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Techno-economic analysis of a newly developed high performance multistage flash configuration with deaeration and brine mix (MSF-DM) is presented. The techno-economical analysis includes also the use of nanofiltration (NF) as a pretreatment method for MSF to increase its top brine temperature (TBT) to 130°C. A mathematical model of NF membrane is developed and verified using Visual Design and Simulation program for typical operating NF unit (Umlluj, KSA). The techno-economic analysis of integrating NF pretreatment for the existing multistage flash-brine recirculation (MSF-BR) and newly developed MSF-DM configurations is performed. Integration of NF system to existing desalination plant (NF-MSF) and treatment of only 30% of make-up enable to increase the TBT up to 130°C, the production can be increased to 19%. The cost analysis showed the unit product cost is 5.4% higher than that conventional MSF (at 110°C) due to the additional capital cost of NF system. Integrating NF system to new configuration (NF-MSF-DM) desalination plant at the TBT = 130°C, the gain output ratio could be as high as 16, i.e. double the convention MSF-BR. The new NF-MSFDM configuration significantly reduces the unit's input thermal energy to suit the use of (the relatively expensive) solar energy as a desalination plant driver. On the other hand, the levelized water cost of NF-MSF-DM (at TBT = 130°C) is 14% lower than conventional MSF (at 110° C) at the current oil price 104 $/bbl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the experimental results of a renewable energy (RE) driven, high-performance multi-stage flash (MSF) desalination unit integrated with nanofiltration (NF) membrane. The desalination pilot test is built to evaluate, the performance of the novel Deaeration and brine Mix (MSF-DBM) configuration. The NF pilot is build in order to enable MSF desalination unit the operation at high top brine temperature (TBT). The capacity of the desalination pilot plant is 1.0m³/day of water. The whole pilot plant is installed at Wadi El-Natroun (Egypt). This study presents the first phase of the project, including the pilot test description, and experiments of concentrated solar trough, steam generator, NF and MSF units. Comparison between the simulation and the experimental results of the pilot unit' subsystems are relatively satisfactory. The newly developed NF-MSF-DBM (de-aerator and brine mix) configuration is tested at TBT = 100°C and the gain output ratio (GOR) is calculated as 15 which almost twice of traditional MSF under the same operating conditions. The newly high-performance NF-MSF-DBM and unit's input thermal energy which make the integration with (the relatively expensive) RE as a desalination plant driver is a viable option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]