OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY CONVERSION

Introduction to OTEC
• The oceans cover a little more than 70 percent of the
Earth's surface.
• This makes them the world's largest solar energy
collector and energy storage system.
• On an average day, 60 million square kilometers (23
million square miles) of tropical seas absorb an
amount of solar radiation equal in heat content to
about 250 billion barrels of oil.
OTEC
 Rankine Cycle for OTEC
First the working fluid is pumped into the evaporator where it is
vaporized and then drives a turbine. The turbine exhaust is condensed by
the cold seawater and then into the pump.
 The ocean as a heat engine
• There can be a 20° difference between ocean surface
temps and the temp at 1000m
• The surface acts as the heat source, the deeper cold
water acts as a heat sink.
• Temperature differences are very steady
• Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and other pacific islands
are well suited to take advantage of this idea.
• Called OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion)
 Electricity Production

• Two basic OTEC system designs have been

demonstrated to generate electricity: closed
cycle and open cycle.
 
 Types of Ocean heat engines
• Closed cycle system
• Heat from warm seawater
causes a fluid like ammonia
to be evaporated in an
evaporator
• Expanding vapor rotates a
turbine connected to an
electric generator.
• Cold seawater is brought up
and cools the ammonia
vapor in a condenser. This
liquid returns to the
evaporator and the process
repeats.
 Closed-Cycle OTEC System

• In the closed-cycle OTEC system, warm seawater vaporizes a

working fluid, such as ammonia, flowing through a heat
exchanger (evaporator).
 Types of OTECs
• Open Cycle Systems
• Working fluid is the
seawater.
• Warm seawater is brought
into a partial vacuum.
• In the vacuum, the warm
seawater boils and the steam
drives a turbine
• The steam enters a
condenser, where it is cooled
by cold seawater brought up
form below and it condenses
back into liquid and is
discharged into the ocean.
 Open-Cycle OTEC System

• In an open-cycle OTEC system, warm seawater is the working fluid. The

warm seawater is "flash"-evaporated in a vacuum chamber to produce
steam at an absolute pressure of about 2.4 kilopascals (kPa).
 Boiling water in a vacuum
• The boiling point of any liquid depends upon
temperature and pressure.
• Boiling occurs when the molecules in the liquid
have enough energy to break free from
surrounding molecules
• If you reduce the pressure, you reduce the
amount of energy needed for the molecules to
break free.
• Creating a vacuum reduces the air pressure on
the molecules and lowers the boiling point.
 Hybrid OTEC System
• A hybrid cycle combines the features of both the closed-
cycle and open-cycle systems.
• In a hybrid OTEC system, warm seawater enters a vacuum
chamber where it is flash-evaporated into steam, which is
similar to the open-cycle evaporation process.
 OTECs
• Efficiency is low, only about 7%
• Net efficiency even lower, only about 2.5%
• Low efficiencies require large water volumes
to produce appreciable amount of electricity
• For 100 mW output, you would need 25 X 106
liters/sec of warm and cold water.
• For a 40 mW plant, a 10 meter wide intake
pipe is needed. This is the size of a traffic
tunnel.
 History of OTECs
• Jacques d ‘Arsonval in 1881 first proposed the idea
• Completed by his student, Georges Claude in 1930.
(Claude also invented the neon lightbulb)
• Claude built and tested the first OTEC system
• Not much further interest until the energy crisis of the
1970s.
• In the 1970s, US DOE financed large floating OTEC
power plant to provide power to islands
• One was built in Hawaii.
• Little further support
OTEC Plant on Keahole Point, Hawaii
 Applications
• Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) systems have many
applications or uses.
• OTEC can be used to generate electricity, desalinate water, support
deep-water mariculture, and provide refrigeration and air-conditioning
as well as aid in crop growth and mineral extraction.
 Other uses for OTEC plants
• Generate Hydrogen for use as a clean fuel
source
• Generate fertilizer from biological nutrients
that are drawn up from the ocean floor in the
cold water intake.
• Source of ocean water to be used as drinking
water via desalination (taking out the salt).
 Desalinated Water

• Desalinated water can be produced in open- or

hybrid-cycle plants using surface condensers.
• In a surface condenser, the spent steam is condensed
by indirect contact with the cold seawater.

• Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning

• Mineral Extraction
 Benefits of OTEC
• Helps produce fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia, and
methanol .
• Produces base load electrical energy.
• Produces desalinated water for industrial, agricultural, and
residential uses .
• Is a resource for on-shore and near-shore mariculture
operations.
• Provides air-conditioning for buildings.
• Provides moderate-temperature refrigeration.