Study the effect of solar power on the efficiency of desalinating saline water: Case studies Al-Khafji and Gulf of Aqaba areas

Abstract

The desalination of salty water has become a necessary industrial process to overcome the next global shortage in freshwater. In this study, adding a Reheat Solar Collector Cycle (RSCC) to a multi-stage flash plant is used to increase the optimization of the desalination process, improving efficiencies, reducing energy, and increasing the production of freshwater demands to overcome the global crisis of shortage in freshwater. Two projects employ this numerical technique. The first project is conducted in the Al-Khafji multi-stage flash plant in Saudi Arabia with an input mass flow rate of 1 Mkg/h (277.78 kg/s), TDS of 35,000 ppm, and wind velocity of 1 m/s. The second project is conducted in the Gulf of Aqaba in Jordan with an input mass flow rate of 1 Mkg/h (277.78 kg/s), TDS of 40,000 ppm, and wind velocity of 1 m/s. The module of the LS-2 Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC) is used to gain the required energy to heat seawater. The results show that in the Al-Khafji project, an increase of 7.1% in the plant capacity per day and an increase in efficiency from 7.8 to 8.4 were observed. While, in the Gulf of Aqaba, an increase of 7.7% in the plant capacity per day and an increase in efficiency from 7.8 to 8.4 are observed.