Recent developments in thermally-driven seawater desalination: Energy efficiency improvement by hybridization of the MED and AD cycles

CATEGORY: DESALINATION 
Recent developments in thermally-driven seawater desalination: Energy efficiency improvement by hybridization of the MED and AD cycles

Type	Journal Article
Author	Kim Choon Ng
Author	Kyaw Thu
URL	http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0011916414005487
Volume	356
Pages	255-270
Publication	Desalination
Date	January 15, 2015
Abstract	Water resources, whether brackish or seawater, have become increasingly contaminated as feed. Meanwhile, global demand for desalination capacities continues to increase. A possible solution for energy efficiency improvement comes from the hybridization of the proven desalination processes to the newer processes of desalination. An example is the integration of the available thermally-driven to adsorption desalination (AD) cycles where significant thermodynamic synergy can be attained when cycles are combined. For such hybrid cycles, a quantum improvement in energy efficiency as well as in increase in water production is possible. The advent of MED with AD cycles, or MEDAD cycles, is one such example where seawater desalination can be pursued and operated in cogeneration with the electricity production plants: The hybrid desalination cycles utilize only the low exergy bled-steam at low temperatures, complemented with waste exhaust or renewable solar thermal heat at temperatures between 60 and 80 °C. Authors describe their research on aspects of AD and related hybrid MEDAD cycles, both at theoretical models and experimental pilots.