On fuzzy logic control of PV/T based reverse Osmosis desalination plant

Reverse Osmosis desalination process supplied by Photovoltaic Thermal collectors presents a practical method for water desalination [1]. It is shown that the control of the circulated fluid rate ameliorates the system productivity. Photovoltaic Thermal collector combines between heat and electric energy production. In addition, the fluid flow rate variation inside the collector ducts decreases photovoltaic cells temperature. Feed water temperature is increased by the produced heat in order to improve the Reverse Osmosis unit productivity. The system control serves also to prevent overheating Photovoltaic cells and stored water in the boiler. In this paper, a Fuzzy Logic Controller is designed to achieve these objectives. The controller effectiveness is validated using LABVIEW.