Design and dynamic numerical modeling of a hybrid reverse osmosis/adsorption-based distillation system driven by solar dish Stirling engine for enhanced performance and waste heat recovery

In light of green solutions to address the shortage of freshwater shortage, energy crisis, and climate change. Tri-generation renewable systems are recently efficient approaches that can offer multiple energy outputs, such as heat, electricity, and distilled water. This paper presents a new hybrid freshwater production system driven by renewable energy for enhanced performance and waste heat recovery. This hybrid system proposes the utilization of reverse osmosis, an adsorption distillation system, and a solar dish Stirling engine (RO-ADS/SDSE). The cooperative concept is based on the re-desalination of the brine of the RO unit using an adsorption desalination system driven by the heat rejected from the SDSE, while the RO system is driven by the electrical energy produced by the Stirling engine. A mathematical model conducted in MATLAB coupled with EES package is developed to investigate the performance of the proposed RO-ADS/SDSE with and without pressure recovery (PR) mode at different salinity concentrations varying from 30000 to 50000 ppm at a constant feed pressure of 80 bar. The investigation is conducted based on the meteorological data of Tianjin, China. The results showed significant superiority in the performance of the proposed RO-ADS/SDSE system, as the annual freshwater production rate of the RO-ADS/SDSE with PR increased by up to 3000 m³ compared to 1700 m³ for the standalone RO system at a feed salinity of 45000 ppm and feed pressure of 80 bar. On a daily basis, the hourly permeating flow rate of the RO-ADS/SDSE with PR increased from 2.30 m³/h to 2.60 m³/h, and the permeate salinity decreased from 190 to 120 ppm. While the daily electricity consumption decreased from 5.20 to 4.40 kWh/m³. In conclusion, the proposed RO-ADS/SDSE system with PR can be considered a promising approach in maximizing the performance of desalination systems.