DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - Would it be feasable to irrigate the sahara desert?

**NADALA** · 07-29-2009, 06:32 AM

If the main source of power is going to be solar, why not just boil off sea water to spin steam turbines then collect the steam as fresh water?

Actually most of what you wrote makes no sense. Water is not a heat source (in this scenario), salt is not a fuel. Salt melts at ~800°C, what do you need molten salt for?

initially you use the water as the steam source (heating the top of the tower through a mirror array)... once enough salt is seperated from the water you can then use the array to molten the salt, far exceeding the temp at which water boils. This is beneficial because that heat could evaporate even more water, and the molten salt will cool at a much slower rate, giving you continued heat even when the sun goes down, thus producing electricity for a considerably longer amount of time. Seeing that you are gaining salt that can continue to be used as a heat source it is virtually a closed system where sea water provides both the salt and water necessary, while the abundancy of sunlight completes the system.

07-29-2009, 06:32 AM	#15
NADALA Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 379 Senior Member	If the main source of power is going to be solar, why not just boil off sea water to spin steam turbines then collect the steam as fresh water? Actually most of what you wrote makes no sense. Water is not a heat source (in this scenario), salt is not a fuel. Salt melts at ~800°C, what do you need molten salt for? initially you use the water as the steam source (heating the top of the tower through a mirror array)... once enough salt is seperated from the water you can then use the array to molten the salt, far exceeding the temp at which water boils. This is beneficial because that heat could evaporate even more water, and the molten salt will cool at a much slower rate, giving you continued heat even when the sun goes down, thus producing electricity for a considerably longer amount of time. Seeing that you are gaining salt that can continue to be used as a heat source it is virtually a closed system where sea water provides both the salt and water necessary, while the abundancy of sunlight completes the system.
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