Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Multiple Effect
Distillation (MED)
Coolant
Condensate Intermediate Scale Inhibitor
Return Pump Feed Pump Feed Pump
The condensate from the first effect The concentrated brine from the hottest
is collected, and part of the distillate effect is, like the distillate, cascaded
(equal to the amount of steam observed through a series of brine flash tanks and
by the MED unit) is returned to the flash-cooled to recover its heat. After
steam generator. The excess distillate, cooling, it is returned to the sea via the
above the original quantity of motive brine pump.
steam, flows into the first of a series of
special chambers, each ducted to the Non-Condensable Gases (NCG) are bled
cooler condensing section of the next from each tube, and then join the vapor
effect. Part of the distillate flashes off, flowing from one effect to the next,
cooling the remaining product stream, eventually reaching the condenser. From
while returning the heat given off to the there the NCG are concentrated inside
main body of heat recovery effects. the heat rejection condenser at the
cooler end of the MED and evacuated
The product stream is thus cascaded by a steam jet ejector or mechanical
and flash-cooled in stages. The heat that vacuum pumps.
is released increases the total efficiency
of the process. The cooled distillate
is finally discharged to storage by the
product delivery pump.
HIGHPRESS
URESTEAM
EXTRACTION STEAM
TO PROCESS
EXHAUST GASES
TURBINE
CONDENSATE
PRODUCT
RETURN TO BOILER
CONDENSATE
RETURN TO BOILER
BACK PRESSURE STEAM (0.25-0.35 BARA) BACK PRESSURE STEAM FROM COMBINED CYCLE
For very large, dual purpose applications ranging from 50 to This scheme is the optimal solution for IPP and/or Re-powering
500 MW and 20,000 to 200,000 tons/day of water. projects. Where combined cycles are applicable ranging from
50 to 600 MW, the installation of 10,000 to 160,000 ton/day of
water (respectively) is possible.
SYSTEM
AT 8 ATA EXHAUST GASES SYSTEM EXHAUST GASES
AT 8 ATA
STEAM STEAM
JETTHERMOCOMPRESSOR JETTHERMOCOMPRESSOR
GAS TURBINE
WASTE HEAT FROM DIESEL ENGINE WASTE HEAT FROM GAS TURBINE
The MED will draw the motive energy from the waste heat Motive steam produced at the HRSG is used to activate a
recovered from the exhaust gases and the water cooling thermocompressor, thus increasing the economy ratio of the
system of a diesel engine. desalination plant.
TVC Thermal Vapor compression Extraction steam operation –
at anywhere from 2 to 10 ata:
Thermal Vapor Compression plants
utilize the MED system together with This scheme is applicable where the
a steam jet compressor. They are plant operates with an existing turbine,
designed for projects where relatively designed to supply 2- 10 ata. extraction
high steam pressure of 2 to 10 ata. is steam (eg, for an obsolete high
available. Due to the relatively high temperature MSF plant).
cost of this steam, a large number of
evaporation condenser heat recovery Two options are possible: A TVC plant
effects are normally justified. Optimal with a GOR in the range of 12 to 15, or
MED units have the thermo-compressor a MED plant fitted with an auxiliary low
operating across six or eight, of a total pressure steam turbine.
of anywhere up to fifteen, heat recovery
effects. As a result, MED-TVC plants The MED plant operating with low grade
feature superior efficiency, able to steam/heat offers superior economics,
achieve a Gain Operation Ratio GOR - but even the TVC plant, which
(a measure of energy efficiency) of consumes higher pressure steam,
15 tons distillate produced for each
ton of motive steam.
Low grade heat is available through will have lower operating costs than
cogeneration schemes with steam equivalent Seawater Reverse Osmosis
turbine, diesel generator and gas plants. 2 x MED - 17,500 units,
turbine power plants. The low grade Las Palmas,
heat is obtained through waste heat MED with an auxiliary Canary Islands, Spain
recovery from industrial cooling turbo-generator:
waters and exhaust gases, solid
waste incinerators, solar ponds and Another type of application, which
geothermal waters. expands the 2–10 ata extraction steam
in an auxiliary turbo-generator down
Steam cogeneration schemes to the 0.35 ata pressure required for
MED plant operation, will generate
Low grade steam operation – about 8 kWh of electric power per ton of
at anywhere from 0.3 to 0.4 ata: distilled water as a by-product.
This power will cover approximately the
Low temperature MED plants permit 1.2 kWh/ton required for MED process
further expansion of the steam in pumping, and the net saleable power
the turbine and minimize the losses exported will contribute anywhere from
in its heat rate, compared to high 15 to 60 US¢/ton, depending on the
temperature distillation plants that external selling price for power.
require motive steam of 2 to 3 ata.,
The cost of energy with extraction
There will be no loss of power steam operation will be limited, as with
output with this scheme if turbine back pressure turbine operation, to
throttle steam input is increased the cost of additional fuel consumed in
to compensate for back pressure order to generate the marginal quantity
operation. The cost of energy for the of throttle steam that is required to
desalination process will be limited maintain the same net power output.
to the marginal cost of fuel consumed
to generate the additional quantity of For the TVC plant option, the specific
steam required to maintain the same fuel consumption will be about 1.5 kg/ton
net power output. of product water. For the MED unit
with an auxiliary turbine scheme the
For back pressure steam MED plants, specific fuel consumption will be about
the specific fuel consumption will be in 2.2 kg/ton of product water. This fuel
the range of 1.2 to 1.7 kg only per ton of cost will, however, be somewhat offset
product water. by the benefit from the sale of by-product
power.
Diesel cogeneration schemes
In diesel generator cogeneration
schemes, most of the waste heat
3 x MED-5,000 unit
discharged by the diesel (through its US Virgin Islands (WAPA)
exhaust gases, jacket water and lube
oil cooling and if necessary, also from
charge air cooling) will be recovered.
This heat represents about 40-50% of
the diesel fuel heat content, increasing
overall thermal efficiency to over 80%.
200 – 250 tons/day of distillate can be
generated entirely by such waste heat,
for each MW of daily diesel generator
load.
Gas Turbine
and solid waste
incinerators will
operate with waste
heat boilers, and,
preferably, an
intermediate 4 x MED-24,000
steam turbine to RELIANCE
generate by-product Jamnagar Site
power.