EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF TILTED ANGLE AND NOZZLE ROTATION SPEED ON REDUCING SALINITY AND CONDENSATE PRODUCTIVITY IN THE FLASHING DESALINATION PROCESS

This research was motivated by previous works on the use of a rotating nozzle in the flashing desalination process. The rotating nozzle angle in the vacuum chamber is adjustable to measure condensate productivity and salinity reduction. The nozzle in the rotor is designed so that the tilt angle can be changed. The experimental method refers to a factorial design with two input variables: nozzle tilt angle and rotational speed. We tested the configuration of the two input variables to obtain two output variables: condensate production and salinity level. This research demonstrates the significant influence of nozzle tilt angle and rotational speed on freshwater productivity and salinity. A nozzle angle close to 0 degrees produces lower condensate production, and conversely, at that angle, salinity decrease is highest. At increasingly large angles approaching 90 degrees, the opposite will occur. Condensate production is higher, while the decrease in salinity is the lowest. A nozzle tilt angle of 60 degrees serves as an input variable that optimizes both salinity reduction and condensate production. At a nozzle angle of 60 degrees, condensate production is between 100 and 125 g/h, with a salinity reduction of around 40%. When operating a nozzle at 60 degrees, combined with a nozzle rotational speed, condensate productivity increases with increasing nozzle rotational speed up to a limit of 50 rpm. The increase is quite high compared to a stationary nozzle, reaching 80% if operating the nozzle at a speed of 50 rpm.