Our research article on the influence of membrane properties in vapor pressure-driven osmosis (VPDO) energy production has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Membrane Science.
The emerging VPDO membrane technology enables direct conversion of abundant low-temperature heat resources (<100 °C) to useful work. The experimental component of the study investigated the impact of different membrane chemistry and structural properties on mass and heat transfer, and a theoretical model was developed to enable understanding of the phenomena. The study found that mass transfer in VPDO is dominated by Knudsen diffusion, and that operation at higher pressurizations caused vapor flux decline that is attributed to the membrane morphological deformation. The investigation further revealed that evaporative heat transfer is significantly greater than conductive losses. This study provides fundamental understanding on the impacts of membrane properties on mass and heat transfer in VPDO, and highlights the importance of vapor permeability and mechanical robustness in developing high-performance membranes.
