Efficiency Rate Optimization of Osmotic Energy Power Plants

ECE Paris School of Engineering, Paris, France

Abstract

In a context of world energetic mix diversification and greenhouse effect reduction, attention is focusing on renewable and carbon free sources. Amongst them marine sources are attractive ones by their huge potential today globally evaluated at world scale as high as 120.000TWh/year. They include osmotic energy one, which has been up-to-now left aside because of technological constraints and prohibitive exploitation cost. Reduction of their impact implies two possible actions : to operate the plants at a maximum efficiency rate, and to improve membrane technology in order to significantly lower exploitation costs. These two actions can be developed independently and it is proposed in the present study to concentrate on the first point to maximize theoretical osmotic plant efficiency rate. The output is a set of relations between system parameters defining the “optimized” line along which the system ought to be operated. This first study opens for a parallel study the technical feasibility of such optimally designed membranes to be installed in the plants.