Theoretical Study of a Closed-Cycle Evaporation System for Seawater Desalination

This paper presents a numerical study of a closed-cycle evaporation system for the desalination of seawater. The system couples the condensing end of a heat pump with a humidifier, where the air is dehumidified in the heat pump evaporator. First, the mechanism of action of the closed-cycle evaporation system was analyzed from the perspective of heat transfer, and the control equations for the heat and mass transfer of the system were investigated. In addition, a mathematical model of the system was developed and validated. The influence of several important parameters of the air and seawater entering the system on the system's performance under the design conditions was investigated numerically. The parametric analysis showed that the effect of the seawater mass flow rate on the system's productivity was not significant. As the air mass flow rate increases, the freshwater production rate increases and then decreases. The output ratio (GOR) of the system was estimated and found to be competitive with other reported HDH systems.

Automated summary

This paper presents a numerical study on a closed-cycle evaporation system for seawater desalination. The system combines the condensing end of a heat pump with a humidifier, dehumidifying the air in the heat pump evaporator. The mechanism and control equations of the system were analyzed, and a mathematical model was developed and validated. Numerical investigation revealed the influence of important parameters on the system's performance, showing competitive productivity compared to other reported systems.