Plants In Kuwait Research Articles

Renewable energy-driven desalination for sustainable water production in the Middle East

ABSTRACT Despite significant advancement in conventional desalination technologies, their widespread application is still constrained by high energy demands, high capital costs, and the associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the potential and challenges of renewable energy desalination in the Middle East. The study also compared the production of energy and water, and emissions reductions of hypothetical 100 MW renewable energy plants in Kuwait, coupled with reverse osmosis (RO) desalination units. The wind-RO plant is estimated to produce 68 million cubic metres on an annual basis, while the CSP-RO and PV-RO plants produced 44 and 37 million cubic metres of fresh water, respectively. These estimates, however, only account for 5% to 9% of the annual fresh water demand in the reference case. Meeting 100% of the fresh water demand would require a 1000 MW to 2000 MW renewable energy capacity. Overall, the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources is a fundamental barrier to the large-scale transition to renewable energies for desalination. The results of this study indicate that the CSP’s relatively small footprint (compared to wind plants) and higher capacity factor make it an ideal compromise among the proposed plants.

Assessment of seasonal variations of volatile organic compounds in raw and treated wastewater in Kuwait

This study assesses the seasonal variations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in raw and treated wastewater from one of the largest treatment plants in Kuwait. Samples from the influent and effluent of the treatment plant were collected weekly and analyzed for toluene, benzene, xylene, 1, 3, 5 trimethylbenzene, 1, 4 dichlorobenzene, dichloromethane, chloroform, and tetrachloroethene. The results showed that the median concentrations of all VOCs measured in raw wastewater were higher during the winter season than during the summer season. The concentrations of VOCs during winter were higher by 4 to 5 times than in the summer season. However, there was no significant difference between winter and summer concentrations of all the VOCs in treated wastewater. A significant difference in Dichloromethane and Toluene removal efficiencies was noticed between the summer and winter seasons, as higher removal efficiency was achieved in summer.

Energy and exergy analysis of three major recirculating multi-stage flashing desalination plants in Kuwait

This study compares the thermal performance of three Multi-Stage Flashing (MSF) desalination plants constructed at various dates over 30 years. The MSF desalination plants considered in this study are Al-Doha East, Al-Zour, and Al-Sobia, built in 1978, 2001, and 2007, respectively. Using actual operating data, analyses based on the first and second laws of thermodynamics were conducted to study the three MSF desalination plants. The thermal performance comparisons included energy consumption, exergy consumption, second law efficiency, and exergy destruction in different components. The results showed that the Al-Sobia MSF desalination plant yielded 17% lower energy consumption and 21% lower exergy consumption than Al-Doha East and Al-Zour. The results also showed that the Al-Sobia desalination plant had the highest second-law efficiency of 6.9%, compared to 5.4% and 5.5% for the Al-Doha East and Al-Zour. The Al-Sobia desalination plant also had less thermal and electrical energy consumption, which can be explained by the high-performance ratio, high heat exchanger effectiveness, high recovery ratio, and high Top-Brine Temperature (TBT). On the other hand, the low exergy consumption of the Al-Sobia desalination plant is due to the low exergy destruction in the de-superheater and ejectors. Compared to the Al-Doha East and Al-Zour plants, the Al-Sobia de-superheater had lower exergy destruction because of less steam extraction and higher exit flow exergy from the high TBT and pressure.

Optimization of ON-grid hybrid PV/wind system for a cement factory in Kuwait using HOMER pro software

Abstract The reliance on a single energy source leads to many problems, i.e. cost and unsustainable operation. Hybrid renewable energy systems (include more than one energy source) has been effectively shown as a feasible choice to overcome these problems. The main purpose of this research is to carry out a techno-economic optimization to minimize the size of the system with lower cost and higher reliability. This proposed ON-grid hybrid PV/wind energy system is designed to supply the electrical power of a cement factory in Kuwait. To achieve this purpose, the Hybrid Optimization of Electric Energy (HOMER Pro) software was utilized to carry out the optimization process. The results of this study show that the cost of electricity energy generated by the hybrid PV/wind energy system is equal to $0.082/kWh which is much lower when compared to the conventional fuel power plants in Kuwait which is approximately $0.12/kWh.

Ecophysiology of Kuwaiti macroalgae with special emphasis on temperature and salinity tolerance related to the conditions at desalination plant outfalls

Abstract Brine discharged from seawater desalination plants impacts marine life by exposure to increased salinity and, in some cases, temperature. However, the responses of individual species to such stress remains poorly known yet their understanding is essential for assessing and predicting the impacts of seawater desalination plants. In this study, unialgal cultures obtained by the germling emergence method of 34 taxa representative of the Rhodophyta, Chlorophyta and Phaeophyceae seaweeds in the Arabian Gulf, and isolated from the vicinity of two large desalination plants in Kuwait, were subjected to increased temperature and salinity under experimental conditions in the laboratory. The dataset is complemented by measurements of seawater temperature and salinity obtained at increasing distances from the outfalls of desalination plants and along the Kuwaiti coastline including from two pristine areas, Boubiyan and Fintas. Chlorophyta, especially Ulva spp., and Phaeophyceae displayed remarkable tolerance against hypersaline and thermal stress, suggesting that this group can cope better with adverse environmental conditions. Members of the Rhodophyta were considerably more sensitive to temperature increases.

Optimizing cogeneration and desalination plants by incorporating solar energy

Typically, desalination facilities are integrated with thermal power plants that include steam turbines, simple-cycle gas turbines, and combined-cycle gas turbines. Desalination is accomplished using the following technologies: thermal (multistage flash desalination and multiple-effect evaporation) and membrane (reverse osmosis). Because of the significant economic and environmental impacts of power generation and desalination, there is a critical need to optimize costs and to reduce emissions, especially the carbon footprint. Solar energy is a promising approach to reducing CO2 emissions. The goal of this study is to minimize the total annual cost for desalination facilities powered by thermal power plants, photovoltaic arrays, and battery storage. A single-objective nonlinear optimization approach addresses economic and environmental factors. A multi-period strategy accounts for seasonal variations in energy consumption, water consumption, solar energy supply, fuel prices, and fuel availability. The model is applied to a case study on the water-energy nexus for desalination-power plants in Kuwait. The optimization scheme selects from among various types of fossil fuels: natural gas, gas oil, heavy fuel oil, and crude oil. The study includes optimization with implementation of a carbon tax and constraints on CO2 emission. Over a tax range of $20–120/t CO2, the optimal solutions have a constant capacity of the photovoltaic array. Above $120/t CO2, a sharp increase occurred in the array capacity, and all power was generated by the array.

Microplastics in Kuwait’s Wastewater Streams

The wastewater stream is the most significant contributor of microplastics (MPs) to the environment. There are five wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Kuwait. This baseline study provides an overview of MP removal in three major WWTPs in Kuwait that treat some 81.31% of the wastewater produced. The Sulabiya WWTP was the most efficient in MP removal, followed by the Kabd and Umm Al-Haiman WWTPs. The MP removal efficiency of plants in Kuwait is very high for Sulabiya WWTP and Kabd WWTP with an average of 2.5 MP L−1 in treated effluent comparable to the WWTPs in Australia, the United States, and Europe. The standard methodology of sample collection, preparation, and identification using microscopic examination and micro-Raman spectrometry was followed. Over 94.5 billion MPs enter the three WWTPs daily; 92.3 billion MPs are retained in sludge, while 2.2 billion are passed into the environment due to the use of treated effluent. The influent, effluent, and sludge MP inventories ranged between 119 and 230 MP L−1, 1 and 12 MP L−1, and 72 and 103 MP 10 g−1 respectively. The fiber was the dominant shape, and white, transparent, and black were prevalent colors. Currently, sludge is not used in Kuwait for any terrestrial or agricultural application; however, sludge is routinely used in many countries as a soil additive in agricultural farms. Using effluent water in irrigation leads to MP dissemination in the terrestrial environment. It is necessary to assess how far these MPs move in the soil profile and if they can contaminate the shallow aquifers. The observation of MP retention in sludge and effluent is empirical, and the use of these matrixes in agriculture is likely to raise an issue of food safety.

Forecasting of carbon dioxide emissions from power plants in Kuwait using United States Environmental Protection Agency, Intergovernmental panel on climate change, and machine learning methods

The second largest share of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions is generated by electricity production. Approximately 63% of the generated electricity is from burning fossil fuels. Currently, The Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) owns and operates 8 power plants to secure the demand for electricity in Kuwait. Burning more fuel to generate electricity increases CO2 emissions to the air which causes air pollution and environmental issues. This study aims to calculate the amount of CO2 emission from the power sector specifically from each power plant in Kuwait in 2019 using combustion equation from United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and Intergovernmental panel on Climate Change (IPCC). According to USEPA, total CO2 emissions from the power sector in Kuwait in 2019 were found to be 38.47 MtCO2. However, IPCC equation gave total CO2 emissions of 45.57 MtCO2. The second part of the research focused on forecasting CO2 emissions for 5 years (2018–2022) using machine learning (ML) algorithms, which are mainly support vector machine (SVM), deep learning (DL), and ANN. Based on DL model results, the forecasted CO2 emissions for the 5 years were 44.2, 46, 48, 47, and 49 MtCO2, respectively. While ANN model showed the following CO2 emissions result for each year: 43, 44, 49, 51, and 50 MtCO2, respectively. Moreover, SVM algorithm found the forecasted CO2 emissions for the 5 years to be 43.8, 52 , 56, and 56 MtCO2, respectively. DL model was found to be the most appropriate one to fit the data followed by ANN and lastly SVM respectively.

Assessment of Volatile Organic Compounds Removal in Kuwait Wastewater Treatment Plants

This study presents the results of an analysis of the most common Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in wastewater samples from one of the largest wastewater treatment plants in Kuwait. Samples from four different locations (plant influent, aeration tank inlet, aeration tank, and plant effluent) were collected weekly and were analyzed for toluene, benzene, xylene, 1, 3, 5 trimethylbenzene, dichloromethane and chloroform. The results showed that all the selected VOCs were detected except benzene. The average concentrations of VOCs that entered the treatment plant were as follows: chloroform 0.22 ± 0.03 μg/mL, dichloromethane 0.18 ± 0.05 μg/mL, toluene 0.08 ± 0.01 μg/mL, O-Xylene 0.03 μg/mL, M-Xylene 0.01 μg/mL, P-Xylene 0.02 μg/ml, and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene 0.02 μg/mL. The concentration of VOCs during the treatment processes decreased for all the selected VOCs (treatment efficiency >98%), except chloroform, which has increased. The disinfection process in the treatment plant might have generated byproducts (such as chloroform) which could have increased chloroform concentration. In conclusion, all of the analyzed VOCs in this study were lower than the maximum level of VOCs in treated wastewater.

Techno-Economic Analysis of Solar Power Plants in Kuwait: Modelling the Performance of PV and CSP Systems

Techno-Economic Analysis of Solar Power Plants in Kuwait: Modelling the Performance of PV and CSP Systems

GIS-based suitability analysis for siting solar power plants in Kuwait

Renewable energy sources are most preferable compared to fossil fuels as they are usually free, widely available with limited or no environmental impacts. Seeking for clean energy is essential for Kuwait and other Gulf states in order to: ensure more diversified energy portfolio for their domestic economies, shift towardsgreen economies and attain sustainable development. This study aims to provide a GIS-based model for multi-criteria suitability analysis that can be employed in identifying the potential sites for photovoltaic power plants. The proposed model assisted in integrating a number of criteria relevant indicators that reflect the suitability of various parts of Kuwait for siting photovoltaic power plant. Accordingly, the potential sites for solar energy plants in Kuwait were delineated. The potential electric power that can be generated from these more suitable sites was also evaluated.

The impact of power plant emission variability and fuel switching on the air quality of Kuwait

Power plant emissions have a significant impact on air quality, and a frequent assumption made in estimating impacts is to assume annual or monthly average emission rates. This study investigates the impact, on predicted ambient concentrations, of assuming annual average emissions, compared to resolving emissions on an hourly basis (base case). A case study of emissions from power plants in Kuwait, for the year 2014, is presented. In Kuwait, power plants operate on a mix of natural gas, gas oil, crude oil, and heavy fuel oil, and the type of fuel used varies on an hourly basis. Because of this fuel variability, a fuel switching strategy was also simulated in this work, replacing high sulfur fuels with natural gas during hours with high predicted SO2 concentrations. Emissions estimates were combined with an air quality dispersion model to simulate the temporal variability and spatial dispersion of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in Kuwait, for a one-year episode. The results indicate that emission averaging and fuel switching operations result in lower area-wide annual maximum SO2 concentrations compared to the base case (1747 μg/m3, 1063 μg/m3, 616 μg/m3 for base case, annual average emissions and fuel switching scenarios, respectively). The number of receptor sites recording daily exceedances of the SO2 standard for annual average emissions were one seventh of those predicted for hourly averaged emissions and 92% lower for the fuel switching scenario. For NO2, while the overall number of exceedances of air quality criteria was much lower than for SO2, the numbers of exceedances were also predicted to be lower using annual averaged emissions compared to the base case. These results document the importance of using emission estimates that capture hourly variability over annually averaged emissions, particularly in locations such as Kuwait where multiple fuels are used in power production.

Al-Abdaliya integrated solar combined cycle power plant: Case study of Kuwait, part I

Abstract Kuwait is planning to develop a solar project using a 60 MWe parabolic trough collector in Al- Abdaliya. This will be part of a 280 MWe Integrated Solar Combined Cycle (ISCC) System, which will be the first of its kind and size in Kuwait. The objective of this paper is to develop a mathematical model of a typical ISCC system using Engineering Equations Solver (EES), to evaluate the performance of such commercial ISCC power plants. A sensitivity analysis has been carried out to investigate the effect of selected parameters on the performance of the planned ISCC power plant. Results show that the efficiency of Abdaliya ISCC power plant could reach more than 66% which is 20–100% higher than that of the current conventional power plants in Kuwait. The plant output power is also a strong function of solar heat input, it could reach 290 MWe at solar heat input of 75 GJ/s. The annual fuel saving and emissions reduction are more pronounced in case of adding thermal energy storage than that of increasing its solar fraction from 0.2 to 0.3. The expected annual benefits could support the decision-makers to accelerate the adoption of ISCC power plants in Kuwait.

Characterizing the fossil fuel impacts in water desalination plants in Kuwait: A Life Cycle Assessment approach

This study provides a detailed quantified baseline for the environmental effects of desalination in Kuwait. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is applied to model the environmental impacts of all nine desalination plant in the country both using Multistage Flash Desalination (MSF) and Reverse osmosis technologies at two scales: per one ton and on annual production. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is used to investigate which fossil fuel types is significantly contributing to increased environmental burden of desalination. The results indicate that although 12.2% of Kuwait's electrical energy is generated using crude oil, crude oil alone contributes 63% to the global warming. The results also show that desalination in Kuwait contributes 7.89E+08 kg Sb eq. to abiotic depletion, 1.15E+08 kg SO2 eq. to acidification, 1.91E+07 kg PO4 eq. to eutrophication, 2.71E+10 kg CO2 eq. to global warming, 2.47E+04 kg CFC-11 eq. to ozone layer depletion, 6.45E+09 kg 1,4-DB eq. to human toxicity, 6.03E+12 kg 1,4-DB eq. to marine aquatic ecotoxicity, and 7.53E+06 kg C2H4 eq. to photochemical oxidation. ANOVA reveals that natural gas has the lowest environmental impact, except on abiotic depletion; and that crude oil contributes almost four times more to global warming than other fuels used.

Periodic and random components of water consumption in Kuwait

This study attempts to algebraically decompose the periodic and random components of monthly total water consumption data metered at desalination plants in Kuwait. The decomposition approach is based on filtering the data in the frequency domain by selecting a threshold amplitude value below which harmonics are assumed to be random. The significant harmonics are used in Fourier series to develop a periodic model, and the residuals obtained by subtracting the periodic model from the original water data are tested by an autocorrelation function. The results show that the amount of random noise in the water consumption data represents a small portion of the overall pattern. The data can thus be considered periodic in nature and people's water consumption behaviour can be interpreted based on the significant periodicities detected by amplitude spectrum plot. This procedure allows application of different modifications for the decomposed periodic and random components, yielding more natural synthetic time series data generation.

Lab scale assessment of power generation using pressure retarded osmosis from wastewater treatment plants in the state of Kuwait

Discharge from the desalination plants of Kuwait returns brines of high salinity to the Gulf that contain other contaminants, such as chlorine or chromium, impacting the environment of the coastal region. Conversely, wastewater discharges to the Gulf have low salinity but may drive eutrophication of coastal waters. Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is a promising source of renewable energy and an emerging membrane-based technology for recovering energy from concentration differences between water streams. The proposed work examines the feasibility of using PRO to generate energy from wastewater and desalination plants in Kuwait by calculating the power density using a PRO zero-dimensional model. The model accounts for concentration polarization (CP) and salt leakage (B′) effects to produce realistic results. The effects of CP and (B′)on the power density at varying applied pressures and varying concentration differences between the feed and draw solutions are studied. Case studies on the potential re-use of treated wastewater effluent (TWE) and brine reject streams from three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Kuwait are discussed and compared to determine the maximum power generated from each of the WWTPs. The power densities generated from wastewater treatment (WWT) plants in Al-Jahra city, Um Al-Haiman city and Al-Riqqa were studied. The power density from Al-Haiman WWTP (18.73W/m2) is the highest compared to those of the other two WWTPs. The limits of the zero-dimensional model are also presented in this study. The PRO power density (W) was studied as a function of hydraulic pressure (ΔP) at different feed and draw solution concentrations. At higher draw solution concentrations (85g/L NaCl), the power densities were higher. This increase in power density values was attributed to the higher driving forces acting in the system. Concentration polarization (CP) and salt leakage (B′) reduce the driving forces across the membrane. The power density values (W) were smallest in the presence of both CP and(B′). The effects of CP and (B′) vary depending on the concentrations of the draw and feed solutions.

Water security in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries: challenges and opportunities

In terms of natural water resources, the GCC countries are ranked among the poorest and least secure in the world. During the past 50 years, and as a result of the oil boom, these countries have relied almost entirely on seawater desalination (reliance on desalination to produce freshwater in the GCC countries ranges from 50−90%) to meet the freshwater needs of the various consumption sectors. However, such reliance on desalination comes at a very high price. The extremely high capital and operational costs of seawater desalination have weighed heavily on the financial resources of these countries at the expense of other developmental plans and strategies. For example in Kuwait, the government spends 1.3 billion KD (US$4.55 billion) annually to operate and maintain water desalination and energy production plants. According to a recent study conducted by the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), Kuwait currently uses about 12% of its oil production to provide the fuel needed to operate these plants. This percentage is expected to increase to about 50% by 2050 (El-Sayed et al. 2010). In addition to the high financial burden, these plants pose a serious environmental threat in terms of gaseous emissions into the atmosphere (for example, seawater desalination and power generation plants in Kuwait emit 230 metric tons of nitrogen, sulphur and carbon annually into the atmosphere; El-Sayed et al. 2010). Furthermore, these plants are vulnerable to unexpected shutdowns and/or periodic maintenance, particularly in cases of seawater pollution, environmental catastrophes and war. Therefore, the GCC countries should relentlessly explore all possible avenues to find additional sources of freshwater supplies to meet the increasing demand. Despite its limited quantities and mostly poor quality, groundwater is an indispensable source of water for the GCC countries. It is used for blending with desalinated water to make it potable, as well as in numerous agricultural and some oil-related activities (with the need to enhance recovery and to produce heavy oil reserves, oil companies in the GCC countries are relying more and more on injecting either groundwater or steam produced from it into the oilbearing aquifers to increase their pressure and/or the mobility of oil, thereby increasing the quantity of oil produced). The aforementioned activities have resulted in a significant drop in the groundwater levels and deterioration of its quality. Treated wastewater is one of the emerging water resources in the GCC countries. Dependence on this source of water has increased significantly, particularly during the past few years. The produced water is used for agricultural and landscaping purposes as well as various non-potable activities. Despite the fact that this source of water is the only source that increases with the increase in population, its utilization has been constrained by the “impure” stigma attached to it.

Emission constrained unit commitment of Kuwait power generation system using genetic algorithm

Emission Constrained Unit Commitment (ECUC) is an extension of the conventional Unit Commitment (UC) problem that takes into consideration the minimization of the amount of greenhouse gases emitted from generating units in power plants. This paper presents a Genetic Algorithm (GA) solution of ECUC for thermal power plants in Kuwait. GA is an efficient optimization technique based on the principle of biological evolution. This complicated nonlinear ECUC problem is solved in two stages; the first stage uses GA to perform the Economic Dispatch (ED) taken into account all system constraints, while the second stage uses also GA to decide the ON/OFF status of the generating units. The simulation results indicated the efficient convergent of the GA to the final optimal solution of the ECUC in Kuwait generation system.

A bench-scale evaluation of scale inhibitors in multistage flash evaporation plants under high-temperature operation mode

Seawater desalination is currently considered a vital and dependable water resource to meet all requirements of fresh water. Kuwait has been a leading country in fresh water production from the sea using the multistage flash (MSF) unit. All MSF plants in Kuwait are operated on the principle of chemical additives dosing for scale inhibition, and at a top brine temperature below 120°C. This is because calcium sulfate scaling phenomenon usually occurs when the temperature is higher than 120°C. This type of scaling is a hard scale that cannot be removed easily by chemical or mechanical cleaning. Until recent years, no antiscalants could overcome this type of scaling at high temperatures. The new generation of antiscalants is able to stand high operation temperature without hydrolysis or without losing their reactivity and can solve sulfate scaling problem. This paper consists of laboratory tests to evaluate the performance of new inhibitors that can overcome sulfate scaling. In particular, experiments were conducted to study the antiscalants effectiveness under different operating conditions with different brine concentration, especially in high-temperature operation mode. The result of the experiment showed that the performance of these chemical additives varied with the operating temperature, flow rate, and the brine concentration. The tested chemicals showed reduction in the percentage precipitation at high temperature up to 160°C. A techno-economic feasibility study was also conducted.

The abundant occurrence of hydrocarbon-utilizing bacteria in the phyllospheres of cultivated and wild plants in Kuwait

Thirteen cultivated and four wild plant species from Kuwait harbored on their leaves cultivable hydrocarbon-utilizing bacteria in the magnitude of 103–104 colony forming units g−1. According to their 16S rRNA gene sequences, these bacteria belonged predominantly to the subdivisions Actinobacteria and Firmicutes. Leaves of each of the studied plant species accommodated between 3 and 14 different bacterial species, whose identities varied from one plant species to another. Those bacteria belonged totally to 27 genera; the most frequent of which were Microbacterium, Kocuria, Arthrobacter, Agrococcus, Bacillus, Klebsiella, Planomicrobium and Rhodococcus. Individual representative bacterial isolates grew on aromatic hydrocarbons better than on the aliphatics. Most isolates grew on all tested n-alkanes with carbon chains ranging between C10 and C40, although as expected, each isolate grew best on a rather narrow range of alkanes. Bacterial consortia on leaves of the studied plant species comprised partners capable of utilizing a broad hydrocarbon spectrum of the crude oil. It was concluded that cropping and vegetation could be feasible managements for removing atmospheric hydrocarbon pollutants via the hydrocarbon-utilizing bacteria associated with the plant leaves.