Experimental Studies on a Multi-Stage Solar Desalination Plant (MSD) under Moroccan Climate

In this chapter, we have presented a solar desalination system composed of an evaporation/condensation unit formed by a lower basin and eight horizontal stages, coupled to a field of four flat thermal collectors each having a surface of 2 ,1 m2, and photovoltaic panels to power the pump. A simulation model using a numerical solution to a set of differential equations describing the desalination system was developed and validated with experimental measurements of the system. The experimental results of the MSD system show, during the 2020-2022 season, under solar irradiance intensity and ambient temperature conditions of the Oriental region, maximum values of stages temperatures of 90°C and maximum production of 50-60 liters with low conductivity (50-70 s/cm) and low salt content (<0.045 g/L). The main objective of this pilot station in Douar Al Hamri, in the rural town of Boughriba in the Province of Berkane Morocco, installed and tested in the weather conditions of this isolated region, is to ensure the production of pure (drinking) water with a conductivity (<2700 s/cm) and a salt content (<500 mg/L), from a high conductivity well (4050 s/cm) and salt content (> 2720 mg/L) by solar energy. The modeling of these experimental results, from the thermal equations, set up during this work, shows an excellent agreement between the experiment and the simulations. The analysis of all the results and their comparisons with the literature clearly shows the good functioning of the MSD system blocks, set up during this work.