Optimization of water management plans for CSP plants through simulation of water consumption and cost of treatment based on operational data

Abstract

Considering the importance of water in local communities and the development of Concentrated Solar Thermal Power (CSP) projects in arid regions, water footprint analysis and finding water-saving solutions towards optimized use of raw water resources in CSP plants are essential. Within this study, we present an integrated simulation tool for a comprehensive simulation of CSP plants including the water and wastewater streams, treatment units, and the cost of treatment. The models are compared to a set of measured water consumption data from a commercial CSP plant. Furthermore, strategies to reduce raw water consumption are identified and then investigated through the detailed simulation of alternative water management plans. The results show that with optimized solutions, raw water consumption can be reduced by 14% while the cost of electricity remains the same or is even slightly reduced.