solar still
o
o

Roof-integrated
Only partly light-transparent

Greenhouse
o
o

Lowered temperature
Less water demand

Production: 1 litre/m2day
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Double Basin Solar Still

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Wick-Type Solar Still

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Cascade-Type Solar Still

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Cover Cooling Solar Still

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Double Effect Solar Still

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Single Effect Diffusion Solar

Still

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Multi-Effect Diffusion Solar

Still

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Single Stage Evaporation

Desalination

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Multi-Effect Evaporation
Desalination

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Multi-Effect Evaporation
Desalination
Water production > 100 m3/day
Seawater evaporates stepwise by heat transfer

from tubes with condensing steam

Primary steam source is produced externally

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Solar Multi-Effect
Humidification Unit

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Solar Multi-Effect
Humidification Unit
Development: Technical University of Munich

(1999)
Principle: the evaporation of water and the
condensation of steam to and from humid air,
that flows in a circuit driven by natural
convection between condenser and evaporator.
Pilot plant: Canary Islands, Spain, operating
since 1992
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Abhu Dhabi Solar Desalination

Plant
Location: the United Arab Emirates
Purpose: demonstration unit.
Commissioned in 1984, with an average

of 85 m3/day of fresh water using sea

water with a salinity of 55,000 ppm.
Sub-systems: the solar collector field,
heat accumulator and evaporator.
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Abhu Dhabi Solar Desalination

Plant
Multiple effect stack-type (MES)

evaporator of a rated capacity of 120

m3/day
An array of evacuated tube, flat plate
collectors with a total absorber area of
1,862 m2.
A thermally stratified heat accumulator,
with a capacity of 300 m3
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Abhu Dhabi Solar

Desalination Plant
The main grid supplies electricity

required by the different pumps.

The performance of the collector field
and evaporator sub-systems have not
suffered in performance decline to any
appreciable degree up to today.
Water cost: US$7/m3 to US$10/m3
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Multi-Stage Flash Evaporation

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Multi-Stage Flash Evaporation

Global water production 10 million

m3/day
Heated seawater is flash-evaporated in
low-pressure chamber

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(MSF) driven by solar pond

Combining solar pond technology with

desalination technologies
The reject concentrate from the primary
desalination process provides make-up water to
the salinity gradient
Environmental issues:
Reusing the brine concentrate thereby negating the
need for disposal (zero discharge)
Pollution-free renewable energy for the desalting
process.
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(MSF) driven by solar pond

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Solar Single-Stage Flash

Evaporation Unit

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Solar Single-Stage Flash

Evaporation Unit
Development: Technical University of

Munich (1999)
Sections: pressurized section and an
ambient pressure section

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HumidificationDehumidification Desalination

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HumidificationDehumidification Desalination

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HumidificationDehumidification Desalination
1st step
Heating from 25C to 50C
Humidified to saturation (20 g/kg),
temperature decreases to 23C

15th step
Heating from 58C to 78C
Humidified to saturation (148 g/kg),
temperature decreases to 60C
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HumidificationDehumidification Desalination

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HumidificationDehumidification Desalination

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HumidificationDehumidification Desalination

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HumidificationDehumidification Desalination

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Freezing Desalination Using

Absorption Refrigeration

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Solar Power Desalination

Vapor Compression

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Vapor Compression

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Freezing Desalination

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Reverse Osmosis Desalination

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Reverse Osmosis Desalination

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Solar RO Desalination
The plant was designed and constructed in

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1995 by Water Re-use Promotion Center

(Japan)
Heat and electricity by solar energy
Solar collector: 3 units of evacuated-tube
collectors each 4 m wide by 1 m long.
Photovoltaic power generation system
Fresh water production: 40 liters/hour, on
average.
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Solar RO Desalination

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Solar RO Desalination

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Cost of Desalination Methods

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Cost of Desalination Methods

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Conclusions-1
Solar Desalination is a cheap way to

produce fresh water.

There are several available solar systems

for the production of fresh water from

saline or brackish water.

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Conclusions-2
The preference of one solar desalination

method over other methods depends on:

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Location
Amount of water to be produced
Quality of water to be desalinated
Quality of water to be produced

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Thank you

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