Identification and Analytical Hierarchy of Effective Criteria in Optimal Location of Humidification-Dehumidification Desalination Plants

Abstract

In recent years, water stress has become a global crisis due to climate and demographic changes and lifestyle changes. Freshwater production from the sea using various processes is known as the most important solution to deal with this crisis. Among these processes, the humidification-dehumidification process has been considered by the scientific community as a flexible and low-cost method. In addition, the optimal choice of construction sites for factories and even small water desalination units has a significant impact on increasing productivity and optimizing their construction and operation costs. In this study, using Delphi method, effective factors in locating humidification-dehumidification were identified. Then, using the Analytical Hierarchy Process, two decision support systems, one based on criteria and sub-criteria and the other by combining all sub-criteria, are proposed to locate this group of desalination plants. The results show that the factors of inlet air temperature (ambient temperature), incoming water temperature and relative humidity of the air from the technical criteria, with an effective weight of 0.186, 0.126 and 0.09, respectively, are the most important factors in locating this group of desalination plants. In the following, the factors of access to technical and engineering services and the amount of water reserves of the executive criteria, with a weight of 0.076 and 0.064, have been assigned the fourth and sixth ranks. Fresh water sales tariff, construction fee and cost of wastewater and waste disposal from economic criteria with the effectiveness of 0.069, 0.061 and 0.06, respectively, are in the fifth, seventh and eighth positions. Also, the annual average factor of solar energy from environmental criteria is in the ninth place with 0.054 points. These factors are the most effective factors in locating humidifiers-dehumidifiers.

Keywords

• decision support system
• analytical hierarchy process
• delphi
• desalination
• humidification-dehumidification