Effect of Gaskets Geometry on the Performance of a Reverse Electrodialysis Cell

Abstract

Salinity gradient energy (SGE) allows the difference in salt concentration in two volumes of water to be harnessed and transformed into clean energy. The most advanced SGE technology is reverse electrodialysis (RED) cells. Recent studies have focused on ways to optimize the flow distribution in the compartments containing the water, for which it is necessary to consider the characteristics of the solutions, the cell dimensions, the operating conditions, as well as their influence on the hydrodynamics and mass transport in the system. In this study, two spacers with different gasket geometry were designed, fabricated, and compared experimentally through voltage and current measurements. The power output was computed, obtaining a maximum power density of 0.14 W/m2. Results show that the geometry of the cell components directly influences the physicochemical principles governing the RED process and is closely related to the cell output parameters. In turn, it is possible to increase the performance of a RED cell by optimizing the gasket geometry by reducing dead zones.