Power Generation Performance of Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) Using Various Ion Exchange Membranes and Power Output Prediction for a Large RED Stack

Reverse electrodialysis (RED) power generation using seawater (SW) and river water is expected to be a promising environmentally friendly power generation system. Experiments with large RED stacks are needed for the practical application of RED power generation, but only a few experimental results exist because of the need for large facilities and a large area of ion-exchange membranes (IEMs). In this study, to predict the power output of a large RED stack, the power generation performances of a lab-scale RED stack (40 membrane pairs and 7040 cm(2) total effective membrane area) with several IEMs were evaluated. The results were converted to the power output of a pilot-scale RED stack (299 membrane pairs and 179.4 m(2) total effective membrane area) via the reference IEMs. The use of low-area-resistance IEMs resulted in lower internal resistance and higher power density. The power density was 2.3 times higher than that of the reference IEMs when natural SW was used. The net power output was expected to be approximately 230 W with a pilot-scale RED stack using low-area-resistance IEMs and natural SW. This value is one of the indicators of the output of a large RED stack and is a target to be exceeded with further improvements in the RED system.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the power output of a large RED stack using a lab-scale RED stack as a reference. It found that using low-area-resistance IEMs and natural SW can significantly increase the power density and net power output. These findings have important implications for further improving the RED system.