Abstract
Abstract
Many regions of the planet are under water stress that can create humanitarian disasters. Where available, seawater can undergo a desalination process to produce drinkable water. The desalination processes may use thermal and mechanical energy. Methods based on evaporation and flashing are thermal driven, whether water osmosis uses mechanical energy. An endothermal motor can generate both mechanical and thermal energy. This paper focuses on a Diesel generator able to supply an electrical power of 362 kW. It evaluates the water production of a combined system with a Multi-Effect Evaporator and a Reverse Osmosis system. The Multi-Effect Evaporator uses the thermal energy from the exhaust gases; the Reverse Osmosis uses the generator's electrical power. The generator is typical for marine applications and can be deployed in humanitarian operations. The system can produce 1,011 m3 per day of drinkable water, enough to supply the daily basic needs of a population of about 50,500 persons.