Search results for " Osmo"

Optimal design of cogeneration plants for seawater desalination

2004

Multi-stage flash (MSF) and reverse osmosis (RO) are the most common techniques for seawater desalination. A significant difference between these methodologies consists of their different energy requirements, i.e., thermal energy for MSF and mechanical energy for RO plants. The presence of both desalination systems (MSF and RO) appears to be suitable for cogeneration plants. The reject heat from the power cycle can feed an MSF section, while some power feeds the RO section and the MSF auxiliary equipment; the rest is sold to the grid. A criterion for the optimal design of such tri-functional cogeneration plants is proposed, based on exergo-economics and on profit maximization. In particular…

Impact of relative air humidity fluctuations on the survival of Listeria monocytogenes : application to improve hygiene in food processing environment

2016

Environmental hydration fluctuations influence microorganism viability and activity. The air relative humidity (RH) is a potentially effective parameter to control the development and the persistence of pathogenic microorganisms. However, efficiency of this parameter remains not well characterized compared to others environmental factors such as pH or temperature. Drying is the final step of cleaning and disinfection processes used in the food industry. However, if this process is empirically used, it could also be used to improve the decontamination of surfaces in premises and reduce the persistence of microorganisms. Despite cleaning and disinfection, Listeria monocytogenes is commonly fo…

Water entry into detached root systems saturates with increasing externally applied pressure ; a result inconsistent with models of simple passive di…

2002

International audience

Characterization of pressure retarded osmosis lab-scale systems

2016

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…

Professori Osmo Pekonen (1960-2022)

2022

Branched versus linear oligo(dimethylsiloxane): Differences in their thermodynamic interaction with solvents

2010

The thermodynamic behavior of linear and of branched oligo(dimethylsiloxane) (O-DMS) solutions was studied by means of vapor pressure measurements and vapor pressure osmometry at different temperatures for the thermodynamically favorable solvent THF. The branched material required for that purpose was synthesized and afterwards fractionated by means of the single solvent acetone to eliminate components of low degrees of branching. The Flory-Huggins interaction parameters, χ, for the systems THF/O-DMS as a function of composition pass a minimum at all temperatures (25, 40, and 60 °C) in the case of the branched material. For the unbranched oligomer such a minimum is only observed at 60 °C. A…

Some Features of Polymeric Membranes for Water Purification via Membrane Distillation

2011

Polymeric membranes are currently adopted in water purification processes, such as reverse osmosis (RO) and membrane distillation (MD). This latter technique is very promising for separation effectiveness and energy savings. A valuable and effective MD unit must be equipped with polymeric membranes that exhibit specific properties, for example, hydrophobicity, a narrow pore size range, a high water penetration pressure, and a large vapor permeability. In this work, we present and examine the main features of membranes for MD processes, with the aim of experimentally evaluating the related performances. Scanning electron microscopy analysis was carried out for a first estimate of the pore si…

GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL TRAITS OF POSIDONIA OCEANICA EXPOSED TO A HYPERSALINE ENVIRONMENT

Modelling and optimization of modular system for power generation from a salinity gradient

2019

Abstract Pressure retarded osmosis has been proposed for power generation from a salinity gradient resource. The process has been promoted as a promising technology for power generation from renewable resources, but most of the experimental work has been done on a laboratory size units. To date, pressure retarded osmosis optimization and operation is based on parametric studies performed on laboratory scale units, which leaves a gap in our understanding of the process behaviour in a full-scale modular system. A computer model has been developed to predict the process performance. Process modelling was performed on a full-scale membrane module and impact of key operating parameters such as h…

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

2020

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…