| Title | Desalination of Geothermal Water Using a Multistage Flash Distillation System and Solar Energy: A Case Study from Dholera, Gujarat |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kriti Yadav |
| Year | 2026 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | Geothermal, Solar, Desalination, Brine, Geochemistry |
| Abstract | Dholera is a region in W-India with scarcity of fresh drinking water. As it is situated nearby the sea even the groundwater is saline in nature. Geothermal water is also found at shallow depth in most places. Hence, access to potable drinking water is difficult there. The objective of this study is to develop a green desalination system which can provide potable fresh drinking water. In this study, a Multi-Stage Flash Distillation system (MSF system) using solar energy was designed for desalination of geothermal water. To fulfil the temperature requirement of the MSF system, solar Evacuated Tubes (ETC) are used to increase the water temperature in the system. This paper provides an overview of the tectonic setting of Dholera, the region’s stratigraphy, and geochemistry of the area. It also reviews several types of desalination systems and solar collector characteristics. Python programming and thermodynamic properties from the CoolProp library were used for the design and thermodynamic analysis of the whole system including both the ETC and the MSF desalination. Simulations were performed for the heat production with the ETC and the geothermal MSF system generating steam and salt. The details of material selection and corrosion protection techniques are also reviewed in this paper. The results of the simulation were satisfactory, and according to them the salt concentration of the water could be reduced to the standards of freshwater, i.e. below 1000 ppm. A cost estimation of the system was also performed in the form of CAPEX and OPEX expenditures. |