Desalination system could produce freshwater that is cheaper than tap water

Re:Desalination system could produce freshwater that is chea... by e44858 on Wednesday September 27, 2023 @04:05PM (#37680505)

A countercurrent heat exchanger could transfer up to 99% of the heat from the steam to the ocean water: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countercurrent_exchange

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Re:Desalination system could produce freshwater that is chea... by bertil on Wednesday September 27, 2023 @04:30PM (#37680819)

That's obviously the way to go, but… Where does the 99% come from?

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Re:Desalination system could produce freshwater that is chea... by Faaak on Wednesday September 27, 2023 @04:41PM (#37680992)

The theoretical efficiency could almost reach 1 with an infinite tube. In practice I've seen ~80%.

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Re:Desalination system could produce freshwater that is chea... by hinkley on Wednesday September 27, 2023 @05:22PM (#37681509)

It sounds to me like the 'condenser' is perhaps wrapped around the water intake.

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Re:Desalination system could produce freshwater that is chea... by nighmi on Wednesday September 27, 2023 @08:01PM (#37683317)

Do we want to heat up the oceans that much though?

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Re:Desalination system could produce freshwater that is chea... by dwattttt on Wednesday September 27, 2023 @08:10PM (#37683407)

I believe the heat is being transferred to the ocean water entering the desalination process, which reduces the energy required for desalination, so no transfer of heat to the ocean itself.

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