Evacuated tube solar collectors coupled with Membrane Distillation units

After an analysis on the water scarcity, the dissalation technologies and the renewable energy techonolgies that can be used jointly with them, the problem of modeling a plant that exploits the production of freshwater from saltwater through a Direct Contact Membrane Distillation (DCMD) technology thermally fed by vacuum tube collectors is addressed. A model is developed using Simulink software, and results for the city of Turin are investigated through the help of a sensitivity analysis; an economic analysis based on the estimation of water cost is a supplementary tool for the choosing of the optimal parameters. Optimal configuration is analysed in detail, and insights and minor issues are outlined for further research.