Abstract
This research deals with the process of water desalination, involving an experimental design used to study a new prototype of a solar membrane distillation plant based on the weather conditions of Kairouan City, Tunisia. In this experiment, the pilot is left autonomous with the sun as the only source of energy. The operating process of a desalination plant consists of solar energy provided by the sun using solar energy collectors, which provide energy through their photovoltaic panels for heating brackish water. Additionally, the membrane used in this study was of the spiral wound design, which allowed for a compact arrangement besides effective internal heat recovery. The system start-up was successfully carried out and experimental studies were launched on various days of August 2020. During the experiment, the average production was approximately 15.92 L/m2 ap per day while the distillate’s electoral conductivity amounted to 1865 μS/cm. Calculations revealed that the specific thermal energy consumption for the system ranged between 90 and 310 kWh/m3.
Highlights
Only 3.5% of the desalination capacity of the world is generated by small-scale plants [3], which is needed mainly in rural areas where 80% of the population has no access to fresh drinking water
The results demonstrated that the presentation proportion of the framework was under 1 and diminished somewhere in the range between and 16% by expanding the saltiness of food from 1 to 35 g/L
It was recognized that the power source and delta liquid temperature followed patterns similar to the sun-based radiation. It was obvious from the figures underneath that the most noteworthy estimation of sun-based radiation was about 951.37 W/m2, which happened around early afternoon on 8 August 2020, while the most elevated encompassing temperature was reached at 13 h 30 m on 9 August 2020 at about 46.13 ◦ C
Summary
The global demand for freshwater is predicted to rise by over 50% by 2050 [1] For this reason, seawater desalination is widely regarded as a solution to the problem of dwindling freshwater resources, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Only 3.5% of the desalination capacity of the world is generated by small-scale plants (less than 1000 m3 /day) [3], which is needed mainly in rural areas where 80% of the population has no access to fresh drinking water. There is rising demand for the enhancement of small-scale, chemical-free, and operationally non-complex desalination technology, preferably coupled with a renewable energy system that can be implemented in rural areas.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
