Fundamentals and costing of MSF desalination plants and comparison with other technologies

Multistage Flash Desalination has a market share of over 60% of the worldwide desalination market, and in the Middle East Area this share jumps to almost 80%. The reason for such a strong position is the great reliability and proof of such a mature technology. The installation cost of MSF plants has dramatically decreased in the past years despite a normal inflation increase. The reason for such a trend can not be justified only by the competition but must be the result of a better plant design, larger unit size and also on a more realistic approach to the requirements by the owners. This paper presents such an analysis and compares some past examples with most recent installations both in terms of technical requirements and installation costs. The water cost produced by MSF plants is almost in line with other technologies. The paper presents some examples and comparisons.