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Wave Enrgy Input To Desalination
Wave Enrgy Input To Desalination
Research Article
Offshore Desalination Using Wave Energy
Copyright © 2013 Á. Serna and F. Tadeo. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly
cited.
This paper evaluates the design of an offshore desalination plant currently under preliminary development. The purpose is to test
the feasibility of producing drinkable water using wave energy in out-of-sight installations, as an alternative for those locations
where land use, civil engineering works, and/or environmental impact make a coast-based solution inadequate. After describing
the components, a proposal for sizing them is studied, based on using buoy-measured data at the expected location and their
mathematical models of the different sections of the plant. Finally, by using measured buoy data, the influence of sizing on the
expected performance is studied for a specific location, and one of the designs is developed in detail.
Waves
Wave energy
converters
Seawater Batteries
Electrical power
Drinkable
water
2000
1000
2. Description of Components One of the key points in the structural design and energy
2.1. Wave Energy Converters. The electrical power generated extraction capacity of the device is the response to different
by a wave energy converter (WEC) is determined by its periods and wave heights (Figure 3). To evaluate the energy
characteristics and the wave weather in the location [13]. produced by the WEC, water waves are considered to travel
We assume here the use of a multibody floating WEC; the along the surface of the sea with an approximate sinusoidal
energy is extracted by the relative motion of different parts profile, characterized in terms of the time between successive
of the structure. These devices are adequate for in deep water crests and the size of these crests [17]. Wave height and
(>40 m) [11]. period are represented by statistical measurements, the most
More precisely, the device used is a floating heave-buoy common being the significant wave height, 𝐻𝑠 (𝑡) (around
array (F-HBA), which is represented in Figure 2. It is a four time the root-mean square of the surface elevation
multibody floating WEC, composed of many heaving buoys during a given window), and the wave period 𝑇𝑝 (𝑡). The
connected to a common reference structure. This structure devices have a maximum range of operation; the energy
is composed of an arrangement of a single support structure that can be used by a device is limited to a maximum wave
and a series of ballast baskets, connected through tension height and a minimum wave period. Multiplying the WEC
wires. The total buoyancy force from the buoys is balanced power matrix (Figure 3) by the buoy-measured data of the
by net gravity forces of the bridge and the ballast baskets. sea location, the mean absorbed power during a specific time
The buoys are connected to the submerged structure via a period of the device can be derived (𝑃𝑤 ).
hydraulic Power Take-Off (PTO) system, which converts the
mechanical energy of the device into electricity. In the case of 2.2. Water Production. Different techniques for fresh water
wave activated body WECs, they can be based on hydraulic production have been developed. Nowadays, reverse osmosis
components (hydraulic rams and motors) combined with an and distillation processes are the most used technologies.
electrical generator [14], or they can be fully electric [15, 16]. The required plant capacity, the annual and daily distribution
The second proposal was assumed in this work due to the of fresh water demand, the product cost, the technology
special conditions in offshore plants. The microgrid designed maturity, and any problem related to the coupling of the
in this paper has shedable loads (RO sections and SWP), so renewable energy and the desalination systems determine
the consumed power adapts to the varying input power. The this selection [18]. The plant proposed in this paper is an
battery controllers ensure the needed grid regulation. offshore floating plant, which makes the implementation of
Advances in Mechanical Engineering 3
Pressurized
seawater
as there is wide experience in marine applications. A simple
mathematical model of this system is as follows (the nominal
Fresh voltage of the lead-acid cell is 2 volts) [22]:
water
𝑃𝑊 − 𝑃𝑇
Brine 𝐼= , (1)
𝑉
Figure 4: Transport of water through an RO membrane.
where 𝐼 is the current at the battery terminals, 𝑉 is the voltage,
𝑃𝑊 is the power supplied by the WEC, and 𝑃𝑇 is the total
power consumed by the SWPs and the RO. The equation
distillation processes difficult due to the strict limitations relating the capacity of the battery and the amperage is as
on space and movements. Thus, RO was selected as the follows [11]:
desalination technique as there is wide experience in this
process in marine installations. 𝑑𝐶𝑅 𝐼𝑘
=𝜂 , (2)
RO is based on the transport of water through a mem- 𝑑𝑡 3600
brane by porosity and/or diffusion (see scheme in Figure 4).
where 𝐶𝑅 is the rated capacity at that discharge rate, 𝑡 is the
The chemical and physical nature of the membrane deter-
time (h), 𝑘 is Peukert’s coefficient, and 𝜂 is the efficiency of
mines its ability to allow for preferential transport of the sol-
the battery. The key decision variable, the depth of discharge
vent (water) over the solute (salt ions). To ensure water flow
(DOD) of a battery, is the percentage of capacity to which it
through the RO membrane, a difference of pressure is needed
is discharged. Values approaching 1 correspond to the battery
between the feed and permeate sides of the membrane, which
being almost discharged. The DOD is given by the expression
must be significantly greater than the osmotic pressure; for
below, where 𝐶𝑃 is Peukert’s capacity:
seawater this gives operating pressures around 60 bars [19];
the pressure of the brine is frequently recovered using specific 𝐶𝑅
devices to improve energy efficiency. DOD = 1 − . (3)
𝐶𝑃
2.2.1. Desalination Plant Operation. As has already been The value of the % of battery charge is given by this simple
mentioned, WEC energy production changes with time, equation:
which requires the power consumption (and thus the produc-
% Battery charge = (1 − DOD) ⋅ 100. (4)
tion of power) to adapt to the available power. Changing the
working point of the plant (thus, changing the flow/pressure It is important to remark the fact that the constant
combination from a specific value) makes it possible to adapt discharging and charging of the batteries lead them to becom-
the RO electrical load to the demand (this is challenging for ing quickly ineffective, so DOD is an important parameter
RO plants, as they are normally designed to operate at an that will be used inside the control system, as in [23, 24].
optimal working point). Therefore, the battery capacity that has finally been chosen
A specific control system, discussed later, would be in the simulation in Section 6 aims to be the least harmful to
responsible for adapting power consumption to demand, the system.
always trying to operate the plant at the best possible overall
efficiency.
It was decided to partition the high pressure part of 3. Control System
the RO plant into three sections (A, B, and C) [4]; each A central component to ensure the smooth operation of the
section operates as a standard RO plant (producing water facility is the control system, which should balance electricity
with maximum efficiency, at a fixed working point). Sections production and consumption by adapting the consumed
can operate on an individual basis or together with one or loads: the power of the seawater pumps (SWPs) and the
more of the different sections. Seawater is taken from the pumps working in the different sections of the RO. Battery
sea by the three independent pumps before being stored in a controllers regulate the local grid frequency and voltage. The
common seawater tank as can be seen in Figure 5 (ratings in control system is based on the two following ideas.
this figure correspond to the case study that will be presented Six control variables are used, that correspond to the
in Section 5). It is then desalinated and stored in a fresh water connection/disconnection of each of the sections A, B, and
tank in order to transport it offshore. C in the RO and each SWP (see Figure 6).
2.3. Short-Term Energy Storage. The proposed system is (i) When the production is higher than the consump-
offgrid, so energy production and demand must be balanced. tion, the energy is stored until the temporary storage
Short-term energy storage is used to provide energy to the system is nearly full; then different sections of the RO
reverse osmosis plant and the SWPs when not enough power and the SWPs are switched on.
is provided by the WEC [20]. (ii) When the storage system is almost empty, sections
Several technologies have been proposed for temporary of the RO and the SWPs are switched off (these sec-
storage (see, e.g., [21] for a review of technologies). In this tions are then automatically cleaned and maintenance
case, we will assume a standard Pb battery rack system, operations are carried out).
4 Advances in Mechanical Engineering
C section (RO)
95 kW
Produced Battery
DOD Idle
energy
DOD ≤ 0.8
B DOD ≥ 0.85
Control system
DOD ≤ 0.6
DOD ≤ 0.45
switch on/off SWP 1
A DOD ≥ 0.5
switch on/off
switch on/off
switch on/off
section A
section C
section B
DOD ≤ 0.3
DOD
≤ 0.2
A+B DOD ≥ 0.25
Reverse
Seawater DOD
osmosis ≤ 0.05
supply
plant A+B
+C
Integer variable
continuous variable DOD ≥ 0.2
Figure 6: Proposed control system. Figure 7: Sequential function chart of the control logic of the
operation.
A control subsystem decides the connection/disconnec- (iv) When the level of the seawater tank is lower than
tion of the three SWPs in specific cases of safety. a certain value, the three SWPs are switched on
simultaneously until the level is again between safety
(iii) When the level of the seawater tank is higher than limits.
a certain value, the three SWPs are switched off
simultaneously until the level is again between safety The control logic is summarized in the Sequential Function
limits. Chart in Figure 7, where the different stages in the operation
Advances in Mechanical Engineering 5
From C + B
or A + C
To C + B
A.0
Idle DOD ≥ 0.5
A
L ≥ L max
SWP 1
To A + C
can be seen. There is one different combination of RO sections (iii) The tank size 𝑉𝑆 is selected to ensure autonomy at all
(A, B, and C) in each stage. Therefore, for each range of DOD times.
values, there is a certain operating stage. Furthermore, in
each stage, the three SWPs are switched on/off one by one, (iv) The battery capacity 𝐶𝑃 is selected to ensure
depending on the value of the DOD, as detailed in Figure 8, 𝑊𝑎 hours of autonomy at all times and that the DOD
where the Sequential Function Chart in stage A is shown. is always between given limits DOD < DOD < DOD.
×103
120 90 1500
118 80
On-off SWP/RO
116 70 1000
114 60
112 50
110 500
108 40
106 30 0
104 20 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
102 10
100 0 Time (days)
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500
Battery capacity (Ah) Figure 11: Power produced by the WEC.
118
116 25 Section B
On-off SWP/RO
114 20 Section C
112
110 15 Figure 12: Fresh water produced in each RO section.
108
106 10
104 5
102 Table 1: Selected operating point.
100 0
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
Tank volume (m3 )
Battery Tank
Fresh water On-off SWP On-off RO
capacity volume
(m3 /month) (times/month) (times/month)
Water produced (m3 /month)
3
(Ah) (m )
On-off SWP 2400 7700 106693 4.8 20.6
On-off RO
100
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