Projecto de potabilização da água usando concentradores solares

Abstract

The present work addresses the development of a sustainable solution for supplying potable water to communities with limited resources through the use of concentrated solar energy applied to seawater desalination. This work aims to design a small-scale seawater desalination system powered by concentrated solar energy, intended to supply potable water to communities with limited resources. The adopted methodology encompasses mathematical modeling, thermal simulation, and feasibility analysis, which includes characterizing available solar resources, defining the thermophysical properties of water, and sizing the system’s main components. The project integrates a parabolic trough solar concentrator to provide thermal energy to the evaporator, and a photovoltaic system to power auxiliary electrical components. It also includes the design of a tank-type evaporator with an inclined heat exchange plate and a submerged helical coil condenser. Calculations were performed to determine thermal power, heat transfer coefficients, exchange area, and insulation thickness. Thermal simulations were conducted to validate operational parameters and assess the applicability of the designed devices. Finally, an economic analysis based on the Levelized Cost of Fresh Water (LCOFW) was presented to compare the proposed system with other desalination technologies and evaluate its technical and financial viability for rural and coastal applications.