An autonomous wave-powered desalination system

The potential for an autonomous wave-powered desalination system is considered and it is identified that the most promising configuration is a reverse osmosis (RO) plant utilising a pressure exchanger-intensifier for energy recovery. A numerical model of the RO plant with a pressure exchanger-intensifier is developed that shows that a specific energy consumption of less than 2.0 kW h/m³ over a wide range of sea-water feed conditions, making it particularly suitable for use with a variable power source such as wave energy. A numerical model of the combined wave-power and desalination plant is also developed that shows that it is possible to supply the desalination plant with sea-water directly pressurised by the wave energy converter, eliminating the cost and energy losses associated with converting the energy into electricity and back to pressurised water. For a typical sea-state the specific hydraulic energy consumption of the desalination plant is estimated to be 1.85 kW h/m³ whilst maintaining a recovery-ratio of less than 25 to 35% to avoid the need for chemical pre-treatment to eliminate scaling problems. It is suggested that the economic potential for wave-powered desalination depends on these energy and cost savings more than compensating for the reduction in membrane life that occurs with variable feed conditions.     

Effect of Stream Mixing on RO Energy Cost Minimization

Various mixing operations between the feed, retentate and permeate streams are studied in this work to determine their effectiveness in decreasing the specific energy consumption (SEC) of single-stage (single-pass), two-pass and two-stage reverse osmosis (RO) processes operated at the limit of the thermodynamic restriction. The results show that in a single-stage RO process, partial retentate recycling to the feed stream does not change the SEC, while partial permeate recycling to the feed stream increases the SEC if targeting the same overall water recovery. Energy optimization of two-pass membrane desalination, with second-pass retentate recycling to the first-pass feed stream and operated at the limit imposed by the thermodynamic restriction, revealed the existence of a critical water recovery. When desalting is accomplished at recoveries above the critical water recovery, two-pass desalination with recycling is always less efficient than single-pass desalination. When desalting is accomplished at recoveries below the critical water recovery, an operational sub-domain exists in which the SEC for a two-pass process with recycling can be lower than for a single-pass counterpart, when the latter is not operated at its globally optimal state. For the two-stage RO process, diverting part of the raw feed to the second stage, in order to dilute the feed to the second-stage RO, does not decrease the minimal achievable SEC of a two-stage RO process. The various mixing approaches, while may provide certain operational or system design advantages (e.g., with respect to achieving target salt rejection for certain solutes or flux balancing), do not provide an advantage from an energy usage perspective.     

变负荷反渗透海水淡化技术研究

为适应风电、太阳能等新能源的波动性,设计了可变负荷的反渗透(RO)海水淡化装置,用电动阀替代常规浓水调节阀,变频器控制高压泵电机,通过PLC控制变频器的输出频率和电动阀的开度使RO海水淡化的功率可调;利用溶解扩散模型分析了变负荷海水淡化的特性,并通过试验验证了相关结论。在维持膜壳内压力稳定的工况下,低功率运行时可以增加系统回收率,降低单位产水能耗,可以降低运行成本。     

The SDAWES project: an ambitious R&D prototype for wind-powered desalination

This paper describes the design and operational strategies of an ambitious prototype for a desalination system powered exclusively by wind energy. The system, installed on the island of Gran Canaria, was designed with several objectives in mind: (a) to determine experimentally the feasibility of the stand-alone operation of wind farms isolated from the conventional power grids and supplying energy for a number of desalination techniques (reverse osmosis, electrodialysis reversal and vacuum vaporcompression; (b) to verify the operational feasibility of the various desalination techniques when the energy source driving the system is an intermittent one; and (c) to analyze the influence that a variety of operational strategies have on the volume and quality of the desalinated water produced and on the useful working life of the main components of the desalination plants. The first of these three questions has been resolved with the feasibility of such stand-alone systems now clearly demonstrated. As for the second question, initial tests would seem so far to indicate that the reverse osmosis technique is the most suitable for use in stand-alone wind-powered desalination systems. The results that are still to come from the remaining studies will be of vital importance for regions like the Canary Islands, which suffer from a scarcity of potable water, lack conventional energy sources, but do have at their disposal wind energy resources.     

小型风光互补反渗透海水淡化装置研制

介绍了风光互补供电海水淡化装置原理和研制的离网风光互补反渗透海水淡化装置,运行结果表明,该淡化装置吨水能耗约4.8 kWh/m3,适于偏远海岛、船舶、电力供应缺乏的场所,为3～5人的小集体提供生活淡水,具有较强应用推广前景,经济、环境和社会效益明显。     

Considerations of energy consumption in desalination by reverse osmosis

The primary factors affecting the energy consumption of a reverse osmosis plant are considered. These are the osmotic pressure of the feedwater, the feedwater temperature, the water recovery, and the relationship between the water flux and salt flux characteristics of the membrane. In addition, the required permeate quality may have several indirect effects on the energy consumption. Permeate quality standards may impose minimum operating pressures, limit the recovery, and/or require treatment with a full or partial second stage. As a general rule, the energy required increases with increasing feed salinity and increasing permeate quality.For any given recovery, a single stage system will require less energy than a partial two stage system. However, for a specified permeate quality, a partial two stage system can operate at a higher overall recovery and a lower energy consumption than a single stage systemEnergy recovery systems can recover between 50 and 90 percent of the available energy in a reverse osmosis unit, thus significantly lowering the energy consumption. Studies have shown that with an energy recovery system, the minimum energy consumption occurs at a first stage recovery of 30 to 35 percent. Currently, very few energy recovery systems are in use due to their high capital cost, but as energy recovery systems become more available and reliable, they will greatly increase the energy efficiency of reverse osmosis plants.     

Experiments of a prototype wind-driven reverse osmosis desalination system with feedback control

A prototype wind-powered reverse osmosis desalination system was constructed and tested on Coconut Island off the northern coast of Oahu, Hawaii, for brackish water desalination. The system has four major subsystems: a multi-vaned windmill/pump, a flow/pressure stabilizer, a reverse osmosis module, and a control mechanism. The feedback control mechanism, developed by this study, allowed this prototype system to be operated satisfactorily under mild ambient wind of 5 m/s or less. No auxiliary power source was needed. The system operational data showed that at an average wind speed of 5 m/s, brackish feedwater at a total dissolved solids concentration of 3000 mg/1 and at a flow rate of 13 1/min could be processed by this system. The average rejection rate of this prototype system was 97% and the average recovery ratio was 20%. The energy efficiency of the system was measured at 3 5%, which is comparable to the typical energy efficiency of well-operated multi-vaned windmills. Generally, the system's energy efficiency decreases as wind speed increases.     

Distillation and reverse osmosis energy consumption and costs

The paper compares the energy requirements of single and dual purpose MSF distillation with seawater reverse osmosis plant. Energy consumptions are given both as heat and power consumptions for distillation and as power consumption for R.O. To enable a true comparison to be made these inputs are referred back to the heat inputs from fuel needed at the boiler plant or appropriate thermal power plant.Energy recovery is also considered for reverse osmosis and it is shown that the energy input can be expected to decrease by some 35% for a typical example.Although the prime energy input needed for reverse osmosis is shown to be substantially lower than for dual purpose distillation, the overall costs taking account Of capital charges, energy, replacements and other operating costs, are found to be in a band width of about 5% for plants in the range of 5000 to 15000 m³/day. Reverse osmosis plant water costs are significantly less than distillation if membrane life increases from 3 years to 5 years, particularly with small plant capacities.     

Professor Joseph W. McCutchan, 1918-1982

The paper compares the energy requirements of single and dual purpose MSF distillation with seawater reverse osmosis plant. Energy consumptions are given both as heat and power consumptions for distillation and as power consumption for R.O. To enable a true comparison to be made these inputs are referred back to the heat inputs from fuel needed at the boiler plant or appropriate thermal power plant.Energy recovery is also considered for reverse osmosis and it is shown that the energy input can be expected to decrease by some 35% for a typical example.Although the prime energy input needed for reverse osmosis is shown to be substantially lower than for dual purpose distillation, the overall costs taking account Of capital charges, energy, replacements and other operating costs, are found to be in a band width of about 5% for plants in the range of 5000 to 15000 m³/day. Reverse osmosis plant water costs are significantly less than distillation if membrane life increases from 3 years to 5 years, particularly with small plant capacities.     

Membrane processes for water supply and reuse - a question of energy consumption and cost

This paper is limited primarily to reverse osmosis which is the dominating membrane process in commercial plants. Desalination of brackish water and seawater with reverse osmosis, with special emphasis on costs and energy consumption, is the primary subject discussed in the paper. Some aspects of and development trends in industrial and domestic applications of membrane processes are also taken up, particularly with regard to by-product recovery and water reuse in connection with advanced wastewater treatment.The first RO plant to be brought into operation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is located at Salbukh. The investment and total operation costs for this plant have been calculated in the paper. The water cost is at least twice as high as in a continental U.S. location. The main reason for this is the very high cost of civil and local works in Saudi Arabia. A similar calculation has been made for RO seawater desalination.Increased energy costs during the last decade have directed research and development work for all desalination methods towards reducing energy consumption. It is shown in the paper that energy recovery in connection with RO seawater desalination is particularly feasible. Different methods for energy recovery have been investigated and reported, the preferred methods depending on the size of the RO plant. A large underground RO plant for energy recovery, based on utilization of the static pressure instead of high pressure pumps, has also been studied.Another possible energy-saving, but also water quality improving method has been proposed, viz . a combined MSF-RO dual purpose plant. Excess power for reverse osmosis seems to be more and more available in Saudi Arabia due to the high power/water ratio in MSF dual purpose plants compared to the real demand for power and water.     

Influence of Power-to-Fuel Plant Flexibility Towards Power and Plant Utilization and Intermediate Hydrogen Buffer Size

Conversion of intermittent renewable energy into synthetic fuels and chemicals is required to secure long-distance transport and feedstock for chemical industry. Due to the fluctuating energy generation, process intensification and feed flexibility are essential. This contribution investigates the importance of feed flexibility on the buffer size with applying a 20:80 scenario of wind/solar energy generation. The degree of power and plant utilization are calculated. With the capability to accept a lower load bound of 17 % after only 10 min, a minimum tank capacity of only 1.3 h is calculated to avoid a fuel plant stop throughout a calendar year. Additional tank capacity for peak power compensation in the range of ∼10 h is beneficial for the utilization degree of power and under the prerequisite of a load-flexible fuel plant.     

电厂反渗透系统膜污染防治与膜清洗的研究

考察了长期运行的电厂反渗透系统中导致膜污染的原因、膜污染的种类和膜的清洗方法。采用反渗透系统进水和浓水的水质分析数据,提出了判断膜污染原因及污染物组成。根据反渗透系统进水和浓水的水质分析数据,实验筛选了膜清洗剂配方。结果表明表面活性剂对无机、有机混合垢有明显的促溶作用,以0.05%Na-SDS＋0.1%NaOH＋1%Na4-EDTA为配方的清洗剂,其清洗无机、有机混合膜污染的效果良好。     

Hydraulic turbine energy recovery - R.O. System

In reverse osmosis desalination plants large flow rates of concentrated brine are discharged at high pressure from the membrane modules. Currently this pressure energy is wasted. This paper reviews the impact of soaring energy costs on the technical alternative of hydraulic turbine energy recovery. The capital costs, operating costs, and economics in electrical energy are evaluated for both sea-water and brackish water systems. Schemes of hydraulic turbine coupled with electric generator, tied to the electric power supply are considered for various plant sizes from 1 to 10 mgd. The analysis, in parametric form, presents the interrelationships between the cost of money, cost of electrical energy, and recovery factors for the different plant sizes and for sea-water and brackish water systems. The results will serve as a guide to determine when such a power recovery system should be seriously considered and evaluated in greater details for specific applications.     

Preliminary experimental study of a small reverse osmosiswind-powered desalination plant

The paper describes the work carried out in the development of a small wind-powered desalination plant. Analternative control system was studied to serve as a direct interphase between a reverse osmosis desalination plant and a small wind energy conversion system. The main purpose was to reduce or eliminate the need for an energy storage system (usually, a battery bank). In order to achieve this objective, an experimental prototype of a desalination plant and a wind generator simulator were developed. The systems were evaluated under laboratory-controlled conditions and subjected to field trials. The experimental plant desalinates highly saline seawater (35,000 mg/L) at a rate of approximately 0.4 m³/d. This amount of potable water is sufficient to supply the basic water demands in a small community in an isolated location. The paper also describes the identification of technical problems associated with operating a desalination plant with an intermittent source of energy (wind).     

反渗透海水淡化中差动式能量回收装置的研究

研究了一种应用于中小型反渗透海水淡化装置的新型差动式能量回收装置.结果表明,使用本能量回收装置的日产10m3反渗透海水淡化装置的单位淡水能耗只有3.6kWh/m^3,不考虑高压泵及电机自身损耗的影响时,单位淡水能耗为2.3～2.7kWh/m^3,装置能耗显著降低,能量回收效率达到97%.此能量回收装置不需要其它附加增压设备,并且能有效改进由于阀门开闭导致系统压力波动而造成的淡水产量不稳定的问题,保护了反渗透膜、高压泵等系统内的重要设备.     

反渗透和压力延迟渗透耦合脱盐系统的能效优化研究

针对开环和闭环两类结构的反渗透-压力延迟渗透耦合脱盐系统进行了模型构建与系统优化分析。首先，以标准化比能耗为目标函数，构建了开环结构和闭环结构耦合系统的非线性约束优化模型。在优化模型中，引入包括半透膜性能、操作状态及设计变量的无量纲参数组，建立反渗透和压力延迟渗透单元过程的特征方程以简化模型。同时，为了保证比较的公平性，开环结构的总体能耗中额外包含了预处理和后处理能耗。通过求解上述优化模型，系统地比较和分析了无量纲半透膜总面积和水回收率同时变化导致的最优标准化比能耗、膜面积分配和操作压力的变化规律。结果表明，在水回收率处于正常水平(≤ 0.55)且系统总面积充足(≥0.9)时，闭环结构在节能及减少预处理费用方面比开环结构具有更明显优势。     

Entsalzung von Umkehrosmosekonzentraten mittels elektrisch getriebenen Membranverfahren zur Maximierung der Permeatausbeute einer Prozesswasseraufbereitungsanlage

Worldwide present water stress situations lead to the necessity to use alternative water sources like brackish water or wastewater. To enable this, new desalination technologies like electrically driven membrane processes have to be implemented. These technologies were used to desalinate the reverse osmosis concentrate of a process water treatment plant up to a certain point, at which the resulting diluate could be used as feed water for the reverse osmosis. As a result, the concentrate volume to be discharged was halved and the permeate yield of the overall plant was increased. A focus was set on the required energy consumption for the additional treatment step.     

Design, simulation and economic analysis of a stand-alone reverse osmosis desalination unit powered by wind turbines and photovoltaics

The fresh water shortage is a significant problem in many areas of the world such as deserts, rural areas, Mediterranean countries and islands. However, renewable energy potential in these areas is usually high using solar and wind energy. A desalination unit powered by renewable energy sources is a promising solution for this problem. This paper presents the design of a stand-alone hybrid wind-PV system to power a seawater reverse osmosis desalination unit, with energy recovery using a simplified spreadsheet model. A daily and monthly simulation and economic analysis were also performed. The calculated fresh water production cost was 5.2 ?/m³, and the realized energy saving was up to 48% when a pressure-exchanger-type energy recovery unit is considered.     

旋转式能量回收装置的启动与运行特性

能量回收装置是降低反渗透海水淡化（SWRO）系统运行能耗和制水成本的关键设备之一。本文开发并试制了一种具有新型端盘结构的旋转式能量回收装置,并对其启动方式进行了研究优化,测试分析了装置的动密封性能和效率特性,并对装置连续运行稳定性进行了考核。结果表明,旋转式能量回收装置在转速增至额定值后再进行升压操作的启动方式下驱动扭矩最小;装置泄漏量随操作压力增高而增大,在6.0 MPa时,为0.58 m3/h;在转速为500 r/min、处理量为8.0 m3/h及操作压力为6.0 MPa时,装置连续运行稳定,能量回收效率为93%。这些研究结果对旋转式能量回收装置的开发和工程应用具有一定的指导意义。     

热负荷分配比例对抽凝-背压供热机组能耗影响

抽凝-背压供热模式是实现能量梯级利用、降低火力发电煤耗的有效途径,研究不同室外温度下供热凝汽器与尖峰加热器热负荷分配比例对机组能耗的影响,确定最佳热负荷分配比例,是抽凝-背压供热机组节能降耗的核心问题之一。本文利用热网变工况模型及Ebsilon软件仿真,以某310MW抽凝-背压供热机组为研究对象,分析了供热期不同温度下供热凝汽器与尖峰加热器热负荷分配比例不同时机组的发电功率及煤耗。结果表明：对于抽凝-背压热电联产机组,并非供热凝汽器热负荷比例越高而发电功率越高,供热期不同阶段,机组发电功率随供热凝汽器热负荷变化呈现不同规律;相同室外温度下,供热凝汽器与尖峰加热器热负荷分配比例对机组能耗影响很大,凝汽器热负荷比例不同时,其极差最小值和最大值分别为2.02g/（kW·h）和5.50g/（kW·h）。