Department of Chemical Engineering

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IIT Jodhpur

A new spray-type flash evaporator is suggested for the application of saline water desalination. The flash evaporator is 1000 mm in height and 1200 mm in diameter, with a water injection arrangement inside. The evaporator design is based on experiments conducted at vacuum pressures between 10 and 18 mm of Hg, and at saline feed water temperatures between 26°C and 32°C. The saline water is injected into a vapouriser through a pair of high-flow swirl injectors with a nominal flow rate of 1.5 litre/sec. per jet and the distance between the injectors is taken as 200 mm for design. The influence of the different thermal, hydrodynamic and geometric parameters on the evaporator performances was investigated. The results obtained are presented, which prove the validity of the proposed system. Copyright © 2007 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

World University root node

International Journal of Nuclear Desalination

Spray flash evaporator for low-temperature saline water desalination application

The rapid dwindling of fresh water resources has focused worldwide attention on water conservation measures and integrated water management. Rain, the important component of the hydrological cycle, has therefore received enormous attention, and Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) has emerged as one of the most important and economical tools of water conservation. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, with its expansive area, terrain characteristics and scientific know-how, has been able to create nearly 400 million litres of reservoir capacity by implementing RWH measures. It has further identified an additional 150 million litre capacity buildup. Additional proposals are being implemented for greater non-potable use of harvested water, hitherto confined to gardening. Cost analysis of fresh proposals reveals the return period to be less than five years. Copyright © 2006 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Rainwater-harvesting measures at BARC, Trombay, Mumbai: A case study

To improve heat transfer efficiency, Horizontal Tube Thin Film (HTTF) evaporators are being used in multieffect desalination plants. These plants require less pumping energy than thermal-based desalination plants. To generate the design data, experimental studies were carried out in a single-tube HTTF experimental setup, and heat transfer correlations were developed at BARC. The experimental findings and results are presented and discussed in this paper. Copyright © 2006 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Low grade heat utilisation for seawater desalination by the HTTF process

For peace, and the welfare and well-being of humans, fresh water is essential. Atoms are a source of abundant energy that do not have any greenhouse effect and can be used for different peaceful applications, such as power generation, the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in the field of medicine, to improve the productivity of food crops and soil fertility in agriculture and for food preservation. To find and assess the water resources on the earth, nuclear power serves as the source of energy for fresh water production. © 2006 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Atoms For Peace

Nuclear energy for water security

Crosslinked polyacrylamides were synthesized by solution polymerization using benzoyl peroxide as the radical initiator. The water-insoluble polymer obtained was functionalized by reacting with hydroxylamine to convert the amide group into hydroxamic acid group. The resultant functionalized polymer was characterized in terms of moisture uptake, elemental composition, IR spectra, thermal stability, exchange capacity and heavy metal sorption. The sorbent, obtained in paniculate form, was investigated for its sorption properties with respect to uranium from uranyl nitrate solutions under unstirred batch conditions. This paper will concentrate on preparation, characterization and performance evaluation with respect to uranium sorption as a function of concentration, time, solution pH and temperature. The potential of this sorbent for uranium and other heavy metal ion recovery from sea water is ascertained.

Journal of Macromolecular Science - Pure and Applied Chemistry

Polyhydroxamic acid sorbents for uranium recovery

A model is presented to study the steady and transient state responses of the system during startup and sudden load changes/disturbances of the Multi-effect Mechanical Vapour Compression (ME-MVC) desalination system. Some of the main dependent parameters like the compressor work, and the mass flow rate of distilled water against the independent parameters like the evaporation side pressure and the water inlet temperature have been studied. Also, the Performance Ratio (PR) and the heat transfer area dependency on the number of effects and Top Brine Temperature (TBT) have been studied. The material and energy balance equations for the feed, product and brine flow for each effect have been written and then solved simultaneously to obtain the time-dependent parameters under various transients. The effects of a step change in feed flow and temperature with respect to brine salinity and product flow rate, etc. have also been studied. Copyright © 2006 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Steady- And transient-state analysis of a multi-effect mechanical vapour compression desalination plant

A hybrid desalination system of 6300m3/day capacity has been envisaged, comprising 4500 m3/day Multi-Stage Flash (MSF) and 1800 m3/day Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) plants, and sharing basic utilities with Madras Atomic Power Station. The SWRO plant has been commissioned and has been operating for more than two years. The MSF plant is under construction. The construction of the MSF plant has thrown up a number of challenges, particularly as it is being retrofitted to the existing power plant. The steam supply system and the intake system for seawater required a unique approach both in design and erection. With notable variation in raw water quality, the operation of the SWRO plant has provided valuable insight into the performance of the pre-treatment system and of the membrane. Copyright © 2006 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Experiences in the construction and operation of a nuclear desalination demonstration plant

The trouble-free operation of a Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant relies on the quality of the treated feed water, which highlights the need for optimisation of the pre-treatment steps. The quality of raw seawater varies with time in terms of suspended and colloidal load, along with the dissolved salt content. In a conventional pre-treatment scheme, consisting of clarification and particulate and micron filtrations, along with chemical conditioning, the chemical dose rates are required to be pre-determined and monitored according to the changing raw water quality. In the RO section, operating pressure and membrane area should be variables as the need arises, depending on the variation in dissolved salts, for maximum production of better quality water. In this paper, the theoretical evaluation of RO performance with respect to seasonal variation in feed salinity is presented, which tells of the need to incorporate sufficient flexibility in operation when designing a plant. Copyright © 2006 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Influence of feed quality on seawater reverse osmosis performance

The seawater reverse osmosis system requires extensive pre-treatment in order to ensure reliable performance. The conventional pretreatment system involves dosing of chemicals, which requires frequent monitoring of raw water quality, and also involves adjusting the dosage. Besides being cumbersome, there is a lot of time lag involved in carrying out these measures. This calls for pre-treatment systems based on physicochemical mechanisms. During the last few years, Ultrafiltration (UF) has emerged as a leading unit operation in order to render raw seawater compatible with reverse osmosis operations. In this context, the Desalination Division of BARC has already installed an operational UF pre-treatment system. In this paper, we examine the role of UF in the overall operations of the seawater reverse osmosis system. Copyright © 2006 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Assessment of an ultrafiltration pre-treatment system for a seawater reverse osmosis plant

A seawater reverse osmosis plant of 1800 m3/day capacity is part of the 6300m3/day capacity nuclear desalination demonstration project at Kalpakkam. The plant was commissioned in October 2002 and is in continuous operation. This paper deals with types of foulants, membrane cleaning procedures and the improvement in the reverse osmosis system after cleaning. This paper also describes the analysis of foulants, which may consist of adsorbed organic compounds, particulate matter, micro-organisms and metallic oxides, and describes the chemical cleaning procedure to be adopted, which is specific the seawater used because the membrane foulants are very specific with respect to the seawater constituents. The cleaning of the membranes in the Kalpakkam nuclear desalination plant was taken up because the quality of the permeate had deteriorated and the differential pressure across the membrane had gone up. This paper essentially deals with the selection of cleaning chemicals, the experience gained with the cleaning procedure adopted and the effects of cleaning on the membrane system. Copyright © 2006 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.