Final Report on Humidification-Dehumidification Desalination Prototype

Freshwater available across the globe is decreasing daily due to population growth, climate change, and pollution. The growing scarcity of freshwater affects more than a billion people worldwide and has prompted increased research into desalination processes. Large desalination plants are already in operation but are very expensive to build. Not every community has the means to implement these large systems, advancing the need for smaller, more economical, and efficient desalination plants. The Desalinators researched and designed a humidification-dehumidification (HDH) desalination prototype that will convert saline water into potable water at a household scale (approximately 5-10 gal/day of freshwater). The sponsor, SwRI, intends to use the results of this project to further their research into the applications and improvements of small-scale HDH processes. Therefore, the prototype need not be perfect as long as it produces results that can be measured and analyzed. The prototype features four main subsystems: primary heater, air circulation system, humidifier, and condenser. After the team’s extensive research, the final prototype was built using a water heater provided by the sponsor, an air pump (for forced convection) provided by the University, a packed bed tower humidifier with Raschig rings, and an ice bath within a plastic bucket with an air separator for the condenser. A schematic of the final prototype can be found in the figure section of the appendix. The team chose these components to maximize the performance of the prototype while minimizing costs. The six project requirements included the following: the prototype shall use the HDH process to desalinate saline water into potable water; the prototype should operate within ±20% error of design parameters, including operating temperature, humidity at inlet and outlet, and outlet salt content; the prototype shall allow the operating temperature, humidity at inlet and outlet, and outlet salt content to be measured; the prototype should allow efficiency to be measured and compared to current desalination processes via gained-output ratio (GOR), recovery ratio (RR), or other efficiency measures; the prototype should allow outlet water samples to be collected and tested by instruments provided by SwRI; and the prototype may produce between 5-10 gallons/day. To meet these requirements, several “complete prototype tests” were conducted in which temperatures, flow rates, humidity, and salinities were measured at 3-minute intervals during a 21-30 minute test. The complete prototype tests were conducted at a variety of water heater setpoints and flow rates. An additional “long test” was conducted as well where the same values were measured but for 100 minutes at 4-minute intervals. Using the results of these tests, the team was able to show that the prototype successfully met all but the last project requirement regarding potable water output volume and selecting optimal operating conditions. The potable water volume production rate could be increased if the tubing used within the prototype was upgraded to better withstand moderate pressures as well as using larger water and air pumps to increase flow rates