Modeling and simulation of a water desalination station with solar multiple condensation evaporation cycle technique

This paper presents the study of a new generation of water desalination ins tallation by solar energy using the SMCEC principle (Solar Multiple Condens ation Evaporation Cycle). The good quality of distilled water obtained by t his new concept favours its use for producing water for drinking and irriga tion. The work presented in this paper includes modelling, simulation and e xperimental validation for this type of installation. The models of the dif ferent sections of the unit are developed from the governing heat and mass transfer equations. These models permit the sizing of the solar collectors, the evaporation tower and the condensation tower. The numeric simulation o f the models allows the study of the relation among the different control p arameters of the unit that would optimise its production. The obtained resu lts are then compared against the experimental results. (C) 1999 Elsevier S cience Ltd. All rights reserved.