Improving the Performance of a Forced-flow Desalination Unit using a Vortex Generator

Abstract

Water is a primary need for living creatures, and water scarcity can trigger a crisis. Water scarcity is becoming an issue in Indonesia, especially in coastal village areas, including salt-producing areas. Salt production involves evaporating large amounts of seawater in concentration ponds. Using evaporated seawater as a source of clean water would reduce the risk of water scarcity. Therefore, this study aims to obtain fresh water by condensing water vapour that evaporates in a desalination unit. More specifically, the study uses a vortex generator to increase the rate and efficiency of evaporation in a forced-flow desalination unit. This research was conducted indoors to reduce uncontrollable variables. An evaporation container with a volume of 0.35 m3 was filled with seawater. The rate of evaporation in the desalination unit with a vortex generator was compared to that in a unit without a vortex generator. The results show that the vortex generator leads to faster evaporation. The rate of evaporation with a vortex generator was 13% higher than that without a vortex generator, and the gained output ratio increased 14% with the vortex generator. Therefore, it can be concluded that vortex generators can improve the performance of desalination equipment