Study of wastewater treatment for freshwater production in a solar desalination unit

While desalination of water is energy intensive, traditional use of fossil fuels makes it not only costly, but also unsustainable and environmentally unfriendly; utilization of solar energy for desalination is therefore highly encouraged. This paper presents a study on the technical performance of a solar desalination unit located in Tehran city. The process is modeled using standard energy equations and performance indices are defined. The model simulation results are compared with experimental data from laboratory tests. This study observed that there is good agreement between the experimental data and the model simulation results. It is observed that the maximum solar radiation intensity is found in June and the highest evaporation rate in this month is about 5×10^-3 m^3 . It is found that the treatment efficacy of the plant decreases with increasing depth of wastewater. Performance of the desalination unit is found to be satisfactory.