A Novel Portable Wave-Driven Desalination System for Emergencies and Remote Coastal Communities

Abstract

With 40% of humanity living in coastal areas, ensuring reliable access to freshwater is crucial to enhance the resilience of these coastal communities during emergencies, such as natural disasters, and to sustain remote coastal areas with limited water infrastructure. This study proposes a novel design for a portable wave-driven reverse osmosis desalination device to provide water in these applications with minimal carbon footprint. The device utilizes a point absorber wave energy converter and a hydraulic power take-off system to drive reverse osmosis desalination. The device is highly portable, weighing under 30 pounds, and the water produced is convenient to collect due to its near-shore operation. Additionally, the device leverages near-shore infrastructure to achieve relative motion, without requiring mooring. The proposed system’s power and water output are modeled and device parameters are tuned in a hydrodynamic simulation conducted in MATLAB. This is validated with preliminary calculation results. It is found that the device can effectively drive desalination in any wave condition. Additionally, a techno-economic analysis examines economic feasibility. Results indicate that, on average, the device can produce 91-121.4 liters per day, enough to support the daily water usage of 6-8 individuals or the drinking needs of 25-33 individuals. At 10,000-unit production, the device’s capital cost of $163 and Levelized Cost of Water of $0.011/L make it highly affordable. Thus, analysis results demonstrate the novel device’s feasibility and significant potential in the intended applications.