Search

This book covers the basics and advancements in various solar thermal desalination systems that are highly affordable and viable even for applications in low-income countries. Fresh water is an essential natural resource needed for the continuous existence of living organisms on earth. Civilizations have started and flourished along riverbanks which can be understood from historical literature. This precious resource has also been a cause for a lot of past and current wars and conflicts among different ethnic groups and nations around the globe. In the current scenario, access to clean drinking water is getting harder and more expensive for most of the population in middle- and low-income countries. This volume provides detailed knowledge on effectively utilizing solar energy for desalination to fulfill clean water supply demands. The content presents detailed thermodynamic modeling of various solar thermal desalination systems and highlights the role of the solar thermal distillationprocess in wastewater treatment and improved sanitation through a case study. The book also provides a detailed methodology for assessing the economics, environmental footprints, and sustainability of desalination systems. The book will be highly beneficial for researchers, professionals, and activists dealing with water, energy, and the environment.

This book provides a detailed examination of how two key concerns in many communities across the globe- power and water- can be simultaneously addressed through the coupling of Concentrating Solar Power and Desalination (CSP+D) plants. It undertakes a technological and economic evaluation of the integration of Multi-effect Distillation Plants into CSP plants based on Parabolic Trough solar collectors (PT-CSP+MED), as compared to independent water and power production through Reverse Osmosis unit connection to a CSP plant (CSP+RO). Through this compare and contrast method of analysis, the author establishes guidelines to assist readers in identifying cases wherein PT-CSP+MED systems provide greater benefits from a thermodynamic and economic point of view. The text outlines efficiencies and challenges derived from the combination of PT-CSP power generation with four different desalination plant scenarios, beginning with a description of the equations used in the modeling and validation of a pilot MED plant and followed by detailed thermodynamic analysis of several currently operating CSP+D systems. Comparative thermodynamic assessments are based on a sensitivity analysis from which the overall efficiency of the cogeneration system is determined. The author outlines all the equations used for the modeling of each component and includes 97 comparative tables obtained from the sensitivity analysis, showing the variation of the overall thermal efficiency of the CSP+D as a function of fundamental parameters of the cogeneration cycle, such as the specific electric consumption of the desalination plants, and the turbine outlet temperature of the power cycle. These findings are then placed in practical context through a complete thermo-economic analysis, which is carried out for two specific locations in the Middle East and Europe in order to identify the most practically and economically viable CSP+D system in each region as informed by actual operating conditions, meteorological data and real cost figures for each location.