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Hybrid RO MSF a Practical Option for Nuclear Desalination Prof. Ibrahim .S. Al-Mutaz Chemical Engineering Dept, College of Engineering, King Saud University P O Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia Hybrid RO MSF desalination combines the advantages of the high desalting performance of distillation processes and lower energy requirement of membrane processes. It allows better match between power and water requirements and enables better utilization of the power generated from MSF into the RO. The hybrid RO MSF plant aims in reducing operation and maintenance costs of the product water with an overall increase in recovery and reduction of energy consumption. Both RO and MSF plants will have common seawater intake and outfall facilities. Blending of product waters and post treatment can be shared as well. Hybrid desalination systems have potential advantages of a higher overall availability, low power demand, and improved water quality. Hybrid RO MSF can lead to an optimized feedwater temperature of the RO plant since is possible to use cooling seawater from the reject stage of the MSF plant as feed to RO plant. Higher feed temperature is advantageous for the RO plant since water flux of the membrane is about 2.5% higher per degree temperature rise at a fixed pressure. Coupling of a nuclear power plant to hybrid desalination system consists of an MSF plant followed by an RO plant, which may take reject cooling water from the last effect of the MSF system as feedwater to the RO system. Normally, the nuclear power plant is designed for optimum production of electricity. However, there is a large amount of low-grade thermal energy available in the form of waste heat discharged from the nuclear plant through the condenser cooling system. Heat in the form of steam can be supplied by the nuclear reactor through one or more intermediate circuits to the MSF desalination system. Heat may also be supplied in the form of hot water, depending on the temperature and pressure conditions specific to the desalination plant design. Also part or all of the feedwater to the RO/MSF system can be drawn from the condenser cooling water discharge stream. The RO system, which uses electricity as its primary energy input, may draw either from the electrical grid or by direct connection to the nuclear plant with an auxiliary connection to the grid. Various RO MSF combinations coupled with nuclear power plant will be reviewed in order to illustrate the considerable gain of these options. The potential advantages of RO MSF hybrid desalination systems with nuclear plant will be discussed. The appropriate combinations depend on the local conditions and power/water requirements. The required power to water ratio and product water quality are among the important factors determining the particular RO MSF schemes to be used.