Solar thermal powered desalination: membrane versus distillation technologies
نویسندگان
چکیده
Multiple Effect Distillation (MED) is generally considered to be the desalination technology most suited to integration with concentrating solar thermal collectors on a medium to large scale. However the cost and energy requirement of Reverse Osmosis (RO) have fallen significantly in recent years, so that solar thermal powered RO deserves consideration. We compare commercial desalination processes on the basis of their electrical and thermal energy consumptions, their recovery rate, and plant capital cost. Three experimental systems of potential interest are also identified. The daily desalinated water output per square metre of solar collector area is estimated for a number of system configurations. Depending on parameters such as feedwater salinity, the output from solar powered RO is much higher than that of solar powered MED. Performance metrics and units found in desalination literature are described.
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