Optimal design of multi-stage vacuum membrane distillation and integration with supercritical water desalination for improved zero liquid discharge desalination

Sharan, Prashant; Yoon, Tae-Jun; Thakkar, Harshul; Currier, Robert Patrick; Singh, Rajinder Pal; Findikoglu, Alp Tugrul

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132189

Optimal design of multi-stage vacuum membrane distillation and integration with supercritical water desalination for improved zero liquid discharge desalination

Journal Article · Wed May 11 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Journal of Cleaner Production

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132189· OSTI ID:1961375

^[1]; ^[1]; Thakkar, Harshul ^[1]; ^[1]; ^[1]; ^[1]

Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Herein this paper proposes a novel concept for the optimal design of multi-stage vacuum membrane distillation (VMD). Generally, a multi-stage VMD is designed with an equal temperature difference between each stage. However, such a design is energy inefficient and increases VMD area. An analytical methodology for calculating the optimal stage temperature is proposed. By selecting the optimal stage temperature, the energy efficiency and required membrane area can be potentially improved by 16% and 30%, respectively. The proposed concept applies to all heat sources, including latent, sensible, and waste heat. To illustrate the method, multi-stage VMD is integrated with the waste heat from a supercritical water desalination (SCWD) system to achieve zero liquid discharge. SCWD is an energy-intensive process, requires high-quality thermal heat (>450 °C), and exhibits high waste heat rejection. The integrated VMD-SCWD approach is approximately 50% more energy-efficient and 35% more cost-efficient than the standalone SCWD system. Compared to the commercially used brine concentrator and crystallizer, the multi-stage VMD-SCWD system is more energy efficient for feed concentrations >5%. VMD-SCWD system is 30% cheaper, due to less expensive membrane distillation modules compared to a brine concentrator. The proposed design concept can replace the brine concentrator and crystallizer as an improved alternative for a zero-liquid discharge desalination system.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program

Grant/Contract Number:: 89233218CNA000001

OSTI ID:: 1961375

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1961509

Report Number(s):: LA-UR-21-24836

Journal Information:: Journal of Cleaner Production, Journal Name: Journal of Cleaner Production Vol. 361; ISSN 0959-6526

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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