ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Optimal design of hybrid system of multi-effect distillation and vapor absorption refrigeration

Emad Ali

Chemical Engineering Department, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

E-mail: amkamal@ksu.edu.sa

Received: 19 August 2025  Accepted: 10 April 2026

Abstract:

A hybrid system of multi-effect distillation (MED) and solar-assisted vapor absorption refrigeration (VAR) is optimized to capitalize on a certain performance index and ensures perfect consumption of the VAR's energy. The elementary hybrid system failed to fulfill the optimization requirements. Alternatively, modified structures, namely, booster-supported hybrid system and membrane distillation (MD) supported hybrid system, are optimized. Single-objective optimization revealed the existence of a tradeoff between distillate production on one side and exergy destruction and exergy efficiency on the other side. Moreover, imposing hard constraints to secure perfect energy management sacrifices the optimality of the objective functions. Resorting to multi-objective optimization identified several recessive solutions that guarantee zero energy residuals. Accordingly, the boosted hybrid structure can have 12.2% higher distillate production that approaches 20.32 kg/s. However, the MD-supported structure exhibits 92% less irreversibility and 32% enhanced exergy efficiency. Moreover, the MD-supported system demands 5.4% less surface area.

Keywords: Water desalination; Multi-effect; Solar energy; Exergy; Vapor absorption chiller

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-026-04906-2

Chemical Papers 80 (8) 8697–8721 (2026)