Author(s)

D. F. Dyer & J. S. Ragan

Abstract

One requirement of sustainable irrigation is a guaranteed source of water at adequate levels. It is also obvious that the cost of the irrigation water delivered to the user must allow the user to profit from its use. The costs of irrigation falls typically in three categories: 1. Cost of the water used; 2. Energy cost to purify and transport the water; and 3. Initial costs of the infrastructure and its maintenance. This paper addresses all of these requirements for sustainable irrigation. It is proposed that the ocean is the ultimate source of sustainable water. Further the required purification of the water is to be accomplished by a novel reverse osmosis system which minimizes the energy costs. Finally, a solar collection system is incorporated in the proposed system to minimize the impact of global warming due to use of fossil fuels. The proposed system has particular application to desert areas near oceans such as North Africa and Australia. This paper includes the development of a model for performance and cost of the system and shows the circumstances for which the proposed system is viable. Keywords: reverse osmosis, desalination, OTEC, sustainable irrigation.

Keywords

reverse osmosis, desalination, OTEC, sustainable irrigation.