SOLAR WATER DESALINATION SYSTEM FOR COASTAL VILLAGES

摘要

The shortage of clean potable water supply in the world posses a grave concern and the necessity of developing technologies to provide clean water resources in water stressed areas. The number of people who live in the water stressed countries is close to 470 million currently and this count will continue to increase rapidly over the upcoming years. While many of the resources are limited in these areas, renewable energy methods provide hope for bringing a viable change. In this sense, solar water desalination of seawater has the potential to alleviate the water shortages all over the world.We have reviewed the status of solar desalination systems described in the literature. While the most basic systems can produce around 7 Liters/(day~*m~2) a more advanced system can produce close to 15-20 Liters/(day~*m~2) under proper conditions. Systems using the principle of humidification and dehumidification (HDH) processes have shown great potential for rural areas in need of water. Moreover, using the HDH method in coastal region, in which salt water is abundant, can convert this water into fresh and clean water available for irrigation and drinking. However, the performance of these systems is often associated with the conditions under which it is operating. A typical village in a developing country, such as India, would require close to 200,000 liters per day. Thus, this study focuses on optimizing the design of a HDH solar desalination system for rural coastal areas. A small village on coast where there is lack of fresh water could greatly benefit from a solar water desalination system.