# A Feasibility Study of Utilizing Nuclear Energy for an Existing MED-TVC Desalination Plant
###### Abstract  
This study aims to investigate the viability of using a nuclear heating reactor to supply energy and replace the used fossil crude oil energy supply of an existing MED-TVC (Multi-Effect Distillation-Thermal-Vapor-Compression) desalination plant located in Saudi Arabia. The MED-TVC, with a 91,200 m\({}^{3}\)/day capacity, was simulated using Aspen Plus(r). The MED-TVC desalination plant was built in a parallel arrangement with oil-fired steam boilers, and it uses Red Sea water with a salinity of about 45,000 ppm. The simulation results of the MED-TVC are in good agreement with the actual data of the existing desalination plant. The heat required to operate the existing MED-TVC was determined to be 169 MW (th). This amount of heat was utilized as an input to DEEP (Desalination Economic Evaluation Program) to evaluate the production cost of fresh water using nuclear energy instead of fossil fuel. An economic comparison between the two energy sources was carried out in this study. The production cost of freshwater was estimated to be USD 1.38/m\({}^{3}\) when using a nuclear reactor. In contrast, the estimated production cost was USD 0.95/m\({}^{3}\) when using oil-fired boilers at a subsidized oil price of USD 4.4/bbl. The economic analysis has considered the discounted domestic crude oil prices in Saudi Arabia. Nuclear energy is cost-competitive with oil if Saudi Arabia raises the price of domestic crude oil to more than USD 15 per barrel or imposes a carbon tax of at least USD 20 per ton of greenhouse gas emissions. MED-TVC; desalination; nuclear; Aspen Plus; DEEP; simulation; feasibility 20221295061  
used for large-scale plants, is divided between 7% for MED and 18% for MSF [5]. Despite the dominance of membrane desalination systems in recent years, thermal desalination systems, including MSF and MED, still play a significant role in the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea, where these systems reflect high reliability and performance records, given the high-salinity environment. The MSF and MED use almost the same principle, wherein a source of energy heats the saline water, producing water vapor, which ultimately condenses to form pure distilled water. When comparing thermal desalination technologies, MED outperforms MSF desalination technology since it has better energy efficiency, low-temperature operation, low-grade heat utilization, and more GOR (Gain-Output-Ratio), which is the ratio of the mass of produced distilled water to the mass of heating steam used to produce this fresh water. In this context, low-temperature MED has recently experienced more interest because of its low TBT (Top Brine Temperature). The low-temperature MED effectively solves corrosion and scale formation issues with a TBT of less than 70 \({}^{\circ}\)C [6]. Due to the high heat of vaporization of water, thermal desalination technologies consume substantial amounts of energy. The thermal energy that drives the currently running desalination plants is primarily supplied by fossil fuels. In 2018, the share of fossil fuels in the world's primary energy demand was 81%, with a total of 33.2 Gt of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions [7]. Thus, to achieve the sustainable development scenario of reducing the share of fossil fuels to 72% by 2030 and 58% by 2040, a bold move must be undertaken by the world's leading economies to invest more in nuclear and renewable energy. Currently, the continuous surges in fossil fuel prices, along with the growing regulations regarding the control of GHG emissions, have been promoting the use of clean and sustainable energy sources. In this context, Saudi Arabia, as the world's top crude oil exporter, announced its net-zero emissions target of by 2060 during the Saudi Green Initiative in October 2021. The Kingdom also intends to reduce its carbon emissions by 278 million tons by the year 2030, which can be met by adopting the concept of the circular carbon economy [8].