Desalination Architecture Optimization via Subsystem Modeling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Desalination systems face limitations due to high costs, energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and environmental impacts, which restrict their adoption and efficiency in producing potable or agriculture-grade water from seawater or brackish water.
Innovation Solution
A method for selecting a desalination architecture that involves constructing desalting and energy subsystem models to evaluate and optimize desalination systems using input parameters, focusing on minimizing cost, GHG emissions, and freshwater recovery, incorporating renewable energy sources and high-speed metamodels to expedite the optimization process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If traditional desalination systems are used to produce potable water from seawater, then water supply expansion is achieved, but cost and energy consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The desalination system is divided into multiple stages with different separation mechanisms. The first stage uses a first separation mechanism to remove a first portion of salt, and the second stage uses a second separation mechanism to remove a second portion of salt. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized for its specific function, reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining water production capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters between stages by adjusting feed flow rates, applying different separation mechanisms with varying selectivity, and modifying operating conditions. These parameter changes enable the system to achieve salt removal more efficiently across different concentration ranges, reducing total energy input required.
2Quantity of substance
If traditional desalination systems are deployed, then freshwater production is achieved, but greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system converts the harmful concentrated brine stream into a beneficial resource by using it as feed for a second separation stage that produces additional freshwater. This approach transforms what would normally be a waste product requiring energy-intensive disposal into a valuable resource, reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with brine management while increasing freshwater production.
3Quantity of substance
If conventional desalination approaches are used, then salt removal is achieved, but water efficiency deteriorates due to high operational costs
Solution Approach 1:
The salt removal process is segmented into multiple stages, each targeting a specific portion of salt removal. The first stage removes a first portion of salt using a first separation mechanism, and the second stage removes a second portion using a second separation mechanism. This segmentation improves water efficiency by optimizing each stage for its specific removal target and utilizing the concentrated brine from stage one as feed for stage two.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding the concentrated brine stream from the first separation stage, the system recovers additional freshwater by feeding this brine into a second separation stage. This recovery approach improves water efficiency by extracting additional value from the concentrated stream that would otherwise be wasted, reducing the total water input required for a given freshwater output.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of selecting a desalination architecture includes a) constructing a desalting subsystem model comprising a superstructure representation configured to evaluate a plurality of desalting subsystems in response to desalting subsystem input parameters; b) constructing an energy subsystem model configured to evaluate a plurality of energy subsystems in response to energy subsystem input parameters; c) selecting an objective function configured to minimize one or more system attributes for a desalination architecture; d) while evaluating one of the plurality of desalting subsystems with the plurality of desalting subsystem input parameters using the desalting subsystem model, determining an optimal one of the plurality of energy subsystems using the energy subsystem model based on the energy requirements of the evaluated one of the plurality of desalting subsystems and the energy subset input parameters; e) evaluating a desalination architecture comprising the evaluated one of the plurality of desalting subsystems and the optimal one of the plurality of energy subsystems; f) if the objective function of the desalination architecture comprising the evaluated one of the plurality of desalting subsystems and the optimal one of the plurality of energy subsystems is not minimized, repeating steps d) and e) with a different one of the plurality of desalting subsystems; and g) when the objective function of the desalination architecture is minimized, selecting the desalination architecture wherein the desalination architecture comprises one of the plurality of desalting subsystems and one of the plurality of energy subsystems.