Method for controlling desalination system
AssigneePrince Mohammad Bin Fahd University
InventorsFeroz Shaik, Faizan Ahmed
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A desalination system and method for controlling the desalination system include thin-filmed photocatalyst coated glass tubes which perform a photocatalytic cleaning reaction to remove contaminants. A first flow control valve directs the contaminant-free feed water either to a feed water heater for pre-heating or to a geothermal energy-based heat exchanger. A second flow control valve directs a first portion of the pre-heated contaminant-free feed water to a thermal energy storage tank and a second portion to a flash chamber for steam generation. A condenser connected to the flash chamber includes a nano-fluid cooling coil that condenses steam into potable water.
Claims12
A method of controlling a desalination system, comprising:
- receiving, by a microprocessor including electrical circuitry, a memory storing program instructions and at least one processor, light intensity measurements from a light sensor operatively connected to the desalination system;
- executing, by the processor, the program instructions to control a feed pump, a first flow control valve, a second flow control valve, a nanofluid pump, a vacuum pump, a switch of an electric powered ultraviolet (UV) light source and a heating element located within interior walls of a flash chamber based on the light intensity measurements from the light sensor;
- and
- producing potable water from feed water by:
- removing contaminants from the feed water by pumping, by the feed pump fluidly connected to a feed tank, the feed water through a plurality of thin-filmed photocatalyst coated glass tubes;
- measuring, by the light sensor, an intensity of solar radiation falling upon the desalination system;
- when the intensity of the solar radiation is equal to or above a threshold intensity,
- in a first mode of the first flow control valve connected to an outlet of the thin-filmed photocatalyst coated glass tubes,
- directing the contaminant-free feed water to the feed water heater;
- pre-heating, by the feed water heater, the contaminant-free clean water;
- directing, by the second flow control valve, a first portion of the pre-heated contaminant-free feed water into a thermal energy storage tank and a second portion of the pre-heated contaminant-free feed water into the flash chamber,
- when the intensity of the solar radiation is below the threshold intensity,
- in a second mode of the first flow control valve,
- directing the contaminant-free feed water through a geothermal energy based heat exchanger,
- pre-heating the contaminant-free feed water in the geothermal energy based heat exchanger,
- directing the pre-heated contaminant-free feed water into the thermal energy storage tank, and injecting the pre-heated contaminant-free feed water into the flash chamber;
- generating, within the flash chamber, steam by flash heating the pre-heated contaminant-free feed water;
- condensing, within a condenser connected to the flash chamber, wherein the condenser includes a nano-fluid cooling coil, the steam into potable water;
- and
- collecting the potable water in a distillate collection tank located beneath the condenser.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.