Abstract
Nuclear power can be categorized as a clean energy source for producing electricity and supplying the required energy to a desalination plant, promising less atmospheric emission in comparison to fossil fuels. Considering the fact that fresh water-related issues are acute in many countries of the world, the utilization of desalination technologies seems to be the key solution to these problems. Desalination processes are known to be “energy-intensive”, emphasizing the potential advantages of its integration to a nuclear power plant in mediumto large-scale seawater desalination projects. The demand for electricity and fresh water in Iran compels the country to search for a feasible option. We suggest nuclear desalination as a suitable alternative, in which the recovered heat can be used in thermal desalination systems. In this article, the status of currently operating desalination plants and future developments are described. Several possible schemes for coupling nuclear power plant and fossil fuel-based plants with desalination technologies are suggested and some thermo-economic analysis (based on the specific characteristics of the country) are presented. Results of calculations reveal some advantages of nuclear desalination complex and its competitiveness with other options. It should be noted that the research has been conducted by cooperation of two SPbPU PhD students with Iranian citizenship.
Highlights
Seawater desalination can be counted as one of the most feasible solutions for fresh water stress, which is already turned to a significant global challenge in many regions around the world
The Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) type is considered to be a Water-Cooled Reactor (WCR) with the net power of 1000 MW(e), which seems to be preferable for Iran
The key point of our analysis is to find out a good approximation to the cost of seawater desalination, by considering exact input data such as interest rate, discount rate, the average value of total dissolved solids in Persian Gulf, specific base cost of desalination plant and other parameters
Summary
Seawater desalination can be counted as one of the most feasible solutions for fresh water stress, which is already turned to a significant global challenge in many regions around the world. Since the 1950s, the industry of desalination has been implemented and nowadays it is playing a crucial role in supplying the required fresh water of some countries [1]. The nuclear power, which has already illustrated its unique proficiencies and potential advantages through many years (with more than ten thousand reactor years of performing in more than 30 countries of the world), can be considered as one of the clean options for supplying electricity or heat to desalination plant [3]. It is worth noting that nuclear reactors are the only options for providing required energy of large-scale desalination projects in the future [4]. For providing desalination plant required energy, fossil fuels are the dominant utilized energy sources due to their simplicity of use and availability. Nowadays there is a great interest shown by many countries in investigating other sources of energy and methods, which are more sustainable and environmentally friendly [5,6]
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