DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

PRESENTED
BY
AKASH KUMAR
1MJ13ME176
OSMOTIC POWER
OUTLINE
Introduction
Need for osmotic
Components
Operation
power
Experimental
Osmosis
Osmotic power
results
Advantages
Principle
Disadvantages
Pressure retarded
Conclusion
osmosis (PRO)
Construction
INTRODUCTION
Osmotic power is energy available from the
difference in the salt concentration between
sea water and river water.
It is huge and unique energy source.
Renewable energy source that converts

pressure differential between water with

high salinity and water with lower or no
salinity in to hydraulic pressure.
Fresh water moves by osmosis through

membrane in to sea water.

NEED FOR OSMOTIC POWER

Non conventional power in various

sources is effected predominantly by
climatic conditions and cannot be
operated throughout the year.
Need for development of new type of non

conventional power that can be operated

24/7 and that is osmotic power.
First osmotic power plant is built in Tofte,

Norway in 2009.
FIRST OSMOTIC POWER PLANT
PROTOTYPE BUILT IN NORWAY
This is built by the company Statkraft, opened in November
2009
 OSMOSIS

Before Osmosis After Osmosis Physical process in

which solvent moves
across semi permeable
membrane separating
solutions of different
concentrations.
Osmosis is vital

process in biological
systems as biological
membranes are semi
permeable.
 Osmotic pressure:
Minimum pressure that should be applied to a

solution to prevent inward flow of water across

semi permeable membrane.
Measure of tendency of solution to take in

water by osmosis.
Potential osmotic pressure:

Maximum osmotic pressure that can be

developed in a solution if it were separated

from fresh water by a selective permeable
membrane.
OSMOTIC POWER

RESULTS

Conclusio
n
PRINCIPLE
Osmotic power is
Turbine
generated by
pressure retarded
osmosis (PRO).
Technique to

separate solvent
(fresh water) from a
solution that is more
concentrated (sea
water) and also
pressurized.
PRESSURE RETARDED OSMOSIS
It relies on water molecules moving through
a semi permeable membrane.
Semi permeable membrane allows solvent
(fresh water) to pass to the concentrated
solution (sea water) side by osmosis.
This technique can be used to generate
power from salinity gradient energy resulting
from the difference in salt concentration
between sea water and river water.
Output is proportional to the salinity.
CONSTRUCTION

Fig: Commercial Setup for Osmotic Power Generation

Components
1. A semi permeable membrane contained
in modules.
2. Fresh water and sea water filters that
optimize membrane performance.
3. A turbine that generates a driving force
based on osmotic pressure and
permeation flow rate.
4. A pressure exchanger that pressurizes
sea water feed required to maintain high
salinity levels downstream from membrane.
OPERATION

Fig: Operation of Osmotic power

OPERATION
Fresh water and sea water sent into two
different modules.

The two modules are separated by a semi-

permeable membrane.

The Fresh water seeps through the semi-

permeable membrane to the Salt water side.

This increases pressure on the salt water

module.
OPERATION
The salt water flows
through the turbine
which in turn
generates electricity.

The brackish water is

sent out to the sea.

The high pressure salt

water is again sent to
Fig: Francis Turbine the modules through a
pressure exchanger.
Experimental results

Fig: Plot to describe salt water pressure

for the flow of water
Efficiency
The efficiency of this Osmotic power is 91.0%.

The Efficiency(Npx) of the Osmotic power is

given by the above expression.

Emech,salt is the energy potential of salt water.

Emech,brackish is the energy potential of fresh water.
Advantages
Steady, renewable.

Adaptable for small or large generating stations.

There is no risk of running out of salt because of osmotic

power produced.

Generating sites near load centers, limiting power

transmission needs.

Good potential for power plant sites.

This process of creating energy does not consume salt, it
only utilizes force of water to move
Disadvantages
Osmotic energy is extremely expensive.

About 36 times as expensive as a

conventional power plant.

High risk of clogging and gradual

degradation of semi-permeable
membranes, necessitating pressure-filtering
pretreatment of fresh water and periodic
membrane re-placement (every 5 to 7
years)
Conclusion
An analysis of the PRO processes for energy
production from mixing of freshwater and
seawater has been performed at realistic
conditions for physical plant operation.

A freshwater utilization efficiency of 40% of

the maximum mixing energy of freshwater
with sea water.
THANK YOU