RECENT RENEWABLE ENERGY DRIVEN DESALINATION SYSTEM RESEARCH-AND-DEVELOPMENT IN NORTH-AMERICA

Citation
Jf. Manwell et Jg. Mcgowan, RECENT RENEWABLE ENERGY DRIVEN DESALINATION SYSTEM RESEARCH-AND-DEVELOPMENT IN NORTH-AMERICA, Desalination, 94(3), 1994, pp. 229-241
Citations number
28
Categorie Soggetti
Water Resources","Engineering, Chemical
Journal title
ISSN journal
00119164
Volume
94
Issue
3
Year of publication
1994
Pages
229 - 241
Database
ISI
SICI code
0011-9164(1994)94:3<229:RREDDS>2.0.ZU;2-N
Abstract
This paper summarizes the current status of renewable energy driven wa ter desalination projects built or designed in North America. It consi ders both solar and wind energy as the energy sources. It discusses re sults of experimental projects and assessments that have been made of them. It also includes a discussion of advances in development of comp onents that have been used in such systems. The following processes ar e considered: simple distillation, multistage flash distillation, free ze separation, vapor compression, electrodialysis, and reverse osmosis (RO). As indicated, the paper specifically addresses projects of Nort h American origin. Among the most successful renewable energy driven p lants to date have been those that use RO. Reverse osmosis is, in fact , the most commonly used method of conventionally powered desalination in the United States. For example, approximately 100 RO systems are k nown to be operating in Florida. For that reason a particular effort h as been directed at describing those developments in RO technology in North America that can be applied in renewable energy driven applicati ons. Similarly, advances in wind energy system design make wind turbin es more readily usable for powering RO systems reliably and cost effec tively than they could do so in the past. The paper discusses these ad vances in the context of desalination, and suggestions are made for fu ture development which could further enhance wind energy's potential f or use in desalination.