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Experimental study of the specific energy consumption for brackish water desalination by reverse osmosis
Author(s) -
Avlonitis S. A.,
Avlonitis D. A.,
Panagiotidis Th.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
international journal of energy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.808
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1099-114X
pISSN - 0363-907X
DOI - 10.1002/er.1780
Subject(s) - desalination , brackish water , reverse osmosis , osmotic power , energy consumption , bar (unit) , environmental science , salinity , energy recovery , environmental engineering , geothermal desalination , reverse osmosis plant , chemistry , membrane , energy (signal processing) , engineering , forward osmosis , mathematics , geology , meteorology , electrical engineering , physics , biochemistry , oceanography , statistics
SUMMARY The specific energy consumption (SEC) for brackish water desalination by reverse osmosis membranes was studied experimentally at various operating conditions of feed salt water concentration, temperature, recovery and applied pressure without an energy recovery device. The results were compared with ideal theoretical values. Low‐pressure experiments, corresponding to domestic applications, were performed with a maximum pressure of 8 bar. The energy consumption at normal operating conditions was assessed with a maximum applied pressure of 18 bar. In either case, the recovery was kept between 0.3 and 0.8. Deviations between ideal and experimental values of SEC are pronounced and even more so at the lower pressures and the higher salinity concentrations. The present experimental data for brackish water desalination did not indicate an optimum of the SEC, although for a given feed concentration lower values were obtained at higher pressures, temperatures and recoveries. However, an empirical fit of the present data suggests that an economic optimum for the design and operation may exist at pressures up to 20 bar and recoveries up to 50%. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.