0000000000276875
AUTHOR
Gdm Micale
showing 15 related works from this author
CFD prediction of concentration polarization phenomena in spacer-filled channels for Reverse Electrodialysis
2014
Abstract Salinity Gradient Power generation through Reverse Electrodialysis (SGP-RE) is a promising technology to convert the chemical potential difference of a salinity gradient into electric energy. In SGP-RE systems, as in most membrane processes, concentration polarization phenomena may affect the theoretical driving force and thus the performance of the process. Operating conditions, including the feed solution flow rate and concentration and the channels׳ geometrical configuration, may greatly influence both the polarization effect and the pumping energy consumption. The present work uses CFD to investigate the dependence of concentration polarization and pressure drop on flow rate, f…
CFD simulation of channels for direct and reverse electrodialysis
2012
Flows within very thin channels, typically filled with spacers, can be often encountered in many processes such as electrodialysis (ED) and reverse electrodialysis (RED). Although the ED and the RED processes have been studied for a long time, the optimization of the fluid dynamics within the channels is still an open problem. In the present work, realized within the EU-FP7 funded REAPower project, computational fluid dynamics simulations were carried out in order to predict the fluid flow field inside a single ED/RED channel. Some different configurations were tested which includes: an empty channel, a channel provided with a spacer, and a channel filled with a purposely manufactured fiber…
Reverse electrodialysis heat engine for sustainable power production
2017
Abstract Reverse Electrodialysis Heat Engine (REDHE) is a promising technology to convert waste heat at temperatures lower than 100 °C into electric power. In the present work an overview of the possible regeneration methods is presented and the technological challenges for the development of the RED Heat Engine (REDHE) are identified. The potential of this power production cycle was investigated through a simplified mathematical model. In the first part of the work, several salts were singularly modelled as possible solutes in aqueous solutions feeding the RED unit and the corresponding optimal conditions were recognized via an optimization study. In the second part, three different RED He…
Pressure drop at low reynolds numbers in woven-spacer-filled channels for membrane processes: CFD prediction and experimental validation
2017
The energy consumption due to pumping power is a crucial issue in membrane processes. Spacers provide mechanical stability and promote mixing, yet increasing pressure drop. Woven spacers and their behaviour at low Reynolds numbers are less studied in the literature. Nevertheless, they are typical of some membrane technologies, as reverse electrodialysis (RED). RED is a promising technology for electric power generation by the chemical potential difference of two salt solutions within a stack equipped by selective ion-exchange membranes. The mechanical energy required for pumping the feed solutions, can dramatically reduce the net power output. In this work computational fluid dynamics (CFD)…
Membrane distillation heat transfer enhancement by CFD analysis of internal module geometry
2011
Module geometry optimisation can be a crucial matter in all separation processes using selective or hydrophobic membranes, e.g. reverse osmosis (RO) and membrane distillation (MD). In fact the choice of suitable channel shape and size can dramatically affect the performance of the process. With reference to the membrane distillation process, temperature polarization phenomena and pres¬sure drops along the channels largely affect the process efficiency (i.e. the efficient use of temperature driving force for the passage of vapour through the membrane) as well as pressure distribution, module mechanical resistance and pumping costs. Several works have been presented so far in literature on th…
CFD Predictions of Sufficient Suspension Conditions in Solid-Liquid Agitated Tanks
2012
Abstract Most research efforts on mechanically agitated solid-liquid contactors have been devoted to the assessment of the minimum impeller speed for complete off-bottom suspension, N js . Actually, many industrial vessels are operated at impeller speeds slightly lower than N js (Oldshue, 1983; Rieger et al., 1988). This suggests that the sufficient suspension condition, which is quantitatively specified in this paper by introducing a suitably defined quantity N ss , may represent a valid alternative to that of complete suspension. In the present work time-dependent RANS simulations were carried out with the aim of predicting the achievement of sufficient suspension conditions. The Eulerian…
CFD simulations of dense solid–liquid suspensions in baffled stirred tanks: Prediction of solid particle distribution
2013
Abstract Industrial tanks devoted to the mixing of solid particles into liquids are often operated at an impeller speed N less than Njs (defined as the lowest speed allowing the suspension of all particles): under such conditions the distribution of solid-particles is very far from being homogeneous and very significant concentration gradients exist. The present work is devoted to assessing the capability of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in predicting the particle distribution throughout the tank. The CFD model proposed by Tamburini et al. [58] and successfully applied to the prediction of the sediment amount and shape was adopted here to simulate the particle distribution under partia…
Exergy analysis and thermoeconomic cost accounting of a Combined Heat and Power steam cycle integrated with a Multi Effect Distillation-Thermal Vapou…
2017
Abstract In this paper an exergy analysis and thermoeconomic cost accounting of a Combined Heat and Power steam cycle integrated with Multi Effect Distillation-Thermal Vapour Compression plant is performed; the goal of the study is to show how these methodologies provide a rational criterion to allocate production costs on electricity and freshwater in such a dual purpose system. After a brief overview on the methodology and a description of reference plant, exergy analysis is carried out to calculate exergy flows and exergy efficiencies at component level. A detailed description of the adopted thermoeconomic model is given. In a first scenario, cost accounting is performed assuming that th…
CFD modelling of profiled-membrane channels for reverse electrodialysis
2014
Abstract: Reverse electrodialysis (RE) is a promising technology for electric power generation from controlled mixing of two differently concentrated salt solutions, where ion-exchange membranes are adopted for the generation of ionic currents within the system. Channel geometry strongly influences fluid flow and thus crucial phenomena such as pressure drop and concentration polarization. Profiled membranes are an alternative to the more commonly adopted net spacers and offer a number of advantages: avoiding the use of non-conductive and relatively expensive materials, reducing hydraulic losses and increasing the active membrane area. In this work, Computational Fluid Dynamic simulations we…
Reverse electrodialysis with NH4HCO3-water systems for heat-to-power conversion
2017
Abstract A Reverse ElectroDialysis Heat Engine (REDHE) system operating with “thermolytic” ammonium hydrogen-carbonate (NH4HCO3) aqueous solutions as working fluids is studied. The engine is constituted by (i) a RED unit to produce electric power by mixing the solutions at different salinity and (ii) a thermally-driven regeneration unit including a stripping and an absorption column to restore the initial salinity gradient thus closing the cycle. In the present work only the RED unit and the stripping column are taken into account. In particular, a simplified integrated process model for the whole cycle was developed: it consists of (i) a lumped parameter model for the RED unit validated wi…
Unsteadiness and transition to turbulence in woven spacer filled channels for Membrane Distillation
2017
To characterize the performance of Membrane Distillation (MD) modules, channels filled with woven spacers were investigated by Computational Fluid Dynamics (including Direct Numerical Simulations and the use of the SST k-Ï turbulence model) and by parallel experiments with Thermochromic Liquid Crystals. The cases considered here regard mutually orthogonal filaments with a spacer pitch to channel height ratio P/H=2, two spacer orientations θ with respect to the main flow (0° and 45°), and bulk Reynolds numbers Re from â¼200 to â¼2000, an interval of great interest in practical MD applications. For both values of θ, CFD predicted steady-state flow for Re up to â¼300, and chaotic flow …
Performance of a RED system with ammonium hydrogen carbonate solutions
2016
The use of closed-loop salinity gradient power (SGP) technologies has been recently presented as a viable option to generate power using low-grade heat, by coupling a SGP unit with a thermally-driven regeneration process in a closed loop where artificial solutions can be adopted for the conversion of heat into power. Among these, the closed-loop reverse electrodialysis (RED) process presents a number of advantages such as the direct production of electricity, the extreme flexibility in operating conditions and the recently demonstrated large potentials for industrial scale-up. Ammonium hydrogen carbonate (NH4HCO3) is a salt suitable for such closed-loop RED process thanks to its particular …
Flow and mass transfer in spacer-filled channels for reverse electrodialysis: a CFD parametrical study
2016
Abstract In reverse electrodialysis (RED) concentration polarization phenomena and pressure drop affect strongly the power output obtainable; therefore the channel geometry has a crucial impact on the system optimization. Both overlapped and woven spacers are commonly commercialised and adopted for RED experiments; the latter exhibit some potential advantages, such as better mixing and lower shadow effect, but they have been poorly investigated in the literature so far. In this work, computational fluid dynamics was used to predict fluid flow and mass transfer in spacer-filled channels for RED applications. A parametric analysis for different spacer geometries was carried out: woven (w) and…
A Thermochromic Liquid Crystals Image Analysis technique to investigate temperature polarization in spacer-filled channels for Membrane Distillation
2013
The analysis of flow fields and temperature distributions is of paramount importance in the development and optimization of new spacer-filled channel geometries for Membrane Distillation modules. The literature reports only few studies on the experimental characterization of such channels and, to the authors’ knowledge, none of them presents local information concerning the temperature distribution on the membrane surface. In the present work, a non-intrusive experimental technique named TLC-IA-TP is presented: it is based on the use of Thermochromic Liquid Crystals (TLCs) and digital Image Analysis (IA) and it is applied here for the first time to the analysis of Temperature Polarization (…
REAPOWER – USE OF DESALINATION BRINE FOR POWER PRODUCTION THROUGH REVERSE ELECTRODIALYSIS
2015
Salinity gradient power (SGP) represents a viable renewable energy source associated with the mixing of two solutions of different salinities. Reverse electrodialysis (SGP-RE or RED) is a promising technology to exploit this energy source and directly generate electricity. However, although the principle of this technology is well known since several years, further R&D efforts are still necessary in order to explore the real potential of the SGP-RE process. With this regard, the aim of the REAPower project ( [GRAPHICS] ) is the development of an innovative system for power production by SGP-RE process, using sea (or brackish) water as a diluted solution and brine as a concentrate. The use o…