Mathematical Modeling of Water Evaporation Process in the Solar Pond and Calculation of the Optimum Area of the Pond

In this study, a comprehensive mathematical model is developed to study the water evaporation process and brine concentration in a solar pond to recover the valuable salts in Bandar Imam Petrochemical Company. In this model, the energy source is just solar irradiation. The solar irradiation depends on the geographic characteristics of the location. The present model accounts for heat losses from (the surface of) the pond such as convection, conduction, radiation, and evaporation losses. Also, the wind effect and the variation of the brine physical properties with salinity are considered in the model. The mathematical results are also compared with experimental data. The results show that there are good agreement between the mathematical predictions and experimental data and the developed model can predict the variation of concentration and salt recovery accurately. Finally, by considering all important parameters, the developed model was applied to determine the optimum size of solar evaporation pond based on the concentration and initial volume of brine.