Thermo-economic analysis of a multiple-effect desalination system with ejector vapour compression

Oumar Samaké, Nicolas Galanis and Mikhail Sorin

Energy, 2018, vol. 144, issue C, 1037-1051

Abstract: A new formulation for the evaporation, flashing, condensation processes taking place in the effects of thermal desalination systems which simulates the operation of both forward and parallel/cross configurations is coupled with an exergo-economic model based on the SPECO method. The thermo-economic model uses accurate properties for the seawater, brine, pure water and vapour and is solved with an equation solver which does not require the development of a specific solution algorithm as in most previous studies. This flexible model is used to analyze the influence of the number of effects N and the temperature difference ΔTe between effects on the technical and economic performance of multi-effect desalination systems with ejector vapour compression. In particular, it is shown that the performance calculated by an earlier black-box approach is not attainable by technically and economically realistic systems. It is also shown that for each feed configuration and a given number of effects there exists an optimum value of ΔTe which minimizes the cost of the produced potable water. This last result forms the basis of a procedure that combines black-box results with the optimum value of ΔTe and can be used to select the appropriate system for any specific application.

Keywords: Multiple effect evaporation; Vapour compression; Exergo-economic analysis; System design; Forward feed; Parallel/cross feed (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:144:y:2018:i:c:p:1037-1051

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2017.12.112

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