SSAU scientists and specialists of JSC 'Metallist-Samara' create a unique desalination plant

According to the United Nations organization (UNO), currently one-third of the world's population is suffering shortage of fresh water. By 2030, 47 % of the world's population will already live under the threat of water deficiency.
 

Scientists of SSAU and specialists of JSC “Metallist-Samara” work out a project on creation of import-substituting sea water desalting plants and wastewater treatment plants. First of all, it will be designed to provide dry regions of the Crimea, Krasnodar and Stavropol Territory with fresh water, thus Sevastopol State University acts as co-executor of the project. 
 

The uniqueness of the created installation is that it will be more economical and energy-efficient compared to existing counterparts. So, the first experimental installation designed to produce one cubic meter of fresh water per hour, has a power consumption of only 10 kilowatt-hours, which is at the level of the latest foreign desalination plants. Considering this power consumption, prime cost of one litre of drinking water produced by the plant will amount to 20 kopeks excluding capital investments.
 

Operating principle of the installation developed by Samara scientists is based on the distillation method.
 

Heated sea water pre-cleaned by the filter is supplied to the unit. A vapour compressor, being an energy source, creates a vacuum in several cascades of the device, where the evaporation of sea water takes place and escaping vapour heats the next cascade. It creates a reduced pressure at which the boiling point of water becomes lower - 50-60 degrees. Herewith a part of the water is converted into distilled water through steam, and a part of the water is sent back to sea in the form of brine. Then, distilled water is treated to the industrial water, which may have the increased salt concentration or to the drinking water.

Advantage of distillation method of desalination compared with the other is the use of minimum quantities of reagents and slight discharge of salts into the environment; high water quality regarding suspended solid particles; possibility of obtaining a small amount of waste, which includes dry salts; possibility of using waste heat as well as removal of dissolved gases from the water.
 

“First of all, the installation of sea water desalination will find application in small health resorts, children's camps, rest homes and hotels located on the beach” - said Vladimir Biryuk, the project monitor, Professor of SSAU Department of Thermal Engineering and Heat Engines.

In addition, the plant can be used to provide fresh water for agricultural purposes of dry areas of the Crimea. Another intended use of this installation is discharge treatment of industrial plants, such as industrial water waste treatment.
 

SSAU engineers propose to replace the usual shell and tube heat exchangers to plate-fin heat exchangers which are more compact and efficient in this case. Thereby the created desalination plant will be more compact and mobile - it can be transported and installed in the regions having a fresh water deficit.
 

Participation in the project on creation of import-substituting desalting plants will allow SSAU to implement its own developments in collaboration with a major machine building enterprise.

The possibilities of the University in the fiend of Information Technology (supercomputer “Sergey Korolev”, special software), as well as 3D-printing will be used in the work on the plant. The specialists of the Sevastopol State University having extensive experience in the water desalination on sea vessels will deal with the processing of distilled water into drinking water, as well as hold a patent analysis of the installation.
 

The future plans of developers include production and experimental development of the desalination plant with capacity of one cubic meter of water per hour, and eventually - creation of similar plants on five and ten cubic meters and their mass production at the plant “Metallist-Samara”.

The first desalination plant with a capacity of one cubic meter will be established and experimentally developed in the next two years. The future plan of developers is creation of similar plants on five and ten cubic meters and their mass production at the plant “Metallist-Samara”.