Research Projects

Solar multi - effect desalination plant components are designed, integrated and tested at the project site at Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari, India. Solar MED plant performance is studied by using sea water during March 2019. Solar flat plate collector field performance is observed with the maximum efficiency of 30%. The maximum temperature difference between inlet and outlet of solar FPC field is about 10oC. During the operation of the MED plant, vacuum pressure is maintained by using an ejector. The average entertainment ratio realised by the ejector is 0.35. The solar MED plant produces 7,000 litres of distillate water during the month of March 2019. Maximum production rate realised is 1.13 m3/h during the noon sunshine hours. The distillate water quality is in the range of 1 ppm - 3 ppm.

Desalination and water purification technologies are expected to contribute significantly to ensure a safe, sustainable, affordable and adequate water supply in India. The cost of producing water from the current-generation desalination technologies has declined over time at a rate of only approximately 4% per year. Hence the need to accelerate our Research and Development (R&D) activities with near and long-term objectives for evolution of current generation desalination technology along with the creation of revolutionary next-generation advanced desalination and water purification technologies that will offer a promise of 'step reduction' in the cost of producing water. There are five broad technological areas (thermal technologies, membrane technologies, alternative technologies, concen