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2013) Parametric equations for the variables of a steady-state model of a multi-effect desalination plant, Desalination and WaterIn this work a steady-state model is developed of an MED plant. Its development and validation have been carried out by experimental data obtained from an MED pilot plant located at the Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA), in the southeast of Spain. It is a vertical arrangement forward-feed MED plant with preheaters, which uses hot water as the thermal energy source. In order to run the model, a series of parametric equations have been determined for the following variables: the overall heat transfer coefficient for the first effect (U h ), the overall heat transfer coefficient for the preheaters (U p (i)), the vapor temperature inside the first effect (T v (1)), and the cooling seawater outlet temperature (T cwout ). They have been obtained from a three-level factorial experimental design (3 k ), performing a total of 81 experiments (3 4 ). The results obtained showed a good fit to the estimated models for the response variables.

Potable water supply by desalination systems has a significant role in today's developing world. Multi-effect distillation (MED) is a progressing, low cost and easy operating system to produce drinking and pure water for both social and industrial applications. It is very important to understand in detail the process elements in order to determine the effects of the important design and operating variables on the parameters controlling the performance of the plant. A model is developed for the MED plant located at the Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA), in the southeast of Spain. It is a vertical-arrangement forward-feed MED plant with pre-heaters, which uses hot water as the thermal energy source. The model has been developed dividing the MED plant into four blocks: the heater (consisting of the first effect), the evaporators (consisting of effects 2 to N), the pre-heaters (for effects 1 to N-1) and the condenser (after effect N). To solve the model, a parameterization of the overall heat transfer coefficient of the four blocks has been carried out with experimental data for a wide range of operation, based on correlations found by other authors for similar plants. The adjustments were good for all the components with the exception of the condenser, which seems to behave differently than in other cases reported in the literature.