초록 |
This study proposed a newly designed process named pressure retarded membrane distillation (PRMD) for simultaneous production of water and electricity. The PRMD process was designed by combining the concepts of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) and pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) processes. A mathematical model for the PRMD process was developed and the performances of energy generation and water production were estimated and compared to the results of the DCMD process. It was found that the PRMD process can save energy by producing electricity from a hydro-turbine, but the water production rate is slightly less than the DCMD process. By applying the best available membrane technology, the PRMD process can save about 0.1738 kWh/m3 with about only 3% sacrifice of fresh water production compared to the DCMD process at the same basis. The power density of the PRMD system is comparable to the PRO. Thus, the PRMD process can be used as a multi-functional system for producing water as the DCMD process and electricity as the PRO process at the same time. |