The authors considered and then decided to write an introductory text on desalination that highlighted pragmatic rather than theoretical materials. It contains three parts and provides material that can be used in teaching an introductory course to those individuals interested in becoming part of this profession. As such, this book is intended to serve as a training tool for those individuals involved with, and those interested in entering this dynamic field. Although the literature is inundated with desalination texts emphasizing theory and theoretical derivations, the goal of this book is to present this subject of desalination from a strictly introductory and pragmatic perspective.
The book is the result of two years of effort by the authors. The first rough draft was prepared during the years 2017 through 2019. The manuscript underwent significant revisions during these past two years, some of it based on the experiences gained from earlier written material.
It should be noted that the authors cannot claim sole authorship to all of the essay material in this text. The present book has evolved from a host of sources, including notes, homework problems, and exam problems prepared by several faculty for undergraduate courses offered at Utah State University and Manhattan College, several other books by L. Theodore and R. Dupont, and a host of Theodore Tutorials published by Theodore Tutorials of East Williston, New York. Although the bulk of the material is original or taken from sources that the authors have been directly involved with, every effort has been made to acknowledge material drawn from other sources.
As noted in the Table of Contents, this desalination book is divided into three parts:
Part II: Desalination and Water Treatment Processes
Part III: Select Related Topics
Part I includes the following chapters: Global Water Scarcity and the Need for “New Water;” a Technical Glossary; Engineering Principles; Physical, Chemical, and Biological Properties of Water; Water Chemistry; Conservation Laws; Unit Operations; and Heat Transfer and Thermodynamic Principles. Part II then introduces the desalination process. Part II highlights specific processes including: Evaporation, Reverse Osmosis, Crystallization, Other Desalination Processes, New Desalination Processes, and Other Potable Water Treatment Processes. These seven chapters are generously supplemented with illustrative examples. Part III contains five chapters that are concerned with what the authors have termed, “Select Related Topics,” i.e. Water Conservation, Economic Considerations, Optimization, Ethics, and The Future of Desalination.
The authors hope that this book will place in the hands of academic, industrial, and government personnel – including policy makers and water resource/management planners – a book that covers the fundamental principles and applications of desalination in a thorough and clear manner. The authors further hope that, on completion of the text, readers will have acquired not only a working knowledge of the principles of desalination, but also experience in their application; and, that they will find themselves approaching advanced texts, engineering and science literature, and industrial applications (even unique ones) with more confidence.
Last, but not least, the authors believe that this modest work will help the majority of individuals working and/or studying in the field of desalination to obtain a more complete understanding of this subject matter. If you have come this far and read through this Preface, you have more than just a passing interest in this subject. We strongly recommend that you take advantage of the material available in this book. We think that it will be a worthwhile experience.
East Williston, NY, January 2022 Louis Theodore
Smithfield, UT, January 2022 R. Ryan Dupont
Whisky is for drinkin’, water is for fightin’
Anonymous
To all the members of East Williston Fire Department, but in particular: Billy Behan, Angelo Carbone Jr., Domenic Conte, Steve Jones, Billy McLean Jr., and a host of others.
and
In loving memory of Marie K. and Robert H. Dupont
Part I Introduction
Chapters in this Part include the following:
Global Water Scarcity and the Need for “New Water”
Physical, Chemical, and Biological Properties of Materials
The Conservation Laws, Stoichiometry, and Thermodynamics
1 Global Water Scarcity and the Need for “New Water”
1.1 Introduction
The title of this book includes the word desalination. Dictionary.com (2012) defines desalination as “the process of removing salt, esp from seawater so that it can be used for drinking or irrigation.” Thus, desalination is a process that produces potable water. The reader should keep in mind, and this will be discussed later in the book, that there are other processes available for producing potable water, many of which are currently uneconomical. For this reason, the book primarily deals with desalination. The general topic of potable water is also considered and is addressed in several of the paragraphs to follow.
The world’s total water is enormous compared with the presently conceivable needs of man, yet there is a growing water problem. Of the 1.39 billion km3 (332 million mi3) of water in the Earth’s crust 99% is salty and useful neither for irrigation by present techniques nor for the majority of man’s other needs.
Rain provides many times the world’s annual water needs, but fresh water supplies vary widely over the Earth and from time to time in a given region. This accounts for the “water problem” that exists as the Earth’s population continues to grow. In the United States, the actual “consumptive use” is approximately 12%–18% of the potential supply. Water prices are low, and on a statistical basis there should be no water shortages for many years. These average figures are of little comfort to the people of arid regions, however, and the United States, though relatively well supplied
