Hybrid membrane distillation/high concentrator photovoltaic system for freshwater production

Abstract

Pure water shortage is a crucial issue that needs very rapid, applicable, and economical solutions. Membrane distillation is a promising technique, primarily when supplied with a sustainable heating source. The current work introduces the hybridization of high concentrating photovoltaic (HCPV) with membrane distillation (MD) to gain the maximum benefits from available solar energy. The challenge regarding the HCPV unit is to incorporate an efficient cooling system that could maintain the cells within the manufacturer’s recommended range. On the other hand, the challenge regarding the MD unit is the high energy required for water heating. The current work introduces an effective microchannel cooling system that could maintain the cells within the safe range and utilize this removed thermal load to be the heating source for the MD unit. The HCPV has been solved numerically using Ansys 2020 software, while the MD unit has been investigated numerically and experimentally. It was found that to keep the maximum cell temperature within a safe range, the coolant flow rate should be at least 370 ml/min, with a corresponding coolant outlet temperature of 68 ºC. Moreover, the MD distillation unit has been proved experimentally to produce approximately 46 kg/m2 per day. Electric power of about 685 W is available with the system.