Analytical, Numerical and Experimental Studies of Off-Grid Tidal Turbine-Driven Centrifugal Reverse Osmosis System

The project titled "Off-grid tidal turbine-driven centrifugal reverse osmosis system" benefits from the collaboration of team members from academia and industry. The research team will leverage their established expertise in ocean and renewable energy systems, as well as desalination processes and methodologies . The project benefits from the participation of a team of experts from commercial companies, including Dupont Water Solutions, Spintek Filtration Inc., Sterlitech Corporation, and Blackfish Engineering Design Ltd.

The use of renewable energy resources in desalination facilities is gaining popularity due to their cost-effectiveness, environmentally friendly nature, and widespread availability. In situations such as natural disasters or remote communities lacking access to an electricity grid, utilizing renewable energy resources to power desalination units can provide significant benefits. The proposed project aims to utilize tidal power to produce potable water by employing an integrated tidal turbine and centrifugal reverse osmosis (CRO) system that does not require electrical energy conversion. Tidal power is more predictable and stable than wind and solar power, which eliminates the need for energy storage. In conventional reverse osmosis (RO), the entire membrane module is operated at pressures exceeding the thermodynamic minimum energy required. However, the CRO module operates near thermodynamic equilibrium by gradually increasing the centrifugal pressure with radial distance from the axis-of-symmetry of the rotating module. Inherently the shorter retentate channel length of CRO compared to conventional RO units makes it less susceptible to scaling.

The project objectives are threefold: (i) to establish proof-of-concept of the CRO technology, (ii) to characterize CRO hydrodynamics and separation efficiency, and (iii) to determine the impact of CRO on turbine hydrodynamics and power performance. The experiments for the CRO module, rotated by a servo motor, will be conducted at various operating conditions to show proof of concept. The measured retentate concentration and water recovery fraction will be used to validate the models developed for the CRO. We will conduct experiments of a scaled tidal turbine, with and without a downstream cylinder that mimics the CRO module, at the Tidal Turbulence Test Facility located at Lehigh University. The measured turbine torque and hydrodynamics will be utilized to validate large eddy simulations (LES). Full-scale simulations of the tidal turbine, including a downstream cylinder to simulate the CRO module, will be conducted to determine the optimal location and size of the CRO module that minimally impacts turbine power performance. The realistic torque from full-scale turbine simulations will be utilized in the scaled experiments and full-scale simulations of the CRO.

The project outcomes comprise of: (i) advancement of the CRO concept to an early-stage technology that is projected to reduce specific energy consumption by approximately 30% and decrease the cost of water production by 6%, (ii) comprehensive understanding of the CRO technology and its impact on turbine performance, and (iii) experimentally-validated computational framework,  creating opportunities to expedite further research progress on increasing the TRL of technology for commercialization.

*This research is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the Water Power Technologies Office Award Number DE-0010984.

Related publications and conference/poster presentations for details:

1. Prince, H.A., Usta, M. and Daskiran, C., 2025. Thermodynamic Equilibrium and Mass Transfer Controlled Analysis of Reverse Osmosis and Centrifugal Reverse Osmosis. Separation and Purification Technology (In review).

2. Prince, H.A., Usta, M. and Daskiran, C., 2025. Optimized Multi-Stage Reverse Osmosis Modules: A Viable Competitor to Centrifugal Reverse Osmosis?. Desalination, 119035.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2025.119035

3. Prince, H.A., Usta, M., Daskiran, C., 2025. Water Desalination via Centrifugal Reverse Osmosis: Thermodynamic Equilibrium and Mass Transfer-Controlled Methods. American Society of Thermal and Fluids Engineers (ASTFE), Washington, DC (Accepted for presentation).

4. Turkyilmaz, A., Prince, H.A., Usta, M., Banerjee, A. and Daskiran, C., 2025. Shape Optimization of a Cylindrical Centrifugal Reverse Osmosis Module within a Turbine Wake. American Society of Thermal and Fluids Engineers (ASTFE), Washington, DC (Accepted for presentation).

5. Samgar, M., Daskiran, C., Usta, M., 2025. Characterizing flow and mass transfer dynamics in annular flow between two rotating permeable discs. American Society of Thermal and Fluids Engineers (ASTFE), Washington, DC (Accepted for presentation).

6. Prince, H.A., Turkyilmaz, A., Usta, M. and Daskiran, C., 2024. Evaluation of Drinkable Water Permeation through the Membrane of a Centrifugal Reverse Osmosis Module. Bulletin of the American Physical Society, Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT.

7. Turkyilmaz, A., Prince, H.A., Usta, M., Banerjee, A. and Daskiran, C., 2024. Impact of Downstream Centrifugal Reverse Osmosis Module on Tidal Turbine Performance. Bulletin of the American Physical Society, Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT.

8. Samgar, M., Daskiran, C., Usta, M., 2024. Characterizing flow and pressure dynamics of annulus flow between two rotating permeable discs. Bulletin of the American Physical Society, Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT.

9. Prince, H.A., Turkyilmaz, A., Usta, M. and Daskiran, C., 2024. Design and Development of Centrifugal Reverse Osmosis Module: A Device that uses Ocean Tidal Energy for Sustainable Desalination. ME Graduate Student Symposium at Binghamton University (Poster).

10. Prince, H.A., Turkyilmaz, A., Daskiran, C., Usta, M. and Banerjee, A., 2024. Hydrodynamic Effects on Tidal Turbine Performance in Proximity to a Downstream Centrifugal Reverse Osmosis Module. American Society of Thermal and Fluids Engineers (ASTFE), Corvallis, OR.

11. Prince, H.A., Turkyilmaz, A., Daskiran, C., Usta, M. and Banerjee, A., 2023. Near-Wake Interaction of a Tidal Turbine with an Integrated Downstream Centrifugal Reverse Osmosis Module. Bulletin of the American Physical Society, Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting, Washington, DC.