Thermal desalination in China

Abstract

Thermal desalination technologies have been successful applied for several decades and will still be the main process of desalination in the future. This paper reviewed history of China’s thermal desalination, particularly its recent progresses including R&D of key technology and materials, process development, standardization, engineering design, intelligent simulative training, and public services. At last, the future developments of China’s thermal desalination were prospected according to the analysis of market needs and our possessed technology and capacities.

Keywords:

• Seawater
• Thermal desalination
• Developments in China
• Key technologies
• Engineering Design
• Public services

Project funding the key technology investigation and engineering application of thermal seawater desalination has come from the 11th Five-Year National Science and Technology Support Program, Ministry of Science and Technology, China. This article is a peer-reviewed version of a paper presented at IDA World Congress 2013, October 20–25, Tianjin, China.