The water needs of the inhabitants of Saudi Arabia are met by desalination powered by electricity generated from fossil fuel. Excessive burning of fossil fuels results in faster depletion and causes an adverse impact on the local environment. Reverse osmosis (RO) desalination based on a hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) has emerged as a cleaner alternative. The primary objective of this review is to assess the current status of utilizing renewable energy for small and large-scale water desalination plants. An overview of the expansion of domestic and global desalination plant capacities is presented with the evaluation of Saudi Arabia’s renewable energy potential. Numerous studies on coupling various combinations of renewable energy sources to power desalination processes are reviewed. A comprehensive analysis of the trends and technical developments of PV-RO, Wind-RO, and hybrid PV-Wind-RO for a wide range of capacities over the past three decades is provided. Designing and modeling HRES-RO desalination systems using different combinations of renewable energy sources are thoroughly analyzed and the technical aspects of their performance are presented. The application of a range of optimization and sizing software tools available for conducting pre-feasibility analysis and the comparison of the available software tools for HRES-RO desalination are also presented. The study also demonstrated that the replacement of fossil fuel with renewable energy for desalination will significantly decrease greenhouse gas emissions. The review also highlights the effect of solar and wind profiles on the economics of desalination powered by renewables. The economic analysis indicates a significant decrease in the cost of water production by hybrid PV-wind-RO systems, implying good prospects for the technology in the near future. Finally, the study provides a flowchart depicting the steps involved in installing a hybrid PV-wind-RO system in KSA.

A hybrid renewable energy system as a potential energy source for water desalination using reverse osmosis: A review

Integration of hybrid power (wind-photovoltaic-diesel-battery) and seawater reverse osmosis systems for small-scale desalination applications

https://escholarship.org/content/qt7bz829ph/qt7bz829ph.pdf?t=qsoiux

Brackish water desalination using reverse osmosis and capacitive deionization at the water-energy nexus.

Experimental analysis of heat and mass transfer phenomena in a direct contact evaporative cooling tower

Life Cycle Assessment of drinking water: comparing conventional water treatment, reverse osmosis and mineral water in glass and plastic bottles.

http://justmechanic.persiangig.com/nirogah./sdarticle8.pdf

Thermal performances investigation of a wet cooling tower

Epoxy-based nanocomposite coatings were formulated by incorporating various types of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) (ZrO2, ZnO, Fe2O3, and SiO2). The effect of the incorporation of various NPs on the mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of these epoxy coatings has been studied. A facile direct incorporation technique has been utilized for the dispersion of the NPs in the epoxy matrix via high-speed mechanical stirring and ultra-sonication using acetone as a solvent. The incorporation of these NPs augmented the mechanical and thermal properties of the epoxy coatings. The results revealed that the incorporation of small amount of these NPs improved the mechanical properties of the coating in all cases, with the SiO2-reinforced sample being relatively better in both mechanical and thermal properties. The incorporation of Fe2O3 and ZnO resulted in a decrease in the thermal stability and glass transition temperature (T
 g) of the coatings, while incorporation of SiO2 and ZrO2 increased the thermal stability as well as T
 g of the coatings. A notable increase of 71% in hardness together with 26% increase in the elastic modulus of the epoxy coating was observed with the incorporation of 2 wt% SiO2 NPs.

Facile synthesis of epoxy nanocomposite coatings using inorganic nanoparticles for enhanced thermo-mechanical properties: a comparative study

Deagglomeration of ultrafine powders poses an important challenge towards their efficient and effective utilization. In the present study, we investigate the effect of frequency on the hydrodynamics of pulsed fluidized beds of ultrafine powders that show strong agglomeration behavior. We have carefully selected square waves of three different frequencies: 0.05 Hz, 0.10 Hz, and 0.25 Hz. The lowest frequency used here allowed the fluidized bed to settle completely before another pulse was introduced whilst the highest frequency ensured that the bed remained in a state of continuous turbulence between occurrences of consecutive pulses. On the other hand, the intermediate frequency pulse was just sufficient to complete the process of bed collapse before the start of the next pulse. Both local and global bed dynamics in all the three cases were rigorously monitored using fast response pressure transducers. The pressure transient data during the bed collapse were processed using the bed collapse model reported in the literature to compute the effective hydrodynamic diameter of agglomerates. Though there was substantial decrease in the agglomerate size, the effect of the frequency appeared to be rather insignificant as the global pressure transients remained rather insensitive to the change of the fluidization velocity.

/pdf/effect-of-frequency-on-pulsed-fluidized-beds-of-ultrafine-51bcy00vkg.pdf

M. Boumaza

Papers

Thermal performances investigation of a wet cooling tower

Facile synthesis of epoxy nanocomposite coatings using inorganic nanoparticles for enhanced thermo-mechanical properties: a comparative study

Effect of frequency on pulsed fluidized beds of ultrafine powders

Energy analysis and economic feasibility of wood dryers integrated with heat recovery unit and solar air heaters in cold and hot climates

Experimental investigation of the hydraulic characteristics of a counter flow wet cooling tower