EXPERIMENTAL SIMULATION OF SOLAR FLASH DESALINATION

Experimental simulations of a sustainable desalination process have been carried out using a small pilot unit at different operating conditions to enhance process analysis and modeling. The proposed desalination process, which employs solar heating and creates vacuum in an innovative passive way, has been theoretically simulated in earlier work. It entails flowing seawater through a condenser to preheat it then through a heater before flashing it in a vacuumed evaporator connected to the condenser where the flashed hot vapor is condensed by the incoming cold seawater forming fresh water. Flashing seawater at higher temperatures increases the vaporization and the production rate of fresh water. In addition, the accumulating non-condensable gases that are slowly eroding the vacuum will decrease the overall vaporization with time which reduces the production rate of fresh water.