Numerical investigation of capacitive deionization (CDI) with divergent and convergent channels

This research aims to explore the impact of tilted channel configurations of CDI cells on desalination performance. The results reveal that the titled convergent channels have a faster average salt adsorption rate (ASAR) than the regular straight geometry. For desalination operations that end at a quarter of the equilibrium salt adsorption capacity (SAC), the convergent spacer with a slight slope of 1.5 degrees has a 20 % higher ASAR than the typical straight geometry (0.15 mg/g/min for convergent and 0.12 mg/g/min for straight). This gain increases to about 24, 29.5, and 33%, respectively, for slopes of 3.5, 5.5, and 7 degrees, compared to the straight geometry with the same spacer thickness. By looking at the underlying mechanisms, the spacer geometry is found to shift the location of the initial adsorption. This affects how quickly the device outputs the cleaned water. Interestingly, the geometry angle can also affect the location of the depletion zone, so tilted spacers can also affect the behavior during electrode starvation. Specifically, the convergent geometry has the depletion zone in the middle of the electrode instead of the corner near the outlet, as seen for straight and divergent channels. Together, these findings indicate how to construct tilted spacers to enhance CDI performance.