Mathematical Approach to Improve the Thermoeconomics of a Humidification Dehumidification Solar Desalination System

Rasikh Tariq, Jacinto Torres Jimenez, Nadeem Ahmed Sheikh and Sohail Khan
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Rasikh Tariq: Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Av. Industrias No Contaminantes por Anillo Periférico Norte, Apdo. Postal 150, Cordemex, Mérida 97310, Yucatán, Mexico
Jacinto Torres Jimenez: Ingeniería Eléctrica-Maestría en Tecnologías de la Información, Tecnológico Nacional de México/Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Huauchinango, Av. Tecnológico No. 80, Col. 5 de Octubre, Huauchinango 73173, Puebla, Mexico
Nadeem Ahmed Sheikh: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, International Islamic University, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Sohail Khan: Programa de Maestría y Doctorado en Ingeniería, Especialidad en Sistemas Eléctricos de Potencia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico

Mathematics, 2020, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-31

Abstract: Water desalination presents a need to address the growing water-energy nexus. In this work, a literature survey is carried out, along an application of a mathematical model is presented to enhance the freshwater productivity rate of a solar-assisted humidification-dehumidification (HDH) type of desalination system. The prime novelty of this work is to recover the waste heat by reusing the feedwater at the exit of the condenser in the brackish water storage tank and to carry out the analysis of its effectiveness in terms of the system’s yearly thermoeconomics. The developed mathematical model for each of the components of the plant is solved through an iterative procedure. In a parametric study, the influence of mass flow rates (MFRs) of inlet air, saline water, feedwater, and air temperature on the freshwater productivity is shown with and without the waste heat recovery from the condensing coil. It is reported that the production rate of water is increased to a maximum of 15% by recovering the waste heat. Furthermore, yearly analysis has shown that the production rate of water is increased to a maximum of 16% for June in the location of Taxila, Pakistan. An analysis is also carried out on the economics of the proposed modification, which shows that the cost per litre of the desalinated water is reduced by ~13%. It is concluded that the water productivity of an HDH solar desalination plant can be significantly increased by recovering the waste heat from the condensing coil.

Keywords: desalination; humidification-dehumidification; waste heat recovery; mathematical model; yearly analysis; thermo-economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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