Abstract
This paper presents an advanced desalination cycle that hybridizes a conventional multi-effect distillation (MED) and an emerging yet low-energy adsorption cycle (AD). The hybridization of these cycles, known as MED + AD or MEDAD in short, extends the limited temperature range of the MED, typically from 65 °C at top-brine temperature (TBT) to a low-brine temperature (LBT) of 40 °C to a lower LBT of 5 °C, whilst the TBT remains the same. The integration of cycles is achieved by having vapor uptake by the adsorbent in AD cycle, extracting from the vapor emanating from last effect of MED. By increasing the range of temperature difference (DT) of a MEDAD, its design can accommodate additional condensation-evaporation stages that capitalize further the energy transfer potential of expanding steam. Numerical model for the proposed MEDAD cycle is presented and compared with the water production rates of conventional and hybridized MEDs. The improved MEDAD design permits the latter stages of MED to operate below the ambient temperature, scavenging heat from the ambient air. The increase recovery of water from the seawater feed may lead to higher solution concentration within the latter stages, but the lower saturation temperatures of these stages mitigate the scaling and fouling effects.