Solar desalination using humidification-dehumidification technology

A numerical study has been carried out to investigate the performance of a simple solar desalination system using humidification-dehumidification processes. The desalination system consists of a solar air heater, humidifier, dehumidifier and a circulating air-driving component. The study covers the influence of different environmental, design, and operational parameters on the desalination system productivity. Environmental parameters include solar intensity, ambient temperature and wind speed. Design parameters include the solar heater base insulation, the humidifier and the dehumidifier effectiveness. Operational parameters include air circulation flow rate, feed water rate and temperature. The results indicated that the solar air heater (energy source) efficiency significantly influences system productivity. Increasing the solar intensity and ambient temperature and decreased wind velocity increases system productivity. Increasing the air flow rate up to 0.6 kg/s increases the productivity, after which it has no significant effect. The feed water flow rate has an insignificant influence on system productivity. The surprising result is that the dehumidifier effectiveness has an insignificant influence on system productivity, which has a very important implication for the system's economy. The physical explanation of this finding is given.