Heat pump seawater distillation system using passive vacuum generation system

• Published in: Desalination Vol. 397; pp. 151 - 156
• Main Author: Attia, Ahmed A.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01-11-2016
• Subjects: Brackish; Condensation; Desalination; Distillation; Energy consumption; Heat pump; Heat pumps; Marine; Operating temperature; Passive vacuum; Refrigerants; Sea water; Seawater distillation; Thermal desalination; Seawater distillation; Heat pump; Thermal desalination; Desalination; Passive vacuum
• ISSN: 0011-9164; 1873-4464
• DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2016.06.035

The passive system that generate vacuum is a reliable systems and could allow heat pumps that uses traditional refrigerant to be used in seawater distillation process. This could be done by reducing the saturation temperature of seawater to be matched with the operating temperature ranges of these refrigerants. A proposed system uses heat pump for seawater evaporation and condensation. The suggested system is suitable for remote areas and could be designed and installed in the various sizes. Also the compressor could be run with solar PV panels. The followings are a detailed description of system with thermal analysis and energy consumption. It also represents an energy comparison of the proposed system with the other desalination methods. The comparison shows that the system gives promising competitive energy consumption.
•Passive vacuum system helps seawater distillation using traditional refrigerant heat pumps.•Passive vacuum system reducing the saturation temperature of seawater.•The system is suitable for remote areas and could be designed and installed in different sizes.•The system gives promising competitive energy consumption with other techniques.