An Experimental Investigation of an Open-Source and Low-Cost Control System for Renewable-Energy-Powered Reverse Osmosis Desalination

Abstract

Considering the degradation of water resources and the increase in human population, desalination seems to be a promising method for meeting the global water demand, from potable water to plant irrigation needs. The contribution of desalination to the agricultural sector, through the supply of water for plants or animals, is critical because this sector represents 70% of the global water demand. Unfortunately, the desalination process is energy-intensive and subjected to several factors that result in undesirable fluctuations on quality/quantity of product water, and/or energy waste. Renewable energy sources can supply the necessary power, but they amplify these challenges because their availability varies over time. A simple and efficient way to tackle this issue is to control the pressure of the feed water before feeding it to the membrane. Typically, the pairing control systems are quite expensive or lack the necessary customization freedom that could improve their operation. Therefore, this study highlights the feasibility of enhancing a typical desalination control equipment via the incorporation of modern low-cost microcontrollers and flexible open-source software; the potential of these tools has not yet been fully explored. The microcontroller executes customized PID logic, driving an industrial inverter module. Our results indicate that the proposed system can keep pace with the desalination process setpoints, reducing the stress of the electromechanical components and periods of out-of-specification freshwater production. This low-level control function implementation minimizes the need for human intervention while providing a promising foundation for further extensions and customizations in this area.