Water desalination by humidification–dehumidification technology with performance evaluation using exergy analysis

Abstract

Water desalination by humidification-dehumidification technology (HDT) has been reviewed in detail in this research. Firstly, the principles of water desalination and different types of desalination processes which included HDT were presented as; HDT is considered as one of the most suitable methods for a small-scale water desalination system, since it could be powered by low energy grade such as solar and geothermal energies. In addition HDH (humidification-dehumidification) system could be manufactured easily. In the recent work, a detailed description of HDT components such as humidifier, dehumidifier, heating sources, and air supply mechanism were explained and discussed. Finally, thermodynamic analysis of HDT especially exergy analysis was investigated. The exergy analysis aims to optimize the usable energy efficiency in HDH system in order to improve its performance.