An integrated solar-driven desalination system using Vacuum - Multi Effect Membrane Distillation (V-MEMD) process

Abstract

This paper presents an integrated solar-driven desalination system. The system uses Vacuum – Multi Effect Membrane Distillation (V-MEMD) process from Memsys to produce high-quality of water for drinking. The system is stand-alone system which does not need external energy for its operation; therefore it is suitable to be implemented in any arid or semi-arid remote regions. It only utilizes renewable energy from the sun (solar irradiation) to power all the process. The thermal collectors convert the solar irradiation into thermal energy to drive the Memsys V-MEMD process, and photovoltaic (PV) panel converts the solar irradiation into electrical energy to power electrical equipment. A heat pump is used for the energy recovery of the system. The short test of the system was conducted on 24 December 2012 (winter) at the College of Engineering, King Saud University (KSU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. During the test, the Memsys process was successfully integrated with the thermal collectors and PV panel. The system was started in manual mode at 8 AM and stopped at 3:30 PM. The total distillate collected was approximately 32.4 L with average conductivity of 12 ms/cm, whereas the maximum distillate output of 7.45 L/h was reached at noon. The average solar irradiation level during the test was approximately 505.37 W/m²