Desalination 165 (2004) 421–433 0011-9164/04/$– See front matter © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved Presented at the EuroMed 2004 conference on Desalination Strategies in South Mediterranean Countries: Cooperation between Mediterranean Countries of Europe and the Southern Rim of the Mediterranean. Sponsored by the European Desalination Society and Office National de l’Eau Potable, Marrakech, Morocco, 30 May–2 June, 2004. *Corresponding author. Software for sizing and simulating of SMCEC desalination process Habib Ben Bacha a,b *, Wassim Masmoudi a , Aref Younes Maalej a,b , Hamed Ben Dhia b a Laboratoire des Systèmes Electro-Mécaniques (LASEM), b Laboratoire de l’Eau, de l’Energie et de l’Environnement (LEEE), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Sfax, B.P. W 3038, Sfax, Tunisia Tel. +216 (74) 274-088; Fax +216 (74) 275-595; emails: Habib.BenBacha@enis.rnu.tn, Aref.Maalej@enis.rnu.tn, hamed.bendhia@uss.rnu.tn Received 23 February 2004; accepted 3 March 2004 Abstract This work presents a computer program developed for sizing and simulating a solar-powered desalination station using the SMCEC principle. This is motivated by the absence of such software in this area. The computer package includes mathematical models for different compartments of the desalination unit. It provides displays for sizing, rating, flow charting and curves of performances and allows interactive parameter selection and data files manipulation. For illustrative purposes, an example is presented in order to show an application of the developed software. This software presents many advantages: eliminates the expense of building prototypes; provides comprehensive understanding of system operation and component interaction; optimizes the system components; estimates the energy consumption and predicts temperature variations and distillate water production, etc. This software can be used for education purposes, training programs, research, and as a support for practicing engineers in the desalination community. Keywords: Solar energy; Water desalination; Software; Sizing; Numerical simulation.