Combined concentrated solar power plant with low-temperature multi-effect distillation

Abstract

This study analyzes a technological concept for simultaneously generating power and desalinating water in a Middle East and North Africa country. An innovative, low-temperature, multi-effect desalination (LT-MED) process integrated with a concentrating solar power (CSP) plant was assessed and analyzed. A combined power and seawater desalination plant was modeled for the city of Aqaba by the Red Sea in Jordan. Parabolic-trough collectors using indirect steam generation with thermal energy storage connected with power and desalination blocks were designed. The designed plant was modeled and simulated using EBSILON Professional, a discrete energy balance simulation software, under several operating conditions, to analyze the results. An economic feasibility analysis of the combined CSP+LT-MED plant was also conducted. The simulation results showed the broad variability of the cogeneration system in terms of electricity generation and water production. The output power of the CSP plant without water production reached 58.7 MWel in June. The output power accompanied with distilled-water production with a mass flow rate of 170 m3/h was approximately 49.5 MWel. Furthermore, the number of desalination stages had the strongest influence on distillate production but limited the operational flexibility of the power plant due to the temperature gradients within the desalination stages. The distilled-water mass flow reached 498 m3/h for 10 stages. The research showed that the design successfully worked with up to €78.84 million, earned from selling the produced electricity. However, owing to highly subsidized water tariffs in Jordan (80% less than the actual cost), the integration of water desalination into the CSP plant was not economically feasible.

Sea Level Rise Mitigation by Global Sea Water Desalination Using Renewable-Energy-Powered Plants

“…Among others, Mustafa Jaradat et al have studied the potential of combining a CSP plant with a Low-Temperature Multi-Effect Desalination (LT-MED) plant in the MENA region, specifically in the city of Aqaba in Jordan. The CSP system running by itself was found to have a potential power generation of 58.37 Megawatt-electric (MW el ) to be distributed to the local grid in June, but in the case of operating the LT-MED system, it could provide 49.5 MW el excess power with a freshwater production rate of 170 m 3 /h, and when increasing the desalination stages to 10 stages, the system showed a significant increase in its production potential, reaching 498 m 3 /h [64].…”

Analysis of the Time Step Influence in the Yearly Simulation of Integrated Seawater Multi-Effect Distillation and Parabolic trough Concentrating Solar Thermal Power Plants

“…The yearly simulations were carried out using Matlab and EES software environments with 10 min time steps. Al-Addous et al [24] analyzed the combined power and water production with a CSP+D plant in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. MED and parabolic trough technologies were considered for the desalination and solar field technologies, respectively.…”