(419am) Optimization of a Community-Scale Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant

From chemical engineering point of view, performance of reverse osmosis process for water purification applications could be improved in two completely different ways: improving efficiency of each part of the process (e.g. pump, membranes, and energy recovery devices) or developing efficient layout for the process and changing operating conditions. For given project specifications the latter would become more important to design the most efficient system with current technology level. Rules of thumb and commercial preferences which may not be accurate are currently dominant in decision making procedure for reverse osmosis design.

Community scale photovoltaic powered desalination system has recently gained attention of government sector and researchers to provide clean and potable water in remote areas (Out of grid). Taking into account specifications of such projects, a comprehensive model needs to be developed to provide accurate information. Taking advantage of a reliable model will be helpful to decide whether it is feasible to use PVRO for a specific condition or not. The aim of this work is to consider numerous variables of reverse osmosis process and produce an optimization algorithm for final design based on the specific conditions of community scale water production system.