Abstract: Desalination based on a low temperature thermal process (LTTD) has proven to be an attractive option for islands.
The process can be made more sustainable by using wave energy to power the plant. The sump of the desalination plant follows construction procedures that are identical to the caisson of an oscillating water column (OWC) based wave energy device providing an impetus for modular design. A 0.1 million litres per day plant needs about 50 kW of power which can be met by two 12 m by 7.75 m caissons. A twin unidirectional turbine topology, (whose efficiency has been shown to exceed 60 % for flow coefficients from 0.3 to 1), with an electrical interface comprises the power module. Several options for the electrical interface for the power module are evaluated as they need to be connected to a weak island network.
The reported case studies are based on results from the Indian wave energy plant. Experiments in a laboratory validate some of the proposed schemes for interconnection. Wave power for desalination is shown to be a very viable and attractive proposition.
