2. 2002IAEA1 Department of Nuclear Energy International Atomic Energy Agency Status of Nuclear Desalination Technology Lecture presented at the Workshop on Nuclear Reaction Data and Nuclear Reactors: Physics, Design and Safety Trieste, Italy 18 March 2002 Debu Majumdar Nuclear Power Technology Development Section International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Vienna, Austria

3. 2002IAEA2 Outline l Energy and Water Demands l Nuclear Energy for Seawater Desalination l Seawater Desalination Technologies l Nuclear Desalination  Experience  Economics  Current Activities l IAEA Activities l Summary and Conclusion

4. 2002IAEA3 Global energy demand l Demand is estimated to triple in 50 years l Current primary energy demand:  54% developed countries  34% developing countries  By the year 2020:  44% developed countries  45% developing countries Data source: OECD/IEA World Energy Outlook, 2000

5. 2002IAEA4 Global energy demand

6. 2002IAEA5 Global energy supply

7. 2002IAEA6 The need for water l Only 2.5% of world’s water is freshwater  About 67% is locked up in ice-caps and glaciers  Less than 0.08% of total supply is accessible l 1.1 billion people lack safe drinking water  3.3 billion cases of related illnesses  2 million related deaths l Over next two decades: 40% increase in water use l 33% of world population (some 2 billion people) in absolute water scarcity by the year 2025 Data source: International Water Management Institute and World Water Council

8. 2002IAEA7 1,000,000 m3/d (220 MI GDP) Indicates the capacity of all land-based desalting plants Water stressed Countries by 2025 (World Water Forum 2000)

9. 2002IAEA8 l Major incentive: 97% of world water is seawater l Proven technical and economical feasibility l Cost continuously decreasing: 0.5 – 0.8 US$/m 3 water* (energy cost: 0.15 – 0.45 US$/m 3 ) l Proven widely used processes: MSF and RO; Up and coming: MED and VC. Why seawater desalination? * Semiat, R., Water International, 25 (2000) 54-65.

10. 2002IAEA9 Role of nuclear energy l Increase energy and water demands necessitates increased supply l >90% of world’s primary energy will come from fossil fuels  increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions l Nuclear power reduces GHG emissions and alleviates energy shortages l End of 2000: 438 reactors in over 30 countries producing over 16% of world’s electricity (351,327 MW(e)) (in the US: 104 reactors = 97,411 MW(e)) l The IAEA is actively engaged in nuclear power applications

11. 2002IAEA10 What is nuclear desalination? The production of potable water from seawater (or brackish water) in a facility in which a nuclear reactor is used as the source of energy for the desalination process.

12. 2002IAEA11 Why nuclear desalination? l Waste heat and electricity produced by nuclear plants are ideal for energy-intensive desalination processes. l “Clean” energy and minimal waste. l Economically competitive with conventional co- production plants, especially when a strong national grid exists and interest rates are low. l Many years of successful operation have proved technical feasibility and reliability.

13. Temperature ranges in production and use of nuclear heat ure (C)

14. 2002IAEA13 Growth in Contracted Desalination Plant Capacity

15. 2002IAEA14 Technologies l Distillation (Thermal) Processes n Multi-Stage Flash (MSF) n Multi-Effect Distillation (MED) n Vapor Compression (VC) n solar evaporation l Membrane Processes n Reverse Osmosis (RO) / Nanofiltration (NF) n Electrodialysis (ED) l Others n freezing n ion exchange

16. 2002IAEA15 Desalination Plants > 100 m 3 /d (June 1999)

17. 2002IAEA16 l Total global capacity: ~26 million m 3 /d (6,500 MGD) l US capacity: ~4.4 million m 3 /d (1,100 MGD) or 17% of global capacity, of which over 3.5 million m 3 /d (or over 80%) is via membrane processes Most units in the US are in Florida and California Most units in the US are in Florida and California Some desalination statistics

18. 2002IAEA17 Principle of a single stage flash distillation (MSF)

19. 2002IAEA18 MSF l Most commonly used technology l Energy consumption: 11–18 kWh/m 3 l Seawater heated to 90 - 120°C in the “Brine Heater” by condensing steam on the outside of tubes carrying the seawater l “Flashing” of the seawater to steam in successive “stages”, each at lower pressure. 4 - 40 stages are typical. l Built in “units” of 4,000 to 30,000 m 3 /d

20. 2002IAEA19 MSF process diagram

21. 2002IAEA20 MED l Oldest technology now more promising than MSF l Energy consumption: 5–10 kWh/m 3 l Condensed steam = fresh water, using multiple boiling in 8 to 16 steps l Seawater sprayed on hot tube bundles in successive “vessels” or “effects”, that carry the steam created in the previous effect. l Built in “units” of 2,000 to 10,000 m 3 /d l LT-MED: 70°C and HT-MED: up to 125°C