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Renewable Energy xxx (2009) 1–9

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Renewable Energy
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/renene

Feasibilty study of renewable energy powered seawater desalination

technology using natural vacuum technique
Teoman Ayhan*, Hussain Al Madani
Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, University of Bahrain, P.O. box 32038, Isatown 32036, Bahrain

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: With an ever-increasing population and rapid growth of industrialization, there is great demand for fresh
Received 8 June 2009 water. Desalination has been a key proponent to meet the future challenges due to decreasing availability
Accepted 10 June 2009 of fresh water. However, desalination uses significant amount of energy, today mostly from fossil fuels. It
Available online xxx
is, therefore, reasonable to rely on renewable energy sources such as solar energy, wind energy, ocean
thermal energy, waste heat from the industry and other renewable sources. The present study deals with
Keywords:
the energy-efficient seawater desalination system utilizing renewable energy sources and natural
Natural vacuum
vacuum technique. A new desalination technology named Natural Vacuum Desalination is proposed. The
Distillation
Desalination novel desalination technique achieve remarkable energy efficiency through the evaporation of seawater
Renewable energy under vacuum and will be described in sufficient detail to demonstrate that it requires much less electric
energy compared to any conventional desalination plant of fresh water production of similar capacity.
The discussion will highlight the main operative and maintenance features of the proposed natural
vacuum seawater desalination technology which seems to have promising techno-economic potential
providing also advantageous coupling with renewable energy sources.
Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction Perth, Australia, is looking to meet a third of its fresh water demand
by removing salt from seawater [1]. The cost of seawater desali-
Desalination of seawater for a potable water supply is increas- nation has been reduced to approximately 0.5–0.6 US$/m3 in recent
ingly being considered around the world in the areas where years, and desalinated water is now used for both domestic and
demand has been increasing beyond sustainable supply, where industrial purposes [2].
water resources are depleting, fragile or overdrawn and climate All conventional seawater desalination techniques such as
change is making reliable sources unreliable. At the same time reverse osmosis, thermal distillation, electrodialysis, or their
rapidly increasing populations are also placing pressure on existing combinations, currently in use consume a large quantity of energy-
water resources, forcing governments to turn to desalination to providing resources such as oil, which may adversely affect the
meet additional water demand. Desalinating seawater is expensive, environment. Therefore, the utilization of renewable energy, which
mostly because of the energy required. However, it is a growing is environment friendly, is considered as one of energy sources of
field around the world as governments and private investors opt for seawater desalination [3].
it where the drinkable water needs are crucial. Desalination of In this work, a new desalination technology that enables simul-
seawater refers to the removal of salt from seawater so that it taneous desalination and efficient transport of desalinated water by
becomes drinkable. This process is viewed positively by many in utilizing renewable energy sources to produce potable water at
the community because the sea is seen as an abundant source and a lower cost is proposed. The proposed model is using natural
is located close to the metropolitan area. The desalination tech- vacuum distillation technique [4] Powered by renewable energy
nology became one of the flagship solutions for the Middle East and sources, like wind and solar, are used in the desalination of seawater.
Mediterranean countries. About two-third of the world’s desali- Consequently, the technology proposed is named Natural
nated water is produced in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and North Africa. Vacuum Desalination (NVD). NVD system [4] is considered as X
(inverted U) to obtain 10.33 m of water pressure head and create
natural vacuum. The system utilizes natural means, using gravity
* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ973 39144108; fax: þ973 17875566. and atmospheric pressure, to create a vacuum under which water
E-mail address: tayhan@eng.uob.bh (T. Ayhan). can be rapidly evaporated at much lower temperatures and with

0960-1481/$ – see front matter Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.renene.2009.06.021

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Nomenclature Subscripts
atm atmospheric
E Rate of energy (kW) c condensation
g gravitational constant (m s2) ct condensation tank
h elevation (meter of water) dw distilled water
H operation height (meter of water) ev evaporation
mc the mass flow rate of product (kg s1) evt evaporation tank
me the mass flow rate of evaporation (kg s1) fi fan inlet
P pressure (kPa) fo fan outlet
Qc cooling load (kW) h heater
s entropy (kJ kg1 K1) amb ambient
T temperature ( c) CW cold water
v specific volume (m3 kg1) CA column A
U overall heat transfere coefficant (w m2 k1) CB column B
Sat saturation

less energy than conventional techniques. The above mentioned Soteris [6] has reviewed recent water desalination systems
study presents theoretical analysis and experimental results by using renewable energy sources. He suggested that Multiple Effect
using electric energy. Distillation (MED) combined with thermal collectors and RO with
The application of the NVD was adopted for seawater desali- photovoltaics to be the most popular technology.
nation by Al-Kharabsheh and Goswami [5]. Their contributions are This paper presents, preliminary test results of a solar operated
noteworthy, particularly their studies on the system performance. NVD system. The system utilizes natural forces, atmospheric pres-
They reported vacuum equivalent to 4kPa(abs) or less depending sure and gravity-to create vacuum and it is suitable for the climate
on the ambient temperature at which condensation takes place. of Bahrain. Calculations based on the model of NVD system gives

Air Release Valves

Main h
Water
Supply Moment Valve Barometer Vapor Tank

4
Flow Direction

5 3
Solar
Radiation

Shaded
Zone

Condensation Evaporation
H = 10.33
Column A Column B

6 7 2 1

Product of Make Up
Distilled Water Water

Distilled Water Tank Fresh Water Tank

Fig. 1. Theoretical model of the NVD system with free mass convection.

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a A schematic presentation of this natural vacuum distillation

system with free mass convection is presented in Fig. 1. The natural
P vacuum distillation system for this investigation consists of the
8
Patm following elements: evaporation column, vapor tank, and
1
condensation column.
Pf 7 6 5 Two different physical processes take place in the section
Pv between 3 and 5 of this model. These processes can be briefly
2 3 4
Tfo = Tc = Constant expressed as evaporation between points 3 and 4, and condensa-
Tev = Constant tion between points 4 and 5. In order to keep the operation height
Tdw = Constant
in natural vacuum, the design of the evaporation section between 3
T∞ = Constant
and 5 should be taken into consideration and given more attention.
By using the operation principle of this model of NVD system with
free mass convection, P-v and T-s diagrams were obtained as shown
v v v in Fig. 2(a) and (b) respectively.
Using the diagrams in Fig. 2(a) and (b), the thermodynamic
process flow including isothermal and isobaric process of the NVD
b system with free mass convection can be explained as follows:
T
Patm = Constant 1–2: Pressure drop at constant temperature in column A ,
attached to the fresh water tank.
2–3: Heating process at constant pressure in column A.
Pf = Constant
Qc 3–4: Evaporation in column A.
Tc 6 5 Pv = Constant 4–5: Condensation in column B.
Ef 5–6: Heat removal at constant pressure in column B.
Tev
Tdw 8 7 3 4 6–7: Pressure increase at constant temperature in column B.
Eh 7–1: Heat loss at constant pressure to the surroundings.
T∞ 1 2

s3 s4 s
2.3. Second model
Fig. 2. (a) P-v diagram of NVD system with free mass convection. (b) T-s diagram of
NVD system with free mass convection. The second model, which is a theoretical model of NVD system
with forced mass convection is shown in Fig. 3. This model is
the amount of fresh water produced for an actual environmental
similar to the first model in construction. However, the operating
and climatic data of the targeted region. Experiments were con-
principle of this model is different from the first one. Briefly, a fan is
ducted to validate the fundamentals, of NVD.
placed between evaporation and condensation columns to increase
the amount of vapor transferred from columns A to B.
2. Theory and basic principles of the natural vacuum The following assumptions are taken into consideration to
desalination system model the NVD system with forced mass convection:

2.1. Theory  The operation of the circulation fan effects the values of pres-
sures in columns A and B [(P34 ¼ Pfi)<(P56 ¼ Pfo)] as shown in
A solar operated NVD is investigated for the first time. Distil- Fig. 3. Namely, the pressure between the points of 3 and 4
lation process take place in the system by free mass convection. during the evaporation process in column A is lower than that
This system does not use a vacuum pump but solar radiation as between the points of 5 and 6 during the condensation process
a means of energy supply. However, when pressure drop takes in column B.
place during the continuous production of the distilled water,  No condensation takes place on the fan in the connection part
a vacuum pump can be used to compensate for pressure losses. (vapor tank) between columns A and B.
The theoretical model is investigated and appropriate model is
determined and selected for practical application before per- The diagrams of P-v and T-s are, presented in Fig. 4(a) and (b),
forming any NVD experiments. Physical principles and laws respectively, which are acquired by according to the operational
relating to water vapor behavior as the basis of this technology are principle of this model.
as follows: As shown in Fig. 4(a) and (b), the thermodynamic process flow
including isothermal and isobaric processes of the second model
 Vapor pressure being a function of temperature, increases as are assumed as:
the temperature rises.
 Vapor flows from a high pressure side to a low pressure side. 1–2: Pressure drop at constant temperature in column A.
2–3: Heating at constant pressure in column A.
Theoretical models of NVD systems are explained in detail by 3–4: Evaporation at constant temperature and pressure in
Midilli and Ayhan [7], However, a brief summary of these methods column A.
are given below. 4–5: Compressing throughout the circulation fan.
5–6: Condensation at constant temperature and under pressure
2.2. First model of the fan in column B.
6–7: Heat loss at constant pressure in column B.
The application of the NVD was first reported by Midilli [4]. 7–8: Pressure increase at constant temperature in column B.

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Air Release Valves

Main h
Water
Supply Moment Valve U Manometer

5 4
Flow
Fan
Direction

6 3
Solar
Radiation

Shaded
Zone

Condensation H = 10.33 m H2O Evaporation

Column B Column A

7 8 2 1

Product of Make Up
Distilled Water Water

Column B Column A
Distilled Water Tank Supply Water Tank

Fig. 3. Theoretical model of the NVD systems with forced mass convection.

3. Experimental verification other variables. In addition, they were also aimed at providing key
information on the NVD process. The experiments were performed
In the present experiment, tap water was used as raw water on the experimental set-up designed for this purpose, schematic
instead of saline water. diagram of which is shown in Fig. 6.
The experimental set-up consists of the following parts:
3.1. Objective
 Evaporation column (Part 1): a column where evaporation of
The experimental set-up is constructed to investigate the ther- fresh water takes place.
modynamic feasibility of the NVD system with free mass convec-  Condensation column (Part 2): a column where water vapor
tion suitable for the climate of Bahrain. condenses and distilled water is transported to the outlet.
 Vapor volume tank: a volume between the evaporation column
3.2. Experiment and the condensation part.
 Supply water tank: a tank where tap water is supplied.
The experimental set-up was constructed outside a 13 m high  Distilled water tank: a tank where distilled water is extracted.
building which is shown in Fig. 5 (a) and (b).
According to the first theoretical model presented in earlier Temperatures were measured inside and outside of the NVD
sections of this paper, the system performance-as quantified by system using high accuracy copper-constant thermocouples.
mass flow rate of distillated water m _ c – depends on list of inde- Also vacuum is measured in the vapor tank with mercury
pendent variables, as follows: manometer.
In order to increase the condensate mass flow rate, an additional

_c ¼ m
m _c m _ e ; V; Pv ; Tsat ; H; He ; Hc ; Tamb ; Pamb ; Traw ; Tcw ; ðUAÞe ; heater battery on evaporator side and a cooler battery on the
 condensation side were installed. Any air leakages were almost
ðUAÞc ; I; Eh ; Qcool (1) eliminated. Therefore, an average of 0.17 mmHg/hr. Pressure
change was measured within six hours during the experimental
The experiments were designed to vary and measure only the study. Therefore, the process could easily be assumed as a constant
condensation pressure and the ambient temperature rather than pressure process.

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a exchanger or by using a pipe with fin where the increased area

could heat the water to the required temperature.
P
1 7
Patm

6 4 3.4. Formulation of the model

Pv
2
3
Tev = Tc = Constant In this section, equations to calculate the product rate of distilled
Tdw = Constant water as a function of temperature of condensate, ambient
T∞ = Constant temperature and other parameters are presented.

3.4.1. Fundamental assumptions

Fundamental assumptions for the general framework of the
v3=v5 v4 v calculations are as follows:

b 

Steady state is assumed for each process.
The condensation part consists of vertical straight pipe.
T  Water vapor is treated as an incompressible fluid.
Patm = Constant  Latent heat of vaporization is supplied from solar energy and
auxiliary heater.
 Radiation heat gain to the vapor tank and convective heat
Qc Pv = Constant transfer from the volume tank are assumed to be negligible.
Tev 5  Outside air temperature is assumed to be uniform around
7 6 3 4 condensation part.
Tdw
Eh
T∞
1 2 3.4.2. Derivation of equations for each part of the system
3.4.2.1. Evaporation column. In the evaporation column a heating
s3=s5 s4 s process of raw water takes place, until the saturation temperature
is reached on the top of column A. The heat balance of column A can
Fig. 4. (a) P-v diagram of the NVD system with forced mass convection. (b) T-s diagram be expressed by the following equation:
of the NVD system with forced mass convection.
ACA aI  ðUAÞCA ðTw  Ta ÞCA ¼ m
_ e ðTsat  Traw Þ (2)

3.3. Experimental results

3.4.2.2. Evaporation part. In the evaporation part evaporation of
the raw water takes place driven by the solar energy or additional
The effects of various operating conditions, namely water level
auxiliary heater. The heat balance equation of the evaporator can be
in the condensation and evaporating columns on the system
expressed by the following formula:
performance were studied. Theoretical and preliminary experi-
mental results show that the performance of the system depends Ae aI þ Eh  ðUAÞe ðTw  Ta Þe ¼ m
_ e hfg (3)
on the condensation temperature. Vacuum equivalent to7 kPa (abs)
or more could be created depending on ambient temperature of
3.4.2.3. Transportation part (vapor tank). In the transportation part,
Bahrain. Also, the experimental set-up functioned well after the
water vapor that is evaporated in evaporation part is transported to
minor modifications, such as additional heater and cooler, were
the condensation part without condensing. Water vapor is driven
added as it was thought originally that ambient temperature was
by the vapor pressure difference caused by the temperature
enough for evaporation.
difference of the water between the evaporation part and
Heating could be done either by using a solar collector where
condensation part. Insulation is not required as mainly the ambient
the pipe could be replaced by a long shell and the tube heat
temperature is required for evaporation. In the case where addi-
tional heat is required for evaporation, the transportation section
needs to be well insulated.

3.4.2.4. Condensation part. In the condensation part, water vapor

condenses and heat is removed by the cooler battery. The heat
balance of the condensation part can be expressed by the following
formula assuming emissivity effects are negligible:

_ c hfg þ AC aI þ ðUAÞC ðTa  Tw ÞC

Qcool ¼ m (4)

3.4.2.5. Condensation column. In the condensation column B, the

heat removal process takes place and the distilled water is extrac-
ted from the outlet. Also, the condenser column is cooled by the
cooling water. The heat balance of the condensation part can be
expressed by the following formula:
Fig. 5. (a) Typical view of the vapor tank connected with the evaporation column (Part
1) and the condensation column (Part2). (b) The view of the evaporation column. _ c ðTsat  Tcw ÞCB þACB aI þ ðUAÞCB ðTa  Tw ÞCB
QcoolB ¼ m (5)

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Air Release Valves

Main h
Water
Condensation
Supply Moment Valve U Monometer
Colomn

Flow Solar
Fan
Direction Radiation

Coolant inlet hc
Electric
Coolant hg Heater
Battery Battery
Coolant exit

Shaded
Zone

Condensation H = 10.33 m H2O Evaporation

Column B Column A

Product of Make Up
Distilled Water Water

Column B Column A
Distilled Water Tank Supply Water Tank

Fig. 6. Schematic diagram of the experimental set-up.

3.5. Illustrative study Taking account for the worst possible conditions, the minimum
value for convection heat transfer coefficients could be taken as
The natural vacuum desalination system would be applicable to ho ¼ 50 W/m2 K and hi ¼ 2500 W/m2 K, surface temperature Tw, is
the regions where the following conditions are satisfied found to be 54.4  C.

 the energy source for the system is the temperature difference

between raw water saturation temperature and ambient
temperature, generated from the solar radiation or an addi-
tional auxiliary heater that could be added to the system.
 the cooling load for condensation can be achieved by using
available seawater whose temperature remains relatively low
even in summer.

Bahrain region was selected because it satisfies these conditions.

Fig. 7 shows the location. Figs 8–10 show the data of air tempera-
ture, solar radiation and seawater temperature, respectively.
Operation conditions of the system:
The pressure of the system is 110 mmHg and vapor was
produced at a saturation temperature of 55  C.
Ambient air condition:
Atmospheric air temperature is 25  C.
Using heat balance equation on the condensation surface,
surface temperature can be estimated as

hi Ti þ ho Tair
Tw ¼
hi þ ho Fig. 7. Geographic location of Bahrain.

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45
40
Cp;l ðTsat  Tw Þ
Ja ¼
Temperature (°C)

35 hfg
30
25 The calculated value of convection heat transfer was found to be
20 Maximum 242.6 W/m2 K.
15 Minimum The new Tw value is evaluated as 54.5  C which is close to the
10 previous value hence, more iterations are not required. Therefore,
Average
5
the condensation rate is calculated by using the following equation
0
il
ry

ry

ch

ay

st

O er
er

r
ec er
ly
ne

be
r

hl AC ðTsat  Tw Þ
Ap

gu
Ju
ua

ua

b
ob

b
ar

Ju

em

em
em
_c ¼
m
Au
n

br

ct
Ja

h0fg
Fe

pt

ov
Se

D
N
Months The condensation rate for this model is calculated and found to
Fig. 8. Monthly variation of temperature for Bahrain. be 3.62 104 kg/s (3.66  104 L/S). As this quantity of vapor
condenses at the condensation column, the same quantity of water
is drawn from the condensation tank to maintain the level inside
the tube.
8000 This indicates that if the surface area increases and the surface
7000 temperature decreases the condensation rate will increase
6000 dramatically.
5000
4000 4. Outline of the proposed system and its operating principle
3000
2000 4.1. Out line of the proposed system
1000
The outline of the natural vacuum distillation with the feasible
0
renewable energy sources (RES) is schematically shown in Figs. 11
Feb

May

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec
Jan

Jun

July
Mar

Apr

and 12. The facility consists of the following parts:

Fig. 9. Monthly average daily global solar radiation in Bahrain [W/m2/day].
 Evaporation part: The part where evaporation of seawater
takes place with the aid of free mass convection and forced
Vapor properties are taken at saturation states. Liquid properties
mass convection. The heat is supplied to the evaporator from
are selected for the film temperature.
solar energy and auxiliary heater. For continuous production
Tsat þ Tw wind energy or electric energy, heat from the energy storage
Tf ¼
2 can be used during night.
Internal convection coefficient can be estimated using the  Transport part (vapor tank): The part between the evaporation
definition below (Incopera, [10]) part and the condensation part where water is transported by
fan or naturally.
" #1=4  Condensation part: The part where water vapor condenses and
g rl ðrl  rv Þk3l h0fg
hi ¼ hl ¼ 0:943 distilled water is transported to the outlet.
ml ðTsat  Tw ÞL  Outlet: a part where distilled water is transported to the user.
 Renewable Energy sources units: the units where renewable
where h0fg is the modified latent heat of vaporization
energy sources are used. RES are coupled with NVD system and
h0fg ¼ hfg ð1 þ 0:68 JaÞ are presented below:
a. Solar thermal-heat-used for evaporation.
where Ja is the Jacob number, given by b. Wind-electricity-shaft works (for fan, pumps) and auxiliary
heat conversion.

40
Temperature (C)

35
4.2. Operation principle of the system
30
25 The principle of operation of the proposed system is very simple.
It is equipped with four electromagnetic valves: A & B at the bottom
20
of each column and C & D at the top of the upper tank. Valve C
15 allows fresh water to be supplied while valve D allows air to be
10 released. This is shown in Fig. 11. In order to create a natural
vacuum, valves A&B are closed and C&D open until water fills up the
21-May-00

21-Oct-00

21-Mar-01

21-Aug-01

21-Jan-02

21-Jun-02

21-Nov-02

21-Apr-03

21-Sep-03

21-Feb-04

whole system. This initial phase is done only once at start-up of the
system. Then, valves C&D are closed while valves A&B are opened.
The water level drops until it reaches an equilibrium position. At
Time, Running Days
the same time a vacuum is created at the top of the system. The
Fig. 10. Seawater temperature in the Arabian Gulf (Measurements at the Addur SWRO water level in both columns is maintained constant at 10.33 m
Desalination Plant (from: 21-05-2000 to 30-04-2004)) [8]. above the water level in both bottom tanks. This is done by

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Solar Collector Field Heat Storage

C D
Condenser Evaporator
Heat Exchanger Auxiliary
Flow Sprayer Heater
Fan
Wind Power
Distilled Converter
Water
Supply
Pipe

Collector
Solar
Pump Collector

Cold
Seawater
Supply Sea Water

A B
Conditioned
Distill Water Seawater
Tank Tank

Platform Platform
Support Support
Distilled Water Line

Fig. 11. Outlines of the Marine Natural Vacuum Desalination system (not in scale).

controlling the seawater intake valve B located in the seawater tank condense the vapor at the top of the distillation column where fresh
below the evaporation column. water is collected and naturally transferred to the distilled water
Solar water heaters are used to heat the evaporation column to supply tank.
produce water vapor. The vacuum at the upper tank results in This process is continued by allowing the cooling seawater to
lowering the boiling point, as saturation temperature is directly condense the vapor which in turn gives heat to the water in the
proportional to the pressure. Hence, water will boil at a tempera- tank. In order to ensure the continuous operation of the system
ture much lower than 100  C at the investigated pressure of 7.0 kPa during night time, a heat storage tank is used to evaporate the
(abs); considerably reducing the amount of energy needed for this water. Chemical storage batteries are also charged during day time
process. Deep seawater, which is of low temperature, is used to from solar panels in addition to wind generators. This is needed for

Heat Storage
Solar Collector Field

Condenser Evaporator
Heat Exchanger
Auxiliary Heater
Sprayer
Fan Flow
Wind Power
Distilled Converter
Water
Supply

Collector
Pipe
Solar
Pump Collector

Cold
Seawater
Supply
Sea Water

Distill Water
Tank

Platform Platform
Support Support
Distilled Water Line

Fig. 12. Outlines of the Marine Natural Vacuum Desalination system with modified evaporation unit(not in scale).

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Table 1
Cost comparison for different desalination techniques.

MSF MSF (Singapore)a MED MED-MWDa VC RO RO-Tanmpa- Baya

3
Installation cost $/m /day 1200–1500 2300 900–1000 660 950–1000 700–900 1000–1350
Product costs Cents/m3 110–125 150 75–85 46 87–95 68–92 45–56
a
Estimated cost based on values given in Soteris [6].

the continuous operation of the pump. Any excess energy from the production rates of distilled water was also done on the basis of the
batteries may be used to further heat the evaporation column to climatic data of Bahrain. The following conclusions were drawn:
increase the rate of fresh water production.
 The pilot unit of NVD system tests demonstrated the validity of
5. Economy of modern desalination projects the fundamental principle of the NVD system. It may be
concluded that the mathematical model has reasonable accu-
Some of the main distillation techniques and their cost racy for the estimation of the production rate of distilled water,
comparisons are given in Table 1 [9]. Symbols in Table 1, are though there is still room for improvement.
introduced for the well known technologies, as following:  The calculated result, was found to be ideal for targeted region,
Bahrain, where the maximum temperature difference between
 MSF stands for ‘Multi-Stage Flash’. seawater and ambient temperature is approximately 20  C. The
 MED stands for ‘Multi-Effect Distillation’. pilot model of NVD system can supply distilled water through
 MVD stands for ‘Multi-Vapor Desalination’. the year and at a distilled water production rate of 0.022 L/min
 RO stands for ‘Reveres Osmosis’. (about 4850 L/y) for a X tube with a diameter of 0.35 m,
 VC stands for ‘Vapor Compression’. 0.1798 L/min (about 39,469 L/y) for a X tube with a diameter of
1 m. It is to be kept in mind that these values are obtained from
Compared to the above mentioned cost of desalination tech- a primitive pilot system and for worst operation conditions. It is
niques. The suggested system found to be cost effective. Since, the clear that more water vapor could be produced and more
capital cost is not high as equipment required to install such system effective condensation could be achieved using renewable
are standard and available in the market at reasonable prices. In energy sources.
addition, operation and maintenance costs are not high as there are  The Renewable energy powered NVD system offers the most
few moving parts in the system, and energy consumption is promising future for water desalination as it depends on
minimum as natural vacuum is used. seawater. It is, therefore, suggested that the Renewable Energy
It is found that the total cost of installation of this system could powered NVD system could provide a sustainable water
reach to US$500. Giving a production cost of US$1.00 per ton for resource with no fear of drying up of the resources, as long as
a lifetime period of 20 years. Since no operation cost is required the facility is continuously maintained.
apart from commissioning the system and minor follow up and
maintenance works. In other words, we may say that the payback In summary, the NVD system powered with renewable energy,
period for this system is 6 months which makes this system the is found to be in accordance with the guidelines for sustainable
most cost effective method of fresh water production. The environmental friendly development, can provide it an economical
maximum evaporation surface area is about 0.0706 m2 (0.3 m and ecological solution for seawater desalination.
diameter) due to the water level in the evaporation column. If this
area will be expanded up to 0.706 m2 (diameter 0.90 cm) with same References
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Please cite this article in press as: Ayhan T, Al Madani H, Feasibilty study of renewable energy powered seawater desalination technology using...,
Renewable Energy (2009), doi:10.1016/j.renene.2009.06.021