Practical aspects of batch RO design for energy-efficient seawater desalination
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swbro_preprint_DSPACE.pdf
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Author(s)
Swaminathan, Jaichander
Tow, Emily W.
Stover, Richard L.
Lienhard, John H
Date Issued
November 2019
Journal
Desalination
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Citation
Swaminathan, Jaichander et al. "Practical aspects of batch RO design for energy-efficient seawater desalination." Desalination 470 (November 2019): 114097 © 2019 Elsevier B.V.
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
Batch operation of reverse osmosis (RO) has been proposed as a method to reduce seawater RO (SWRO) energy consumption and fouling propensity. In this paper, we use a transient numerical model of the RO process to investigate the impact of several practical loss mechanisms on the overall energetic performance of batch SWRO compared to a conventional continuous system. A critical variable that controls the energetic advantage of batch RO is the reset time between cycles. A large reset time necessitates higher operating flux and therefore results in increased energy consumption. On the other hand, ensuring a low cycle reset time requires higher energy for the refilling process. A batch SWRO design with an atmospheric pressure feed tank and pressure exchangers for energy recovery does not show promise for energy savings. Batch SWRO must be designed with a large number of short pressure vessels (with fewer membranes each) and lower energy recovery losses (e.g., by using pressurized feed storage) in order to reduce energy consumption by up to 8%. These modifications are more complex and hence capital expenses would determine the overall feasibility of such designs to improve seawater desalination. Keywords: Batch reverse osmosis; Energy consumption; Operation; Reset time
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Rohsenow Kendall Heat Transfer Laboratory (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2019.114097
