A parametric analysis of a solar humidification/dehumidification desalination system using a bio-inspired cascade humidifier.

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Authors

Enayatollaih, Reza
Anderson, Tim
Nates, Roy

Author ORCID Profiles (clickable)

Degree

Grantor

Date

2024-02-07

Supervisors

Type

Journal Article

Ngā Upoko Tukutuku (Māori subject headings)

Keyword

Cascade humidifier
Desalination
Cross-flow interaction
Solar energy
Water scarcity
Humidification systems

ANZSRC Field of Research Code (2020)

Citation

Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, - 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/03036758.2024.2308015 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03036758.2024.2308015

Abstract

Water scarcity is a significant challenge for a growing world’s population, particularly in remote locations where solar energy is plentiful. Of the existing solutions, the Humidification-Dehumidification (HDH) desalination technique can work effectively with low-grade energy sources, such as solar. However, HDH desalination systems often have a low yield, leading to a focus on ever-more complex humidification systems. This work aims to examine the performance of a novel bioinspired humidifier as a low-cost and effective solution to increase the yield of small-scale HDH desalination systems. To this end, an HDH desalination system using a cascade humidifier was conceptually developed and parametrically modelled. It was shown that the evaporation rate in the humidifier could be increased by increasing both the air and water flow rates. It was also found that an evaporation rate of 0.91 × 10−3 kg/s could be achieved for an evaporation area of 0.36 m2. Considering the entire desalination system, it was noted that increasing the water flow rate reduced the water temperature entering the humidifier and thus reduced production. Conversely, increasing the airflow rate enhanced the production rate. More importantly, it was shown that under appropriate conditions this novel desalination system can have a production of 10.2 litre/day/m2.

Publisher

Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Link to ePress publication

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1080/03036758.2024.2308015

Copyright holder

© 2024 The Author(s).

Copyright notice

CC BY-NC-ND Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International

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Available online at

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