DUTIES
thesis
summary
Titel: Solar thermal seawater desalination to produce potable water in developing countries
Due to almost no rain falls and the unsustainable use of natural ground
water, lots of aquifers in coastal regions are salty; e.g. in Cap Verde
and the Gaza Strip. Many desalination systems have been developed and
are used with more or less success. Huge commercial plants are in action,
but their need for energy can not be covered with renewable energy. To
gain sustainable development cooperation, techniques which uses renewable
energy, such as solar radiation, are necessary.
The results of a broad literature research about solar thermal driven
technologies are criteria, which lead to a selection of four different
processes from state of the art and development. For the first target
area a simple humid air distillation module with a specific production
rate of 12 l/m²/d was chosen. For three different capacities in the second
target area the following techniques can be recommended: a prototype of
a MED-system for families; a special corrosion free MEH-plant for a hand
full of housing units; a new rapid spray evaporation system with a capacity
of more than 10 m³/d – suitable a block of flats. Those three processes
have all a specific production rate over 20 l per m² collector area and
are therefore very efficient. Due to the simple technique they maintenance
need is low.
In further chapters specific problems of solar thermal desalination for
the decentralised use in developing countries are shown. Corrosion is
one of the most important aspect for selection of materials. The best
system is not developed yet. Lot of test plants for collecting long time
experience should be build. The optimum process can not be found easily,
cause each region and human demand needs its own optimum.
Tutors: Werner Weiss (AEE-INTEC, Gleisdorf) und Helmut Jung (IWGA-SIG, BOKU)
"If we could ever competetively, at a cheap rate, get fresh water from saltwater, that would be in the long-range interest of humanity and would dwarf any other scientific accomplishements" John F. Kennedy, 1961
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© Josef Buchinger |