THERMOECONOMIC MODELING OF DUAL-PURPOSE POWER DESALINATION PLANTS - STEAM CYCLES/

Integrated thermal cycle models are developed and used to determine ne t station heat rates and desalination energy consumption in dual-purpo se power/desalination plants based on steam turbines. The results are used to determine rates of return and water costs from desalination pl ants with multistage flash (MSF), low-temperature multiple-effect dist illation (LTMED) and reverse osmosis (RO) as the process options. The study indicates that attractive rates of return and at-source water co sts in the range of $3.2 to $4.2/1000 gallons are attainable with curr ent technology from dual-purpose power/desalination plants located in the Middle East, with reverse osmosis yielding the lowest water cost.