5. Process comparison and selection criteria

The table 3 can be used to compare the various desalination processes on the basis of their main characteristics. This can lead to significant differences, depending on the aspect the customer wishes to focus on: service life, energy consumption, type and organization of operation and maintenance, etc.

In 2008, it was estimated that just under 60% of desalinated seawater was produced by distillation:

• distillation by successive releases. The largest plants of this type are at Al-Jubail in Saudi Arabia. Coupled with a power plant, they can produce 900,000 m ³ /d and 1,300 MW, but systems of equivalent size exist in Taweelah (UAE)...