Desalination Plant in Libya Data Analysis

This research paper analyzes the different desalination plants in Libya and their output. It also discusses the conventional and unconventional water resources in Libya and the role of desalination in overcoming water shortage. The study collects and analyzes data from various sources to make a survey on the desalination plants in Libya.

DESALINATION PLANT IN LIBYA DATA ANALYSIS

TABLE OF CONTENT:
1.0 Problem Statement 3
2.0 INTRODUCTION 3
2.1 Background 3
2.2 Rationale 4
2.3 Aims and Objective 4
3.0 WATER SHORTAGE PROBLEM IN LIBYA 4
4.0 Literature Review 4
4.1 The contribution of desalination technology to the economy of Libya 5
4.2 Thermal desalination systems 5
4.3 Multi-stage flush Technology 5
4.4 Multi-Effect Distillation 6
4.5 Output variation from the designed capacity 6
5.0 Methodology 6
6.0 Desalination Technology 7
7.0 Role of Desalination in Libya 9
9.0 Conclusion 11
9.1 Contingency Plan 12
10.0 Grantt Chart with Comments 13
11.0 Conclusion 14

1.0 Problem Statement:
Libya and many such countries in coastal region are facing water problem due to scarcity in
the ground water. To compensate the need of fresh and clean water desalination process of
Sea water has become the primary water source in such countries. This can achieve the
requirement of clean water as well as reduces the consumption of ground water. In this
paper we will discuss the Conventional and Unconventional water resource in Libya and
their progress and development. We will also collect and analyze the data collected from
various sources to make a survey on the desalination plants in Libya.
2.0 Introduction:
Libya has 6.5 Million population spread across 1.7 million KM2 and 90% of the population live
in the coastal region. The south and central part has a population density of 1/KM2. It is
considered as one of the dirtiest region in the world. Libya has a annual rain fall of 100mm to
600 mm. And some part of Libya is totally rainless. In the coastal region the availability of
fresh and clean ground water is negisible. The only source of water is sea water.
Libya is considered to be one of the top countries facing the water problem with baseline
water stress score is 4.84. It is also considered as one of the most water insecure place in the
world. Despite of this water scarcity, Libya Government has not taken any strong step
regarding water desalination though the desalination process was started implementation in
mid 70’s.
There is an increasing demand for water in Libya. It is however regrettable that the
groundwater that is being relied upon or rather considered being the main source under
over exploitation. In order to overcome the increasing shortage of water, there has been a
consideration on the unconventional sources of water including sea water. The desalination
of seawater in Libya can be dated back to the late seventies [1]. Desalination of the sea
water is therefore considered to be one of the most reliable water sources which
supplement the other sources of water in Libya.
The aim of the study is to Analyse the different different Water Desalination plant installed
and their output. Also we will study various desalination plant design capacity and the actual
production capacity. Also we will have a brief study on the reason behind this.
2.1 Background
The country employs the technologies of thermal and membrane in the desalination
process. These two processes have made Libya be one of the largest users of desalinated
water in the Mediterranean region. Libya population is concentrated along the coastal line
as a result of the fertile land and industrial, activities in these places. Such concentration in
the population results in the water shortage(Mohamed, Al-Habaibeh and Abdo 2013).
The intrusion of the water project was started back in the areas around the capital city of
Tripoli. Tripoli is located on the Gefara plain on the Mediterranean coast of extreme
northwestern Libya and of southeastern Tunisia. This process, however, has never been
exploited to its potential due to the lack of maintenance, cost barrier and the unawareness
of its integration into the management of the conventional water management. This has
seriously hindered the efforts to overcome the increasing trend of deterioration of the

ground water [2].
2.2 Rationale
The use of desalination technology has been embrace in various parts of the world including
Libya. The volume of the production keeps varying depending on the type of the technology
used as well as the strategies. The ineffectiveness of some of these technologies has
contributed to the slow production. There is need to assess the currently used technology in
Libya in order to establish its effectives and make necessary recommendation for enhanced
production.
2.3 Aims and Objectives
This research project aims to:
 To assess the technological methods and strategies that have been developed to
provide water supply in some areas in Libya.
 To examine the advantages and disadvantages of the used techniques in Libya.
 Overview of the water supply and demand situation in Libya will be examined by
evaluating the efficiency of the current methods and technologies.
 The role of desalination will be analysed based on the collected data in order to
develop future trends and recommendations to ensure the optimum utilization of
these technologies [8].
3.0 Water Shortage Problem in Libya:
Water shortage and scarcity are the major problem in North African countries. The following
are the reason behind the lack of fresh and clean water.
A. Excessive ground water exploitation
B. Decrease in annual rainfall
C. Intensive agriculture in coastal region
D. Sea water intrusion
E. Low of water traffic
F. Lack of Institutional Framework
G. Poor water strategy.
H. Lack of people awareness
I. Poor Management in General Water Authority.
4.0 Literature Review
Libya just like many other countries in the semi-arid and arid areas heavily rely on the
groundwater sources. In the year 1998, the estimated capacity of the underground water
supply was 2557.62 Mm 3,.This particular figure represented about 95% of the total water
supply in the country. The surface water accounted for 2.3% while the re-use of the sea
water, minor resources with the surface water all shared about 0.9%. This meant that the
total supply capacity was equivalent to 3843.21 Mm3. The highest consumption quantity
was in the sector of agriculture followed by domestic use and finally the industrial sector.

There has been existence of this water deficit for several years amounting to about
1270MCMY currently. The supply of the deficit though being sorted by the use of various
mechanisms, the issue is not yet fully sorted[9}. In order to fully address or alleviate the
shortages, there have been several remedial measures that have put in place. Some of these
remedial measures include transportation of the groundwater from the southern region
where it is available in large quantities to the northern regions where there is an urgent
need. The other programs that are put in place to address this shortage include protection of
the current sources from the possible pollution. There has been the development of the
unconventional water sources which includes desalination process.
4.1 The contribution of desalination technology to the economy of Libya
The use of desalination technique in Libya has had several advantages to the general
population. Some of these advantages include the following:
Access to the clean water for drinking
The desalination technologies that are used in Libya have led to the accessibility of drinking
water to the general population. The water that has been obtained from the salty regional
has even been used to supplement the other areas with an unreliable fresh water source. It
is important to note once again theta 0ver 70 present of Libya get their clean water through
the process.
Protection of the habitat
The quality of the desalinated water meets the demands and even sometimes supposes the
other quality standards of water. This basically implies they can assist in offloading the
pressure on other sources of water which are regarded as fresh[8]
Provision of water for agricultural purposes
The program of desalination has not only been used in Libya to provide water for the
drinking or the commonly reefed to as potable water but also water for agricultural use.
4.2 Thermal desalination systems
Desalination is actually a stage of separation method in which the saline water is
transformed into the steam before it is condensed to produce fresh water [7]. In general, all
the methods of thermal techniques including MED, VC, and MSF operate on the principle of
boiling water at low temperatures through reduction of the vapour pressure. The thermal
process requires a process of pre-treatment which involves removal of the suspended solid
particles prior to the addition of the chemicals.
4.3 Multi-stage flush Technology
The Multi-stage flush technology involves a process whereby saline water is heated and
allowed to flow into the chambers that have low pressure. This makes water to start boiling
at relatively low temperatures [6]. The heated water then flows over the pipes that have
cold water from the sea to thereby necessitating condensation of water vapour to take
place. The collection of fresh water is done at different stages and it is passed from one
point to another though in line with the brine. This kind of technology used in Libya utilizes
chemical products like acids that should be handled carefully to avoid recontamination of
water and also making it safe for domestic use. The combination of process assists in the
reduction of the cost of production. This was the first plant that was installed in Libya at the
Sir city to cover for the industrial needs of the Oil Company called ASO. The capacity of this
plant has been experiencing significant growth in the past years.

4.4 Multi-Effect Distillation
In this particular technique, there is a flow of steam through the pipes that are surrounded
by sea water where there is an exchange of heat. The heat is used in the generation of more
steam that is later condensed and collected as freshwater. This process is repeated several
times to obtain very freshwater. Despite the similarity between MED and MSF in the final
treatment and pre-treatment, there is a limitation of the MED in Libya to 500m3 per year
[5].
4.5 Output variation from the designed capacity
From the statically values that have been collected, it is evident that the design capacity of
the desalination plant will directly influence the out provided other factors like cost of the
chemicals, energy, and material efficiency remains constant[5]. It is possible to deduce that
plants with higher capacity will definitely give a higher output of the product. This probably
explains why the government of Libya is in the business of expanding some of the plants to
increase their capacity. The design capacity of the desalination plant that was under the
study was actually 100000 cubic meters per day. The statistical data on the output showed a
mere value of 78000 cubic meters per day [9]. This kind of variation can be attributed to the
following factors:
 Varying efficiency of the machine components
 Consideration of safety measures hence avoiding overloading of the plant.
 Shortage of chemicals and other raw materials hence the machine is underutilized.
 Poor maintenance level of the plant making it performs below its designed capacity.
5.0 Methodology:
The methodological framework to be followed in this research project is as depicted
in figure below.

There has been the use of desalination technology in Libya as from the year 1960s
mainly by the oil-exploring companies in the places with water shortages. Their
utilization has been on the increase to match the demands of water for their use.
Actually, Libya is the largest user of these technologies.Just by the year 1996, the
total number of desalination plants were beyond 400 with the installed capacity of
0.65 MCM/d.
6.0 Desalination Technology
Desalination technology is the process of removal of salt and other non required minerals
from the sea water for general and irrigation purpose. According to International
Desalination Association total 18426 desalination plants are installed across world with a
production capacity of 18.37 Millions/day. Libya has total 21 desalination plants running on
different technology. The 955 of the plant run on thermal process and the rest 5% run on
Reverse Osmosis Membrane technology.
Fig 1: Mapping of Desalination Plants
The following table represents the different desalination plant and their design capacity and
Actual Production:

Location Desalination
Type
Design Capacity
m3/hr
No. of unit Year of
Operation

Tubrok MED-TVC 40000 - 1977
Bomba MSF 30000 3 1988
Darna MED-TVC 40000 - -
Sussa MED-TVC 10000 2 2000
Sussa ext MED-TVC 40000 - -
Abou Traba MED-TVC 40000 - 2006
Zliten MSF 30000 3 1992
Azawia MED-TVC 80000 - -
Zawara MSF 40000 - 2006
Zawara Ext MED-TVC 40000 - -
Tubrok MSF 24000 4 1977
Tajoura RO 10000 2 1984
Misrata MSF 30000 3 1987
Sirt MSF 10000 1 1986
Azawia Double MED 5000 2 2006
Tripoli West MED-TVC 10000 2 1999
Homes MSF 31680 4 1985
Benghazi North MED-TVC 4800 1 2005
Benghazi North
Double
MED-TVC 5000 2 2007
Darna MED-TVC 4700 1 1998
Hrawa MSF 500 1 1989
Table 1: Desalination Plant details in Libya
MED: Multi Effect Desalination
TVC: Thermal Vapour Compression
MSF: Multi Stage Flush
RO: Reverse Osmosis

Design Capacity m3/hr
Tubrok
Bomba
Darna
Sussa
Sussa ext
Abou Traba
Zliten
Azawia
Zawara
Zawara Ext
Tubrok
Tajoura
Misrata
Sirt
Azawia Double
Tripoli West
Homes
Benghazi North
Benghazi North Double
Darna
Hrawa
Fig 1: Contribution toward Requirement
From the above diagram Azawia has the highest single plant contribution towards the
requirement where as Tubrok has a highest contribution towards the requirement from a
single location.
7.0 Role of Desalination in Libya:
Generally Libya is dependent on two water resource
A. Conventional: ground water and Surface water
B. Sea Water
But the desalination technology has become the most effective solution for the water
scarcity in Libya. The following are the reason behind the desalination process’s importance
 Over exploration of ground water
 The increasing demand of water
 The current unstable condition of Man Made River Project (MMRP).
 Availability of abundant quantity of sea water
 Long coastal line
 Create opportunity for spatial development
 Availability of natural gas
Besides the advantage of desalination process, this is not a strategic option for Libya
Government. The major investment goes towards the MMRP thereby causing shortage of
chemical and other required material supply to run the desalination plant. The following
table represent the actual production capacity of various desalination plants.

Location Desalination
Type
Design Capacity
m3/hr
Actual
Capacity
Tubrok MED-TVC 40000 0
Bomba MSF 30000 17000
Darna MED-TVC 40000 19000
Sussa MED-TVC 10000 5500
Sussa ext MED-TVC 40000 13000
Abou Traba MED-TVC 40000 11000
Zliten MSF 30000 12000
Azawia MED-TVC 80000 72000
Zawara MSF 40000 13000
Zawara Ext MED-TVC 40000 23000
Tubrok MSF 24000 15000
Tajoura RO 10000 8000
Misrata MSF 30000 12000
Sirt MSF 10000 7000
Azawia Double MED 5000 4400
Tripoli West MED-TVC 10000 8000
Homes MSF 31680 28000
Benghazi North MED-TVC 4800 2000
Benghazi North Double MED-TVC 5000 3700
Darna MED-TVC 4700 3200
Hrawa MSF 500 488
Table 2: Design capacity vs Actual Capacity
Tubrok
Bomba
Darna
Sussa
Sussa ext
Abou Traba
Zliten
Azawia
Zawara
Zawara Ext
Tubrok
Tajoura
Misrata
Sirt
Azawia Double
Tripoli West
Homes
Benghazi North
Benghazi North Double
Darna
Hrawa
0 50000 100000 150000 200000
Design Capacity m3/hr
Actual Capacity
Fig 2: Comparison between design capacity v/s actual output

Total Design Capacity: 525680 m3/hr
Actual Production Capacity: 277288 m3/hr
Based on the above figure and calculation the desalination plants are running only at 52.74%
of its design capacity, which is very low if we are looking into the requirement.
8.0 Conclusion
As per the detailed review of the unconventional and connectional water sources in
Libya, technology for desalination, their advantages, and disadvantages as presented
in this particular paper, the country is actually headed to a very pathetic state of
fresh water shortage. This will probably turn to be disastrous in case actions are not
taken by the relevant authorities on time. The government and other concerned
bodies should, therefore, move so quickly to have the following recommendation
put into practice.
The correct decisions will be made by the private sectors and the government
authorities with the correct and reliable information on the report. It is important to
note that allowing the issues like plants out of service being unattended to may
create social, technical and environmental problems which will impact the country
badly [10]. There should be an initiative by the government on the programs of
water recycling and reuse through the encouragement of the research in the field of
water reuse. The research work should be dedicated to the research centers and the
university.
The absence of the proper management in all water authorities has resulted in very
many problems some of which are related to the documentation. The water
shortage problem and proper desalination process will, therefore, be adequately
addressed through the cooperation of the national authorities. In spite of the
presence of the manmade rivers in Libya that has partly solved the problem of water
shortage especially the northern parts of the country, its reliability has never been
full. This basically means that the current technologies for the desalination must be
empowered properly[3].
There should be an adoption of the seawater desalination, especially in the coastal
Libyan cities. Also, the installation of the banish water plant should be done in the
entire country. The responsible water authorities should actually establish an urgent
professional team that is basically responsible for the inspection. Through this
initiative, it will be possible to identify the desalination plants that are already out of
service. This will be followed by a written comprehensive report that describes the
technical status of the plants and the required costs of maintenance.
8.1 Contingency Plan
Risk Contingency plan

Choice of unreliable places associated with
high cost of production
Relocation of the sites to places to reduce the
cost of production
Insufficient training threatening the certainty
of the future
Conduction of proper training programs to
make it popular and effective among the
locals.
Use of substandard machine components
which threaten to ruin some of the companies
completely
Setting up of a supervisory plan to
investigate the quality of the components that
are being used for installation and
maintenance.
9.0 Gantt chart with Comments
10.0 References
[1]Abdul Dayem, A. and Scott, A.H., 2014. Water infrastructure in Libya and the
Tasks
Time in Months
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
Literature Review
Investigative Studies
Experimental Investigation
Conclusions
Research Paper
Presentation

water situation in agriculture in the Jefara region of Libya. African Journal of
Economic and Sustainable Development, 3(1), pp.33-64.
[2]Al-Hengari, S., ElMoudir, W., and El-Bousiffi, M.A., 2015. Economic assessment
of thermal desalination processes. Desalination and Water Treatment, 55(9), pp.2423-
2436.
[3]Al-Karaghouli, A. and Kazmierski, L.L., 2013. Energy consumption and water
production cost of conventional and renewable-energy-powered desalination
processes. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 24, pp.343-356.
[4]Badi, I., Ballem, M., and Shetwan, A., 2018. SITE SELECTION OF
DESALINATION PLANT IN LIBYA BY USING COMBINATIVE DISTANCE-
BASED ASSESSMENT (CODAS) METHOD. International Journal for Quality
Research, 12(3).
[5]Elhajaji, A., Al-Khaddar, R., Dürr, S. and Haddad, D., 2014. Thermal desalination
technologies as alternative options for water scarcity in Libya. In World
Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2014 (pp. 2247-2258).
[5]Eshoul, N.M., Agnew, B., and Snider, A.M., 2016, March. Parametric study of
multi-effect desalination with thermal vapor compression plant. In 2016 7th
International Renewable Energy Congress (IREC) (pp. 1-6). IEEE.
[6]Eshoul, N.M., Agnew, B., Anderson, A. and Atab, M.S., 2017. Exergetic and
economic analysis of two-pass RO desalination proposed plant for domestic water and
irrigation. Energy, 122, pp.319-328.

[7]Gude, V.G., 2015. Energy storage for desalination processes powered by
renewable energy and waste heat sources. Applied Energy, 137, pp.877-898.
[8]Mohamed, A.M., Al-Habaibeh, A. and Abdo, H., 2013. An investigation into the
current utilization and perspective of renewable energy resources and technologies in
Libya. Renewable energy, 50, pp.732-740.
[9]Mohamed, A.M., Al-Habaibeh, A. and Abdo, H., 2013. An investigation into the
current utilisation and prospective of renewable energy resources and technologies in
Libya. Renewable energy, 50, pp.732-740.
[10]Mokheimer, E.M., Sahin, A.Z., Al-Sharafi, A. and Ali, A.I., 2013. Modeling and
optimization of hybrid wind–solar-powered reverse osmosis water desalination
system in Saudi Arabia. Energy Conversion and Management, 75, pp.86-97.
[11]Nasr, S.M., Okbah, M.A., El Haddad, H.S. and Soliman, N.F., 2015.
Fractionation profile and mobility pattern of metals in sediments from the
Mediterranean Coast, Libya. Environmental monitoring and assessment, 187(7),
p.430.
REFERENCES:
[1]Abdul Dayem, A. and Scott, A.H., 2014. Water infrastructure in Libya and the

water situation in agriculture in the Jefara region of Libya. African Journal of
Economic and Sustainable Development, 3(1), pp.33-64.
[2]Al-Hengari, S., ElMoudir, W., and El-Bousiffi, M.A., 2015. Economic assessment
of thermal desalination processes. Desalination and Water Treatment, 55(9), pp.2423-
2436.
[3]Al-Karaghouli, A. and Kazmierski, L.L., 2013. Energy consumption and water
production cost of conventional and renewable-energy-powered desalination
processes. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 24, pp.343-356.
[4]Badi, I., Ballem, M., and Shetwan, A., 2018. SITE SELECTION OF
DESALINATION PLANT IN LIBYA BY USING COMBINATIVE DISTANCE-
BASED ASSESSMENT (CODAS) METHOD. International Journal for Quality
Research, 12(3).
[5]Elhajaji, A., Al-Khaddar, R., Dürr, S. and Haddad, D., 2014. Thermal desalination
technologies as alternative options for water scarcity in Libya. In World
Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2014 (pp. 2247-2258).
[5]Eshoul, N.M., Agnew, B., and Snider, A.M., 2016, March. Parametric study of
multi-effect desalination with thermal vapor compression plant. In 2016 7th
International Renewable Energy Congress (IREC) (pp. 1-6). IEEE.
[6]Eshoul, N.M., Agnew, B., Anderson, A. and Atab, M.S., 2017. Exergetic and
economic analysis of two-pass RO desalination proposed plant for domestic water and
irrigation. Energy, 122, pp.319-328.

[7]Gude, V.G., 2015. Energy storage for desalination processes powered by
renewable energy and waste heat sources. Applied Energy, 137, pp.877-898.