DAYANANDA SAGAR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

(An Autonomous Institute affiliated to VTU, Belagavi - 590018)

Accredited by NBA, National Assessment & Accreditation Council (NAAC) with ‘A’ grade

Project Report
on
“DESALINATION OF SEA WATER USING SOLAR ENERGY”
Submitted in partial fulfillment for the award of degree of
BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING
IN
ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

Submitted by

MIMANSHA PANDEY - 1DS18EE032

SAGARIKA S P - 1DS18EE051
SHREYA KULKARNI - 1DS18EE057
TEJASWINI S V - 1DS18EE062

Under the Guidance of

Mr. SATISH B A
Assistant Professor
Dept. of E&E Engg.
DSCE, Bengaluru

VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

JNANASANGAMA, BELAGAVI-590018
2021-2022
 DAYANANDA SAGAR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
(An Autonomous Institute affiliated to VTU, Belagavi – 590018, Approved by AICTE & ISO 9001:2015 Certified)
Accredited by National Assessment & Accreditation Council (NAAC) with ‘A’ grade
Shavige Malleshwara Hills, Kumaraswamy Layout
Bengaluru-560078
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE

Certified that the Project report entitled “DESALINATION OF SEA WATER USING SOLAR ENERGY” carried out
by Mimansha Pandey, Sagarika SP, Shreya Kulkarni, Tejaswini SV bearing USN: 1DS18EE032, 1DS18EE051,
1DS18EE057, 1DS18EE062 a bonafide student of DAYANANDA SAGAR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING,
an autonomous institution affiliated to VTU, Belagavi in partial fulfillment for the award of Degree of Bachelor
of Engineering in Electrical and Electronics Engineering during the year 2021-2022. It is certified that
all corrections/suggestions indicated for Internal Assessment have been incorporated in the report deposited in
the departmental library. The Project report has been approved as it satisfies the academic requirements in respect of work
prescribed for the Bachelor of Engineering Degree.

Signature of the Internal Guide Signature of the HOD Signature of the Principal
Mr. Satish B A Dr. P. Usha Dr. C.P.S Prakash
Assistant Professor Professor & HOD Principal
Dept. of E&E Engg. Dept. of E&E Engg. DSCE, Bengaluru
DSCE, Bengaluru DSCE, Bengaluru

Name of the Examiners Signature with date

1........................................... ..........................................

2........................................... ..........................................
 DAYANANDA SAGAR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
(An Autonomous Institute affiliated to VTU, Belagavi – 590018, Approved by AICTE & ISO 9001:2015 Certified)
Accredited by National Assessment & Accreditation Council (NAAC) with ‘A’ grade
Shavige Malleshwara Hills, Kumaraswamy Layout
Bengaluru-560078
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

DECLARATION

We, MIMANSHA PANDEY (1DS18EE032), SAGARIKA S P (1DS18EE051), SHREYA KULKARNI

(1DS18EE057), TEJASWINI S V (1DS18EE062), respectively, hereby declare that the project work
entitled “DESALINATION OF SEA WATER USING SOLAR ENERGY” has been independently done
by us under the guidance of Mr. SATISH B A, Assistant Professor, EEE department and submitted in
partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical
& Electronics Engineering, at Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, an autonomous institution
affiliated to VTU, Belagavi during the academic year 2021-2022.

We further declare that we have not submitted this report either in part or in full to any other university
for the award of any degree.

NAMES USN

MIMANSHA PANDEY - 1DS18EE032

SAGARIKA S P - 1DS18EE051

SHREYA KULKARNI - 1DS18EE057

TEJASWINI S V - 1DS18EE062

PLACE: BANGALORE

DATE:
 DAYANANDA SAGAR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
(An Autonomous Institute affiliated to VTU, Belagavi – 590018, Approved by AICTE & ISO 9001:2008 Certified)

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

Project Course Outcomes and Mapping

Course Outcomes: The Students would be able to

CO1 Able to generate ,develop an idea and information to carry out project work

CO2 Analyze and assemble the basic information to find a tangible solution of the complex
engineering problem by using suitable method/procedure.

CO3 Use/ implement modern Engineering tools/ technologies to get optimized results

CO4 Adapt collaborative skills to work in team.

CO5 Develop presentation ,communication and report writing skills

CO6 Apply the knowledge and understanding of principles of management , finance and
engineering in their project work

CO-PO-PSO Mapping
CO’S\PO’S\PS
O PO PO PO PO PO PO PO PO PO PO1 PO1 PO1 PSO PSO PSO
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 1 2 3

CO1

CO2

CO3

CO4

CO5

CO6
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The Satisfaction and Euphoria that Accompanies the successful completion of project would be incomplete
without the mention of the people who made it possible with their guidance and blessings, whose constant
encouragement crowned my effort with success.

I consider my privilege to have studied in Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering. I express my gratitude to our
Principal, Dr. C P S Prakash for permitting us to utilize all the necessary facilities of the institution.

I owe a great sense of gratitude to our beloved Head of the Department, Dr. P Usha, Professor and HOD,
Department of Electrical and Electronics, DSCE for providing excellent academic environment.

I feel to express my indebtedness and deep sense of gratitude to my guide Mr. Satish B A , Assistant Professor,
Department of Electrical and Electronics, DSCE whose valuable guidance and motivation given to me throughout.

I express my sincere thanks to all the Teaching and Non-teaching staff of Department of Electrical and Electronics
Engineering, for their kind and constant support throughout the academic Journey.

Lastly, we would like to express our deep appreciation towards our friends and our family for providing us with
constant moral support and encouragement.

MIMANSHA PANDEY (1DS18EE032)

SAGARIKA S P (1DS18EE051)
SHREYA KULKARNI (1DS18EE057)
TEJASWINI S V (1DS18EE062)
 ABSTRACT

Water as a resource is the most significant aspect of the living organisms. Use of fresh water has been growing
rapidly considering the growth of population. Fresh water demand is a never-ending concept across the globe.
Water scarcity is a both organic and human made concept. So a system is built where the water is purified using
solar energy. There is also a backup power known as grid. The battery which is used to run the water pump can
be charged by the solar panel when the solar energy is available. If not, it will be charged by the grid. To decide
this, there is a decision circuit built which decides the battery charging condition. This decision circuit makes of
Arduino UNO, Relay and Voltage sensors.
The filtration part consists of three stages. A pretreatment tank, followed by carbon filters and lastly the RO
purifiers. Thus, we could purify water without using any harmful chemicals.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION----------------------------------------------------------------------01
1.1 OBJECTIVES--------------------------------------------------------------------------04
1.2 LITERATURE SURVEY------------------------------------------------------------05

CHAPTER 2: CONENTIONAL METHODS--------------------------------------------------------08

CHAPTER 3: DESCRIPTION OF COMPONENTS-----------------------------------------------09

3.1 ARDUINO UNO----------------------------------------------------------------------10
3.2 VOLTAGE SENSOR----------------------------------------------------------------12
3.3 SINGLE CHANEL RELAY------------------------------------------------------- 14
3.4 BATTERY----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18
3.6 CHARGE CONTROLLER-------------------------------------------------------- 19
3.7 SOLAR PANEL-----------------------------------------------------------------------22
3.8 RO PURIFIER----------------------------------------------------------------------- 23
3.9 CARBON FILTERS---------------------------------------------------------------- 24
3.10 WATER PUMP-----------------------------------------------------------------------24
3.11 BOOST CONERTER--------------------------------------------------------------- 25

CHAPTER 4: WORKING PRINCIPLE------------------------------------------------------------- 27

4.1 DECISION MAKING CIRCUIT-------------------------------------------------27
4.2 BLOCK DIAGRAM--------------------------------------------------------------- 28
4.3 METHODOLOGY----------------------------------------------------------------- 29
4.4 CODE FOR THE DECISION CIRCUIT-------------------------------------- 31
4.5 COST ANALYSIS----------------------------------------------------------------- 34

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION------------------------------------------------------------------------ 35

REFRENCES---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36

PLAGIARISM REPORT-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 37
 LIST OF FIGURES

FIG.NO. FIGURE NAME PAGE NO.

1.1.1 Statistics of Water scarcity level across the globe 1

1.1.2 Desalination machine coupled with solar energy 3

3.1.1 Arduino UNO 10

3.1.2 Pin Configuration 11

3.2.1 Voltage Sensor 13

3.3.1 Single Channel Relay 15

3.3.2 Components of 5v Single Channel Relay 16

3.5.1 Connecting Wires 19

3.6.1 Charge Controller 20

3.6.2 Block Diagram of PWM Solar Charge Controller 21

3.7.1 Solar Panel 22

3.11.1 Boost Converter 25

3.11.2 Circuit of Boost Converter 25

4.1.1 Decision Making Circuit 28

4.1.2 Block Diagram 29

CHAPTER 1
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Our planet has more water than land. Although water is almost 75% covered on earth, most of the water is sea
water and brackish water. Only about 3% of the water present on earth is fresh water. This fresh water exists in
the form of ice, mountains, lakes, ground water and rivers. Of the total, only 0.014% of the water is available
directly for the living organisms and human beings. Water as a resource is the most significant aspect of the living
organisms. Use of fresh water has been growing rapidly considering the growth of population. Fresh water
demand is a never-ending concept across the globe. Water scarcity is a both organic and human made concept. It
can be defined as lack of safe water supplies. Many countries across the world especially middle eastern countries
suffer from water scarcity. According to the survey more than 270 crore people will be facing water scarcity by
2050. Globally, 7850 crores of people face with the accessibility of clean drinking water.

Fig: 1.1.1 Statistics of Water scarcity level across the globe

Around one-fifth of the world’s population resides in the area with scarcity of water. Even in countries with
good water resources tend to face water scarcity due to several reasons like poor infrastructure and distribution,
poor management and contamination of water. By 2025, almost two-thirds of the world’s population may face
shortages of water. Hence lot of research and effort is being put to overcome such situation. In India, water
problems are complex. Almost 60 crores of the population is water deprived.

From 2007-2017, the ground water levels in India are declined almost up to 60%. In the 3% of world’s fresh
water, India holds up to 4% of fresh water. The studies by NITI Aayog states by the end of 2030, water demand
is doubled.
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The present water resources are depleting due to:
● Decreased quality of the water due to dumping industrial wastes and domestic waste with improper
treatment.
● Exploitation of ground water.
● Unbalanced distribution of water obtained from rain and due to drought.

Since the inexhaustible source of water present on the earth is in the form of ocean and seas, it is the best
alternative to overcome the process of water scarcity. Since the salinity of sea water is very high as it ranges
from 35,000-40,000 ppm. Brackishness in the water could lead to problem regarding taste, problems related to
stomach and laxative effect. Hence it is dangerous to consume such high saline water as it could lead to serious
consequences like death. It could be made potable by the process called Desalination. Desalination is a process
of converting high saline sea water into potable drinking water with lower concentration of minerals and salts.
This process requires large amount of energy. Several technologies are used for desalination process. They are:
● Thermal technologies
● Membrane distillation technologies

The technology we are using in the process is Reverse Osmosis. Important aspect of this process is to understand
the process of Osmosis. When the solution is less concentrated, it has a natural tendency to move towards higher
concentration. This process is known as Osmosis. It includes a Semi-permeable membrane which allows only
selective molecules and ions. This process does not require any energy. The inverse of the osmosis is called as
Reverse Osmosis. Reverse Osmosis is a process which is pressure driven which takes place when pressure
difference larger than osmotic pressure is applied across the semi permeable membrane. The high Saline water is
pumped into the membrane where water id pressurized against the membrane which results in the fresh water
which is also known as permeate. It has less concentration of salt and the by-product being brine water which is
discarded. Almost up to 95-99% of the dissolved salts are pushed to the reject stream. The pressure required for
the process of desalination completely depends on the salt concentration present in the feed water. By the RO
process water gets rid of substances like dissolved salts, colloids, organics, particles, bacteria and pyrogens from
the water which is being fed. The molecular Weight of water is 18. The semi-permeable membrane present in the
RO membrane does not let any molecules whose molecular weight is greater than 200. Similarly, greater the
charge of ion, harder to get through the semi-permeable membrane. But its downside that it requires a high
demand of electricity to work. Therefore, a portable solar seawater desalination machine that uses reverse osmosis
(Ro) powered by solar energy is the best solution to resolve this problem.

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 Fig 1.1.2: Desalination machine coupled with solar energy

Production of electricity is the most significant reason for being a source of green- house gases. Renewable energy
sources can be used to produce electricity without causing any harm to environment. Unconventional energy
source like solar energy is the best way to produce energy required for the process of desalination. The key feature
of using solar energy as a source of energy for the process is:

● It is a sustainable energy and emits no greenhouse gases.

● Abundantly available in the nature.
● Economically viable

A solar panel with a battery storage is used to power the machine which makes it highly sustainable. The whole
energy consumption needed for the machine is calculated to find the capacity of solar panels, power supply size,
and storage system. Purification of saline water by using a solar-powered desalination processes is an effective
solution to water constraint and is a possible long-term option as it requires minimal maintenance. In the
process, desalination plant is coupled with grid as well as battery. PV system with battery storage is basically
with the addition of the batteries and charge controller. The deep-cycle backup batteries are charged by the
battery charge controller depending on whether the power produced by the solar panels is needed for household
usage to run low voltage appliances and lighting or not. Any extra electricity that is not used or consumed by
the home might be transmitted to the power grid of the electricity provider. The benefit of a Grid Connected PV
System, whether it has storage batteries or not, is that it continues to produce electricity on sunny, clear days
when the photovoltaic system is producing large amounts of current and the home is consuming little energy,
such as if you are away from home all day working. The excess electricity generated does not go to waste but is
fed back into the power grid.

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 1.2 OBJECTIVES

• To obtain potable water from the inexhaustible source of water i.e., Ocean

• To utilize unconventional energy i.e., solar energy as source of energy for the model.

• To minimize the cost for purification by using solar panel.

• To preserve the current fresh water.

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 1.3 LITERATURE SURVEY

i. A review on various methods of Seawater Desalination by Geethika Tuteja. This paper provides
details on various methods used for sea water desalination. The most widely used methods which are
adopted for the conversion of salt water into fresh water are a) Reverse osmosis b) Solar distillation
method c) Freezing Process d) Electro dialysis Two thousand years ago, Greek sailors used to get fresh
water from sea water by distilling sea water. Among these processes, RO method employed in the
bulk of the plants (90%) to desalinate seawater worldwide. Reverse Osmosis RO) is a pressure driven
membrane process where a feed stream flows under pressure through a semi-permeable membrane,
separating two aqueous streams, one rich in salt and other.

ii. Advancement in desalination using solar energy by Dr. Raj Shah and Amanda Loo: Due to its
availability, solar energy has a lot of potential as a sustainable desalination energy source. Utilizing
solar power has a high efficiency and produces less carbon dioxide. There has been evidence to suggest
a correlation between high solar radiation areas and high water supply needs. Solar energy is a viable
source for desalination because it can be used to harvest 70% of the sun's light and is a constant source.
There is a bright future for solar energy use in desalination due to the availability of solar iridescence
and the numerous harvesting techniques. Indirect systems employ solar energy to extract distillate for
later desalination, whereas direct systems use the solar collector to make distillate. Solar stills are an
illustration of a direct system because solar energy is absorbed and passed directly to the saline water
input, causing the water to evaporate and be collected while the salts and particles are discharged. This
system is better suited for remote places with minimal water demands because it is inexpensive but
performs poorly. Direct sun desalination can be improved with the addition of nanomaterials such
silicon dioxide, carbon, graphite, nanoplatelets, and carbon. Membrane distillation, reverse osmosis
(RO), and electrodialysis are examples of indirect systems (ED). Membrane distillation uses more
energy than RO and other desalination techniques, but it produces water that is highly pure and may
be heated using renewable energy. The most widely used desalination technique is reverse osmosis,
which provides 65 percent of the world's desalinated water.

iii. Photovoltaic- powered desalination system for remote Australian Communities by Bryce S.
Richards and Andrea S. Schafer. a description of the history and methodology of membrane filters.
This paper describes the design and successful field testing of a photovoltaic-powered desalination

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 system that is meant for use in isolated locations where fresh water is scarce and high-salinity well
water is frequently required.

iv. A New Mobile and Hybrid Desalination Unit with Solar Energy and Enhanced Reverse Osmosis.
A crisis in water is currently occurring due to population increase and climate change. Desalination is
thus a solution to the global problem of water scarcity. The most popular method of desalination,
reverse osmosis (RO), relies on a particular membrane to desalinate water without a phase shift. Sadly,
this procedure, which often uses fossil fuels, uses a lot of energy. The desalination issue is more
significant in rural regions, especially those without electricity. In spite of the presence of lakes and
brackish water, the rural population is affected by the lack of access to clean drinking water. This
study makes a new hybrid and portable device based on solar thermal and photovoltaic energy that
will be used to desalinate brackish water in Morocco.

v. Solar Energy Based Purification of Sea Water – A Detailed Review: For all of humanity to survive,
drinking water must be available. There is a sufficient amount of water on the earth, but relatively
little of it can be utilised for drinking. Researchers have proposed a variety of techniques for purifying
brackish water and sea water. A thorough analysis of solar powered purification systems is necessary
since water purification processes need some kind of energy source and because renewable energy
sources are now being used in many different industries. In this study work, every effort has been
made to review all the information on water distillation using solar energy that is currently available.
The literature review reveals that a variety of study setups and tools are accessible but are not currently
in use because of expensive initial setup expenses and low societal technological literacy.

vi. Renewable Energy-Driven Desalination: New Trends and Future Prospects of Small Capacity
Systems: Independent settlements in extremely dry areas without access to a grid require the
development of desalination technologies, regardless of their costs or energy effectiveness. However,
against established rival technologies like reverse osmosis (RO) powered by wind and/or solar
photovoltaic (PV) energies, only the most energy- and money-efficient systems will have market
potential. To determine which technologies have the highest chances of succeeding on the market in
the future, this study examines and evaluates the most pertinent recent developments in RE-powered
DESalination (REDES), with an emphasis on off-grid systems with nominal capacities up to 1000
m3/d. Prior to this decade, the REDES technologies suffered from a lack of maturity and dependability
in terms of technology development.

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vii. Solar-Powered Reverse Osmosis Desalination: Solar power has emerged as a complete package for
energy production by combining PV solar cells for residential applications with the dimension of
renewable energy and resources from the earth. A severe issue, particularly in North African nations
and the Middle East, is the extension of freshwater from the earth that produces water close to a
metropolis in many regions of the world. Desalination is therefore essential for human survival and
can be accomplished using only natural energy, such as the sun's abundant rays. Recent technological
developments in the field of solar energy have improved the design of energy conversion systems that
capture solar energy and use thermopiles to transform it into electricity.

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CHAPTER 2
CONVENTIONAL METHOD DESCRIPTION

1. HUMIDIFICATION AND DEHUMIDIFICATION (HDH):

Nature uses energy generated by the sun to discard the hard salts from the seas and ocean water by the
virtue of the cycle of rain. This process takes place when the water from sea gets evaporated with the help
of energy generated by the sun. it results in air humidification. This in turn leads to formation of clouds.
This results in the condensation of these clouds or the clouds crack due to water droplets get too heavy to
stay suspended in the cloud, they fall to Earth as rain. this method is the working procedure of
humidification and dehumidification process. This process is artificially built. This process is environment
dependent process and cannot be implemented in all regions and it has a very low efficiency.

2. SOLAR STILLS:
The process in which sea or the feed water is converted into potable water with the help of energy
generated by the sun. This process takes place with the help of natural evaporation. The device used for
this process is known as Solar Stills . this device is yet simple in design but it comes with disadvantages
such as low efficiency and salt deposition which leads to corrosion.

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CHAPTER 3

DESCRIPTION OF COMPONENTS

The components used in this system are:

• Arduino UNO

• Voltage sensors

• Single Channel Relay

• Battery

• Charge controller

• RO purifier

• Pre-treatment membrane

• Solar panel

• Carbon filters

• Boost converter

• Water pump

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3.1 ARDUINO UNO

Fig 3.1.1: Arduino UNO

The Uno differs from all preceding boards therein it doesn't use the FTDI USB-to-serial driver chip. Instead, it
features the Atmega16U2 (Atmega8U2 up to version R2) programmed as a USB-to Serial converter. In addition
to using traditional compiler toolchains the Arduino project provides an integrated development environment
(IDE) based on the Processing language.

The microcontrollers are typically programmed employing a dialect of features from the programming languages
C and C++. additionally, to using traditional compiler toolchains the Arduino project provides an integrated
development environment (IDE) supported the Processing language project. Arduino microcontrollers are pre-
programmed with a boot loader that simplifies uploading of programs to the on-chip non-volatile storage. The

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default bootloader of the Arduino UNO is that the optiboot bootloader Boards are loaded with program code via
a serial connection to a different computer.

The Ivrea Interaction Design Institute developed Arduino as a straightforward tool for quick prototyping aimed
for students with no prior knowledge of electronics or programming. The Arduino board started off as
straightforward 8-bit boards, but as it grew in popularity, it started to develop into solutions for the Internet of
Things, wearable technology, 3D printing, and embedded environments.

An Atmel 8-bit AVR microcontroller (ATmega8, ATmega168, ATmega328, ATmega1280, or ATmega2560) is

used in the majority of Arduino boards. These microcontrollers include varied amounts of flash memory, ports,
and functionality. In 2012, the 32-bit Arduino Due, based on the Atmel SAM3X8E, was released. Female headers
or single- or double-row pins are utilised on the boards to make programming and integrating into other circuits
simple. These can be utilised in addition to shields, which are optional add-on modules. An I2C serial bus could
be used to individually address multiple, possibly stacked shields.

The majority of boards come supplied with a 16 MHz crystal oscillator or ceramic resonator and a 5 V linear
regulator. Due to form-factor restrictions, some gadgets, like the Lily Pad, operate at 8 MHz and lack an
accelerometer. Some gadgets, like the Lily Pad, run at 8 MHz and don't have an accelerometer because of form-
factor restrictions.

Fig 3.1.2: Pin configuration

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Using the pinMode, digitalRead, and digitalWrite functions, an Arduino board's 14 digital input/output pins can
be used as input or output pins. Each pin has a maximum current capacity of 40mA, operates at 5V, and includes
a 20–50 KOhm internal pull-up resistor that is by default unconnected. Some of these 14 pins have particular
applications, which are described in more detail below.

Serial Pins 0 (Rx) and 1 (Tx): The Rx and Tx pins are used to transmit and receive TTL serial data, respectively.
They are linked together using the associated ATmega328P USB to TTL serial chip.

Pins 2 and 3 for external interrupts allow interrupts to be specified to happen on low values, rising or falling
edges, or voltage changes.

PWM Pins 3, 5, 6, 9 and 11: These pins produce an 8-bit PWM signal using the analogWrite() technique.
These pins—SPI Pins 10 (SS), 11 (MOSI), 12 (MISO), and 13—are used for SPI communication (SCK).
Integrated LED Pin 13: The integrated LED is on when pin 13 is HIGH and off when pin 13 is LOW.

In addition to the 14 digital connections, there are 6 analogue input pins with a resolution of 10 bits, or 1024
different values. They can measure between 0 and 5 volts, but this limit can be increased by utilising the AREF
pin and analogue Reference() function. Analog pins 4 (SDA) and 5 are also used for TWI communication with
the Wire library (SCA).

AREF: Used to provide a reference voltage for analogue inputs when using the analogue Reference() function.

Reset Pin: By setting this pin to LOW, the microcontroller is reset.

3.2 VOLTAGE SENSOR

The quantity of voltage in an object is measured and computed by a voltage sensor. Whether a voltage is AC or
DC can be determined via voltage sensors. The sensor’s input is voltage, and its outputs are switches, analogue
voltage signals, current signals, or aural signals.

Electronic or optical sensors are tools with the ability to spot, identify, and respond to certain electrical or optical
signals. Current sensor and voltage sensor technologies have shown to be a great replacement for conventional
current and voltage monitoring techniques.

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Voltage sensors are used to monitor, measure, compute, and determine the voltage supply. We can determine the
voltage level with this sensor, whether it is AC or DC. The input of the sensor may be voltage. But the output
could be a switch, analogue voltage or current, an audio signal, etc.

Only a few sensors available today create sine or pulse waveforms, such as output and vibration area modulation,
which can result in outputs like PWM (pulse width modulation) or FM (frequency modulation). The size of this
sensor is determined by the mains voltage divider. A device that can detect and respond to a certain type of
electrical or optical signal is called a voltage sensor.

Fig 3.2.1: Voltage Sensor

Pin Configuration
The voltage sensor module pin configurations are mentioned below.

The dimensions of the available module are 4cm x 3cm x 2cm

• The VCC pin is used for as the power supply pin. This pin is connected to the positive terminal of the
power supply devise that has to be measured.
• GROUND PIN is a potential pin. This pin is connected to the negative terminal of the power supply.
• S : it is voltage sensor’s analog output pin. It can be connected to the Arduino or whatever microcontroller
we want to use.

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The advantage of voltage sensors include:

• Small size and less weight

• Accuracy level is very high
• Personal safety is high
• They are of Wide dynamic range
• Non-saturable
• These are Eco-friendly
The voltage sensors can be used to sense the load, to control the temperature, and also control the power demand,
to detect if any fault occurs in the system.

3.3 SINGLE CHANNEL RELAY

Relays are electromagnetic switches that control significantly higher currents with relatively little electricity. Here
is a little animation that shows how the relay uses one circuit to trigger another. A little amount of current goes
through the first circuit when it is turned on, activating the electromagnet and creating a magnetic field everywhere
around it. At first, there is no current flowing through the first circuit, which is off. The second circuit can conduct
a significantly higher current when the switch is closed because the active magnetic pulls a contact from that
circuit in its direction. When the current is interrupted, the contact returns to its initial position, cutting off the
second circuit (either a sensor or a switch closing).

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5V Single channel Relay Module Pinout

Fig 3.3.1: Single Channel Relay

Let's start with the 5V single channel relay module's pinout and pin configuration data. The pinout diagram is
shown in the diagram below. Because only one relay is utilised and it operates on 5V, it is referred to as a single
channel.

Details are pinned.

The six pins of a relay module are typically open, normally closed, common, signal, Vcc, and ground.

Single pin: It is applied to relay control. Depending on the circumstance, this pin may be in the low or high active
position. The relay will turn on when we apply an active low signal to the signal pin in the case of active low.
And, if a signal is applied to the signal pin that is an active high, the relay will turn on. However, an active high
signal is typically employed with these modules. The normally open terminal's common terminal will establish
contact with the relay coil when this signal activates it.

VCC Pin: This is a 5V relay, as the name implies. As a result, it requires 5V DC to function. As a result, this pin
should be connected to the 5v DC power source.

Ground pin: Connects the ground pin to the ground terminal of the 5V power supply. If you're using a
microcontroller to drive a relay module, you should also connect this pin to the microcontroller's ground terminal.

Common pin: The load that we want to switch with the relay module is linked to this terminal.

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NC Pin: The normally close terminal is linked to the COM pin and produces a closed circuit, as its name suggests.
When the relay is engaged by applying an active high or active low signal to the signal pin of the relay module
from a microcontroller, however, this typically closed connection is broken.

NO Pin: Unless a signal is applied to the signal pin of the 5V single channel relay module, this pin is normally
open. In this situation, the COM pin disconnects from the NC pin and connects to the NO pin instead.

Components of 5v single channel relay:

Fig 3.3.2: Components Of 5v Single Channel Relay

A relay, output terminal, status LED, power LED, freewheeling diode, input connection, and switching transistor
are all included in a 5v relay module with a single channel.

Relay:

A blue-colored polymeric substance is applied to a 5V relay. The maximum operational voltage and current for
both AC and DC loads are also displayed on the relay. Because this relay runs at 5 volts, it is known as a 5 volt
relay.

Terminal for Output:

The output terminal of the relay module, which is on the left, is used to link an AC/DC load and an AC/DC i/p
power supply. The NC, COM, and NO pins of the relay are linked to the terminals of each o/p connection.

Screws that connect cables and wires make up the relay module. The maximum current and contact voltage this
module can withstand are 10A and 250V AC and 30V DC, respectively. Thick main cables are often utilized
when there is a large voltage and current load.

LED indicator of status:

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On the top right side of the relay module, a current-limiting resistor connects the status LED. As a result, by
turning on the relay and coil with the help of a signal pin, this LED displays the relay state. The DC supply for a
relay coil is dispersed across the coil.

LEDs with high output:

The single channel module's connected power source's status is shown by the power LED. The LED will be
damaged because of the excessive voltage if the aforementioned 5V source is applied to both the Vcc and GND
pins of the module.

Free-flowing Diode:

A certain kind of diode that can This diode, sometimes referred to as a flyback diode, can be attached across the
coil to prevent the back EMF effect. The coil on the relay is an inductive type. A back EMF voltage is produced
when current passes through an inductive load, potentially harming the circuit. This diode is therefore primarily
used to mitigate this impact.

Connector for Input: The input connector is located on the right side of the module. This connector's primary
use is to supply both an input signal and a 5 volt power source. It also supplies power to the status LED, relay
coil, and power LED.

Transistor for switching:

Typically, the I/O pins of microcontrollers like the ESP32, TM4C123, Arduino, and others provide the input
signal for a relay. On the other hand, the maximum current sourcing capacity of GPIO pins is often less than
20mA.

To increase the current to the minimal current level needed by the relay coil, a switching transistor is used in this
module. The switching transistor that manages a 5V relay is powered by the microcontroller's GPIO pin. An opto-
isolator, which functions as a switching device to provide optical isolation between high and low voltage circuits,
is a component of several relay modules.

However, if you're using a separate relay from a module and want to use multiple relays in your projects, a relay
is the way to go.

Specifications:

The following are the specs for a single-channel relay module.

⚫ 3.75V to 6V is the supplied voltage range.

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⚫ 2mA is the idle current.

⚫ A relay's highest contact voltage is 250VAC/30VDC.

⚫ 10A is the available max current.

3.4 BATTERY

In this model, we have used a battery which is charged by the solar energy or the grid provided which is used to
run the water pump which moves the water from the storage tank to the purifiers.

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Battery used is a sealed rechargable lead acid battery

• Voltage: 12 volts
• Current: 7.2 Ah

LEAD ACID BATTERY: The category of secondary batteries includes lead-acid batteries. Reversible chemical
processes take place in secondary cells. By running current through the battery, the reactants that produce an
electric current (through chemical processes) in these batteries can be recharged (recharging).

Discharging is the chemical process of drawing current from a secondary battery (forward reaction). Charging is
a process used to regenerate active material.

In the fully charged state, the positive plate and negative plate are both comprised of lead dioxide. The electrolyte,
which holds onto the majority of the chemical energy, is concentrated sulfuric acid.

The lead battery is constructed of two lead-based plates that are immersed in a sulphuric acid solution using lead
oxide and lead alloy ingots.

The lead acid battery comes in a variety of forms, including wet cell (flooded), gel cell, and absorbed glass mat
(AGM). The wet cell comes in two varieties: serviceable and maintenance-free. Both are similar in that they are
electrolyte-filled.

Lead sulphate in the electrolyte is reacted with sulfuric acid by the active elements on the battery plate, lead and
lead dioxide.

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3.5 CONNECTING WIRES

Fig 3.5.1: Connecting Wires

Electrical current needs a medium to go through in the case of computers, therefore connecting wires allows it to
move from one place on a circuit to another. Circuit boards have wires that transport electrical pulses that are
translated into binary signals of ones and zeros. Copper or Aluminum are the two most common materials used
to make wiring for electronics and computers. Both copper and electricity conduct well. Although silver is much
more expensive, it has a higher conductivity. Then connects to a switch that determines if the circuit is open or
closed. The power-drawing gadget is then connected to the wire, enabling it to draw power and carry out its
function. The wire then re-connects the load to the power source's opposing terminal. The circuit must be closed
before a current can flow across the wire; in other words, the path cannot have any breaks.

3.6 CHARGE CONTROLLER

There are many types of charge controllers:

• Shunt Regulator
• Series Regulator
• PWM Regulator
• MPPT Charge Controller

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 Fig 3.6.1: Charge Controller
In order to prevent overcharging of the batteries, the charge controller controls the amperage and voltage given
to the loads and directs any excess power to the battery system.

There are many types of charge controllers:

• Shunt Regulator
• Series Regulator
• PWM Regulator
• MPPT Charge Controller

A PWM regulator was employed in this system. Between the solar panels and the batteries is an electronic switch
called a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controller.

Similar to a typical battery charger, the solar charge controller (also referred to as a regulator) regulates the current
which is sent from the solar panel to the battery bank to prevent overcharging the batteries. It can accommodate
several battery types, just like a typical battery charger.
The float voltage can be chosen by the absorption voltage, and it frequently also controls the time and tail current.

In the solar charge controller:

•When the charger mode is set to bulk charging, the switch is ON.
• To maintain the battery voltage of the absorption, the switch is pulse width modulated, turning ON and OFF as
needed.
• When the battery voltage reaches the float voltage at the conclusion of absorption, it is OFF.

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• To maintain the battery voltage at the float voltage, the switch is pulse width modulated, turning ON and OFF
as necessary.

• Bulk Charge: The majority of the battery's charge is maintained by the PV device at the bulk charging
level. When the voltage is low, the device will charge the battery with a high current and voltage. Direct
charging should cease when the voltage at the battery's terminal exceeds this maintenance value while it
is set.

• Absorb Charge: The battery often waits for a while after the first stage of charging to let the voltage drop
naturally before moving on to the balanced charging stage. The stage is often referred to as charging at
constant voltage.

• Float Charge: It is the final stage of trickle charging, a three-part charging process. The trickle is a slow,
consistent charging current that is applied to the battery. The majority of rechargeable batteries experience
self-discharge after being fully charged. It is possible to maintain the charge capacity if the charging
maintains the same low current as the self-discharge rate.

Fig 3.6.2: Block Diagram of PWM Solar Charge Controller

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PWM Solar Charge Controller Cons:
• Low rate of conversion
• The bank voltage of the battery must be balanced by the input voltage.
• Less protection; Less scalability for device development; Less loading mode

3.7 SOLAR PANEL:

Fig 3.7.1: Solar Panel

Solar energy is collected and converted into electricity from solar panels, which is then utilised to power electrical
loads. The layers of silicon, boron, and phosphorous that make up the individual solar cells that comprise solar
panels are used to create the negative charge (which provides the positive charge). Solar panels take in photons,
which subsequently begin an electric current. Electrons can be ejected from their atomic orbits and released into
the solar cells' electric field, which then attracts the freed electrons into a directed current. The energy generated
when photons collide with the solar panel's surface allows for this procedure. The entire process is known as the
"Photovoltaic Effect."

A normal home has more than enough roof space for the necessary amount of solar panels, which could then
produce enough solar electricity to completely power the residence. The main power grid receives the excess
electricity created, which benefits electricity use at night.

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A solar array that is connected to the grid in a well-balanced arrangement produces energy during the day that is
used by the house at night.
SPECIFICATIONS:
• Voltage: 12VDC
• Power rating: 5W

3.8 RO PURIFIER
A partly permeable membrane is used in the reverse osmosis (RO) method of water purification to extract bigger
particles, undesirable compounds, and ions from drinking water. In reverse osmosis, osmotic pressure, a
cooperative property driven by chemical potential differences of the solvent, a thermodynamic characteristic, is
overpowered by an applied pressure. Reverse osmosis is utilized in both industrial processes and the creation of
drinkable water because it has the ability to remove a wide variety of biological species (mostly bacteria) as well
as dissolved and suspended chemical species from water. As a result, the pure solvent is let to cross to the other
side of the membrane while the solute is kept on the pressured side. Smaller components of the solution, such as
solvent molecules, such as water, H2O, should be able to move readily through the pores (holes) of this membrane
while larger molecules or ions should not be able to do so.

Through a membrane, the solvent travels naturally through the typical osmosis process from a low solute
concentration (high water potential) to a high solute concentration (low water potential). When the difference in
solvent concentration on either side of a membrane is lowered, the Gibbs free energy of the system decreases,
which causes the solvent to migrate into the more concentrated solution and create osmotic pressure. Reverse
osmosis is the process of using external pressure to change a pure solvent's direction of flow. The procedure is
comparable to previous uses of membrane technology.

In contrast to filtration, reverse osmosis uses an osmosis mechanism to move fluid over a membrane. The method
can theoretically attain complete efficiency regardless of variables like the solution's pressure and concentration
because the primary removal mechanism in membrane filtration is straining, or size exclusion, where the pores
are 0.01 micrometers or larger. Instead, reverse osmosis uses solvent diffusion across a nonporous membrane or
nanofiltration with pores as small as 0.001 micrometers. Differences in solubility or diffusivity are the main
removal method, and the process depends on pressure, solute concentration, and other factors.

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3.9 CARBON FILTERS

Water is typically treated with activated carbon filters to remove organic contaminants and/or extract free
chlorine, making the water safe for discharge or use in manufacturing operations. By getting rid of organics like
humic and fulvic acid from drinking water, chlorine is prevented from chemically interacting with the acids and
creating trihalomethanes, a class of recognised carcinogens.

As with any water treatment technique, activated carbon (AC) filtration is not able to get rid of every conceivable
kind of impurity. For instance, AC filtration cannot get rid of nitrates, fluoride, bacteria, or salt. AC filters cannot
be used for water softening either. Additionally, only a very particular sort of activated carbon water treatment—
typically found solely in household point-of-use filters—can effectively remove heavy elements like lead.

3.10 WATER PUMP:

DC water pumps are frequently used for applications that demand low cost, safety, quiet operation, and low power
consumption as low voltage electric water pumps. Self-suction centrifugal pumps are those that can pump mixes
of liquids with entrained gas as well as liquids that have the ability to vent the suction line of air.

Self Suction Pumps work by creating a vacuum by recirculating fluid inside the pump head. As a result, air is
removed from the suction pipework, allowing fluid to reach the pump's impeller.

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Voltage: 24VDC

• Working current: 1.3 A

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3.11 BOOST CONVERTER

Fig 3.11.1: Boost Converter Fig 3.11.2: Circuit of Boost Converter

To "step-up" an input voltage to a higher level, needed by a load, the boost converter is utilised. By holding energy
in an inductor and delivering it to the load at a greater voltage, this special feature is made possible. This succinct
note highlights some of the increase regulators' more frequent shortcomings. These include the highest output
current and voltage that can be achieved, short circuit behaviour, and fundamental layout difficulties.

The fundamental idea behind the boost converter is the inductor's propensity to resist changes in current by either
storing more or less energy in its magnetic field. The output voltage of a boost converter is always greater than
the input voltage.

The basic principle of a Boost converter consists of 2 distinct states:

• The inductor current increases while the switch S is in the on state.

• When the switch is open in the off state, the only path available for the inductor current is through the
flyback diode D, the capacitor C, and the load R.

• The energy accumulated during the on-state is subsequently transferred into the capacitor as a result.

• As can be seen in the preceding diagram, the input current is identical to the inductor current. In contrast
to a buck converter, it is not discontinuous, and the criteria for the input filter are less stringent.

In the figure shown below, there’s not much that happens.

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• Now in the figure shown below, the switch is flipped. When our signal source gets high, the MOSFET is
turned on. The inductor directs the entire current flow to the MOSFET.

• This circuit is not short circuited any real soon, because the indicator increases the ramp current slowly.
And anyways the output-capacitor is in charged mode as it cannot discharge through a reverse biased
Diode now. The indicator develops a magnetic field around it.

• And now in the last figure shown below, the MOSFET is turned off and the indicator current is stopped
abruptly.

• The inductor maintains a very smooth current flow and doesn’t allow sudden changes in current. So, it
does not like the sudden turning off of the current. Hence the indicator current cannot be turned off
suddenly. So it generates a large voltage opposing the polarity of the originally supplied voltage using the
magnetic field energy so that the current flow is maintained.

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27 | P a g e
CHAPTER 4

WORKING PRINCIPLE

4.1 DECISION MAKING CIRCUIT:

Fig 4.1.1: Decision Making Circuit

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4.2 BLOCK DIAGRAM:

Fig 4.1.2: Block Diagram

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4.3 METHODOLOGY:
The system is built to desalinate the sea water using a renewable energy specifically solar energy. We have
implemented a hybrid system where the grid along with the solar panel is used. In this hybrid system, the battery
may be charged either from the solar panel or the grid. Whenever there is sunlight, the battery is charged from
the solar panel. Or else the battery is charged from the grid. And once the battery starts charging, the motor starts
running and the filtration takes place.
We have made a decision circuit which decides the path of the power flow to the battery. The decision circuit is
built using the following components:
• arduino
• voltage sensor
• relay
• charge controller

The A0 analog pin of the the arduino is connected to the positive terminal of the solar panel through a voltage
sensor. The voltage sensor here is used to track the power generated by the solar panel and this data is sent to the
Arduino. The another analog pin A1 of the arduino is connected to the adaptor which is considered as a grid here.
A code is dumped into arduino where the voltages are compared. As solar panel generates 12-16 volts, the
threshold voltage of charge controller is taken as 12v. If the solar generation is more than 12v, the battery starts
charging using the solar power. In this state the relay connected to the solar panel will be in ON condition. If the
solar generation falls beyond 12v, the relay trips. This solar connected relay becomes off condition.

Now the the relay connected to the grid becomes ON condition. And the battery starts charging from grid. But
the motor we have used in this system has a rating of 24 volts but the battery rating is of 12 volts. And hence there
is a boost converter used between the battery and the water pump. The boost converter is used to boost up the
voltage from 12 volts to 24 volts which is required for the motor pump. And the purification of the sea water takes
place. There is a switch connected between the boost converter and the battery.

Water is now poured into the membrane filter which is also known as pre filter basically removes the suspended
solids like gravel, dust and macro dirt particles from the feed water. It is one of the important stages of purification
as this filter acts as first line of defence from dirt and debris as it protects the other filtration systems like RO
membrane filter and carbon filter from getting clogged. Membrane filter is made up of stone and sand particles.

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The water filtered gets stored in the temporary storage tank. The power generated from the solar panel gets stored
in the battery. This lead acid battery stores the DC voltage generated from the solar panel.
The water now gets into the carbon filter. This process is known as Pre filtration. In this process the odour smell
or the chemical smell present in the feed water gets vanished. The energy stored in the battery is used for powering
the DC motor which provides power and pumps water for the RO membrane and carbon filter. Water gets pumped
into the RO membrane where 90% of the dissolved salts like fluoride, chlorine, sediment, arsenic and VOC’s
present in the feed water gets purified. The water now gets stored in the storage tank from which potable water is
obtained. The by-product obtained from this process is the brine water which is highly concentrated with the high
salinity. This water is usually discarded.

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4.4 CODE FOR THE DECISION CIRCUIT:
/*
Conditionals - If statement

This example demonstrates the use of if() statements.

It reads the state of a potentiometer (an analog input) and turns on an LED
only if the potentiometer goes above a certain threshold level. It prints the
analog value regardless of the level.

The circuit:
- potentiometer
Center pin of the potentiometer goes to analog pin 0.
Side pins of the potentiometer go to +5V and ground.
- LED connected from digital pin 13 to ground

- Note: On most Arduino boards, there is already an LED on the board connected
to pin 13, so you don't need any extra components for this example.
*/
// These constants won't change:
const int analogPin = A0;
const int analogPin1 = A1; // pin that the sensor is attached to
const int Grid_Relay = 13; // pin that the LED is attached to
const int Solar_Relay = 10;

const int threshold = 500; // an arbitrary threshold level that's in the range of the analog input

void setup()
{
// initialize the LED pin as an output:
pinMode(Grid_Relay, OUTPUT);

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 pinMode(Solar_Relay, OUTPUT);
// initialize serial communications:
Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop()
{
// read the value of the potentiometer:
int Solar_Voltage = analogRead(analogPin);
int Grid_Voltage = analogRead(analogPin1);
// if the analog value is high enough, turn on the LED:
if (Solar_Voltage > threshold) {
digitalWrite(Grid_Relay, HIGH);
digitalWrite(Solar_Relay, LOW);
}
else
{
digitalWrite(Grid_Relay, LOW);
digitalWrite(Solar_Relay, HIGH);

// print the analog value:

Serial.println(Solar_Voltage);
Serial.println(Grid_Voltage);
delay(1); // delay in between reads for stability
}

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4.5 COST ANALYSIS

COMPONENTS AMOUNT

ARDUINO UNO 550

VOLTAGE SENSORS 50*2

RELAY MODULE 60*2

BOOST CONVERTER 90

CHARGE CONTROLLER 650

WATER PUMP 1950

SOLAR PANEL 320

RO PURIFIER 2000

CARBON FILTERS 350

BATTERY 1300

TOTAL AMOUNT =7,430

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CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION
.
• The currently available desalination systems are high energy dependent process. The use of solar energy
for the purpose of desalinating the sea water could be done as the solar energy can be harnessed well as
it is available abundantly in nature.
• In conventional method of treating saline or brackish water, the rate of consumption of fossil fuels is
more. It not only adds more carbon foot prints but also adds up to the electricity bill. To overcome such
circumstances, PV powered desalination machine comes into the picture.
• The cost of solar panels is reducing due to demand in the upcoming days due to factors like depletion of
fossil fuels etc and thus reducing the cost of model.
• The increasing scarcity of fresh water demands an alternative method to provide water which is potable.
Desalination of sea water using renewable energy is one of the best methods for producing fresh and
potable water.

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REFRENCES

i. Hefei Zhang , Shaobo Hou , “A hybrid solar desalination process of the multi-effect humidification
dehumidification and basin-type unit”, Desalination Vol. 220 (2008) Pages 552– 557
ii. ICAM Research project: Reverse Osmosis Membranes – Structure and Function (ROMSAF), Imperial
College London, 2015
iii. Schafer A. and Richards B., 2003, “Photovoltaic powered desalination system for remote Australian
communities.” Renewable Energy. 28: 2013–2022.
iv. Gude, V. G., “Desalination and water reuse to address global water scarcity,” Reviews in
Environmental Science and Bio/Technology, 16(4): 591-609, 2017
v. Kasaeian, A., Rajaee, F., & Yan, W. M., “Osmotic desalination by solar energy: A critical review”
Renewable Energy, 134: 1473-1490, 2019
vi. Devasagayam, Deepak. "Solar Energy Based Purification of Sea Water–A Detailed Review."
International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) 2.07 (2015): 835-839.
vii. Shukla A, Agarwal S, Narwat K. Solar-Powered Reverse Osmosis Desalination. InJournal of Physics:
Conference Series 2022 Feb 1 (Vol. 2178, No. 1, p. 012018). IOP Publishing.
viii. Manikandan P, Balamurugan S, Murthy OR. Design of a portable solar powered RO desalination
plant. InAIP Conference Proceedings 2020 Feb 28 (Vol. 2207, No. 1, p. 050003). AIP Publishing LLC.
ix. García-Rodríguez L, Delgado-Torres AM. Renewable Energy-Driven Desalination: New Trends and
Future Prospects of Small Capacity Systems. Processes. 2022 Apr 12;10(4):745.
x. Bachar M, Naddami A, Fahli A, Hilal M. A new mobile and hybrid desalination unit with solar energy
and enhanced reverse osmosis. 2018 6th International Renewable and Sustainable Energy Conference
(IRSEC) 2018 Dec 5 (pp. 1-5). IEEE.

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PLAGIARISM REPORT

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