Thermo-economic analysis of a combined solar organic Rankine cycle-reverse osmosis desalination process with different energy recovery configurations

Abstract Thermo-economy is a useful and powerful tool that combines thermodynamics and economics. It can evaluate how irreversibility and costs of any process affect the exergoeconomic cost of the product. In this work, a number of comparisons for solar thermal-powered different recovery units for reverse osmosis desalination system are performed using thermo-economic analysis. Three different configurations are used for this comparison (Basic, Pelton Wheel Turbine, and the Pressure Exchanger) with Sharm El-Shiekh RO desalination plant for a total productivity about 145.8 m 3 /h (40.5 kg/s). As a result of this analysis, the unit product cost of Pelton Wheel Turbine (PWT) and Pressure Exchanger (PEX) configurations are 24% and 24.2% respectively less than that of the basic configuration. Thermo-economic analysis shows that the minimum investment and operating & maintenance costs are obtained by PEX configuration. Also, it achieves minimum exergy destruction against the two other configurations (Pelton Wheel and Basic systems). Therefore, the final conclusion of this work is that the PEX configuration is more economical than either stand alone or PWT configurations.

[1]  Alberto Coronas,et al.  Modelling and optimisation of solar organic rankine cycle engines for reverse osmosis desalination , 2008 .

[2]  Chris T. Kiranoudis,et al.  Solar energy exploitation for reverse osmosis desalination plants , 1997 .

[3]  A. S. Nafey,et al.  A new visual library for design and simulation of solar desalination systems (SDS) , 2010 .

[4]  Hassan E.S. Fath,et al.  A new visual package for design and simulation of desalination processes , 2006 .

[5]  Lourdes García-Rodríguez,et al.  Preliminary design of a solar thermal-powered seawater reverse osmosis system , 2007 .

[6]  Ian B. Cameron,et al.  SWRO with ERI’s PX Pressure Exchanger device — a global survey , 2008 .

[7]  E. Fois,et al.  Optimal design of a hybrid RO/MSF desalination system in a non-OPEC country , 2008 .

[8]  Ahmed Safwat M. T. Nafey.  Design and simulation of seawater thermal desalination plants , 1988 .

[9]  Mohammad Nurul Alam Hawlader,et al.  Design and economics of RO seawater desalination , 1996 .

[10]  A. S. Nafey,et al.  Combined solar organic Rankine cycle with reverse osmosis desalination process: Energy, exergy, and cost evaluations , 2010 .

[11]  M. Wilf,et al.  Optimization of seawater RO systems design , 2001 .

[12]  Kam W. Li,et al.  Applied Thermodynamics: Availability Method And Energy Conversion , 1995 .

[13]  Lourdes García-Rodríguez,et al.  Preliminary assessment of solar organic Rankine cycles for driving a desalination system , 2007 .

[14]  W. Krumm,et al.  Optimization of the energy demand of reverse osmosis with a pressure-exchange system , 1999 .