PhD Student
Carson is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. She is interested in using cost optimization modelling to better design and compare desalination processes. She is currently working on building a cost optimization model of mechanical vapor compression for high salinity brine treatment.
Team Members
Overview
Desalination at inland brackish groundwater treatment plants is currently limited by high costs of concentrate management and disposal. With current methods, 5-25% of the feed is disposed of as concentrate, with 98% of disposal using conventional methods (i.e. no byproduct recovery). The levelized cost of water (LCOW) for current plants in operation ranges from $0.42-1.5/m3. This project aims to assess the technical and economic feasibility of industrial ecosystems to desalinate brackish groundwater and supply existing and potential markets for clean concentrate or other bulk constituents from the brine. Specific project goals include: 1) Developing location specific byproduct revenue models using market assessments, and 2) Creating treatment train schemas in WaterTAP for treatment and valorization of brackish groundwater and establish pipe parity cost and performance targets for brackish groundwater treatment.
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