Direct Wind-Powered Desalination System

Abstract

A novel direct wind-powered desalination (D-WPD) system for brackish water utilizes a small-scale vertical axis wind turbine to directly power a reverse-osmosis-based desalination system via a high-pressure pump without electricity generation or a system controller. A comprehensive parametric study examined the effects of feed water salinity, module loading, and wind speed on the system’s performance, demonstrating high efficiency under various operating conditions. A stand-alone system demonstrated operation at effectively constant system efficiency, approximately 13.5%, and low specific wind and mechanical energy consumptions for a wide range of wind speeds and salinities. Despite the turbine’s small projected area of 0.8m², the D-WPD system yielded a daily permeate production of up to 0.6 m³/day at an average wind speed of 6 m/s. The D-WPD system surpassed previous wind-powered desalination studies in terms of specific energy consumption, relative efficiency, and relative desalination capacity, making it a low-cost solution for off-grid wind-powered small-scale desalination. Combined with the system’s low noise emission and reduced probability of bird strikes, a desalination system based on these findings can be an ideal solution for off-grid wind power desalination.