Ranque-Hilsch Vortex Tube Potential for Water Desalination

Abstract

Virtually any process using high-temperature or high-pressure gas may be a resource for energy recovery. There are many industrial processes resulting in wasted pressurized gases where by using a Ranque-Hilsch Vortex Tube it might be possible to recover some of the wasted pressure energy. Although the magnitudes of the wasted pressure are low in various industrial processes, when the mass flow rates are significant it would be possible to recover large amounts of thermal energy to produce drinking water. This study presents a physical configuration for a Ranque-Hilsch Vortex Tube equipment to produce drinking water and investigate its potential for recovering the wasted pressure energy for seawater desalination. Numerical results show a potential for producing drinking water of 0.005 0.012 kg drinking water/ kg compressed gas when the waste pressures are of order of magnitude 300 700 kPa. Larger potentials are determined when the Ranque-Hilsch Vortex Tube recuperates wasted pressure energy from methane.