Objective
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
This project intends to make a site-extrapolable optimisation of the design of photovoltaic/wind/RO systems using commercial Reverse Osmosis membranes. Its objectives therefore include:
- The collection of solar radiation and wind velocity data for potential sites in various geographical locations
- The simulation of solar photovoltaic/wind energy inputs into a pilot RO plant that will be made to function under different modes of operation and under the climatic conditions particular to each of the potential sites - An assessment of the effect of the discontinuities and changes in the availability of solar and wind energies on pressure variations and, hence, on the flow, salt rejection and the useful life of the membranes, - Extrapolable optimisation of the design of photovoltaic/wind/RO systems for a number of sites.
TECHNICAL APPROACH
Climatic data, i.e. wind, solar radiation and seawater temperature data, will be collected for each of the geographical areas under scrutiny. Simultaneously, a study of the specifications of commercial wind turbines and PV cells that are easily available on each of the chosen geographical areas will be carried out.
The climatic data collected will then be analysed in order to determine the most suitable statistical analysis method. Taking into account the specifications of available PV cells and wind turbines, and options such as energy dissipation and storage, the power available to the RO plant as a function of time will be calculated. A software package will be designed in order to help translate the power availability calculations into real power availability to the plant.
A pilot RO plant, with flexibility of both component specifications and modes of operation and suitable for the study of commercial membrane performance and ageing under conditions imposed by the use of solar and wind energy, will be designed and installed. This plant will include both hollow-fibre and spiral membranes. A heat pump or similar device will be included in order to simulate feedwater at different temperatures (as determined by the climatic data of each of each site under study). A system that will control the power available to the pump(s) at any given moment (as determined by the power availability calculations) will be designed and assembled. This system shall also control the feedwater temperature and automatically collect the required data.
Data on parameters relevant to the ageing and performance of the membranes, such as pressure flow, pH, conductivity, salt concentration and temperature, will be collected at the entrance and exit of the membranes. Additionally, the pH and conductivity will be measured for each membrane in order to assess the performance and ageing of each individual membrane in the tube.
EXPECTED ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPLOITATION
The design of PV/wind/RO desalination systems will be reviewed, taking the effects of the changes and discontinuities in the power availability into account. Appropriate changes in the system's configuration will be suggested wherever the behaviour of the membranes deviates from the optimum. A software package will be elaborated, including the findings, to assist interested third parties in designing a PV/wind/RO desalination system suited to the climatological conditions of their proposed sites. The results obtained will be used by the academic partners and, especially, bv the end-user BONNY and collaborating membrane manufacturer DOW Chemical co.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences computer and information sciences software
- engineering and technology chemical engineering separation technologies desalination reverse osmosis
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences meteorology solar radiation
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels renewable energy wind energy
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Coordinator
35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria - Telde
Spain
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