Decarbonized Thermal Vapor Compressor-Based Solar Desalinator: Evaluating the Yield and Economy over Plant Scenario

Achieving carbon neutrality in the multieffect desalination (MED) integrated with thermal vapor compression (TVC) system is an ambitious target by utilizing renewable resources. This work develops an industrial-scale solar power-driven MED-TVC to explore its techno-economic feasibility for sustainable production of drinking water. For this, a theoretical framework is derived and numerically simulated prior to validate the MED-TVC formulation with data sets of three plants operated in Tripoli (Libya), Kish Iceland (Iran), and Umm Al-Nar (UAE). The model is extended to set the design and operating parameters for optimal MED-TVC performance by developing a powerful genetic algorithm-based optimization strategy with three conflicting objectives (maximize potable water production and minimize potable water production cost (PWPC) and CO₂ emission). The solar cell is further proposed to be designed for the generation of motive steam required to drive the desalination unit with the target of eliminating CO₂ emission. Finally, to account the environmental damage via product cost, carbon tax is introduced in the economic assessment study of the thermal-based desalination scheme. It is investigated that the proposed solar power-driven optimal MED-TVC guarantees zero emission with higher freshwater productivity at a lower cost over the real-time MED-TVC plant and better PWPC than many existing solar MED scenarios.