Osmotic Power: A Review

Hablillah bin Mohd Hazim.

Master of Electrical Engineering (power)
[email protected]


INTRO TO OSMOTIC POWER

The growth of population, increasing energy demand and
clean water as well as the increasingly polluted
environment constraints have forced the researchers and
scientists to explore alternative sources and new
technologies which more environmentally friendly, clean
and profitable to various parties. One of the discoveries in
the realization of this objective is to use the Osmotic
Power.

Osmotic power is an alternative energy under the category
of renewable energy source. It is like hydro power, which
both use hydro turbines to generate electricity, but there
are two major differences in the types of water resources
and energy conversion means for both these systems.
Hydroelectric power plants use water fromthe dam, while
the osmotic power plant, the energy generated fromthe
reaction of river water and sea water via membrane and no
damis required.


Figure 1: Osmotic power system

Two basic of osmotically membrane processes commonly
practiced in engineering systems are Forward Osmosis
(FO) and Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO). It is
estimated that the world's energy production through PRO
achieve 2000TWh/year while world energy production
through renewable energy sources reached 10, 000
TWh/year in the future.










OSMOTIC POWER SISTEM BASIC


Figure 2: Membrane consept

Osmosis is the process of transferring the solvent (usually
water) through a semi-permeable membrane froma high
concentration solvent that flow into a low concentrations
solvent or vice versa. Osmotic pressure is defined as the
hydrostatic pressure required for stopping the spread of a
solvent through a membrane.

The relationship between osmotic pressure and salinity
levels showed a direct proportion where the higher the
salinity level difference between the two sources of water
(fresh water and sea water) in the chamber, the higher the
osmotic pressure would result.



Figure 3: FO, PRO and RO

Meanwhile the PRO is an intermediate osmosis process
that occurs between FO and RO, where the hydrostatic
pressure of the draw solution is lower than the osmotic
pressure difference through the membrane. This allows the
water seeping fromthe fresh water into the salt water. A
direction in the process of osmotic water flux is shown in
Figure 4 below.



Figure 4: The relation among water flux, pressure and
energy in osmotic power system


PRO performance is influenced by the concentration
polarization. As FO, PRO experience internal
concentration polarization (ICP) in a porous membrane
substrate, resulting in severe loss of energy and reduce
water flux. This can be either due to the dilution of draw
solution in the active layer facing feed solution orientation
(AL-FS) or the concentration of feed solution in the active
layer facing draw solution orientation (AL-DS).


Figure 5: AL-DS orientation for PRO


Furthermore, external concentration polarization (ECP)
can also affect the performance of PRO particularly for
low hydrodynamic shear force or high water absorption
rate.

Membrane type, feed solution/draw solution concentration
and operating temperature are also an important parameter
governing the performance of the PRO.




OSMOTIC POWER PLANT

The flow of fresh water fromthe river to the sea enables
the release of energy. This energy can be harvested in a
natural process called osmosis. Fresh water and salt water
will be pump into the chamber and separated between
themby using a semi-permeable membrane. Fresh water
will flow through the membrane which has a different
level of salinity compared to sea water. This will increase
the pressure of the sea water, which is then fed to a turbine
to produce power.

Figure 6: Osmotic power plant Statkraft, Norway

Osmotic power plant can be built in the industrial area and
it is also suitable built near the mouth of the river which is
a cross between fresh water and salt water. The membrane
system is the heart of the osmotic power plant equipped
with a number of many membrane and water pipe line to
rotate the turbines that produce amounts of electricity.

Figure 7: Membrane system

At present, there have been a prototype osmotic power
plant developed by the Norwegian company, Statkraft and
the technology is being studied specifically by the
company. Almost 25 TWh per year has been generated
fromthis process in Norway and on 24 November 2009,
the first osmotic power plant was opened by Princess
Mette-Marit in Norway that has managed to produce 4 kW
beginnings in 2015 and is targeted to generate the output
of 25 MW which equal to a farmsmall wind power plant.

By using asymmetric membrane, ICP occurs in a porous
membrane substrate, which reduces the osmotic driving
force across the functional layer, thus reducing the water
flux. In PRO, the AL-DS is considered to be mechanically
stable, as well as an external hydraulic pressure applied to
the inside of salt water.

In this case, the concentrative ICP occurs in porous
membrane substrate, and water flux is given by:



where:

Jw water fluks via membrane ;
A and B water and solute permeability of the
active layer;
D and F osmotic pressure draw solution and the
feed water,
P hydraulic pressure difference across the
membrane;
Km mass transfer coefficient in the
membrane substrate,which is the ratio of
solute diffusivity in water(D) over the
structure parameter(S) of the membrane
support layer.
S product of membrane support layer
thickness (l) and tortuosity() over its
porosity():






SYSTEM BENEFITS AND WEAKNESSES

Osmotic power does not require a large area to develop
compared to normal hydro system. It is suitable as a
private power generation for industries. It is clean,
minimal environmental impact where its use renewable
energy sources and does not emit carbon dioxide.

On the other hand, it is quite expensive, especially for the
membrane degradation rate and is still in the research
stage. Besides, its may disrupt marine life in the vicinity.
It also included the complex engineering design.


SUMMARY

Nowadays, osmotic power is seen still relatively new. As
far as this review is written based on the previous
published papers, it appears that there is only one power
plant using this technology in Norway and the study of
membrane efficiency and other essential parameters are
quite less. In my opinion, greater efforts should be made to
develop this technology as it being more clean and the
potential for future energy sustainability. Viewed fromthe
Malaysia country, it may be said to be very suitable as this
country surrounded by the sea and Malaysia has many
estuaries for development of osmotic power plant as well
as being well-suited developed within the industry and do
not need a big space.


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