Abstract:

Low temperature multi-effect evaporation (LT-MEE) seawater desalination systems with top brine temperature lower than 70℃ have attracted attention in recent years.A method for performance estimation of LT-MEE is proposed, and a formula is built for a typical LT-MEE configuration.Excluding complex properties of working fluids and details of heat and mass transfer processes, this formula involves only simple algebraic operations, thus provides a convenient way to evaluate the water production of LT-MEE for different motive heat source conditions and design parameters.Comparing the formula prediction with the data from both rigorous models and references, it indicates that the formula can give good results in wide parameter ranges.Although this method is proposed based on a typical LT-MEE configuration, it is also applicable to other LT-MEE configurations and thermal desalination systems.