Optimization an‎d conceptual design of parabolic trough collector (PTC) integrated with solar still desalination system for Mumtazan cement factory

12/22/2025 12:00:00 AM

A solar–thermal desalination system for industrial water supply (case study: Momtazan Cement Plant, Kerman, Iran) is modeled, optimized, an‎d techno-economically assessed. The proposed concept integrates parabolic-trough solar collectors, a thermal-oil loop, an‎d a shallow evaporation basin, where heat is delivered to the brine both directly through solar absorption at the water surface an‎d indirectly via an immersed copper coil. A transient heat- an‎d mass-transfer model is developed including receiver an‎d basin thermal losses, an‎d freshwater-production efficiency is defined as the ratio of evaporation latent heat to absorbed solar energy while accounting for pump electricity in the overall efficiency. Results indicate that system efficiency increases with basin area up to an optimum of approximately 4.85 m², an‎d then decreases due to higher thermal losses an‎d reduced effective evaporation driving potential. To mitigate the thermal penalties of long series-connected collector strings, a collector-field layout management strategy is implemented through TRNSYS–MATLAB co-simulation, an‎d the governing equations are solved in MATLAB using an ODE45 scheme; a multi-row parallel configuration is then proposed such that each row operates with an independent circulation pump an‎d a dedicated basin coil. The model was validated against published experimental studies, showing acceptable agreement. A sensitivity analysis was performed to identify the most influential parameters governing efficiency. Under summer conditions, freshwater-production efficiency reaches about 62.5% for the series layout an‎d 68.7% for a four-row parallel layout. The levelized cost of water (LCOW) for the parallel configuration remains below 1 USD m⁻³ over a six-month warm-season window (Ordibehesht to Mehr), reaching approximately 0.70 USD m⁻³ in Mordad (minimum) an‎d 0.93 USD m⁻³ in Ordibehesht (maximum within that window). A screening operational environmental assessment further indicates that, because the thermal input is solar, emissions are primarily driven by pump electricity an‎d are negligible compared with fossil-energy-dependent desalination options. Overall, the results support the seasonal competitiveness of the optimized parallel layout with reverse osmosis in warm months an‎d provide a practical framework for optimal design selec‎tion an‎d annual economic operation planning.

نمك‌زدايي خورشيدي , حوضچه خورشيدي , كلكتور سهموي- خطي , مديريت آرايش كالكتورها , بهينه‌سازي مساحت

Solar thermal desalination , Parabolic trough collector , Shallow evaporation basin , Series–parallel collector layout

Seyed Hossein Mahmoudi Pouya

Alireza Zahedi