Introduction to PRO for energy conversion applications including an electric equivalent circuit

Abstract

Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is a renewable energy conversion process with potential for sustainable power production. This study introduces this resource to the electrical engineering community and presents the first electric equivalent circuit of the process. This provides a useful tool for integrated osmotic power plant analysis and design. The model illustrates the influence of several important non‐ideal effects on power output including concentration polarisation, spatial variation, and pressure drop. The dynamic influence of salt storage by water is also considered. The influence of feed and draw input currents and hydraulic load on power output are investigated and suggest that there is some operating point that will yield maximum power. This illustrates the need for maximum power point tracking in PRO energy conversion.