Novel wind-powered energy-efficient reverse osmosis plants for sustainable water desalination in rural coastal areas.
Project Team
Prof. Dr. Gamal Hafez Ahmed Moustafa
Professor of Fluid DynamicsPrincipal Investigator at Port Said University, Egypt
Prof. Dr. Lin Ma
Professor of Fluid DynamicsPrincipal Investigator at Sheffield University, UK
Sponser
Project Summary
This project focuses on the design, techno-economic assessment and demonstration of a novel wind-powered Reverse Osmosis (RO) system for sustainable water desalination in rural coastal areas of Egypt. The project brings together leading researchers in the areas of wind energy from the University of Sheffield and in water desalination from the Port Said University to deliver this innovative research project, to support the research and innovation capacity building in Port Said, and to stimulate longer term collaboration between the two Universities.
Most of the Egyptian coastlines is rural or even uninhabited. The sustainable development of these areas relies on the availability of both potable and treated water for domestic, agricultural and industrial development. Desalination is the most economic choice for the communities, in particular on the north-west Egyptian coast. In this project, a wind-powered RO is developed for the efficient operation. The new system can substantially reduce the requirement for energy storage and cut down the capital and operational costs. This makes it very suitable for low-income communities from the rural coastal areas.
A pilot unit of approximately 1 kW in capacity will be developed which is capable of producing 5 cubic meters of potable water per day, thus being sufficient to meet the drinking water needs of a minimum of 500 people. It also can provide treated water for drip irrigation and small industries. The project will directly enhance the social and economic development of the coastal communities and create more jobs.
Project Objectives
- High-level engineering design and optimization of a 1 kW wind-power Reverse Osmosis pilot and demonstration plant for sustainable desalinated water production at a low cost and in a very energy efficient way.
- System component design and test, including the wind turbine, compressor and RO unit. The system will be constructed such that is suitable for operating at the low wind speeds that occur in these typical coastline areas.
- Construction of the pilot plant to demonstrate the suitability of the proposed system in supplying a steady supply of fresh water in different wind conditions throughout the year.
- Techno-economic analysis of the novel technology and system scale-up to support future full-scale development.
- To support the research and innovation capacity building at the Port Said University in wind energy and RO desalination technology and stimulate longer term links between the two Universities through the intensive collaborative research and exchange of knowledge.
