Design and economic assessment of an autonomous flexible wind energy system powering a large capacity water desalination plant

• Published in: Desalination and water treatment 2021-07, Vol.228, p.47-62
• Main Authors: Ali, Emad, Bumazza, Mourad, Eltamaly, Ali, Mulyono, Sarwono, Yasin, Muath
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptive design; Desalination; Reverse osmosis; Water cost; Wind power
• ISSN: 1944-3986
• DOI: 10.5004/dwt.2021.27344

In this study, we present a novel methodology to design and optimally operate a standalone wind-driven reverse osmosis desalination plant to provide the required water production in face of fluctuating wind power. The methodology is applied to a plant with a capacity of 2,592 m3/h for a rural area in Saudi Arabia. The plant nominal size, operating conditions, and the number of wind turbines are determined through numerical simulations. The performance of the desalination plant is tested under fluctuating wind power using two different operation strategies that allow for better leverage of the generated wind power. It is found that the desalination system can provide the annual production capacity if the feed pressure is optimally adapted in response to the varying wind speed. Another successful strategy involves the optimal use of the plant vessels in face of fluctuating wind power. Both strategies are successful but necessitate the use of a control system to automatically adapt the feed pressure or the plant active vessels during wind power variations. Moreover, the economic analysis signified a water cost as low as 0.45 $/m3 for the studied plant.