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US 2019/0161366 A1Published application
Integrated system with an absorption refrigeration subsystem and a desalination subsystem
AssigneeKing Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
InventorsAyman Jamal Al-Azazmeh, Mohammad Abdelkarim Antar, Esmail Mohamed Ali MOKHEIMER
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Abstract
An integrated system that comprises a solar power subsystem, an absorption refrigeration subsystem to provide a cooling effect, a desalination subsystem to produce freshwater, an expander to generate shaft work and electricity, and also a reverse osmosis desalination subsystem to further produce freshwater, wherein the absorption refrigeration subsystem, the desalination subsystem, the expander, and the reverse osmosis desalination subsystem are powered by a solar energy that is supplied by the solar power subsystem.
Claims20
1:
- An integrated system, comprising:
- a solar power subsystem comprising a solar receiver, a heliostat field to reflect sunlight to the solar receiver, a steam generator, and a heat transfer fluid that circulates in the solar power subsystem;
- a desalination subsystem comprising an ejector and a plurality of desalination evaporators;
- and
- an absorption refrigeration subsystem comprising a refrigeration evaporator, an absorber that contains an absorbent, a refrigeration generator, a refrigeration condenser, and a refrigerant that circulates in the absorption refrigeration subsystem,
- wherein the solar receiver is fluidly connected to the steam generator and the refrigeration generator, and the steam generator is fluidly connected to the ejector, and
- wherein the steam generator generates steam by withdrawing heat from the heat transfer fluid and supplies the steam to the ejector, and the refrigeration generator evaporates the refrigerant by withdrawing heat from the heat transfer fluid.
4 more elements
2:
- The integrated system of claim 1, wherein the heat transfer fluid is at least one molten salt selected from the group consisting of sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate.
3:
- The integrated system of claim 1, wherein the solar power subsystem further comprises a hot storage tank for storing a hot heat transfer fluid and/or a cold storage tank for storing a cold heat transfer fluid.
4:
- The integrated system of claim 1,
- wherein the solar power subsystem further comprises a hot storage tank and a cold storage tank, and
- wherein the hot storage tank is located downstream of and fluidly connected to the solar receiver, and the cold storage tank is located upstream of and fluidly connected to the solar receiver.
5:
- The integrated system of claim 1, wherein each of the desalination evaporators comprises
- a tube with a tube inlet and a tube outlet, wherein at least a portion of the tube is located in an interior of the desalination evaporator, and the tube inlet and the tube outlet are located outside of the interior of the desalination evaporator;
- a saline water inlet to deliver a saline water to the interior of the desalination evaporator, wherein the saline water is contacted with the tube thereby condensing steam inside the tube and concurrently forming steam in the interior of the desalination evaporator;
- a steam outlet to reject the steam from the interior of the desalination evaporator;
- a connecting steam line that fluidly connects the steam outlet to the tube inlet of a subsequent desalination evaporator or a desalination condenser, wherein the connecting steam line delivers the steam to the subsequent desalination evaporator or the desalination condenser;
- and
- a brine outlet to reject brine from the interior of the desalination evaporator.
4 more elements
6:
- The integrated system of claim 5, wherein the desalination subsystem further comprises a freshwater line that is fluidly connected to the tube outlet of each of the desalination evaporators.
7:
- The integrated system of claim 1,
- wherein the desalination subsystem comprises a first desalination evaporator, a second desalination evaporator, a third desalination evaporator, and a fourth desalination evaporator that are fluidly connected in series, and
- wherein the ejector is located upstream of and fluidly connected to the first desalination evaporator.
8:
- The integrated system of claim 7, wherein the desalination subsystem further comprises a desalination condenser located downstream of and fluidly connected to the fourth desalination evaporator.
9:
- The integrated system of claim 7, wherein an interior of the second desalination evaporator is fluidly connected to the ejector.
10:
- The integrated system of claim 1, wherein the desalination evaporators are arranged in a parallel feed configuration.
11:
- The integrated system of claim 1, wherein the desalination evaporators are arranged in a parallel/cross flow configuration.
12:
- The integrated system of claim 1, wherein the desalination evaporators are arranged in a forward feed configuration.
13:
- The integrated system of claim 1,
- wherein the refrigeration condenser is located downstream of and fluidly connected to the refrigeration generator, the refrigeration evaporator is located downstream of and fluidly connected to the refrigeration condenser, the absorber is located downstream of and fluidly connected to the refrigeration evaporator, and the refrigeration generator is located downstream of and fluidly connected to the absorber, and
- wherein the refrigeration condenser condenses the refrigerant, the refrigeration evaporator evaporates the refrigerant by withdrawing heat from an interior of the refrigeration evaporator, the absorbent in the absorber absorbs the refrigerant, and the refrigeration generator evaporates the refrigerant by withdrawing heat from the heat transfer fluid.
14:
- The integrated system of claim 1, wherein the absorption refrigeration subsystem further comprises
- a regenerator located upstream of and fluidly connected to the refrigeration generator and downstream of and fluidly connected to the absorber, wherein the regenerator increases a temperature of the refrigerant, and
- a throttle valve located upstream of and fluidly connected to the refrigeration evaporator and downstream of and fluidly connected to the refrigeration condenser, wherein the throttle valve reduces a temperature and/or a pressure of the refrigerant.
15:
- The integrated system of claim 1, wherein the refrigerant is water.
16:
- The integrated system of claim 1, wherein the absorbent is an aqueous lithium bromide solution.
17:
- The integrated system of claim 1, further comprising:
- a steam turbine located downstream of and fluidly connected to the steam generator, wherein the steam turbine expands a portion of the steam to generate a shaft work.
18:
- The integrated system of claim 17, further comprising:
- a generator that is coupled to the steam turbine to convert the shaft work into electricity.
19:
- The integrated system of claim 1, further comprising:
- a reverse osmosis desalination subsystem comprising a vessel with an internal cavity, a semi-permeable membrane that divides the internal cavity into a saline water zone and a permeate zone, and a pump that pressurizes a saline water inside the saline water zone,
- wherein the saline water is permeated through the semi-permeable membrane to form a desalinated water in the permeate zone.
20:
- The integrated system of claim 19, wherein the pump is powered by the shaft work of the steam turbine.