Novel multi-stage flash (MSF) desalination plant driven by parabolic trough collectors and a solar pond: A simulation study in UAE

This paper investigates a novel solar driven multi-stage flash (MSF) desalination plant in UAE. UAE achieved major progress in utilizing solar energy for power production. The desalination plant simulated in this work investigates the use of parabolic trough collectors (PTC) and a solar pond to completely satisfy the energy requirements for a multistage flash desalination. The plant is designed to be located in Sharjah, UAE; a region that receives a high level of solar radiation. The process was equipped with a fire tube boiler to satisfy energy requirements when the sunlight is not available. Aspen HYSYS V8.8 simulation software was used to conduct this study. The objective was to satisfy the water demand for a small community with a total population of around five thousand. The simulation aimed at producing 1880 m(3)/day of desalinated water, out of 40,000 m(3)/day of seawater processed. The results showed that two PTCs of a total aperture area of 3160 m(2) can provide about 76% of the MSF energy requirements. The remaining part is provided by a solar pond of 4 meter depth and a surface area of 0.53 km(2).