Annual Report 2006 - Plataforma Solar de Almería

ENVIRONMENTAL APPLICATIONS OF SOLAR ENERGY
Purposes: (i) Study the membrane-distillation process to increase the system’s
efficiency; (ii) develop efficient heat recovery system concepts; (iii)
develop and/or improve different individual system components, such as an
improved solar collector and a heat exchanger with innovative surface treatments
is intended to minimize fouling; (iv) develop a system with a capacity
of several cubic meters per day; (v) develop an autonomous system with capacity
of several hundred liters per day.
The principle of the process is shown in Figure 4.15. Steam goes through a
hydrophobic membrane due to the difference in steam pressure on the two
sides of the membrane. This difference in steam pressure is generated by
keeping different temperatures on both sides. This way, the steam goes
through the membrane from the hot side to the cold side, where it condenses
and is collected as highly-pure distillate. The condensation heat is released
inside the distillation module by the membrane to the cooling fluid which does
not come into direct contact with the distillate. The distillation module is
therefore made up of four compartments (see also the diagram below):
• Channel for hot water to be desalinated
• Hydrophobic membrane
• Channel for air, where the steam condenses
• Channel for cooling with cooling fluid
(Courtesy of Xzero, Suecia)
Figure 4.15 Principle of the membrane process
OSMOSOL – Desalination by reverse osmosis with solar
thermal energy. http://www.psa.es/projects/osmosol
Participants: Univer. La Laguna (Coord., E). CIEMAT-PSA (E). Univ. Rovira i
Virgili - CREVER (E)
Contact:
Funding:
Dr. J. Blanco, julian.blanco@psa.es
Dra. L. García, mlgarcia@ull.es
MEC (National Plan for Scientific Research, Development and
Technological Innovation 2004-2007); 70 k€ (CIEMAT).
Duration: December 2005 – December 2008
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