TY - JOUR
T1 - Optimizing the Energy Recovery Section in Thermal Desalination Systems for Improved Thermodynamic, Economic, and Environmental Performance
AU - Jamil, Muhammad Ahmad
AU - Goraya, Talha S.
AU - Ng, Kim Choon
AU - Zubair, Syed M.
AU - Xu, Ben Bin
AU - Shahzad, Muhammad Wakil
N1 - Funding information: The authors acknowledge the support provided by Northumbria University, UK under reference # RDF20/EE/MCE/SHAHZAD and MCE QR funds 2020/21. Ben Xu would like to thank the support from EPSRC grants EP/N007921/1.
PY - 2021/5/1
Y1 - 2021/5/1
N2 - Integration of energy recovery section with thermal desalination systems improves their performance from thermodynamics, economics, and environmental viewpoints. This is because it significantly reduces input energy, heat transfer area, and capital cost requirements. Above all, the system outlet streams can achieve thermal equilibrium with the environment by supplying heat for useful preheating purposes thus reducing the environmental impacts. The plate heat exchangers are generally employed for this purpose as preheaters. The current paper presents a comprehensive investigation and optimization of these heat exchangers for thermal desalination systems applications. An experimentally validated numerical model employing Normalized Sensitivity Analysis and Genetic Algorithm based cost optimization is developed to investigate their performance at assorted operating conditions. The analysis showed that the heat transfer coefficient, pressure drop, and outlet water cost were improved by an increase in feed flow rate. However, with an increased flow rate, the comprehensive output parameter (h/ΔP) decreased due to the high degree increase in pressure drop. Moreover, an increase in the chevron angle reduced the heat transfer coefficient, pressure drop, and water cost. Finally, the optimization lowered the heat transfer area by ~79.5%, capital investment by ~62%, and the outlet cost of the cold stream by ~15.7%. The operational cost is increased due to the increased pressure drop but the overall impact is beneficial as Ctotal of equipment is reduced by ~52.7%.
AB - Integration of energy recovery section with thermal desalination systems improves their performance from thermodynamics, economics, and environmental viewpoints. This is because it significantly reduces input energy, heat transfer area, and capital cost requirements. Above all, the system outlet streams can achieve thermal equilibrium with the environment by supplying heat for useful preheating purposes thus reducing the environmental impacts. The plate heat exchangers are generally employed for this purpose as preheaters. The current paper presents a comprehensive investigation and optimization of these heat exchangers for thermal desalination systems applications. An experimentally validated numerical model employing Normalized Sensitivity Analysis and Genetic Algorithm based cost optimization is developed to investigate their performance at assorted operating conditions. The analysis showed that the heat transfer coefficient, pressure drop, and outlet water cost were improved by an increase in feed flow rate. However, with an increased flow rate, the comprehensive output parameter (h/ΔP) decreased due to the high degree increase in pressure drop. Moreover, an increase in the chevron angle reduced the heat transfer coefficient, pressure drop, and water cost. Finally, the optimization lowered the heat transfer area by ~79.5%, capital investment by ~62%, and the outlet cost of the cold stream by ~15.7%. The operational cost is increased due to the increased pressure drop but the overall impact is beneficial as Ctotal of equipment is reduced by ~52.7%.
KW - plate heat exchangers
KW - preheaters
KW - desalination
KW - energy recovery
KW - Genetic Algorithm
KW - optimization
KW - economic analysis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85102895984&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2021.105244
DO - 10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2021.105244
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85102895984
SN - 0735-1933
VL - 124
JO - International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer
JF - International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer
M1 - 105244
ER -