An integrated, solar-driven membrane distillation system for water purification and energy generation

Qiyuan Li, Lisa-Jil Beier, Joel Tan, Celia Brown, Boyue Lian, Wenwei Zhong, Yuan Wang, Chao Ji, Pan Dai, Tianyu Li, Pierre Le Clech, Himanshu Tyagi, Xuefei Liu, Greg Leslie and Robert A. Taylor

Applied Energy, 2019, vol. 237, issue C, 534-548

Abstract: Utilising solar thermal energy for membrane distillation desalination represents a green and sustainable solution for building environments in regions with a high correlation between water shortage and high solar irradiance. Today’s solar thermal-driven membrane distillation systems are designed with physically separated solar thermal collectors (e.g. flat plate or evacuated solar thermal collectors) and membrane distillation modules. In these systems, a thermal storage tank, a heat exchanger, and complex plumbing arrangements are required to control the heat and mass transfer between the solar collectors and the membrane distillation unit(s). Due to their high complexity and high capital/operational costs, these systems are rarely installed in buildings. To overcome these weaknesses, the present work conducts an experimental and numerical feasibility study of an integrated solar membrane distillation prototype (with the membrane distillation modules built directly into the evacuated solar tubes) for both potable water and/or thermal energy production. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this elegant combination of an evacuated tube solar collector and a membrane distillation unit represents an innovative approach which couples two well-developed technologies into an efficient, yet relatively low cost, hybrid energy-water production system.

Keywords: Water-energy nexus; Membrane distillation; Desalination; Solar thermal energy; Evacuated tube solar collectors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.12.069

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