Optimization of net power density in Reverse Electrodialysis

Abstract Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) extracts electrical energy from the salinity difference between two solutions using selective ion exchange membranes. In RED, conditions yielding a large net power density (NPD) are generally desired, due to the still large cost of the membranes. NPD depends on a large number of physical and geometric parameters. Some of these, for example the inlet concentrations of concentrate and diluate, can be regarded as “scenario” variables, imposed by external constraints (e.g., availability) or chosen by different criteria than NPD maximization. Others, namely the thicknesses HCONC, HDIL and the velocities UCONC, UDIL in the concentrate and diluate channels, c…

Energy harvesting by waste acid/base neutralization via bipolar membrane reverse electrodialysis

Bipolar Membrane Reverse Electrodialysis (BMRED) can be used to produce electricity exploiting acid-base neutralization, thus representing a valuable route in reusing waste streams. The present work investigates the performance of a lab-scale BMRED module under several operating conditions. By feeding the stack with 1 M HCl and NaOH streams, a maximum power density of ~17 W m−2 was obtained at 100 A m−2 with a 10-triplet stack with a flow velocity of 1 cm s−1, while an energy density of ~10 kWh m−3 acid could be extracted by a complete neutralization. Parasitic currents along feed and drain manifolds significantly affected the performance of the stack when equipped with a higher number of t…

CHP (combined heat and power) retrofit for a large MED-TVC (multiple effect distillation along with thermal vapour compression) desalination plant: High efficiency assessment for different design options under the current legislative EU framework

Abstract Integrated power plants in “dual purpose” configuration may represent a viable option for energy cost abatement of desalted water produced by MED-TVC (Multiple Effect Distillation along with Thermal Vapour Compression). In this paper an existing large MED-TVC plant with a 36,000 m 3 /day capacity is studied: a plant retrofit is designed, based on a steam power plant with condensation and steam extraction used to drive the steam ejector. As the plant operates in CHP (Combined Heat and Power) mode, the possibility to assess the integrated “CHP + MED-TVC” as high efficiency cogeneration according to Directive 2004/8/EC is discussed. Based on a model developed in Engineering Equation S…

Assessment of methodologies and data used to calculate desalination costs

Abstract In desalination, similarly with other industries, the cost of the final product is one of the most important criteria that define the commercial success of a specific technology. Therefore, when new projects are planned or new technologies are proposed, the analysis of the expected costs attracts a lot of attention and is compared to (perceived) costs of state-of-the-art desalination or costs of alternative fresh water supply options. This comparison only makes sense if the cost assessment methodologies are based on the same principles and use common assumptions. This paper assesses: (i) the methodologies used to calculate the water cost; (ii) the boundary conditions and (iii) the …

Simulation of a regeneration plant for spent pickling solutions via spray roasting

Nowadays, pyrohydrolysis techniques are widely applied for regeneration of spent pickling liquors providing an excellent environmental and economical strategy to the problem of waste disposal/recovery, also thanks to the high acid recovery efficiencies (>99%) achieved. In fact, in these processes, iron chlorides are converted into iron oxides and hydrogen chloride at high temperature in spray roasting or fluidized bed reactors. Though the state-of-the-art technologies have been successfully applied only to large-scale plants, the development of small-scale units, able to perform a delocalized regeneration of spent solutions where these latter are actually produced, would be strongly needed …

Arbitrarily shaped plates analysis via Line Element-Less Method (LEM)

Abstract An innovative procedure is introduced for the analysis of arbitrarily shaped thin plates with various boundary conditions and under generic transverse loading conditions. Framed into Line Element-less Method, a truly meshfree method, this novel approach yields the solution in terms of the deflection function in a straightforward manner, without resorting to any discretization, neither in the domain nor on the boundary. Specifically, expressing the deflection function through a series expansion in terms of harmonic polynomials, it is shown that the proposed method requires only the evaluation of line integrals along the boundary parametric equation. Further, minimization of appropri…

On the assessment of power consumption and critical impeller speed in vortexing unbaffled stirred tanks

Abstract Unbaffled stirred tanks are increasingly recognized as a viable alternative to common baffled tanks for a number of processes and bio-processes where the presence of baffles is undesirable. Notwithstanding the increasing industrial interest towards unbaffled tanks, available experimental information on their behaviour is still very poor, even for important parameters such as mechanical power drawn and critical impeller speed (Ncr) at which the transition between non-aerated (sub-critical regime) and aerated (super-critical regime) conditions occurs. In this work the influence of Reynolds and Froude numbers on power consumption characteristics of unbaffled stirred tanks is presented…

DYNAMIC MODELING TOOLS FOR SOLAR POWERED DESALINATION PROCESSES DURING TRANSIENT OPERATIONS

New considerations for modelling a MED-TVC plant under dynamic conditions

Abstract The multiple-effect distillation (MED) technology is nowadays the most promising desalination process to be coupled with variable heat sources, thus leading to a more sustainable way to produce water. In order to prove the potential of this, it is of major interest to develop powerful modelling tools to predict the performance of this coupling. Only a few models have been presented so far. They show promising results but were based on some simplifying assumptions and non-physical constraints that could limit the analysis of the dynamic behaviour of a MED plant. This paper presents new considerations for the dynamic modelling of a MED plant associated with a thermal vapour compressi…

Performance Comparison of Alternative Hollow-Fiber Modules for Hemodialysis by Means of a CFD-Based Model

Commercial hemodialyzers are hollow-fiber cylindrical modules with dimensions and inlet–outlet configurations dictated mostly by practice. However, alternative configurations are possible, and one may ask how they would behave in terms of performance. In principle, it would be possible to depart from the standard counter-flow design, while still keeping high clearance values, thanks to the increase in the shell-side Sherwood number (Sh) due to the cross-flow. To elucidate these aspects, a previously developed computational model was used in which blood and dialysate are treated as flowing through two interpenetrating porous media. Measured Darcy permeabilities and mass transfer coefficients…

Electromembrane Processes: Experiments and Modelling

This Special Issue of Membranes journal focuses on electromembrane processes and is motivated by the increasing interest of the scientific community towards their characterization by experiments and modelling for several applications [...]

Recovery of zinc from spent pickling solutions by liquid–liquid extraction using TBP

In this paper, recovery of zinc from real spent pickling solutions by liquid–liquid extraction with tributyl phosphate (TBP) was studied. In particular, the effects of some parameters were investigated, such as the volume ratio between the organic phase and real spent pickling liquor (O/A) (1:2, 1:1, 2:1, 4:1), the stirring time (5–20–30 min) and the TBP concentration (10%–55%–100%), in order to determine the conditions leading to higher zinc extraction efficiency, as well as selectivity in relationships to other metals such as iron. After zinc extraction, TBP was successfully regenerated. Among several tested solutions, water allows zinc recovery higher than 90%, especially at 10% diluted …

The REAPower Project

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…

Towards sustainable production of minerals and chemicals through seawater brine treatment using Eutectic freeze crystallization and Electrodialysis with bipolar membranes

European policy encourages the adoption of sustainable systems that promote the efficient use and recovery of minerals and chemicals. In this respect, desalination brines do contain a dramatic amount of valuable minerals and can be valorized through appropriate treatments rather than releasing them into the environment. This paper proposes an innovative brine recovery system for obtaining high purity chemicals through the integration of Eutectic Freeze Crystallization (EFC) and Electrodialysis with Bipolar Membrane (EDBM) technologies. Two separate laboratory-scale experimental campaigns were carried out to validate the potential integration of the two processes. Mirabilite (Na2SO4∙10H2O) h…

Diffusion Dialysis for Separation of Hydrochloric Acid, Iron and Zinc Ions from Highly Concentrated Pickling Solutions

Acid recovery from pickling waste solutions is an important step to enhance hot-dip-galvanizing industry process sustainability. Diffusion dialysis (DD) can be used to separate acids and heavy metals (e.g., iron and zinc) from pickling waters, promoting the circular use of such raw materials. In the present study, a laboratory scale unit operating in batch and a continuous large scale unit, both equipped with Fumasep anionic exchange membranes, were tested. Results obtained show that zinc and iron concentration affect the HCl recovery in opposite ways. Iron chlorides enhance acid recovery, while zinc chlorides considerably tend to diffuse through the membrane because of negatively charged c…

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

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…

Particle distribution in dilute solid liquid unbaffled tanks via a novel laser sheet and image analysis based technique

The availability of experimental information on particle distribution inside stirred tanks is a topic of great importance for many industrial applications such as catalysis and polymerization. The measurement of solid particle distribution is not simple and the development of suitable measuring techniques is still an open problem in chemical engineering research. In this work, a non-intrusive optical technique for measuring particle concentration fields in solid–liquid systems is discussed. The “Laser Sheet Image Analysis” (LSIA) technique described here makes use of a laser sheet, a digital camera for image acquisition and a suitable procedure for post-processing. It is able to provide sol…

CFD simulation of Electrodialysis channels equipped with profiled membranes

Electrodialysis (ED) is a membrane-based electrochemical process that remove ions from a solution. The main use of ED is for the production of drinking water by brackish water desalination, but there are several other applications. ED is characterized by the coexistence and the interaction of different physical phenomena that affect the stack performance. Among them, fluid dynamics and mass transport are crucial: concentration polarization affects the limiting current density and the non-Ohmic voltage drop due to the chemical potential difference between the two solutions; pressure drop affects the pumping power consumption. Moreover, the total energy consumption depends also on the Ohmic v…

Influence of Operational Strategies for the Recovery of Magnesium Hydroxide from Brines at a Pilot Scale

The continuous depletion of minerals caused by land mining and the increase in their demand have pushed the development of novel sustainable technological processes for mineral recovery from unconventional sources. In this context, magnesium (Mg) has gained considerable attention for its peculiar properties and high relevance of its compounds, such as magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)2. In the present work, the influence of several operating conditions on the Mg(OH)2 precipitation process was thoroughly investigated by adopting a novel multiple feed-plug flow reactor. The influence of (i) initial Mg2+ concentrations in the feed stream; (ii) brine and alkaline flow rates; and (iii) the product rec…

Metals Recovery from Waste Pickling Solutions by Reactive Precipitation

Pickling is one of the most important steps in steel manufacturing industry. During the process, an acid reacts with the surface oxides causing metal ions accumulation in the pickling solution. Disposal of the waste acid represents a critical issue for the hot-dip galvanizing industry in terms of environmental damage and high costs. Recovering of the main products by using an integrated process, with the perspective of a circular approach, could minimize the wastewater production, leading to reinvigorate this industrial sector economy. In this context, recovery of the metal ions mainly present in the pickling solution, such as Fe and Zn, becomes a critical issue. In this work, the reactive …

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

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…

Coupling sustainable energy with membrane distillation processes for seawater desalination

Desalination technologies nowadays is a very interesting and emerging alternative to conventional water sources; their high energy consumption, however, generates some problems in adopting them, especially in remote areas where electric grid is not available and fuel transportation is not always sustainable. In this paper a short overview of possible couplings between the membrane distillation technology for desalination and the use of sustainable thermal energy sources is presented. Two case studies of ongoing research projects at Universita di Palermo are also presented.

Evaluation of saltwork ponds operation through brine characterization and geochemical modelling using PHREEQC code integrating the Pitzer correction

Seawater represents a potential resource for the extraction of salts and raw materials [1]. About one-third of the global table-salt production is manufactured in solar saltworks [2], being the most representative product of seawater processing. However, other valuable compounds such as Magnesium, Lithium and trace elements belonging to the alkaline/alkaline-earth metals (e.g. Rb, Cs, Sr) and transition/post-transition metals (e.g. Co, Ga, Ge) are present. Many of these elements are included in the EU Critical Raw Materials (CRM) list, grouping natural assets classified as fundamental for the wealth of the socio-economic structure of Europe [3]. In saltworks, natural evaporation of seawater…

A methodology for assessing the impact of salinity gradient power generation in urban contexts

Abstract The paper proposes a methodology to assess the potential impact of salinity gradient power technology in urban contexts. The idea to employ such energy source in urban contexts derives from the observation that, among the energy districts outputs, low-salinity treated wastewater can be used to produce electricity if a suitable source of high salinity feed (seawater of a salt-works) is also available. The methodology uses the HOMER software for assessing the district’s electric energy production, consumption and exchange with the main grid. Then, starting from the total gross surface and the number of inhabitants of the district, some possible realistic scenarios characterized by di…

Combined membrane and thermal desalination processes for the treatment of ion exchange resins spent brine

Abstract The disposal of industrial wastewater effluents represents a critical environmental issue. This work focuses on the treatment of the spent brine produced by the regeneration of ion exchange resins employed for water softening. For the first time, a comprehensive techno-economic assessment and an analysis of the energy requirements of the treatment chain are carried out, via the simulation of ad hoc implemented models. The chain is composed of nanofiltration, double-stage crystallization and multi-effect distillation. The valuable product is the brine produced by the multi-effect distillation, which can be re-used for the regeneration. Therefore, the treatment chain’s economic feasi…

Effect of Design Features and Operating Conditions on the Performance of a Bipolar Membrane-Based Acid/Base Flow Battery

In the context of renewable energy sources, storage systems have been proposed as a solution to the issues related to fluctuations in the production and consumption of electric power. The EU funded BAoBaB project is aimed at developing the Acid/Base Flow battery (AB-FB), an environment-friendly, cost-competitive, grid-scale battery storage system based on the cyclic coupling of Bipolar Membrane ElectroDialysis (BMED) and its reverse, the Bipolar Membrane Reverse ElectroDialysis (BMRED) (Pärnamäe et al., 2020). Bipolar membranes promote catalytically water dissociation, thus allowing the storage of electric power in the form of acidic and alkaline solutions (pH gradient), obtained from their…

Determination of limiting current density and current efficiency in electrodialysis units

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…

Towards the first proof of the concept of a Reverse ElectroDialysis - Membrane Distillation Heat Engine

Abstract The coupling of Reverse Electrodialysis with Membrane Distillation is a promising option for the conversion of waste heat into electricity. This study evaluates the performances of the integrated system under different operating conditions, employing validated model and correlations. This work provides a detailed description of the behaviour of a real RED-MD heat engine and indicates the set of inlet concentrations, velocities and equipment size which returns the highest cycle exergy efficiency. These operating conditions were selected for the pilot plant developed within the EU-funded project RED Heat to Power. For the first time, a perspective analysis was also included, consider…

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

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.

Application of reverse electrodialysis to site-specific types of saline solutions: A techno-economic assessment

Abstract Salinity gradients are a non-conventional source of renewable energy based on the recovery of the Gibbs free energy related to the mixing of solutions at different concentrations. Reverse Electrodialysis is a promising and innovative technology able to convert this energy directly into electric current. The worldwide availability of salinity gradients is limited to those locations where water bodies at different salinity levels are present. The present work analyses a number of different scenarios worldwide, in locations where salinity gradients are naturally available or generated by anthropogenic activities. A techno-economic model of the Reverse Electrodialysis process is presen…

Fluid-structure interaction and flow redistribution in membrane-bounded channels

The hydrodynamics of electrodialysis and reverse electrodialysis is commonly studied by neglecting membrane deformation caused by transmembrane pressure (TMP). However, large frictional pressure drops and differences in fluid velocity or physical properties in adjacent channels may lead to significant TMP values. In previous works, we conducted one-way coupled structural-CFD simulations at the scale of one periodic unit of a profiled membrane/channel assembly and computed its deformation and frictional characteristics as functions of TMP. In this work, a novel fluid&ndash

Integrated production of fresh water, sea salt and magnesium from sea water

Seawater desalination is becoming an important source of fresh water in several countries all around the world. One of the main drawbacks of desalination processes, however, is related to the disposal of large quantities of concentrated brine, which is an always-present by-product of the process. An integrated production of fresh water and salts may be achieved using the discharge brine from a desalination plant as a feed for conventional salt ponds, with the advantages of using brine more concentrated than sea water and, in the case of thermal desalination plants, warmer than sea water. By doing so, the process is faster as a consequence of the enhancement of evaporation rate on the surfac…

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…

Exergy analysis of reverse electrodialysis

Abstract Reverse electrodialysis in closed loop configurations is a promising membrane technology in the energy conversion and storage fields. One of the main advantages of closed-loop reverse electrodialysis is the possibility of using a wide range of operating concentrations, flow rates and different salts for generating the salinity gradient. In this work, an original exergy analysis of the reverse electrodialysis process was carried out in order to investigate reverse electrodialysis performance in terms of energetic and exergetic efficiency parameters in a wide range of operating conditions. A mono-dimensional model of the reverse electrodialysis process was developed, in which all sou…

Large-Eddy Simulation of Turbulent Flow in an Unbaffled Stirred Tank Driven by a Rushton Turbine

The turbulent flow fieldgeneratedin an unbaffledstirredtank by a Rushton turbine was computedby large-eddy simulation (LES). The Smagorinsky model was used to model the unresolved, or sub-grid, scales. A general purpose CFD code was appropriately modified in order to allow the computation of the sub-gridviscosity andto perform statistics on the computedresults. The numerical predictions were comparedwith the literature results for comparable configurations andwith experimental data obtainedusing particle image velocimetry. A very goodagreement was foundas regards both time-averagedresolv edfield s andturb ulence quantities. 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preface

The idea of this book originates from the need to have a simple yet wide and reliable source of information on fundamental and applicative aspects related to SGP, built on the experience gained so far by researchers and R&D-driven companies. The book covers the many facets of this complex subject, making also an attempt to standardising nomenclature, process classification, and relevant figures of merit.

Recovery of magnesium hydroxide from real bitterns

A phenomenological model for the quantitative interpretation of partial suspension conditions in stirred vessels

Publisher Summary Many important chemical engineering operations involve the suspension of solid particles in a liquid phase inside stirred tanks. Relevant examples include adsorption, crystallization, dissolution, leaching, precipitation, ion exchange and catalytic multiphase processes. This chapter describes a phenomenological model for the quantitative determination of the suspended solids mass fraction in stirred tanks operated at partial suspension conditions. Experimental data on fractional suspension, obtained by the “Pressure Gauge Technique” in vessels stirred by a downward-pumping pitched-blade-turbine, are presented. Furthermore, model predicted trends are compared with experimen…

Diffusion dialysis for the treatment of H2SO4-CuSO4 solutions from electroplating plants: Ions membrane transport characterization and modelling

Diffusion dialysis (DD) is proposed to separate and recover mineral acids and transition metals from electroplating industry process waters promoting a circular approach of resources recovery. In this work, a DD module with two anionic membranes (Fumasep FAD and Neosepta AFN) are used for the separation of H2SO4 from Cu2+ containing solutions. The membrane performances with sole H2SO4 solutions (0.2–2 M) and sole CuSO4 solutions (0.8–1.1 M Cu2+) and with mixtures of H2SO4 (0.6 M) and CuSO4 (0.2–1.1 M Cu2+) as feed are studied. H2SO4 recovery efficiency decreases as the concentration of acid increases. For H2SO4 solutions, the water drag flux from the retentate to the diffusate prevails agai…

Mining minerals and critical raw materials from bittern: Understanding metal ions fate in saltwork ponds

Seawater represents a potential resource for raw materials extraction. Although NaCl is the most representative mineral extracted other valuable compounds such as Mg, Li, Sr, Rb and B and elements at trace level (Cs, Co, In, Sc, Ga and Ge) are also contained in this “liquid mine”. Most of them are considered as Critical Raw Materials by the European Union. Solar saltworks, providing concentration factors of up-to 20 to 40, offer a perfect platform for the development of minerals and metal recovery schemes taking benefit of the concentration and purification achieved along the evaporation saltwork ponds. However, the geochemistry of these elements in this environment has not been yet thoroug…

Limiting current phenomena in electro-membrane processes: local occurrence or stack-dependent one?

Background Electro-membrane processes are gaining great interest in the field of desalination and brine valorisation. However, limiting current phenomena can be a bottleneck for their techno-economic performances. In the present work, the in-out distribution of current density is measured to elucidate the achievement of limiting conditions in real stacks. Materials and Methods A 10-cell pairs Electrodialysis stack (10×40 cm2 active area), equipped with four-segmented electrodes, was tested. NaCl solutions at an inlet concentration ranging from 0.5 to 60 g/l were fed at velocities of either 2 or 4 cm/s in parallel flow. Current density-voltage curves were built by applying equal increasing s…

Modelling and Simulation of Gas–liquid Hydrodynamics in a Rectangular Air-lift Reactor

Abstract Computational Fluid Dynamics is a quite well established tool for carrying out realistic simulations of process apparatuses. However, as a difference from single phase systems, for multiphase systems the development of CFD models is still in progress. Among the two-phase systems, gas–liquid systems are characterised by an additional complexity level, related to the fact that bubble sizes are not known in advance, being rather the result of formation and breakage-coalescence dynamics and therefore of complex phenomena related to flow dynamics and interfacial effects. In the present work, Euler–Euler Reynolds-averaged flow simulations of an air-lift reactor are reported. All bubbles …

Salt extraction regeneration technologies

Abstract A salinity gradient power heat engine is a novel sustainable technology for the conversion of low-grade waste heat (T  This chapter presents an overview of the main regeneration technologies based on the “salt extraction strategy” reported in the literature. A salt extraction regeneration unit takes advantage of the property of specific chemical compounds to shift from a soluble form to separable species in solution allowing the salt transfer between the exhausted solutions and aiding their regeneration. The regeneration processes reported here are classified into (i) switchable solubility salts and (ii) thermolytic salts. The first class includes compounds characterized by thermal…

A hierarchical model for novel schemes of electrodialysis desalination

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…

Particle Suspension in Vortexing Unbaffled Stirred Tanks

Three-phase processes in which particle suspension has to be achieved in conjunction with gas dispersion are traditionally carried out in sparged, baffled stirred tanks. The operation of such tanks can suffer, however, from particles tending to block the sparger holes. A viable alternative might be provided by uncovered unbaffled stirred tanks (UUSTs), where gas self-injection can occur when the free-surface vortex reaches the impeller blades and gas bubbles begin to be ingested by the liquid. In this work, the particle suspension and liquid aeration performances in three-phase UUSTs were experimentally investigated and compared with relevant literature correlations concerning baffled syste…

On the modelling of an Acid/Base Flow Battery: An innovative electrical energy storage device based on pH and salinity gradients

Abstract Electrical energy storage can enhance the efficiency in the use of fluctuating renewable sources, e.g. solar and wind energy. The Acid/Base Flow Battery is an innovative and sustainable process to store electrical energy in the form of pH and salinity gradients via electrodialytic reversible techniques. Two electromembrane processes are involved: Bipolar Membrane Electrodialysis during the charge phase and its opposite, Bipolar Membrane Reverse Electrodialysis, during the discharge phase. For the first time, the present work aims at predicting the performance of this energy storage device via the development of a dynamic mathematical model based on a multi-scale approach with distr…

Reverse Electrodialysis: Applications to Different Case Studies

Salinity gradient is a non-conventional renewable energy form which is widely available worldwide. Reverse Electrodialysis is a promising and innovative technology able to convert directly this chemical renewable energy into electricity. This paper presents a number of different scenarios where salinity gradients are naturally available or they result from industrial/urban activities. A sophisticated model accounting for all the main phenomena (including all the detrimental ones) occurring within a Reverse Electrodialysis unit has been purposely developed. The model is used to calculate how much electric energy can be harvested from the above-mentioned salinity gradients.

Maximum Net Power Density Conditions in Reverse Electrodialysis Stacks

Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) harvests electrical energy from a salinity gradient. The maximum obtainable net power density (NPD) depends on many physical and geometric variables. Some have a monotonic (beneficial or detrimental) influence on NPD, and can be regarded as “scenario” variables chosen by criteria other than NPD maximization. Others, namely the thicknesses HCONC, HDIL and the velocities UCONC, UDIL in the concentrate and diluate channels, have contrasting effects, so that the NPD maximum is obtained for some intermediate values of these parameters. A 1-D model of a RED stack was coupled here with an optimization algorithm to determine the conditions of maximum NPD in the space o…

Salinity gradient engines

Abstract This chapter is devoted to the description of a new class of heat engines based on salinity gradient technology and able to convert low-grade heat into power. The salinity gradient power (SGP) process is employed within a closed loop composed of two different sections: (i) the SGP unit devoted to the energy production, and (ii) a regeneration unit fed by the solutions exiting from the SGP unit and able to restore the initial concentration, thus regenerating the salinity gradient. The main features, limits and perspectives of this novel heat engine are described along with an overview of the state of the art presented in the literature and an example of exergetic analysis of the cyc…

Modelling flow and heat transfer in spacer-filled membrane distillation channels using open source CFD code

Abstract A good understanding of the details of hydrodynamic and heat transport conditions and their impact on temperature polarisation and pressure drops is essential for optimum design of membrane distillation (MD) modules. To this end, the present work reports on initial progress in the development of a tool for 3D simulation of spacer-filled MD channels based on the open source CFD code library OpenFOAM. The paper discusses a number of modelling and implementation aspects including model geometry and computational domain, choice of boundary conditions, and discretisation schemes. The results pertaining to the effect of three different spacer types on the fluid dynamics and heat transfer…

Modellazione matematica di una Acid/Base Flow Battery: un dispositivo innovativo di accumulo di energia elettrica basato su gradienti di salinità e di pH

La Acid/Base Flow Battery (AB-FB) è una batteria innovativa che rappresenta un metodo sostenibile di immagazzinare energia elettrica. Questa batteria può, in linea teorica, garantire una densità di energia pari a 11 kWh/m3 che è un valore maggiore rispetto a quello fornito dalle tecnologie attualmente più utilizzate nel mondo quali quelle che sfruttano l’energia idroelettrica, l’energia osmotica o ancora l’aria compressa. La batteria AB-FB accumula energia sottoforma di gradienti di salinità e di pH. In particolare, essa funziona grazie ad una unità chiamata “stack” al cui interno ospita una serie di canali che permettono il passaggio di soluzioni elettrolitiche a diversi pH e concentrazion…

Valorization of seawater desalination brines through the integration of Eutectic Freeze Crystallization and Electrodialysis with Bipolar Membranes innovative technologies

European policy encourages the adoption of sustainable systems that promote the efficient use and recovery of resources. Accordingly, this study proposes integrating two innovative technologies, including Eutectic Freeze Crystallization (EFC) and Electrodialysis with Bipolar Membranes (EDBM), for treating seawater desalination brines. Two experimental campaigns were conducted to assess the viability of this novel treatment chain. Using two lab-test rig units, the effect of various operating conditions on the outputs and general performance of both EFC and EDBM was evaluated. Firstly, results showed that EFC could manage seawater brines to (i) obtain pure sodium sulphate, and fresh water in …

Vibration-based identification of mechanical properties of orthotropic arbitrarily shaped plates: Numerical and experimental assessment

Abstract An innovative procedure is introduced for the identification of the mechanical parameters of orthotropic plates of arbitrary shape, under various boundary conditions, based on vibration data. The method employs a combination of a convenient Rayleigh-Ritz approach and Particle-Swarm Optimization to estimate elastic constants of the orthotropic material in a straightforward manner, without requiring computationally demanding iterative Finite Element analyses. Specifically, the pb-2 Rayleigh-Ritz procedure is extended and applied to deal with orthotropic plates, simplifying the approach to more easily treat generic plate shapes, taking advantage of the Green's theorem. The method is t…

A novel 2D model for the assessment of deformation-induced flow redistribution phenomena in electrodialysis units

Characterization of pressure retarded osmosis lab-scale systems

Power generation from salinity gradient is a viable alternative to produce energy from renewable sources. Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO) is one of the technologies proposed so far for the exploitation of such energy source. In the present preliminary work, two different geometry modules were tested under atmospheric pressure (i.e. forward osmosis or depressurized-PRO conditions). The first one is a conventional planar geometry cell. The second is a customized cylindrical membrane module, able to mechanically support the osmotic membrane along with the spacers. The latter, thanks to its design, allows membranes and spacers to be easily changed for testing purposes. A novel simplified proced…

Electrodialysis with bipolar membranes for the generation of NaOH and HCl solutions from brines: an inter-laboratory evaluation of thin and ultrathin non-woven cloth-based ion-exchange membranes

The SEArcularMINE project aims to recover critical raw materials (CRMs) from brines from saltworks, thus facing a CRM shortage within Europe. To promote a fully circular scheme, the project valorises concentrated brines using electrodialysis with bipolar membranes (EDBM) to generate the required amounts of reactants (i.e., acids and bases). Regarding the performances of new non-woven cloth ion-exchange membranes (Suez): (i) an ultra-thin non-woven polyester cloth and (ii) a thin polypropylene cloth acting as the support structures were assessed. Additionally, the anion layer includes a catalyst to promote the water dissociation reaction. The effect of current density (100, 200, and 300 A m&…

Effect of membrane profiles on the limiting current density in electrodialysis

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

Analysis of Operational Parameters in Acid and Base Production Using an Electrodialysis with Bipolar Membranes Pilot Plant

In agreement with the Water Framework Directive, Circular Economy and European Union (EU) Green Deal packages, the EU-funded WATER-MINING project aims to validate next-generation water resource solutions at the pre-commercial demonstration scale in order to provide water management and recovery of valuable materials from alternative sources. In the framework of the WATER-MINING project, desalination brines from the Lampedusa (Italy) seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant will be used to produce freshwater and recover valuable salts by integrating different technologies. In particular, electrodialysis with bipolar membranes (EDBM) will be used to produce chemicals (NaOH and HCl). A novel EDBM…

Electrodialysis with capacitive electrodes (CED): hierarchical process modelling for water desalination

The present work describes the development of the first dynamic model for CED

Prediction of flow fields in a dual-impeller stirred vessel

Numerical simulations were connected for the flow field in a baffled tank stirred by a dual Rushton impeller. For this geometry, LDV measurements show a characteristic dependence of the flow patterns upon the position of the impellers. Two advanced modeling approaches were tested. In the first, the vessel was divided info two concentric blocks, coupled by, a sliding grin technique, and simulations were conducted in time-dependent mode. In the second approach, the vessel was modeled as two partially over-lapping I regions, the inner one rotating with the impeller and rite outer one stationary simulations were run in steady-state mode for each of the two regions, while information was iterati…

Modeling of Magnetic-Field-Assisted Fluidization: Model Development and CFD Simulation of Magnetically Stabilized Fluidized Beds

Magnetic-field-assisted fluidization is starting to be considered as a viable alternative to standard fluidized beds for those operations (such as particle separations, filtration, adsorption) in which the solid phase can be made of magnetic particles or, alternatively, the fluidizing agent is a ferro-fluid; thus the fluid bed responds to the action of magnetic fields, and stabilized fluidization regimes can be generated. One of the major difficulties to be tackled is the development of a predictive model capable of estimating the stabilized-to-bubbling transition velocity for a given magnetic field or, on the other hand, the magnetic field intensity required to stabilize the bed to a quies…

Thermolytic reverse electrodialysis heat engine: model development, integration and performance analysis

Abstract Salinity gradient heat engines represent an innovative and promising way to convert low-grade heat into electricity by employing salinity gradient technology in a closed-loop configuration. Among the aqueous solutions which can be used as working fluid, ammonium bicarbonate-water solutions appear very promising due to their capability to decompose at low temperature. In this work, an experimentally validated model for a reverse electrodialysis heat engine fed with ammonium bicarbonate-water solutions was developed. The model consists of two validated sub-models purposely integrated, one for the reverse electrodialysis unit and the other for the stripping/absorption regeneration uni…

Reactive crystallisation process for magnesium recovery from concentrated brines

Seawater brines, generated either by natural or anthropic processes, often cause significant environmental issues related to their disposal. A clear example is the case of brines from desalination plants, which can have severe environmental impacts on the receiving water body. On the other side, brines can represent a rich and appealing source of raw materials, especially when they are very concentrated, as it happens with bitterns (i.e. exhausted brines) produced in saltworks. In particular, magnesium concentration can reach values up to 30-40 kg/m3 of brine, which is 20-30 times that of typical seawater. An experimental campaign has been carried out in the present work for assessing the p…

Investigation of flashing phenomena in MSF chambers

The MSF process has covered in the last years more than 50% of world production of desalinated water from the sea. Although this process has been used for several decades, the large energy requirements force to search for new and feasible ways to improve the overall thermal efficiency. Few studies have bee carried out in lab-scale, pilot and industrial MSF units, underlining the complexity of flashing phenomena and the importance of operating parameters settings for optimal performance. In the present work a study on fundamental phenomena occurring inside MSF chambers has been carried out, focusing on the dependence of flashing efficiency on operating parameters and the effects of flashing …

On the bubbling dynamics of binary mixtures of powders in 2D gas-solid fluidized beds

Abstract The bubbling behavior of fluidized beds has been thoroughly investigated in the last decades by means of several techniques (e.g. X-ray, Inductance, Resistance and Impedance based techniques). In recent years, Digital Image Analysis Techniques have shown their potential for accurate and cost effective measurements. Most of the works related to the experimental analysis of bubble behavior in the field of gas-solid fluidization actually deal with monodispersed particles although almost all industrial equipments operate with mixtures of particles. Among the works available in literature dealing with mixtures of particles having different diameters and/or densities, most of them aim at…

Dense jet modelling applied to the design of dense effluent diffusers

A model aimed at predicting the behavior of inclined dense jets in a stagnant environment was proposed. The model takes into account four jet parameters (flow rate, density, inclination and diameter) and results in a set of algebraic and ordinary differential equations, which are easily solved by simple (standard) numerical methods. Model results include information on the trajectory, spreading and dilution of the inclined dense jets. Model predictions were compared with experimental data obtained with different nozzle diameters, jet flow rates, jet densities and nozzle inclinations. Despite the wide range encompassed by the experimental data analyzed, model predictions were always found to…

Numerical simulations supporting process models of chemical engineering: applications for membrane systems

This work presents computational fluid dynamics simulations aimed at characterizing flow and mass/heat transport mechanisms in spacer-filled channels for membrane processes, with particular reference to (reverse) electrodyalisis and membrane distillation.

Characterization of magnesium hydroxide from highly concentrated MgCl2 solutions

Scale-up of electrodialysis with bipolar membrane (EDBM) unit for valorisation of waste brine by experimental analysis

A Bi-objective Optimization Study of an Acid-Base Flow Battery for High Efficiency and Improved Power Density

Electrical energy storage is critical for a broader penetration of renewable energies with intermittent nature, such as solar and wind energy. The Acid/Base Flow Battery (AB-FB) is a unique, sustainable, and environmental-friendly storage technology with high electrolyte solution energy density. The method relies on reversible electrodialytic technologies using bipolar membranes to transform electrical energy into chemical energy related to pH gradients and vice versa. The charge phase is accomplished by using bipolar membrane electrodialysis, whereas the discharge phase is performed via bipolar membrane reverse electrodialysis. In a previous work, we developed an advanced multi-scale proce…

CFD simulations of dense solid–liquid suspensions in baffled stirred tanks: Prediction of the minimum impeller speed for complete suspension

Abstract In the literature on mechanically agitated solid–liquid systems, several methods are described to estimate the minimum impeller speed Njs at which all particles are suspended, but few studies have been devoted so far to their critical comparative assessment [67] . In the present paper, several alternative Njs prediction methods are applied to CFD results obtained for selected test cases covering a broad range of suspension conditions and impeller speeds. Results are compared with one another and with classic empirical correlations [88] . The aim of the work is to assess the adequacy of different methods for predicting Njs and, more generally, to contribute to a viable CFD-based str…

Experimental analysis of bubble size distributions in 2D gas fluidized beds

Abstract The present work focuses on the development of a novel statistical approach for the analysis of the behavior of a 2D fluidized bed operating under bubbling and slugging conditions. Experimental data were collected by means of a purposely built lab-scale 2D fluidized bed and an original digital image analysis technique (DIAT), allowing the acquisition of a number of data sufficient to perform a statistical analysis of bubble dynamics. In particular, measurements of bubble size distributions (BSD) along the bed were performed. The analysis allowed to characterize the shape of BSD for different particle systems and fluidization gas velocities; interestingly a bimodal shape of BSD is o…

Electrodialysis for wastewater treatment—Part I: Fundamentals and municipal effluents

Abstract Selectivity, high recovery, and chemical-free operation are strengths of electrodialysis. Different configurations have been proposed for several applications. Effluents from municipal wastewater treatment plants (including sludge and supernatants), desalination plants, and animal farms can be treated for recovering water, nutrients, salts, and acids/bases. Although many applications are technoeconomically feasible and competitive with other zero liquid discharge systems, only a few real plants have been installed. However, the research is currently very active, thus paving the way for a widespread use at large scale in the next future.

Mass transfer in ducts with transpiring walls

Abstract The problem of mass transfer in ducts with transpiring walls is analysed: the concepts of “solvent” and “solute” fluxes are introduced, all possible sign combinations for these fluxes are considered, and relevant examples from membrane processes such as electrodialysis, reverse osmosis and filtration are identified. Besides the dimensionless numbers commonly defined in studying flow and mass transfer problems, new dimensionless quantities appropriate to transpiration problems are introduced, and their limiting values, associated with “drying”, “desalting” and “saturation” conditions, are identified. A simple model predicting the Sherwood number Sh under all possible flux sign combi…

CFD study on the influence of water transpiration on flow and mass transfer in channels with bipolar membranes

The future energetic supply based on the massive use of renewable sources poses issues linked to fluctuations of power produced and consumed, thus requiring the use of energy storage systems.

Seawater Desalination for Freshwater Production

In the last decades more and more countries have experienced water scarcity problems, thus pointing at alternative non-conventional sources of fresh water. Seawater desalination has proven to be a reliable and economically sustainable water resource since the second half of the 20th Century. A number of well proven technologies already exist, with advantages and disadvantages making each of them more suitable in specific sites. Moreover, quite recently, coupling the use of renewable energy to the production of fresh water from seawater results in novel technologies, able to minimise the environmental impact that desalination processes can create due to their intense energy consumptions.

Current distribution along electrodialysis stacks and its influence on the current-voltage curve: behaviour from near-zero current to limiting plateau

The current maldistribution along the flow path of electrodialysis (ED) units is a well-known phenomenon. However, it has been poorly quantified via experimental tests so far. This work aimed at measuring the current distribution in an ED stack with 40 cm path length, provided with four-segment electrodes. The current-voltage curve (CVC) of each segment was recorded under several operating conditions of inlet concentrations and feed velocity. In the CVC of the first segment, the current increased approaching a saturation, while in that of the remaining segments it passed through a maximum and then settled at near-zero values when high voltage values were applied. The current fraction on the…

Modelling and characterization of electrodialysis systems for multi-ionic solutions

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

CFD modelling of profiled-membrane channels for reverse electrodialysis

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…

On some issues in the computational modelling of spacer-filled channels for membrane distillation

Abstract This study addresses issues which arise in the computational and experimental modelling of flow and heat/mass transfer in membrane distillation and other processes adopting spacer-filled channels (either planar or spiral wound), but have not been sufficiently clarified in the literature so far. Most of the argumentations presented are based on original computational results obtained by the authors by finite volume simulations; some literature results are also considered. The questions addressed regard the choice of scales for the reduction of data and the definition of dimensionless numbers ( Re , f , Nu , Sh ); the definition of average heat or mass transfer coefficients; the comb…

Long-run operation of a reverse electrodialysis system fed with wastewaters.

The performance of a Reverse ElectroDialysis (RED) system fed by unconventional wastewater solutions for long operational periods is analysed for the first time. The experimental campaign was divided in a series of five independent long-runs which combined real wastewater solutions with artificial solutions for at least 10 days. The time evolution of electrical variables, gross power output and net power output, considering also pumping losses, was monitored: power density values obtained during the long-runs are comparable to those found in literature with artificial feed solutions of similar salinity. The increase in pressure drops and the development of membrane fouling were the main det…

Membrane Deformation and Its Effects on Flow and Mass Transfer in the Electromembrane Processes

In the membrane processes, a trans-membrane pressure (TMP) may arise due to design features or operating conditions. In most applications, stacks for electrodialysis (ED) or reverse electrodialysis (RED) operate at low TMP (&lt

Salinity gradient energy

Abstract Beyond the most common renewable energy sources today exploited for the production of clean energy, salinity gradients power (SGP) has been attracting the increasing interest of scientists and companies involved in the field. This chapter provides an introduction to SGP, reporting a brief history of the technological developments throughout the years, from the beginning to present. A number of different SGP technologies have been developed in the last decades, all based on the concept of harvesting the energy from the controlled mixing of two solutions at different salinities. A theoretical analysis of the energy potential for SGP places this renewable source of energy among those …

On the Reduction of Power Consumption in Vortexing Unbaffled Bioslurry Reactors

Bioremediation of polluted soils via bioslurry reactors is an interesting option among those available nowadays, especially when recalcitrant pollutants are present. Vortexing unbaffled stirred tanks may be a valuable choice to this purpose as they were recently found to be more efficient than baffled vessels for solid suspension processes where mixing time is not a controlling factor. When operated at sufficiently high agitation speeds, the central vortex bottom reaches the impeller and air bubbles start to be distributed throughout the system, thus avoiding any sparger and related clogging issues. In the present work, a vortexing unbaffled stirred tank with solid loadings ranging from 2.5…

Comparison of different hollow fibre haemodialysis module configurations by a CFD multiscale approach

Objectives The study aims to predict 3-D flow and solute concentrations fields both for blood and dialysate and overall performance parameters (such as dialysate pressure drop and clearance) for different hollow-fibre haemodialysis modules. Methods A multiscale approach was used. At small (unit cell)-scale, dialysate flow and mass transfer around straight cylindrical fibres arranged in regular lattices were simulated. At module-scale, hydraulic permeabilities and mass transfer coefficients derived from small-scale simulations were used to define two different porous media representative of blood and dialysate, sharing the same volume and exchanging solute. Simulations involved different mod…

Investigation of heat transfer in spacer-filled channels by experiments and direct numerical simulations

Abstract The analysis of flow fields and heat or mass transfer phenomena is of great importance in the optimum design of spacer-filled channel geometries for a variety of membrane-based processes. In the present work, models of spacer-filled channels often adopted in Membrane Distillation are simultaneously investigated by experiments and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Experiments rely on a non-intrusive technique, based on the use of Thermochromic Liquid Crystals (TLC) and digital image processing, and provide the local distribution of the convective heat transfer coefficient on a thermally active wall. CFD relies on steady-state (laminar flow) simulations in the lower end of the Reyn…

Boosting the performance of a Reverse Electrodialysis – Multi-Effect Distillation Heat Engine by novel solutions and operating conditions

Abstract This work presents a performance analysis of a waste-heat-to-power Reverse Electrodialysis Heat Engine (RED-HE) with a Multi-Effect Distillation (MED) unit as the regeneration stage. The performance of the system is comparatively evaluated using two different salts, sodium chloride and potassium acetate, and investigating the impact of different working solutions concentration and temperature in the RED unit. For both salt solutions, the impact of membrane properties on the system efficiency is analysed by considering reference ionic exchange membranes and high-performing membranes. Detailed mathematical models for the RED and MED units have been used to predict the thermal efficie…

An experimental investigation on ionic shortcut currents reduction in Acid-Base Flow Battery systems

ASSESMENT OF TEMPERATURE POLARIZATION IN MEMBRANE DISTILLATION CHANNELS BY LIQUID CRYSTAL THERMOGRAPHY

AbstractThe measurement of local temperature distributions within a membrane distillation (MD) channel is a crucial step for the optimization of the channel and spacer geometry. This information allows the estimation of temperature polarization phenomena, which can dramatically influence the thermal efficiency of the process and the optimal choice of the geometric configuration (net spacer features, channel size, etc.). In the present work, a recently presented experimental technique, based on the use of thermochromic liquid crystals and digital image analysis, has been employed in order to assess the temperature polarization phenomena. The local heat transfer coefficient distribution on th…

Reverse electrodialysis heat engine with multi-effect distillation: Exergy analysis and perspectives

Abstract The increasing worldwide energy demand is rising the interest on alternative power production technologies based on renewable and emission-free energy sources. In this regard, the closed-loop reverse electrodialysis heat engine is a promising technology with the potential to convert low-grade heat into electric power. The reverse electrodialysis technology has been under investigation in the last years to explore the real potentials for energy generation from natural and artificial solutions, and recent works have been addressing also the potential of its coupling with regeneration strategies, looking at medium and large energy supply purposes. In this work, for the first time, a c…

Modelling hybrid systems for seawater desalination: electromembrane processes (RED, ARED and ED) coupled with RO

The need to reduce energy consumption in seawater reverse osmosis processes has pushed research towards the development of new hybrid systems in which, for example, other membrane processes can be used to pre-treat seawater. Electrodialysis and reverse electrodialysis can act as a dilution step before seawater enters the RO unit, thus leading to an important energy saving in RO. In this work, two coupled models are proposed for the RED-RO and ED-RO system. Each process model was validated before being used for a sensitivity analysis in which the effect of the integration on the cost saving in the overall process was assessed. The analysis was performed by changing (R)ED voltage and RO press…

Development of a Membrane Distillation module for solar energy seawater desalination

Abstract Membrane Distillation (MD) processes are gaining growing interest among novel desalination technologies, in particular for small scale applications also coupled with non-conventional energy sources. In the present work an original laboratory scale planar geometry Membrane Distillation unit was designed, built and tested for future coupling with solar energy. Though conceptually simple, the original geometry was developed in order to allow for multi-stage arrangement, compactness, internal heat recovery and possible integration with a polymeric heat exchanger for final brine heating by means of solar energy or waste heat. The laboratory scale unit was tested in order to investigate …

Analysis of Rectangular Orthotropic Membranes for Mechanical Properties Identification through Load-Displacement Data

In this paper, an innovative procedure is introduced for the identification of the mechanical properties of orthotropic membranes based on load-displacement data. To this end, novel functional forms of the displacement components for rectangular membranes are appropriately introduced. Unknown coefficients of these displacement functions are determined, minimizing the total potential energy of the membrane. The energy method is then combined with an optimization procedure to estimate the elastic constants of the membranes in a straightforward manner. Specifically, a genetic algorithm is used to minimize a properly defined objective function directly related to the sought mechanical propertie…

Economic Benefits of Waste Pickling Solution Valorization

An integrated hybrid membrane process, composed of a diffusion dialysis (DD), a membrane distillation (MD) and a reactive precipitation unit (CSTR), is proposed as a promising solution for the valorization and onsite recycling of pickling waste streams. An economic analysis was performed aiming to demonstrate the feasibility of the developed process with a NPV of about EUR 40,000 and a DPBP of 4 years. The investment and operating costs, as well as the avoided costs and the benefits for the company operating the plant, were analyzed with an extensive cost tracking exercise and through face-to-face contact with manufacturers and sector leaders. A mathematical model was implemented using the …

Electrodialysis for wastewater treatment-part II: Industrial effluents

Abstract Electrodialysis and related processes have huge potential in the treatment of effluents from a variety of industrial processes. They can recover water and other valuable products, including heavy metal ions, acids and bases, nutrients, and organics. In recent years, novel and improved systems have been continuously developed as a result of research in the field, showing that the (near) zero liquid discharge approach can be affordable in several industrial applications. A larger market share is expected in the near future.

Multi-physical modelling of reverse electrodialysis

Abstract Reverse electrodialysis (RED) is an electrochemical membrane process that directly converts the energy associated with the concentration difference between two salt solutions into electrical energy by means of a selective controlled mixing. The physics of RED involves the interaction of several phenomena of different nature and space-time scales. Therefore, mathematical modelling and numerical simulation tools are crucial for performance prediction. In this work, a multi-physical modelling approach for the simulation of RED units was developed. A periodic portion of a single cell pair was simulated in two dimensions. Fluid dynamics was simulated by the Navier-Stokes and continuity …

CFD prediction of scalar transport in thin channels for reverse electrodialysis

Reverse ElectroDialysis (RED) is a very promising technology allowing the electrochemical potential difference of a salinity gradient to be directly converted into electric energy. The fluid dynamics optimization of the thin channels used in RED is still an open problem. The present preliminary work focuses on the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation of the flow and concentration fields in these channels. In particular three different configurations were investigated: a channel unprovided with a spacer (empty channel) and two channels filled with spacers, one made of overlapped filaments the other of woven filaments. The transport of two passive scalars, representative of the ions …

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

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…

Experimental investigation and modeling of diffusion dialysis for HCl recovery from waste pickling solution

Abstract Hydrochloric acid recovery from pickling solutions was studied by employing a batch diffusion dialysis (DD) laboratory test-rig equipped with Fumasep membranes. The effect of main operating parameters such as HCl concentration (0.1–3 M) and the presence of Fe2+ (up to 150 g/l) was investigated to simulate the system operation with real industrial streams. The variation of HCl, Fe2+ and water flux was identified. When only HCl is present, a recovery efficiency of 100% was reached. In the presence of FeCl2, higher acid recovery efficiencies, up to 150%, were observed due to the so-called “salt effect”, which promotes the passage of acid even against its concentration gradient. A 7% l…

Regeneration units for thermolytic salts applications in water & power production: State of the art, experimental and modelling assessment

Abstract Thermolytic solutions are often proposed as high salinity or “draw” stream to generate a chemical potential driving force in Salinity Gradient Power (SGP) and Forward Osmosis (FO) technologies. Depleted “draw” solutions exiting the process can be regenerated by a thermal process powered at very-low grade heat, which is able to decompose the salt into gaseous ammonia and carbon dioxide, which can be stripped and then reabsorbed in the draw solution, restoring its initial concentration. In this work, two different experimental prototypes for the regeneration of ammonium bicarbonate aqueous solution were designed, built and tested. The effect of several operating parameters on the reg…

Coupling electrodialysis desalination with photovoltaic and wind energy systems for energy storage: Dynamic simulations and control strategy

Abstract The presence of desalination systems in polygeneration facilities is usually limited by important difficulties in operating under non-stationary regimes typical of renewable energy sources. Reverse osmosis, namely the most common desalination technology, is characterised by slow dynamics that rarely adapts to the power fluctuations of renewables. Therefore, the possibility of using electrodialysis coupled with a hybrid photovoltaic/wind energy source was investigated in this work. In particular, the combination of photovoltaic and wind energy is very attractive in order to achieve a more stable energy production, while electrodialysis is claimed to be a more flexible process compar…

A brine evaporative cooler/concentrator for autonomous thermal desalination units

In recent years growing attention has been paid to the problem of brine disposal due to the raising awareness of significant environmental issues related to the use of desalination processes for fresh water production. This is particularly relevant when desalination units are located in remote sites, characterised by major complexity in the construction and management of intake and outfall structures. In the present work a novel device, named brine evaporative cooler/concentrator (BECC, patent pending), has been developed for coupling with small-scale thermal desalination plants in order to reduce the problem of brine disposal. Such device fulfils two different functions: i) cooling of the …

CFD analysis of the fluid flow behavior in a reverse electrodialysis stack

Salinity Gradient Power by Reverse Electrodialysis (SGP-RE) technology allows the production of electricity from the different chemical potentials of two differently concentrated salty solutions flowing in alternate channels suitably separated by selective ion exchange membranes. In SGP-RE, as well as in conventional ElectroDialysis (ED) technology, the process performance dramatically depends on the stack geometry and the internal fluid dynamics conditions: optimizing the system geometry in order to guarantee lower pressure drops (DP) and uniform flow rates distribution within the channels is a topic of primary importance. Although literature studies on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) a…

A CFD MODEL FOR THE PERFORMANCE PREDICTION OF HOLLOW FIBRE HAEMODIALYSIS MODULES

Objectives: The model proposed aims to predict how geometric, transport and operative parameters affect the performances of hollow-fibre membrane modules for haemodialysis, especially solute clearance. Methods: A two-scale approach was used. Preliminarily, dialysate flow and mass transfer around fibre bundles were simulated at Unit Cell level, i.e. in a single periodic unit of the bundle. For a given porosity, both regular lattices (square or hexagonal) and random fibre arrangements were studied. From the predicted friction coefficients and Sherwood numbers, permeability and solute exchange terms were derived to be used in a porous media model of the whole module. Solute concentrations on t…

CFD prediction of shell-side flow and mass transfer in regular fiber arrays

Numerical simulations were conducted for fully developed, steady-state flow with mass transfer in fiber bundles arranged in regular lattices. The porosity was 0.5 and the Schmidt number 500. Several combinations of axial flow, transverse flow and flow attack angles in the cross-section plane were considered. The axial and transverse Reynolds numbers Rez , ReT were made to vary from 10(^−4) to 10(^2). Concentration boundary conditions, and the definition of an average Sherwood number, were addressed. Results for the hydraulic permeability were compared with the literature. Both hexagonal and square lattices were found to be hydraulically almost isotropic up to transverse flow Reynolds number…

Electrodialysis Applications in Wastewater Treatment for Environmental Protection and Resources Recovery: A Systematic Review on Progress and Perspectives

This paper presents a comprehensive review of studies on electrodialysis (ED) applications in wastewater treatment, outlining the current status and the future prospect. ED is a membrane process of separation under the action of an electric field, where ions are selectively transported across ion-exchange membranes. ED of both conventional or unconventional fashion has been tested to treat several waste or spent aqueous solutions, including effluents from various industrial processes, municipal wastewater or salt water treatment plants, and animal farms. Properties such as selectivity, high separation efficiency, and chemical-free treatment make ED methods adequate for desalination and othe…

Coupling CFD with a one-dimensional model to predict the performance of reverse electrodialysis stacks

Abstract Different computer-based simulation models, able to predict the performance of Reverse ElectroDialysis (RED) systems, are currently used to investigate the potentials of alternative designs, to orient experimental activities and to design/optimize prototypes. The simulation approach described here combines a one-dimensional modelling of a RED stack with a fully three-dimensional finite volume modelling of the electrolyte channels, either planar or equipped with different spacers or profiled membranes. An advanced three-dimensional code was used to provide correlations for the friction coefficient (based on 3-D solutions of the continuity and Navier-Stokes equations) and the Sherwoo…

PLA-based functionally graded laminates for tunable controlled release of carvacrol obtained by combining electrospinning with solvent casting

Abstract A novel approach was designed to fabricate high-added value manufacts, starting from cost-effective materials and combining well-known processing techniques. Bi- and three-layered, functionally graded laminates were achieved by direct electrospinning onto dense substrates. The architecture of each multilayer comprises a dense layer formed by solvent casting, which is constituted by polylactic acid (PLA) and carvacrol, and one or two electrospun fibrous skin layers, consisting of PLA only. Processing-structure-properties relationships of such materials were investigated. As regards mechanical behavior, the amount of fibrous PLA layers determined an increase of stiffness from 20 to 3…

CFD prediction of bubble behavior in two-dimensional gas-solid fluidized beds

This work focuses on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of a laboratory-scale, two-dimensional fluidized bed and the relevant experiments in order to validate the prediction capability of the adopted codes and models. Both experimental and computational quantitative data were analyzed by means of an original digital image analysis technique, allowing for coherent comparison of computational and experimental results. In particular, this work analyzes the capability of the CFD simulations in predicting the fluctuating behavior of bubbling fluidized beds by means of frequency analysis of bubble-related phenomena.

Effect of ion exchange capacity and water uptake on hydroxide transport in PSU-TMA membranes: A DFT and molecular dynamics study

Abstract Anion Exchange Membranes (AEMs) are nowadays used in a very wide range of different applications, from electrodialytic systems for water treatment, to Fuel Cells for energy generation. In many of these cases, the AEM is in contact with water molecules, either in aqueous or gas phase, which can strongly interact with the AEM polymer, thus affecting membrane properties. The role of water in fully swollen AEM and its effect on the diffusion of hydroxide is the focus of this work. Density Functional Theory (DFT) based calculations were merged with Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations coming to a more accurate description of the ionic exchange capacity effect on the hydroxide ion diffusi…

A parametric CFD study of hollow fiber membrane modules for hemodialysis

Hemodialysis is a membrane-based process in which solute transport from the patient’s blood to a rinsing solution (dialysate) occurs by diffusion and ultrafiltration. Devices used in hemodialysis are cylindrical modules filled with hollow-fiber membranes which allow the removal of toxic substances and metabolic wastes from the blood, but inhibit the passage of proteins and cells to the dialysate. A predictive porous-media model of hemodialysis was developed and validated against experimental data. Unlike previous literature models, it requires only basic membrane properties (hydraulic and diffusive permeabilities and reflection coefficients) instead of relying on empirically adjusted global…

The first operating thermolytic reverse electrodialysis heat engine

Abstract Thermolytic reverse electrodialysis heat engine (t-RED HE) has been recently proposed as a technology for converting low-temperature waste heat into electricity. The construction and operation of the first world lab-scale prototype unit are reported. The system consists of: (i) a reverse electrodialysis unit where, the concentration gradient between two solutions of thermolytic salts is converted into electricity and (ii) a thermally-driven regeneration unit where low-temperature heat is used to restore the initial conditions of the two feed streams. Regeneration is based on a degradation process of salts into gaseous ammonia and carbon dioxide, which can be removed almost entirely…

A novel colorimetric experimental technique for the characterisation of metal hydroxides reactive crystallization phenomena

The reactive crystallization of metal hydroxides constitutes a field of raising interest driven by the importance of metals recovery and the wide industrial applications of their hydroxides. A popular example is related to the case of magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2), which is widely employed in the fields of water treatment, desulphurization of fuel gases, pharmaceutical industry, refractory field and flame retardants

Electrodialysis with Bipolar Membranes for the Sustainable Production of Chemicals from Seawater Brines at Pilot Plant Scale

Environmental concerns regarding the disposal of seawater reverse osmosis brines require the development of new valorization strategies. Electrodialysis with bipolar membrane (EDBM) technology enables the production of acid and base from a salty waste stream. In this study, an EDBM pilot plant with a membrane area of 19.2 m2 was tested. This total membrane area results much larger (i.e., more than 16 times larger) than those reported in the literature so far for the production of HCl and NaOH aqueous solutions, starting from NaCl brines. The pilot unit was tested both in continuous and discontinuous operation modes, at different current densities (200-500 A m-2). Particularly, three differe…

Industrial waste heat: Estimation of the technically available resource in the EU per industrial sector, temperature level and country

Abstract Industrial waste heat is examined in EU countries, focusing on the amount that can be recovered and exploited, referred to as technical potential of waste heat. An alternative methodology is proposed here, which is based on waste heat fractions derived from a detailed study of the UK industry from the period 2000–2003. These fractions express the part of heat consumption that is wasted and is possible to be recovered. The waste heat fractions have been calculated in this work for each main industrial sector and temperature level. The methodology initially includes the adjustment of waste heat fractions from each industrial sector from the UK industry to the conditions of the differ…

Some Numerical Remarks on a Meshless Approximation Method

In this paper we consider sources of enhancement for the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method in approximating a function and its derivatives. It is well known that the standard formulation is usually poor when scattered data distribution is considered or when the approximation near the boundary occurs. In this paper studies on the accuracy are provided and assessed with gridded and scattered data distribution in the problem domain. The improvements of the method are addressed and supporting numerical experiments are included.

A dynamic model for MED-TVC transient operation

Abstract The Multi Effect Distillation (MED) process is often proposed as a key technology for the construction of new thermal desalination plants, especially within solar-powered cogeneration schemes. With this respect, the need for transient behaviour analysis requires the development of dynamic models for the MED process. Only a few have been presented so far in the literature, in which, however, several simplifying assumptions and constrains are still limiting their potential use. The model here proposed addresses most of the aspects still limiting previous models formulations. The powerful equation-based process simulator gPROMS® was chosen for the implementation of the model, develope…

Direct numerical simulations of creeping to early turbulent flow in unbaffled and baffled stirred tanks

Abstract It has been known for a long time that the fluid flow and several global quantities, such as the power and pumping numbers, are about the same in baffled and unbaffled mechanically stirred vessels at low Reynolds numbers, but bifurcate at some intermediate Re and take drastically different values in fully turbulent flow. However, several details are not yet completely understood, notably concerning the relation of this bifurcation with the flow features and the transition to turbulence. In order to shed light on these issues, computational fluid dynamics was employed to predict the flow field in two vessels stirred by a six-bladed Rushton turbine at Reynolds numbers from 0.2 to 600…

Towards the implementation of circular economy in the water softening industry: A technical, economic and environmental analysis

Abstract To reduce the environmental impact of the industrial sectors, circular strategies should be implemented to purify the effluents and recover raw materials. In this context, a novel integrated methodological approach is proposed to identify the most suitable strategy to improve the sustainability of the water softening industry via the treatment and recycling of the produced wastewater. Different concentration technologies and energy supply systems are compared to find economically feasible and environmentally friendly treatment systems. The investigated chains present the same pre-treatment step (nanofiltration and crystallization) and different concentration technologies: Multi-Eff…

Fluid-structure interaction in electromembrane processes: modelling of membrane deformation, fluid dynamics and mass transfer

In recent years, water and energy supply issues have boosted a noticeable interest in the scientific community on electromembrane processes such as electrodialysis and reverse electrodialysis. In order to gain an important place in the industrial market, technological challenges on various aspects are involved for the optimization of these processes. In this context, profiled membranes exhibit interesting performances and offer countless geometric alternatives. However, the mechanical behavior of the membranes and its interaction with fluid dynamics has been poorly investigated so far. In membrane-based processes, a trans-membrane pressure (Ptm) between the different solutions flowing throu…

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

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 …

An application of Reverse ElectroDialysis: energy production from produced water

CFD Simulation of Particle Distribution in a Multiple-impeller High-Aspect-Ratio Stirred Vessel

Publisher Summary This chapter describes fully predictive simulations of solid–liquid suspensions in a high-aspect-ratio, multiple-impeller stirred tank. These are performed by using the Inner Outer impeller modeling technique coupled with the Multi Fluid Model (MFM) for the treatment of the dispersed phase. The strongly simplified Settling Velocity Model (SVM) is also tested. The effects of free-stream turbulence on the drag coefficient CD and particle settling velocity are accounted for by means of a recently proposed correlation. Comparison of simulation results with experimental particle concentration profiles shows that the MFM approach leads to fair agreement with experimental data. R…

Analysis and simulation of scale-up potentials in reverse electrodialysis

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…

Modelling and cost analysis of hybrid systems for seawater desalination: Electromembrane pre-treatments for Reverse Osmosis

Abstract The need to reduce energy consumption in seawater Reverse Osmosis (RO) process has pushed research towards the development of new hybrid systems in which, for example, other membrane processes can be used to pre-treat seawater. Electrodialysis (ED) and Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) can act as a pre-desalting step before seawater enters the RO unit, thus leading to an important energy saving in RO. In this work, two coupled models are proposed for the RED-RO and ED-RO systems. Each process model was validated. Then a sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the effect of the integration on the overall process cost saving. The analysis was performed by changing ED or RED voltage …

Techno-economic analysis of integrated processes for the treatment and valorisation of neutral coal mine effluents

Abstract The disposal of highly-concentrated neutral coal mine effluents into the environment constitutes a severe threat to the natural ecosystem. This work proposes and compares five novel treatment chains to purify the effluent and recover raw materials. The chains present different combinations of pre-treatment and concentration technologies. In all cases, the solution sent to the concentration step is concentrated up to saturation to recover water and sodium chloride. Concerning the technical performances, the treatment chains are compared in terms of total energy demand and salt recovery. Furthermore, the economic feasibility assessment is performed via a novel global parameter, i.e. …

Eulerian-Eulerian modelling and computational fluid dynamics simulation of wire mesh demisters in MSF plants

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to focus on simulation of wire mesh demisters in multistage flash desalination (MSF) plants. The simulation is made by the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software. Design/methodology/approach – A steady state and two-dimensional (2D) model was developed to simulate the demister. The model employs an Eulerian-Eulerian approach to simulate the flow of water vapor and brine droplets in the demister. The computational domain included three zones, which are the vapor space above and below the demister and the demister. The demister zone was modeled as a tube bank arrange or as a porous media. Findings – Sensitivity analysis of the model showed t…

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

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

A pilot-plant for the selective recovery of magnesium and calcium from waste brines

Abstract The problem of brines disposal has raised great interest towards new strategies for their valorisation through the recovery of minerals or energy. As an example, the spent brine from ion exchange resins regeneration is often discharged into rivers or lakes, thus impacting on the process sustainability. However, such brines can be effectively reconcentrated, after removal of bivalent cations, and reused for the resins regeneration. This work focuses on developing and testing a pilot plant for selective recovery of magnesium and calcium from spent brines exploiting a novel proprietary crystallization unit. This is part of a larger treatment chain for the complete regeneration of the …

Particle suspension in top-covered unbaffled tanks

Abstract Unbaffled stirred tanks are seldom employed in the process industry as they are considered poorer mixers than baffled vessels. However, they may be expected to provide significant advantages in a wide range of applications (e.g. crystallization, food and pharmaceutical processes, etc.), where the presence of baffles is often undesirable. In the present work solid–liquid suspension in an unbaffled stirred tank is investigated. The tank was equipped with a top-cover in order to avoid vortex formation. A novel experimental method (the “steady cone radius method”, SCRM) is proposed to determine experimentally the minimum impeller speed at which solids are completely suspended. Experime…

Design of a novel membrane-integrated waste acid recovery process from pickling solution

Abstract Hydrochloric acid pickling is a common practice in steel manufacturing industry. During the process, acid is consumed to dissolve surface oxides and metals ions are accumulated in the solution, which becomes less effective with time. In addition, the costly and risky waste acid disposal is another issue affecting the hot-dip galvanizing industry. In this work, a novel sustainable waste acid recovery process from pickling solutions based on circular approach is proposed to tackle these issues. The innovative system allows (i) the continuous regeneration of pickling solutions to enhance process rate and performance and (ii) minimise the highly expensive and environmentally risky wast…

Experiments and CFD Predictions of Solid Particle Distribution in a Vessel Agitated with Four Pitched Blade Turbines

The distribution of solid particles in a high aspect-ratio baffled tank agitated with four 45° pitched blade turbines (PBT) was investigated using both experimental measurements and CFD simulations. Dilute suspensions of glass beads in water and moderately viscous liquids were considered. The measurement of axial particle concentration profiles was conducted by means of a light attenuation technique. Fully predictive simulations of solid-liquid suspensions were performed using a Sliding-Grid approach coupled with the Eulerian-Eulerian Two Fluid Model and the ‘homogeneous’ two-phase k-ɛ turbulence model. The simulated particle axial concentration profiles were compared with the experimental …

Mechanical-fluid dynamics coupled model for profiled Ion Exchange Membranes design

In this work, we developed an advanced model useful for the design of profiled IEMs, based on the coupled simulation of local mechanical deformations and of fluid dynamics and associated mass transport phenomena within deformed channels

Power Consumption in Uncovered Unbaffled Stirred Tanks: Influence of the Viscosity and Flow Regime

Notwithstanding the increasing industrial interest toward unbaffled tanks, available experimental information on their behavior is still scant, even for basic quantities such as the mechanical power drawn. In this work, the influence of the Reynolds and Froude numbers on the power consumption characteristics is presented for unbaffled stirred tanks operating both in nonaerated conditions (subcritical regime) and in aerated conditions (supercritical regime), i.e., when the free surface vortex has reached the impeller and the gas phase is ingested and dispersed inside the reactor. Experimental results obtained at various liquid viscosities show that power numbers obtained in subcritical condi…

Dynamic response of equivalent orthotropic plate model for stiffened plate: numerical-experimental assessment

Abstract Over the last two decades, homogenization-based modeling techniques have attracted considerable attention. In fact, through these methods, structures such as corrugated or stiffened plates, commonly referred to as structurally orthotropic plates, can be approximately studied as equivalent flat plates with orthotropic behavior. Specifically, these homogenization techniques allow for the direct determination of the equivalent flexural and torsional rigidities which appear in the governing equation for the deflection of the equivalent orthotropic plate. It is worth noting that, the determined equivalent material properties retain the dependence on the geometric parameters of the origi…

Modelling of Electrodialysis units by a multi-scale process simulator

Drinking water production by desalination is an interesting alternative to face water scarcity issues. Electrodialysis (ED) is an electro-membrane process that is actually gaining attention as a competitive alternative for seawater and brackish water desalination due to recent developments in manufacturing of high performance ion exchange membranes (IEMs). In this context, a suitable process simulator can be a very effective tool in order to drive the design of optimized ED systems. In this work a novel mathematical model of ED units was developed by a hierarchical simulation strategy of separation of scales, in order to address the full simulation problem. The model was implemented in PSE …

Experimental and computational investigation of heat transfer in channels filled by woven spacers

Abstract Models of woven-type spacer-filled channels were investigated by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and parallel experiments in order to characterize the performance of Membrane Distillation (MD) modules. The case of overlapped spacers was analysed in a companion paper. Experiments were based on a non-intrusive technique using Thermochromic Liquid Crystals (TLC) and digital image processing, and provided the distribution of the local convective heat transfer coefficient on a thermally active wall. CFD simulations ranged from steady-state conditions to unsteady and early turbulent flow, covering a Reynolds number interval of great practical interest in real MD applications. A specif…

Gas-Fluidization Characteristics of Binary Mixtures of Particles in 2D Geometry

The bubbling behaviour of fluidized beds has been thoroughly investigated in the last decades by means of several techniques, e.g. X-ray, Inductance, Resistance and Impedance based techniques, PIV. In recent years, Digital Image Analysis Techniques have shown their potential for accurate and cost effectively measurements.Most of the work related to bubble behaviour analysis deals with single-sized particles, while almost all industrial equipment operates with multi-sized particles. Although considerable work has been done in the past with focus on the analysis of the mixing-segregation behaviour and predictions of fluid dynamics regime transitions, a lack of knowledge still exists in the an…

CFD parametrical study of the spacer geometry for Membrane Distillation

Membrane Distillation (MD) is a thermal process that separates water from aqueous solutions containing non-volatile components such as salt. Water vapor from the hot feed channel permeates through a hydrophobic membrane thanks to a partial pressure gradient, and condenses in the cool channel. One of the main advantages of MD is the easy coupling with renewable resources, as the solar thermal energy. In the various MD configurations developed, net spacers are used in order to support the membrane, thus creating the channels; moreover, they can counteract the side effects of temperature polarization by promoting mixing. However, the presence of the spacer involves an increase of pressure drop…

Salinity gradient heat engines: An innovative concept for waste heat valorization

Abstract The world population has grown rapidly in the last century and a similar increase is expected in the next years. A corresponding increase in energy production and consumption has been recorded so far and most of it comes from nonrenewable sources. The shift from conventional energy production processes to renewable-based ones is proceeding slowly; meanwhile, the need for reducing the energy losses in current power technologies is a matter of crucial importance. Thus, the interest toward low-grade waste heat and strategies for its valorization has rapidly grown recently. Salinity gradient heat engines are a novel promising technology to produce power from waste heat at very low temp…

A 2-D model of electrodialysis stacks including the effects of membrane deformation

Abstract Membrane-based processes have gained a relevant role in many engineering applications. Much effort has been devoted to thoroughly understand the fundamental phenomena behind them. However, membrane deformation has been taken into consideration only recently, although much evidence has shown its impacts in many applications. This work presents a novel 2-D, multi-scale, semi-empirical process model able to predict the behavior and the performance of Electrodialysis (ED) systems in cross-flow configurations in the presence and absence of local membrane deformations. The model exploits the results and the simulation approaches of previous fluid-structure investigations performed by the…

CFD Simulation of Particle Suspension Height in Stirred Vessels

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation capabilities for stirred solid–liquid dense systems are explored. These systems may give rise to the formation of a thick and well defined clear liquid layer in the upper part of the vessel, whose extension progressively reduces with increasing impeller speed. Experimental measurements of the suspension height (the height of the particle laden layer) were carried out at various agitation speeds for a variety of solid–liquid systems in a fully baffled transparent tank. A clear layer of liquid was actually observed in all runs, with the suspension height almost linearly dependent on agitation speed. CFD simulations of the above described systems w…

Bipolar membrane reverse electrodialysis for the sustainable recovery of energy from pH gradients of industrial wastewater: Performance prediction by a validated process model

Abstract The theoretical energy density extractable from acidic and alkaline solutions is higher than 20 kWh m−3 of single solution when mixing 1 M concentrated streams. Therefore, acidic and alkaline industrial wastewater have a huge potential for the recovery of energy. To this purpose, bipolar membrane reverse electrodialysis (BMRED) is an interesting, yet poorly studied technology for the conversion of the mixing entropy of solutions at different pH into electricity. Although it shows promising performance, only few works have been presented in the literature so far, and no comprehensive models have been developed yet. This work presents a mathematical multi-scale model based on a semi-…

Temperature distribution analysis in spacer filled channels for membrane distillation

An experimental study for the characterization of fluid dynamics and heat transport within the spacer-filled channels of membrane distillation modules

Abstract The thermo-fluid dynamic behavior of spacer-filled channels for membrane distillation was investigated experimentally. Several different geometry were investigated thanks to customized reference spacers manufactured using a 3D printer. In particular, two sets of experiments were conducted: in the first set, cylindrical filaments were orthogonally arranged and the flow attack angle was made to vary from 0o to 90o; in the second set, the flow attack angle was kept symmetrical and the filament angle was made to vary from 30° to 150°. Each spacer was tested for Reynolds numbers between 200 and 900 in the hot channel, while maintaining a constant temperature difference of 13 °C between …

Influence of drag and turbulence modelling on CFD predictions of solid liquid suspensions in stirred vessels

Abstract Suspensions of solid particles into liquids within industrial stirred tanks are frequently carried out at an impeller speed lower than the minimum required for complete suspension conditions. This choice allows power savings which usually overcome the drawback of a smaller particle-liquid interfacial area. Despite this attractive economical perspective, only limited attention has been paid so far to the modelling of the partial suspension regime. In the present work two different baffled tanks stirred by Rushton turbines were simulated by employing the Eulerian-Eulerian Multi Fluid Model (MFM) along with either the Sliding Grid algorithm (transient simulations) or the Multiple Refe…

Potential applications of Salinity Gradient Power-Heat Engines for recovering low-temperature waste heat in cogeneration plants

Abstract Salinity Gradient Power-Heat Engine is an innovative technology able to convert very low-temperature heat into electricity. Energy and economic benefits could be achieved by integrating this technology into cogeneration plants, where the exploitation of waste heat available during the operation could increase the revenues arising from “High-Efficiency” labels. For the first time, this paper proposes two potential applications in this field, and three illustrative case studies are purposely investigated. In the first case study, a salinity gradient-heat engine converts the waste heat available from a cogeneration plant serving an industrial process. In the second case study, a salin…

CFD simulations of early- to fully-turbulent conditions in unbaffled and baffled vessels stirred by a Rushton turbine

Abstract Laboratory scale unbaffled tanks provided with a top cover and a baffled tank both stirred by a Rushton turbine were simulated by carrying out RANS simulations. Three different turbulence models were adopted (k- ω SST, k- e and the SSG Reynolds stress model) to predict the flow field and the relevant performance parameters (power and pumping numbers) of the tank operated from early to fully turbulent conditions. CFD results were compared with literature experimental data and DNS simulation results to validate and properly compare the models. In the range of Reynolds numbers investigated, results showed that, for the unbaffled tank, the SSG model based on Reynolds stresses is a bett…

A comprehensive multi-scale model for bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED)

Bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) is a technology combining solute and solvent dissociation to produce chemicals. In the recent decades, it has been typically studied for the production of valuable acid and base solutions from salt streams. Although many works have been devoted to the experimental investigation of BMED, only a few efforts have focused on its mathematical modelling. In the present work, a comprehensive process model based on a multi-scale approach with distributed parameters is presented for the first time. Five models related to four different dimensional scales were fully integrated to form a comprehensive tool. The integrated model was developed by using the process…

CFD Investigation of Spacer-Filled Channels for Membrane Distillation

The membrane distillation (MD) process for water desalination is affected by temperature polarization, which reduces the driving force and the efficiency of the process. To counteract this phenomenon, spacer-filled channels are used, which enhance mixing and heat transfer but also cause higher pressure drops. Therefore, in the design of MD modules, the choice of the spacer is crucial for process efficiency. In the present work, different overlapped spacers are investigated by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and results are compared with experiments carried out with thermochromic liquid crystals (TLC). Results are reported for different flow attack angles and for Reynolds numbers (Re) ran…

Evaluation of the Purity of Magnesium Hydroxide Recovered from Saltwork Bitterns

Magnesium has been listed among the 30 critical raw materials by the European Union. In recent years, many green and sustainable alternative Mg2+ sources have been sought to satisfy the EU’s demand and to avoid mineral ore consumption. In this context, saltwork bitterns, the by-products of solar sea salt production, have attracted much attention thanks to their high Mg2+ concentrations (up to 80 g/L) and low Ca2+ and bicarbonate contents (<0.5 g/L). Although investigations on Mg2+ extraction from bitterns in the form of Mg(OH)2(s) have already been performed, product purity has never been properly addressed. Mg(OH)2(s) is a chemical compound of great interest and extensive utility in num…

AN INITIAL STUDY INTO THE ENERGETIC CHARACTERISTICS OF SEVERAL VEGETATIVE SPECIES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN MAQUIS

Recent years have seen an ever increasing interest in renewable energy resources. The use of these renewable resources plays a key role in the reduction of greenhouse gases and in guaranteeing a supply of energy for the future. A promising alternative to fossil fuels are lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks; a widely available, versatile source of energy able to substitute fossil fuels in many ways. The continuing growth of the Biomass sector is leading to a flurry of research into new plant species with good calorific properties and combustion persistence. It would seem that a large number of native Mediterranean maquis shrubs, once used by the local populations for heating and cooking, (car…

Reverse electrodialysis

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…

CFD prediction of flow, heat and mass transfer in woven spacer-filled channels for membrane processes

Abstract Flow and heat or mass transfer in channels provided with woven spacers made up of mutually orthogonal filaments were studied by Computational Fluid Dynamics. The problem addressed was the combined effect of the parameters that characterize the process: pitch to height ratio P/H (2, 3 and 4), flow attack angle θ (0, 7, 15, 20, 30, 40 and 45°) and Reynolds number Re (from ~1 to ~4000). The Prandtl number was 4.33, representative of water at ~40°C, while the Schmidt number was 600, representative of NaCl solutions. Simulations were performed by the finite volume code Ansys CFX™ 18.1 using very fine grids of ~6 to ~14 million volumes. For Re > ~400, the SST turbulence model was used to…

Water desalination by capacitive electrodialysis: Experiments and modelling

Abstract Electrodialysis-related technologies keep spreading in multiple fields, among which water desalination still plays a major role. A new technology that has not yet been thoroughly investigated is capacitive electrodialysis (CED), which couples the standard ED with capacitive electrodes. CED has a number of advantages such as removal of toxic products and system simplification. Little mention is made of this technology in the literature and, to the best of our knowledge, no modelling works have ever been presented. In this work, the CED process has been studied through experiments and modelling. A CED model is presented for the first time. With a simple calibration based on macroscop…

Dense solid–liquid off-bottom suspension dynamics: Simulation and experiment

Dense solid–liquid off-bottom suspension inside a baffled mechanically stirred tank equipped with a standard Rushton turbine is investigated. Dynamic evolution of the suspension from start-up to steady-state conditions has been determined by both visual experiments and computational fluid dynamics (CFDs). A classical Eulerian–Eulerian multifluid model (MFM) along with the “homogeneous” k–ε turbulence model is adopted to simulate suspension dynamics. In these systems the drag inter-phase force affects both solids suspension and distribution. Therefore, different computational approaches are tested in order to compute this term. Simulation results are compared with images obtained from the re…

Feasibility of Producing Electricity, Hydrogen, and Chlorine via Reverse Electrodialysis

Reverse electrodialysis (RED) is a technology to generate electricity from two streams with different salinities. While RED systems have been conventionally used for electricity generation, recent works explored combining RED for production of valuable gases. This work investigates the feasibility of producing hydrogen and chlorine in addition to electricity in an RED stack and identifies potential levers for improvement. A simplified one-dimensional model is adopted to assess the technical and economic feasibility of the process. We notice a strong disparity in typical current densities of RED fed with seawater and river water and that in typical water (or chlor-alkali) electrolysis. This …

Measurement of Multiphase Flow Characteristics Via Image Analysis Techniques: The Fluidization Case Study

In this chapter, an overview on some imaging-based experimental techniques for the analysis of complex multiphase systems is reported. In particular, some techniques aimed at the study of fluidization dynamics will be analyzed and discussed, as developed by our research group

Energetic Valorisation of Saltworks Bitterns via Reverse Electrodialysis: A Laboratory Experimental Campaign

Concentrated bitterns discharged from saltworks have extremely high salinity, often up to 300 g/L, thus their direct disposal not only has a harmful effect on the environment, but also generates a depletion of a potential resource of renewable energy. Here, reverse electrodialysis (RED), an emerging electrochemical membrane process, is proposed to capture and convert the salinity gradient power (SGP) intrinsically conveyed by these bitterns also aiming at the reduction of concentrated salty water disposal. A laboratory-scale RED unit has been adopted to study the SGP potential of such brines, testing ion exchange membranes from different suppliers and under different operating conditions. M…

Ionic shortcut currents via manifolds in reverse electrodialysis stacks

Abstract Reverse electrodialysis (RED) is a blue energy technology for clean and sustainable electricity harvesting from the mixing entropy of salinity gradients. Recently, many efforts have been devoted to improving the performance of RED units by developing new ion-exchange membranes and by reducing the detrimental phenomena affecting the process. Among these sources of “irreversibility”, the shortcut currents (or parasitic currents) flowing through alternative pathways may affect the process efficiency. Although such phenomena occur in several electrochemical processes (e.g. fuel cells, bipolar plate cells and vanadium redox flow batteries), they have received a poor attention in RED uni…

Analysis of the bubbling behaviour of 2D gas solid fluidized beds

Abstract In the field of gas–solid fluidization, bubbles, and all features regarding them, have a very great importance, as they significantly affect the process performance. Numerous experimental studies on bubbles, and their formation, evolution, and properties, have been performed in the past. These investigations appear particularly difficult, due to the nature of these systems, since the gas phase is distributed in both the bubble and the emulsion phase. Several experimental approaches have been developed to tackle this study. Among these, the Digital Image Analysis Technique purposely developed in Part I of the present work, based on the use of a video camera for monitoring the phenom…

Experimental investigation and modelling of diffusion dialysis for the recovery of waste acid solutions

Pickling is widely used as a chemical pre-treatment method for cleaning metal surfaces before other surface treatments and it consumes large amount of acids and water

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

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…

A neural network-based optimizing control system for a seawater-desalination solar-powered membrane distillation unit

Abstract Several schemes have been proposed so far for coupling desalination processes with the use of renewable energy. One of their main drawbacks, however, is the nature of the energy source that requires a discontinuous and non-stationary operation, with some control and optimization problems. In the present work, a solar powered membrane distillation system has been used for developing an optimizing control strategy. A neural network (NN) model of the system has been trained and tested using experimental data purposely collected. Afterwards, the NN model has been used for the analysis of the process performance under various operating conditions, namely distillate production versus fee…

A critical assessment of desalination operations in Sicily

In this paper a brief history of desalination plants in Sicily is presented together with an in-depth description of processes and operating data, relevant to the plants actually operating on the island. 5 multi stage flash (MSF) units and one reverse osmosis (RO) plant are operating in Gela (total nominal production of about 80,000 m 3 /d), thus providing drinking water for more than 300,000 people living in the southern coast of the island. A thermal vapour compression multiple effect distillation (TVC-MED) plant (36,000 m 3 /d) is operating in Trapani and a small mechanical vapour compression (MVC) unit (5000 m 3 /d) is located in Porto Empedocle. In the oldest MSF units in Gela, several…

Effect of different aqueous solutions of pure salts and salt mixtures in reverse electrodialysis systems for closed-loop applications

Abstract Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) in a closed-loop arrangement is a viable way to convert low-grade heat into electric power. The present work experimentally investigates the use of pure salt- and equimolar two salts-water solutions as feeds in a lab-scale RED unit. RED performances were analysed in terms of Open Circuit Voltage (OCV), stack resistance and corrected power density. The pure salts and the mixtures employed were chosen via a computational analysis. Effect of feed solution velocity and concentration was investigated. Results concerning the pure salt-water experiments show that NH4Cl is the most performing salt in the concentration range probed, while higher power density v…

CFD Modelling of the Demister in the Multi Stage Flash Desalination plant

Abstract Demisters are used to remove entrained brine droplets from flashed off vapor within the flashing stages of the multi stage flash desalination process (MSF). This is necessary to prevent accumulation of brine droplets on the outside surface of the condenser tubes and contamination of the desalinated water. The aim of this work is to design a new demister with lower pressure drop and unaffected separation efficiency which can be later installed in the flashing stages of the MSF plant and causes reduction in the required heat transfer area. In this work the demister performance is predicted as a function of design (wire diameter), and operating parameters (stage temperature). This obj…

A full-atom multiscale modelling for sodium chloride diffusion in anion exchange membranes

Abstract A novel full-atom multiscale method, combining different computational approaches and aimed to describe diffusion of multiple ions in anion exchange membranes (AEM), is presented. The method is used to evaluate diffusion of chloride and sodium ions in polysulfone tetramethylammonium (PSU-TMA) membranes, with particular attention to the co-ion diffusion. The hydration of the PSU-TMA is computed as a function of the membrane ionic exchange capacity via Density Functional Theory (DFT) and used for carrying out molecular dynamics simulations (MD). An upgraded DFT-based approach is proposed to obtain the atoms’ charges used in the force field for the MD simulations. Three approaches hav…

Thermodynamic, Exergy, and Thermoeconomic analysis of Multiple Effect Distillation Processes

Abstract Multiple effect distillation (MED) is nowadays the preferred technology for the construction of new plants based on thermal processes in the growing desalination market. MED technology, in fact, presents a number of advantages with respect to the more traditional multistage flash technology, among all the lower energy consumption achievable in MED plants. However, a large potential for improvement in terms of lowering production costs still exists, which stimulates further efforts on process optimization from companies and researchers involved in the field. Thermodynamic and exergy analysis provides useful insights regarding the identification of main inefficiencies and the margins…

Operational analysis of a novel reactive crystallizer for the production of Magnesium Hydroxide from waste brines

Novel solutions for closed-loop Reverse Electrodialysis: thermodynamic characterisation and perspective analysis

Abstract Closed-loop Reverse Electrodialysis is a novel technology to directly convert low-grade heat into electricity. It consists of a reverse electrodialysis (RED) unit where electricity is produced exploiting the salinity gradient between two salt-water solutions, coupled with a regeneration unit where waste-heat is used to treat the solutions exiting from the RED unit and restore their initial composition. One of the most important advantages of closed-loop systems compared to the open systems is the possibility to select ad-hoc salt solutions to achieve high efficiencies. Therefore, the properties of the salt solutions are essential to assess the performance of the energy generation a…

Techno-economic assessment of multi-effect distillation process for the treatment and recycling of ion exchange resin spent brines

Abstract A treatment chain including nanofiltration, crystallization and multi-effect distillation (MED) is for the first time proposed for the treatment of an effluent produced during the regeneration of Ion Exchange resins employed for water softening. The goal is to recover the minerals and to restore the regenerant solution to be reused in the next regeneration cycle. MED is the most crucial unit of the treatment chain from an economic point of view. A techno-economic analysis on the MED unit was performed and a novel performance indicator, named Levelized Brine Cost, was introduced as a measure of the economic feasibility of the process. Different scenarios were analysed, assuming diff…

Assessment of particle suspension conditions in stirred vessels by means of pressure gauge technique

In this work the quantitative assessment of the mass of suspended solid particles in stirred vessels is performed using the Pressure Gauge Technique. This is based on the measurements of the pressure increase on the tank bottom due to the presence of suspended solid particles at any agitation speed. The method has the advantages of not utilising visual observations and of easy and inexpensive application to both laboratory and industrial equipment. Very few data are available in literature and the experimental results collected using the present PGT technique and the correlations here proposed are of considerable academic and industrial interest.

A mathematical tool for describing the behaviour of a dense effluent discharge

In many cases a dense effluent has to be discharged in the environment with possible harmful consequences. The preferred design for the relevant discharge unit is that of a simple or multi-port diffuser issuing jets at a given inclination above the horizontal. This work presents the follow-on developments of a model previously proposed to predict the behaviour of inclined dense jets issuing in a stagnant environment. It consists of a set of three ordinary differential equations that can be solved by standard numerical methods. Model outputs include information on the trajectory, spreading and dilution of inclined dense jets, return point position and concentration. Interestingly the model a…

Evaluation of the Economic and Environmental Performance of Low-Temperature Heat to Power Conversion using a Reverse Electrodialysis – Multi-Effect Distillation System

In the examined heat engine, reverse electrodialysis (RED) is used to generate electricity from the salinity difference between two artificial solutions. The salinity gradient is restored through a multi-effect distillation system (MED) powered by low-temperature waste heat at 100 °C. The current work presents the first comprehensive economic and environmental analysis of this advanced concept, when varying the number of MED effects, the system sizing, the salt of the solutions, and other key parameters. The levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) has been calculated, showing that competitive solutions can be reached only when the system is at least medium to large scale. The lowest LCOE, at a…

On the modelling of an Acid/Base Flow battery: an innovative electrical energy storage device based on pH and salinity gradients

The Acid/Base Flow Battery (AB-FB) is an innovative and sustainable way to store electric energy. It can theoretically guarantee an energy density of about 11 kWh/m3, which is higher than that provided by pumped hydropower, osmotic energy storage and compressed air. The AB-FB stores energy as pH and salinity gradients by employing a stack provided with (i) channels, hosting the solutions at difference pH and concentrations, separated by (ii) monopolar and bipolar ion exchange membranes. Two different membrane processes are involved: the Bipolar Membrane Electrodialysis (ED-BM) as charging step and its opposite, Bipolar Membrane Reverse Electrodialysis (RED-BM) as discharging step. The prese…

A novel fluid-structure 2D modelling tool for the assessment of membrane deformation effects on electrodialysis units performances

Solid–Liquid Suspensions in Top-Covered Unbaffled Vessels: Influence of Particle Size, Liquid Viscosity, Impeller Size, and Clearance

Particle suspension in liquids is a unit operation commonly encountered in the process industry. Although it is usually carried out in baffled stirred tanks, there are some specific applications where the presence of baffles may be undesirable. In the present work solid-liquid suspensions are investigated in a radially stirred unbaffled tank provided with a top cover. The minimum impeller speed at which all solid particles get suspended (Njs) and the relevant power requirements (Pjs) are assessed. The dependence of these two parameters on physical properties (liquid viscosity, particle concentration, and size) and system geometrical configurations (impeller diameter and clearance) is invest…

CFD Simulation of Particle Distribution in Stirred Vessels

In this work the particle concentration distribution in two-phase stirred tanks is simulated on the basis of information on the three-dimensional flow field, as obtained by numerical solution of the flow equations (CFD) using the well known k –ɛ « turbulence model. Two modelling approaches are attempted. In the simpler method the flow field is first simulated neglecting the influence of the solid phase; on the basis of the resulting flow field a very simple sedimentation model is employed for solving the solids mass balance equations in order to compute the particle concentration field. In this case no inertial effects on the solid particles are considered, so that the convective and diffus…

Eulerian–Lagrangian modeling and computational fluid dynamics simulation of wire mesh demisters in MSF plants

Abstract This study focuses on computational fluid dynamics model (CFD) for simulation of demisters in multistage flash desalination (MSF). The Eulerian–Lagrangian model (steady-state and two-dimensional) was developed to simulate the demister. The model was used to simulate the flow of water vapor and brine droplets in the demister. The computational domain includes the following three zones: the vapor space above the demister, the vapor space below the demister, and the demister. The demister zone was modeled as tube banks. A sensitivity analysis of the model revealed that vapor velocity is the main parameter that affects demister performance. Additionally, the analysis indicated that vap…

Simulation-based design of a bipolar membranes electrodialysis unit for chemicals production from brines

Nowadays environmental concerns are modifying the production and consumption patterns used so far. An important objective to improve our society is the use of sustainable processes that can reduce industrial waste streams. Bipolar membranes electrodialysis (EDBM) is an emerging environmentally friendly process that could be easily integrated into a circular economy approach to valorize waste brines. It is an electro-membrane process that allows the production of chemicals using only water, electrical energy and a salty solution. When electric current is applied to the electrodes of the EDBM stack, water dissociation takes place in the bipolar membranes. Therefore, the ions from water are co…

Modelling the Reverse ElectroDialysis process with seawater and concentrated brines

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 …

A simulation tool for ion exchange membrane crystallization of magnesium hydroxide from waste brine

Abstract Increasing attention is nowadays paid to the management and valorisation of industrial waste brines aiming also at the recovery of raw materials. Magnesium has been listed as a Critical Raw Material by EU, prompting researchers to investigate novel routes for its recovery. Within this framework, a novel Crystallizer with Ion Exchange Membrane (CrIEM), is proposed as an innovative way to recover magnesium from industrial waste brines exploiting low-cost alkaline reactants. In the present work, a novel mathematical model of the CrIEM process is proposed to provide a useful tool for its design in different working conditions. Batch and feed & bleed continuous configurations have been …

Desalination of oilfield produced waters via reverse electrodialysis: A techno-economical assessment

Produced waters (PWs) are oilfield waste streams rich in minerals and hydrocarbons whose production rate is largely increased in last decades following the corresponding increase of energy demand. The high salinity level of PWs inhibits the adoption of cheap biological treatments. Also, desalination techniques based on osmotic membranes would require severe pre-treatments. As an alternative, Reverse ElectroDialysis (RED) and Assisted Reverse ElectroDialysis (ARED) are here proposed for the first time to reduce the salinity level of PWs. RED may also guarantee an operation cost reduction thanks to its energy generation. An ad-hoc model for RED and ARED is here developed in order to deal suit…

Reverse electrodialysis heat engine (REDHE)

Abstract Reverse electrodialysis (RED) is a membrane technology for the production of electricity via the “controlled mixing” of solutions at different salt concentrations, i.e., a diluted solution and a concentrated solution. The presence of ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) allows the production of renewable energy by converting the salinity gradient, which would be dissipated during a spontaneous (i.e., uncontrolled) mixing process, into an ionic current and, in a second step, into electricity at the electrodes. RED is the inverse process of the well-known electrodialysis process for salty water desalination, in which an electric field is applied at the electrodes and ionic currents are gene…

A Novel Ionic Exchange Membrane Crystallizer to Recover Magnesium Hydroxide from Seawater and Industrial Brines

A novel technology, the ion exchange membrane crystallizer (CrIEM), that combines reactive and membrane crystallization, was investigated in order to recover high purity magnesium hydroxide from multi-component artificial and natural solutions. In particular, in a CrIEM reactor, the presence of an anion exchange membrane (AEM), which separates two-compartment containing a saline solution and an alkaline solution, allows the passage of hydroxyl ions from the alkaline to the saline solution compartment, where crystallization of magnesium hydroxide occurs, yet avoiding a direct mixing between the solutions feeding the reactor. This enables the use of low-cost reactants (e.g., Ca(OH)2) without …

Performance comparison between overlapped and woven spacers for membrane distillation

The sustainable production of freshwater from seawater desalination is receiving increasing attention. Recently, some desalination technologies are taking advantage from the coupling with renewable resources; among them, membrane distillation (MD) is one of the most promising since it can be easily powered by low-grade thermal energy. MD being an emerging technology, efforts are required to optimize geometry and operating conditions of real units in order to reduce the unitary freshwater production cost. In particular, temperature polarization is a well-known detrimental effect for the process driving force; spacers are traditionally used to enhance mixing and make temperature boundary laye…

Power Production from Produced Waters via Reverse Electrodialysis: A Preliminary Assessment

Wastewaters generated by crude oil extraction processes, called “produced waters” (PWs), are complex solutions that contain organic compounds, mainly hydrocarbons, and often exhibit high salinity. The large amounts of PWs represent a global issue because of their environmental impact. An approach widely used in the oil industry is the reinjection of this wastewater into the extraction wells after a suitable treatment. The high salt concentration of such solutions may be used in salinity gradient technologies to produce green electricity. Among these technologies, reverse electrodialysis (RED) is one of the most promising. In this work, the application of RED for energy generatio…

Acid and alkaline production from multi-ionic brines via Electrodialysis with Bipolar Membranes

In recent years, a great attention has grown towards the brine valorization through chemicals production and mineral recovery as an alternative to conventional disposal. Electrodialysis with Bipolar Membranes (EDBM) is an emerging process that can be used for the production of alkaline and acidic solutions from salt solutions. Within the SEArcularMINE project framework, the exploitation of saltworks bitterns (highly concentrated solutions generated during the sea-salt production process) is proposed for minerals recovery and NaOH and HCl solutions production. In this work, an EDBM unit, equipped with commercial ion exchange membranes, was tested for the first time in closed-loop mode with: …

Performance Analysis of a RED-MED Salinity Gradient Heat Engine

A performance analysis of a salinity gradient heat engine (SGP-HE) is presented for the conversion of low temperature heat into power via a closed-loop Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) coupled with Multi-Effect Distillation (MED). Mathematical models for the RED and MED systems have been purposely developed in order to investigate the performance of both processes and have been then coupled to analyze the efficiency of the overall integrated system. The influence of the main operating conditions (i.e., solutions concentration and velocity) has been quantified, looking at the power density and conversion efficiency of the RED unit, MED Specific Thermal Consumption (STC) and at the overall syste…

Analisi numerica degli effetti della deformazione di membrane a scambio ionico sulla distribuzione dei fluidi in canali di Elettrodialisi

L’elettrodialisi (ED) è una promettente tecnologia a membrana utilizzata in diversi campi, ad esempio nella dissalazione delle acque e nell’industria alimentare. L’ED usa un potenziale elettrico per indurre una migrazione selettiva di cationi ed anioni da una soluzione elettrolitica ad un’altra, sfruttando membrane a scambio ionico. Membrane anioniche e cationiche sono alternativamente collocate all’interno di una unità ED. A queste sono solitamente interposti spaziatori che prevengono il contatto tra le membrane e delineano i canali in cui scorrono le soluzioni. L’utilizzo di membrane profilate consente di costruire unità prive di tradizionali spaziatori a rete non conduttivi. In genere, l…

Numerical prediction of flow fields in baffled stirred vessels: A comparison of alternative modelling approaches

Abstract Numerical simulations of the flow field in baffled mixing tanks, based on three alternative methods, are presented and discussed. In the first method, the impeller is not explicitly simulated, and its effects are modelled by imposing suitable, empirically derived, boundary conditions to the external flow. In the second method, the whole vessel volume is divided into two concentric, partially overlapping, regions. In the inner region, containing the impeller, the flow field is simulated in the rotating reference frame of the latter, while in the outer region simulations are conducted in the reference frame of the laboratory. Information is iteratively exchanged between the two regio…

CFD simulation of a membrane distillation module channel

The interest towards the use of membrane distillation (MD) processes for seawater desalination has been rising recently due to the ease of coupling MD with waste and/or solar thermal energy. Notwithstanding the flexibility of the process and its potential for further developments in membrane performances, one of the main drawbacks is the thermal efficiency reduction caused by temperature polarization. Because of such phenomenon, only a small amount of the driving force potentially available for the separation process, i.e. the temperature difference between evaporating and condensing fluids, is actually used for the separation. In order to reduce temperature polarization a study on the effe…

Pressure-Induced Deformation of Pillar-Type Profiled Membranes and Its Effects on Flow and Mass Transfer

In electro-membrane processes, a pressure difference may arise between solutions flowing in alternate channels. This transmembrane pressure (TMP) causes a deformation of the membranes and of the fluid compartments. This, in turn, affects pressure losses and mass transfer rates with respect to undeformed conditions and may result in uneven flow rate and mass flux distributions. These phenomena were analyzed here for round pillar-type profiled membranes by integrated mechanical and fluid dynamics simulations. The analysis involved three steps: (1) A conservatively large value of TMP was imposed, and mechanical simulations were performed to identify the geometry with the minimum pillar density…

Analysis of particles size distributions in Mg(OH)2 precipitation from highly concentrated MgCl2 solutions

Magnesium is a raw material of great importance, which attracted increasing interest in the last years. A promising route is to recover magnesium in the form of Magnesium Hydroxide via precipitation from highly concentrated Mg2+ resources, e.g. industrial or natural brines and bitterns. Several production methods and characterization procedures have been presented in the literature reporting a broad variety of Mg(OH)2 particle sizes. In the present work, a detailed experimental investigation is aiming to shed light on the characteristics of produced Mg(OH)2 particles and their dependence upon the reacting conditions. To this purpose, two T-shaped mixers were employed to tune and control the…

An integrated approach for the HCl and metals recovery from waste pickling solutions: pilot plant and design operations

Abstract Continuous regeneration of industrial pickling solutions and recovery of valuable materials are implemented in a pilot-scale plant including diffusion dialysis (DD), where HCl is recovered, membrane distillation (MD), where HCl is concentrated, and reactive precipitation (CSTR), where metal ions are recovered in different forms. The integration of the three processes allows to minimize waste streams generation and to accomplish a closed-loop process, thus increasing the environmental sustainability and economic impact of the galvanizing industry. Process reliability was proved through the operation of a demonstrator in the real industrial environment of the Tecnozinco SrL hot-dip g…

Modelling Turbulent Inter-Phase Drag in Mechanically Stirred Solid-Liquid Suspensions

AN INTEGRATED APPROACH FOR THE HCl AND METALS RECOVERY FROM WASTE PICKLING SOLUTIONS: PILOT PLANT DESIGN AND OPERATIONS

Pickling is one of the key steps in the hot-dip galvanizing process, where HCl solutions are largely used to remove metal oxides from metallic surfaces, thus generating spent waste liquors containing high concentrations of metals and acid. Disposal of the industrial pickling waste dramatically affects the hot-dip galvanizing industry economics and environmental footprint. Thus, reducing strong acid waste disposal is one of the most beneficial steps to enhance the process sustainability. Moreover, the continuous regeneration of pickling solutions enhances pickling rate and process performance, also minimizing industrial wastewater disposal and chemicals consumption promoting the circular use…

Electrodialysis for water desalination: A critical assessment of recent developments on process fundamentals, models and applications

Abstract The need for unconventional sources of fresh water is pushing a fast development of desalination technologies, which proved to be able to face and solve the problem of water scarcity in many dry areas of the planet. Membrane desalination technologies are nowadays leading the market and, among these, electrodialysis (ED) plays an important role, especially for brackish water desalination, thanks to its robustness, extreme flexibility and broad range of applications. In fact, many ED-related processes have been presented, based on the use of Ion Exchange Membranes (IEMs), which are significantly boosting the development of ED-related technologies. This paper presents the fundamentals…

CFD simulations of dense sloid-liquid suspensions in baffled stirred tanks: Prediction of suspension curves

Mixing of solid particles into liquids within contactors mechanically agitated by stirrers is a topic of primary importance for several industrial applications. A great research effort has been devoted to the assessment of the minimum impeller speed (Njs) able to guarantee the suspension of all particles. Conversely, only little attention has been paid so far to the evaluation of the amount of solid particles that are suspended at impeller speeds lower than Njs. In some cases the loss in available interfacial area between particles and liquid could be reasonably counterbalanced by a decreased mechanical power, making it of interest to evaluate the percentage of suspended solids at different…

Efficiency increase in thermal desalination plants by matching thermal and solar distillation: theoretical analysis

Abstract The effluent streams from MSF and MED plants retain substantial thermal and mechanical energy which is usually wasted as the streams are rejected into the environment. Recent environmental studies pose the question of environmental sustainability of desalination due to the large amount of heat and brine dissipated into the sea. Moreover the use of renewable energy so far have been confined to experimental studies or to the use in remote areas and no studies have been carried out on the coupling of a solar still plant with an existing thermal desalination installation in order to take advantage of the heat streams generated by the thermal plants. The combination of a solar desalinat…

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

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…

Linear stability analysis of gas-fluidized beds for the prediction of incipient bubbling conditions

Abstract This work focuses on the development of a novel linear stability criterion for the state of homogeneous fluidization regime, based on a new mathematical model for gas-fluidized beds. The model is developed starting from the well-known particle bed model. A mono-dimensional momentum balance is derived leading to a set of equations which explicitly include voidage-gradient dependent terms (elastic force) for both solid and fluid phases. A fully predictive criterion for the stability of homogeneous fluidization state is here proposed, based on the well-known Wallis’ linear stability analysis. The criterion requires the choice of an appropriate averaging distance, which in the present …

Production of acidic and alkaline solutions via Electrodialysis with bipolar membranes from synthetic and real brines from saltworks

1. Introduction In recent decades, there has been a great deal of interest at both the industrial and academic levels in identifying unconventional sources for chemical production and raw material recovery. In this context, brine disposal, which was previously addressed as a priority to reduce environmental problems, is now seen as an opportunity to apply new or existing technologies in circular processes that allow for the valorization of previously considered waste solutions [1]. In this regard, Electrodialysis with bipolar membranes (EDBM) can be used to produce acidic and alkaline solutions from salty solutions. EDBM is an electro-membrane process distinguished by the alternated positio…

Electromembrane Processes: Experiments and Modelling

The increasing demand for water and energy poses technological challenges to the implementation of efficient concepts for a sustainable development. In this perspective, electromembrane processes (EMPs) can play a crucial role in green chemistry schemes oriented towards circular economy approaches and renewable energy systems. EMPs are based on the use of ion-exchange membranes under the action of an electric field. Versatility, selectivity, high recovery, and chemical-free operations are their main strengths. Experimental campaigns and modelling tools are prompting the improvement of consolidated processes and the development of novel concepts. Several application fields have been proposed…