The REAPower Project

2019

Abstract Reverse electrodialysis technology has grown significantly in the last decade, gaining a fast increase in its technology readiness level and presenting some interesting examples of pilot systems operating under very different real environments. Among these, one was able to operate in a saltwork in Marsala (Sicily, Italy) with real concentrated brine and real saline waters (i.e., either seawater or brackish water), producing electric power in the order of 1 kW. This pilot plant was one of the main achievements of the European REAPower research project. This chapter presents an overview of the main research efforts and results achieved in the framework of this project starting from t…

A simulation tool for analysis and design of reverse electrodialysis using concentrated brines

2015

Abstract Reverse electrodialysis (SGP-RE or RED) represents a viable technology for the conversion of the salinity gradient power into electric power. A comprehensive model is proposed for the RED process using sea or brackish water and concentrated brine as feed solutions. The goals were (i) reliably describing the physical phenomena involved in the process and (ii) providing information for optimal equipment design. For such purposes, the model has been developed at two different scales of description: a lower scale for the repeating unit of the system (cell pair), and a higher scale for the entire equipment (stack). The model was implemented in a process simulator, validated against orig…

Performance of the first reverse electrodialysis pilot plant for power production from saline waters and concentrated brines

2016

Abstract This work reports experimental data collected for the first time on a full-scale RED pilot plant operated with natural streams in a real environment. The plant – located in the South of Italy – represents the final accomplishment of the REAPower project ( www.reapower.eu ). A RED unit equipped with almost 50 m2 of IEMs (125 cell pairs, 44x44 cm2) was tested, using both artificial and natural feed solutions, these latter corresponding to brackish water (≈0.03 M NaClequivalent) and saturated brine (4–5 M NaClequivalent). A power output up to around 40 W (i.e. 1.6 W/m2 of cell pair) was reached using natural solutions, while an increase of 60% was observed when testing the system with…

Determination of limiting current density and current efficiency in electrodialysis units

2018

Abstract A crucial parameter for the design and operation of electrodialysis (ED) units is the limiting current density (LCD). This is often identified with the diffusion-limited current density, which corresponds to the complete solute depletion in the layer adjacent to the membrane. Current-voltage curves obtained from measurements with electrodes in contact with the solution (i.e. without membranes) are consistent with this interpretation and exhibit a horizontal plateau identifying LCD. However, real ED systems show more complex behaviours, with a reduced-slope tract instead of a plateau and a third region in which the current increases more markedly (overlimiting current). The phenomen…

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…

Numerical simulation of electroconvection phenomena in electrodialysis

In water desalination by electrodialysis, the current density i cannot exceed specific constraints, notably the diffusion limit. Working at higher i (overlimiting current regime) would make higher desalination rates possible. The main phenomenon allowing overlimiting current densities is the electrokinetic instability that arises when a sufficiently intense electric potential gradient is imposed, and leads to electroconvective mixing in the near-wall layer. In this study, these phenomena were investigated by CFD. The governing equations were the Nernst-Planck transport equations for anions and cations, the Poisson equation for the electrical potential and the Navier-Stokes and continuity eq…

A hierarchical model for novel schemes of electrodialysis desalination

2019

Abstract A new hierarchical model for the electrodialysis (ED) process is presented. The model has been implemented into gPROMs Modelbuilder (PSE), allowing the development of a distributed-parameters simulation tool that combines the effectiveness of a semi-empirical modelling approach to the flexibility of a layered arrangement of modelling scales. Thanks to its structure, the tool makes possible the simulation of many different and complex layouts, requiring only membrane properties as input parameters (e.g. membrane resistance or salt and water permeability). The model has been validated against original experimental data obtained from a lab scale ED test rig. Simulation results concern…

Effect of membrane profiles on the limiting current density in electrodialysis

2019

In the present work, we experimenrtally investigated the effect of different membrane profiles on the LCD, testing also different operating conditions.

The acid–base flow battery : Sustainable energy storage via reversible water dissociation with bipolar membranes

2020

The increasing share of renewables in electric grids nowadays causes a growing daily and seasonal mismatch between electricity generation and demand. In this regard, novel energy storage systems need to be developed, to allow large-scale storage of the excess electricity during low-demand time, and its distribution during peak demand time. Acid–base flow battery (ABFB) is a novel and environmentally friendly technology based on the reversible water dissociation by bipolar membranes, and it stores electricity in the form of chemical energy in acid and base solutions. The technology has already been demonstrated at the laboratory scale, and the experimental testing of the first 1 kW pilot pla…

Modelling and characterization of electrodialysis systems for multi-ionic solutions

2019

In this work a simplified approach related to membrane properties is required

Reverse electrodialysis with saline waters and concentrated brines: A laboratory investigation towards technology scale-up

2015

Abstract The use of concentrated brines and brackish water as feed solutions in reverse electrodialysis represents a valuable alternative to the use of river/sea water, allowing the enhancement of power output through the increase of driving force and reduction of internal stack resistance. Apart from a number of theoretical works, very few experimental investigations have been performed so far to explore this possibility. In the present work, two RED units of different size were tested using artificial saline solutions. The effects of feed concentration, temperature and flowrate on process performance parameters were analysed, adopting two different sets of membranes. These experiments all…

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 …

Towards 1 kW power production in a reverse electrodialysis pilot plant with saline waters and concentrated brines

2017

Abstract Reverse electrodialysis (RED) is a promising technology to extract energy from salinity gradients, especially in the areas where concentrated brine and saline waters are available as feed streams. A first pilot-scale plant was recently built in Trapani (Italy), and tested with real brackish water and brine from saltworks. The present work focuses on the scale-up of the pilot plant, reaching more than 400 m 2 of total membrane area installed and representing the largest operating RED plant so far reported in the literature. With a nominal power capacity of 1 kW, the pilot plant reached almost 700 W of power capacity using artificial brine and brackish water, while a 50% decrease in …

Analysis and simulation of scale-up potentials in reverse electrodialysis

2015

The Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) process has been widely accepted as a viable and promising technology to produce electric energy from salinity difference (salinity gradient power - e.g. using river water/seawater, or seawater and concentrated brines). Recent R&D efforts demonstrated how an appropriate design of the RED unit and a suitable selection of process conditions may crucially enhance the process performance. With this regard, a process simulator was developed and validated with experimental data collected on a lab-scale unit, providing a new modelling tool for process optimisation. In this work, performed within the REAPower project (www.reapower.eu), a process simulator previousl…

Experiments and modelling for determining the Limiting Current Density in Electrodialysis units

2018

In the present work, in order to explore such issues on the LCD identification, we performed in-situ measurements with ED units, assessing the influence of operating conditions and validating a purposely implemented process simulator, which was then used for further investigation

Reverse electrodialysis

2016

Abstract Reverse electrodialysis (RED) technology has grown significantly in the last decade, gaining a fast increase in its technology readiness level and presenting some interesting examples of RED pilot systems operating under very different real environments. In this chapter, an overview of technological developments and piloting examples are reported. In particular, a short introduction is given on the historical trend of RED technology growth, followed by a careful analysis of which feed solutions can be adopted and how these can affect the process performance, potentials, and applications. Most prominent fluid dynamics aspects for the RED process are presented, highlighting how these…

Electrodialysis with asymmetrically profiled membranes: Influence of profiles geometry on desalination performance and limiting current phenomena

2021

Abstract Electrodialysis (ED) has recently gained much attention in the wide field of desalination and water treatment. However, energy consumption and capital costs may impair the process competitiveness. In this regard, limiting current density (LCD) and current efficiency (η) are key performance parameters for optimized ED systems. In this work, an experimental campaign was carried out characterizing the performance of ED stacks when adopting asymmetrically profiled membranes. Current–voltage curves were recorded under different operating conditions mimicking the operation of brackish water or seawater desalination units. Results showed that there was a preferable direction of the electr…

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…

Modelling the Reverse ElectroDialysis process with seawater and concentrated brines

2012

Technologies for the exploitation of renewable energies have been dramatically increasing in number, complexity and type of source adopted. Among the others, the use of saline gradient power is one of the latest emerging possibilities, related to the use of the osmotic/chemical potential energy of concentrated saline solutions. Nowadays, the fate of this renewable energy source is intrinsically linked to the development of the pressure retarded osmosis and reverse electrodialysis technologies. In the latter, the different concentrations of two saline solutions is used as a driving force for the direct production of electricity within a stack very similar to the conventional electrodialysis …

Reverse electrodialysis performed at pilot plant scale: Evaluation of redox processes and simultaneous generation of electric energy and treatment of…

2017

Abstract This paper describes the experimental campaign carried out with a reverse electrodialysis (RED) demonstration plant (Marsala, Italy) with the main aims of: (i) evaluating the effect of various operating parameters, including the redox processes, on the system performances; (ii) using the plant for the simultaneous generation of electric energy and treatment of wastewater. The prototype (44 × 44 cm2, 500 cell pairs) was tested using both real (brackish water and brine) and artificial solutions. Tests with two different electrode rinse solutions (with or without iron redox couples) were performed. In agreement with the data obtained in the laboratory, the presence of iron ions contri…

The REAPower Project: Power Production From Saline Waters and Concentrated Brines

2019

Aim of this chapter is that of describing in detail the REAPower project from the very beginning up to the testing of the pilot plant built at the end of the project.