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Optimization of Osmotic Desalination Plants for Water Supply Networks

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Abstract

Water scarcity and the poor quality of water resources are leading to a wider diffusion of desalination plants using the Reverse Osmosis (RO) process. Unfortunately, the cost of a cubic meter of fresh water produced by an RO plants is still high and many efforts are in progress to increase the efficiency of the membranes used in osmotic plants and to limit the energy required by the process. A further reduction of the energy cost could be obtained by an optimal operation of the desalination plant so reducing the hourly energy cost, or by coupling the RO plant with an energy production plant based on direct osmosis (Pressure Retarded Osmosis PRO).

The economic viability of the desalination process has been analyzed until now without accounting for the integration of the RO plant with the existing water network. This analysis is developed in the present paper with reference to a hypothetical change of water supply in a real network, where a desalination plant is used to satisfy the fresh water demand. Several scenarios will be analyzed to assess the minimum cost of fresh water production and water supply to the network, including the use of energy recovery systems, such as an integrated use of RO and PRO processes, or the regulation of pressure at the network intake by a micro hydro power plant.

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Abbreviations

RO:

Reverse Osmosis

PRO:

Pressure Retarded Osmosis

WSN:

Water Supply Network

PRV:

Pressure Reduction Valve

PAT:

Pump as Turbine

ERD:

Energy Recovery Device

HPP:

Hydro Power Plant

VOS:

Variable Operating Strategy

PES:

Pressure Exchange System

S & P:

Store and Pump

P & S:

Pump and Store

DS:

Direct Supply

SPS:

Seawater Pumping System

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DICEA, University of Naples Federico II, via Claudio, 21, 80125, Naples, Italy

    Armando Carravetta, Oreste Fecarotta, Riccardo Martino & Roberta Padulano

  2. DIDCEA, Second University of Naples, via Roma, 29 Aversa, (CE), Italy

    Umberto Maria Golia

  3. Department of Engineering, Università degli Studi Roma, Via Vito Volterra 62, Rome, Italy

    Michele La Rocca

  4. Department of Civil, Environmental, Aerospace, Materials Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128, Palermo, Italy

    Tullio Tucciarelli

Authors
  1. Armando Carravetta
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  2. Oreste Fecarotta
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  3. Umberto Maria Golia
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  4. Michele La Rocca
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  5. Riccardo Martino
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  6. Roberta Padulano
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  7. Tullio Tucciarelli
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Correspondence to Riccardo Martino.

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Carravetta, A., Fecarotta, O., Golia, U.M. et al. Optimization of Osmotic Desalination Plants for Water Supply Networks. Water Resour Manage 30, 3965–3978 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-016-1404-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-016-1404-9

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