Heat transfer innovations and their application in thermal desalination processes

Summary

The familiarity of mature thermal technologies for brine concentration and crystallization is likely to sustain their widespread deployment despite their high capital and operational (i.e., energy) costs relative to emerging non-thermal alternatives. This critical review and analysis evaluates the potential for recent innovations in manufacturing devices for improved heat and mass transfer to demonstrably reduce the lifecycle costs of these thermal desalination technologies. We identify three promising innovation applications, including novel heat transfer geometries enabled by additive manufacturing, emerging surface engineering methods to promote dropwise condensation, and new polymer-/polymer-composite-based heat transfer components. Based on the estimated cost and performance impacts of these material and process modifications, we find that polymer-/polymer-composite-based heat transfer devices have the largest potential to reduce the unit cost of water in the near term. Throughout the review, we also highlight remaining research gaps and unmet technoeconomic targets that would benefit from future investigation and collaboration between the heat transfer and desalination communities.