Modeling and optimization of hybrid wind–solar-powered reverse osmosis water desalination system in Saudi Arabia

2013 ◽  
Vol 75 ◽  
pp. 86-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esmail M.A. Mokheimer ◽  
Ahmet Z. Sahin ◽  
Abdullah Al-Sharafi ◽  
Ahmad I. Ali
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Reverse Osmosis ◽  
Water Desalination ◽  
Modeling And Optimization ◽  
Solar Powered

Design Optimization of a Solar-Powered Reverse Osmosis Desalination System for Small Communities

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jihun Kim ◽  
Karim Hamza ◽  
Mohamed El Morsi ◽  
Ashraf O. Nassef ◽  
Sayed Metwalli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reverse Osmosis ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Energy Resource ◽  
Production Capacity ◽  
Water Desalination ◽  
Battery Storage ◽  
Water Stream ◽  
Permeable Membrane ◽  
Small Communities ◽  
Solar Powered

Fresh water availability is essential for the economic development in small communities in remote areas. In desert climate, where naturally occurring fresh water is scarce, seawater or brackish water from wells is often more abundant. Since water desalination approaches are energy intensive, a strong motivation exists for the design of cost-effective desalination systems that utilize the abundant renewable energy resource; solar energy. This paper presents an optimization model of a solar-powered reverse osmosis (RO) desalination system. RO systems rely on pumping salty water at high pressure through semi-permeable membrane modules. Under sufficient pressure, water molecules will flow through the membranes, leaving salt ions behind, and are collected in a fresh water stream. Since RO system are primarily powered via electricity, the system model incorporates photovoltaic (PV) panels, and battery storage for smoothing out fluctuations in the PV power output, as well as allowing system operation for a number of hours after sunset. Design variables include sizing of the PV solar collectors, battery storage capacity, as well as the sizing of the RO system membrane module and power elements. The objective is to minimize the cost of unit volume produced fresh water, subject to constraints on production capacity. A genetic algorithm is used to generate and compare optimal designs for two different locations near the Red Sea and Sinai.

scholarly journals Design of a Solar Powered Reverse Osmosis System in Egypt

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-140
Author(s):  
Said M. A. Ibrahim ◽  
Ahmed G. M. Shabak
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
Reverse Osmosis ◽  
Saline Water ◽  
Water Desalination ◽  
Solar Irradiation ◽  
Water Demands ◽  
Clean Environment ◽  
Mathematical Equations ◽  
Solar Powered ◽  
The Cost

Scarcity of fresh water, forced many countries to get their water needs, or part of it, by means of saline water desalination. Reverse osmosis (RO) systems are useful tools in this concern. In case the grid electricity is not available or costly, photovoltaic (PV) power is necessary to derive RO systems. The present paper is concerned with providing a methodology for complete sizing and design of a photovoltaic reverse osmosis (PVRO) system in Egypt. Egypt has very favorable solar energy. A computer program was constructed to solve the mathematical equations of the model to get the numerical values. The program is capable of calculating the solar irradiation for any city in Egypt. Calculations and selection of the RO system with all connected pumps, the peak PV power needed, and the actual PV area were performed for different water demands ranging from 1-100 m3/day, and various water total dissolved solids (TDSs) of 5000, 15000, and 30000 mg/l. The cost of the complete PVRO system was also determined. The concern of the paper is related to water desalination and solar energy, which are responsible for our existence. The work also aims toward sustainable and clean environment via utilizing solar energy.

scholarly journals Development of a Village-Scale, Solar-Powered Reverse Osmosis System

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Bian ◽  
Julia A. Sokol ◽  
Janet H. Yun ◽  
Craig A. Mascarenhas ◽  
Chinasa Emeghara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reverse Osmosis ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Water Desalination ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Successful Operation ◽  
System A ◽  
Pv Module ◽  
Average Water ◽  
Solar Pump ◽  
Solar Powered

This paper details the development of a photovoltaic reverse osmosis water desalination system for a groundwater well in Bercy, Haiti. The well was constructed to provide potable drinking and agricultural water for the 300-person community. However, its water has a salinity level of 5,290 ppm, rendering it harmful for both human consumption and soil fertility. This reverse osmosis system is designed to be low-cost and operational off-grid while providing 900 gallons per day of desalinated water for the community. The system is composed of a photovoltaic power system, a submersible solar pump, and three reverse osmosis membranes. The system is designed to have a material cost significantly below that of any commercially-available system of similar scale. Furthermore, it has an average water production cost of $1.21/m3 and an average specific energy of 1.2 kWh/m3. Its performance was tested in the laboratory by connecting the desalination module to a DC power supply, demonstrating good agreement with its modeled performance. The installation of the full system with the PV module will take place on-site in the summer of 2016. Following implementation, the system will be monitored and compared against predicted performance. The first attempt is meant to serve as a verification and validation of the system as a whole. However, successful operation within the given cost target could pave the way for wider use of off-grid reverse osmosis systems at many remote locations with limited freshwater access around the world.

Process Simulation of a Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant Powered by Photovoltaic Panels for Kalymnos Island

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Amati ◽  
Carlos Herrando Zapater ◽  
Enrico Sciubba ◽  
Javier Uche Marcuello
Keyword(s):  
Economic Analysis ◽  
Reverse Osmosis ◽  
Process Simulation ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Water Desalination ◽  
Solar Irradiation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Cloudy Weather ◽  
Solar Powered ◽  
Health Organization

The present paper discusses a novel application of the currently most popular water desalination technology: a solar-powered reverse osmosis plant (PV-RO in the following). Kalymnos, one of the Greek Dodecanese islands, was selected as the site for the design exercise. The solar irradiation data for this location were used to design the PV-RO plant that is simulated in this paper. The PV power production varies with insolation, and therefore the plant operates under variable flow conditions. This variability, as well as that induced by cloudy weather, is reduced by means of suitable electrical storage (a Pb-acid battery array). The influence of some relevant process parameters is studied by means of a numerical process simulation of the plant, and a pseudo-optimal operating point was found that minimizes the energy consumption per unit mass of distillate, within the World Health Organization standards of salt concentration. An economic analysis is also performed to calculate the product cost: the results indicate that the PV-RO plant is much more cost effective than the present ship-based water delivery system. An exergy and thermo-economic analysis are provided as well.

scholarly journals Study of the Ecological Footprint and Carbon Footprint in a Reverse Osmosis Sea Water Desalination Plant

Membranes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 377
Author(s):  
Federico Leon ◽  
Alejandro Ramos-Martin ◽  
Sebastian Ovidio Perez-Baez
Keyword(s):  
Reverse Osmosis ◽  
Canary Islands ◽  
Ecological Footprint ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Water Desalination ◽  
Energy Costs ◽  
Generation System ◽  
Negative Part ◽  
Desalination Plant ◽  
Materials Used

The water situation in the Canary Islands has been a historical problem that has been sought to be solved in various ways. After years of work, efforts have focused on desalination of seawater to provide safe water mainly to citizens, agriculture, and tourism. Due to the high demand in the Islands, the Canary Islands was a pioneering place in the world in desalination issues, allowing the improvement of the techniques and materials used. There are a wide variety of technologies for desalination water, but nowadays the most used is reverse osmosis. Desalination has a negative part, the energy costs of producing desalinated water are high. To this we add the peculiarities of the electricity generation system in the Canary Islands, which generates more emissions per unit of energy produced compared to the peninsular generation system. In this study we have selected a desalination plant located on the island of Tenerife, specifically in the municipality of Granadilla de Abona, and once its technical characteristics have been known, the ecological footprint has been calculated. To do this we have had to perform some calculations such as the capacity to fix carbon dioxide per hectare in the Canary Islands, as well as the total calculation of the emissions produced in the generation of energy to feed the desalination plant.

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