MKSSS’s

Cummins College of Engineering for Women, Pune

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Final Year of Engineering

Unit IV
Ocean – Tidal – Geothermal Energy
Syllabus
• Introduction to OTEC

• Open and closed cycle OTEC systems

• Prospects in India

• Introduction of tidal systems

• Geothermal Energy

• Types of geothermal resources

• Methods of harnessing

• Sites of geothermal energy in India and in world

• Environmental impact
Introduction to OTEC
• Oceans cover about 71 per cent of earth’s surface.

• They receive, store and dissipate energy through various physical processes.

• As per present technological status, recoverable energy in oceans exists mainly in the
form of waves, tides and temperature difference (between surface and deep layers).

• Tides and waves produce mechanical energy whereas temperature difference produces
thermal energy.

• Tidal energy technology is relatively more developed compared to the other two, which
are still undergoing evaluation and initial development stages.
• Oceans cover more than 71% of Earth's surface, making them the
world's largest solar collectors.

• OTEC is a renewable energy technology that converts solar radiation

into electric power.

• OTEC process uses temperature difference between cold deep water

(5℃) & warm surface water (27℃) to power a turbine to generate
electricity.
• The operation of OTEC plant is based on well established
thermodynamic principle.

• If heat source is available at a higher temperature and heat sink at a

lower temperature, it is possible in principle to utilize the
temperature difference in a machine or prime mover that can convert
part of heat taken up from source into mechanical energy and hence
into electrical energy.
Working Principle
• This plant works on the principle of a closed Rankine Cycle.

• Warm Water is used to evaporate working fluid like Ammonia or

halocarbon Refrigerant.

• Evaporated Fluid expands in a low pressure turbine, which is coupled

with a turbo alternator to produce electricity.
Methods of ocean thermal electric power
generation
• Open Cycle OTEC System (Claude cycle)

• Closed Cycle OTEC System (Anderson cycle)

Open Cycle
• In open cycle (also known as Claude cycle) plant, warm water from
the ocean surface is flash evaporated under partial vacuum.

• Low-pressure steam obtained is separated and passed through

turbine to extract energy.

• The exhaust of turbine is condensed in direct contact condenser.

• Cold water drawn from a depth of about 1000 m is used as cooling

water in direct contact condenser.
• The resulting mixture of used cooling water and condensate is
disposed in the sea.

• If surface contact condenser is employed, the condensate could be

used as desalinated water.

• Thus an open loop OTEC plant can provide a substantial quantity of

desalinated water.
Closed Cycle
• In closed cycle (also known as Anderson cycle) plant, warm surface
water is used to evaporate a low boiling point working fluid such as
ammonia, freon or propane.

• The vapor flows through the turbine and is then cooled and
condensed by cold water pumped from the ocean depths.

• Because of low quality heat a large surface areas of heat exchangers

(evaporator and condenser) are required to transfer significant
amount of heat and large amount of water need to be circulated.
• The operating pressures of the working fluid at the boiler/evaporator
and condenser are much higher and its specific volume is much lower
as compared to water in open cycle system.

• Such pressures and specific volumes result in turbine that is much

smaller in size and hence less costly as compared to that in open cycle
system.

• Although both systems are being explored, the closed cycle system
appears to be more promising in near future.
Prospects in India
• In India, conceptual studies on OTEC plant for Kavaratti (Lakhshadweep island),
Andaman Nicobar Islands and at Kulasekharapatnam (Tamil Nadu) were initiated
in 1980.

• A preliminary design for 1 MW (gross) closed Rankine cycle floating plant was
prepared by IIT Chennai in 1984.

• In 1997, National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) signed a memorandum of

understanding with Saga University, Japan for joint development of 1 MW plant
of earlier studies near the port of Tuticorin (Tamil Nadu).
• The objective is to demonstrate the OTEC plant for one year, after
which it could be moved to the Andaman Nicobar Islands for power
generation.

• NIOT plans to build 10–25 MW shore based plants in due course by

scaling up the 1 MW test plant and possibly a 100 MW range of
commercial plant thereafter.

• In 2002, India tested a 1 MW floating OTEC pilot plant near Tamil

Nadu.

• The plant was ultimately unsuccessful due to a failure of the deep-sea

cold water pipe.
Introduction of tidal systems
Tidal energy exploits the natural rise and fall of coastal tidal waters caused
principally by the interaction of the gravitational fields of the Sun and the
Moon.

The ocean level difference caused due to tides contains large amount of
potential energy.

The highest level of tidal water is known as flood tide or high tide.

The lowest level is known as low tide or ebb.

The level difference between the high and low tide is known as tidal range.

The tidal range varies greatly with location.

Only sites with large tidal ranges (about 5 m or more) are considered
suitable for power generation.

Tidal mills were in use on the coast of Spain, France, UK and China during
medieval period, around 1100 AD.

They remained in common use for many centuries, but were gradually
replaced by more convenient and cheaper sources made available due to
industrial revolution.
Single Basin Tidal System
Single Basin Tidal System
Energy and power in Single Basin System
•
•
• A tidal power plant of single basin type, has a basin area of 25*10^6
m2 The tide has range of 12 m. The turbine however stops operating
when the head on it falls below 2 m. calculate the energy generated
in one filling process in Kwh if the turbine generator efficiency is 75 %
• Density of sea water is 1025 kg/m3
• A tidal power plant of simple single basin type, has a basin area of
30*10^6 m2 . The tide has range of 12 m. The turbine however stops
operating when the head on it falls below 3 m. calculate the energy
generated in one filling(or emptying) process in Kwh if the turbine
generator efficiency is 73 %
• Density of sea water is 1025 kg/m3
Geothermal Energy
• Geothermal energy originates from earth’s interior in the form of heat.

• Volcanoes, geysers, hot springs and boiling mud pots are visible evidence of the
great reservoirs of heat that lies within earth.

• Although the amount of thermal energy within the earth is very large, useful
geothermal energy is limited to certain sites only, as it is not feasible to access
and extract heat from a very deep location.

• The sites where it is available near the surface and is relatively more
concentrated, its extraction and use may be considered feasible. These sites are
known as geothermal fields.
• As per US Geological Survey, the entire heat content of the earth’s crust up to a
depth of 10 km above 15 °C is defined as geothermal resource.

• As such the geothermal resource is estimated to be more than 2.11 × 10^25 J,

which is equivalent to 109 MTOE (million tons of oil equivalent).

• This is a huge amount of energy, enough to supply our energy needs at current
rates for 3,50,000 years.

• Thus it is considered an inexhaustible and renewable source.

• However, it is a low-grade thermal energy form and its economic
recovery is not feasible everywhere on the surface of the earth.

• Practically it is not the size of the resource that limits its use but the
availability of technology that can tap the resource in an economic
manner.
TYPES OF GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
• There are four types of geothermal resources:

(i) Hydrothermal
(ii) Geo-pressured,
(iii) Hot dry rock (HDR) and
(iv) Magma

• At present the technology for economic recovery of energy is available for hydrothermal resource
only.

• Thus this is the only commercially used resource at present.

• Other resources are going through development phase and have not become commercial so far.
Hydrothermal Resources
• Hydrothermal resources arise when underground water has access to high
temperature porous rocks, capped by a layer of solid impervious rock.

• Thus water is trapped in the underground reservoir (aquifers) and is heated by

surrounding rocks.

• Heat is supplied by magma by upward conduction through solid rocks below the
reservoir.

• Thus it forms a giant underground boiler.

• Under high pressure, the temperature can reach as high as 350 °C.
• The hot water often escapes through fissures in the rock, thus forming hot
springs or geysers.

• Sometimes steam escapes through cracks in the surface.

• These are called fumaroles.

• In order to utilize the hydrothermal energy, wells are drilled either to intercept a
fissure or, more commonly into the hydrothermal reservoir
• For practical purposes, hydrothermal resources are further subdivided into

(i) Vapour dominated (dry steam fields)

(ii) Liquid dominated (wet steam fields) and

(iii) Hot water resource

Vapour dominated (dry steam fields)
• The steam is extracted from the well (1) where it is nearly saturated.

• The extracted steam is then cleaned in centrifugal separator to remove solid

matter.

• While passing through the well, as well as centrifugal separator the pressure
drops, which causes it to slightly super heat.

• The steam is then supplied to a turbine (3) at temperature of about 165 °C and
pressure of about 7.8 atm. (the temperature and pressure in the reservoir are
higher) and allowed to expand (4).
• The exhaust steam of turbine is condensed in direct contact condenser, in which
the steam is condensed by direct contact with cooling water.

• The resulting warm water (5) is circulated and cooled in cooling tower and
returned to the condenser (7).

• The condensation of steam continuously increases the volume of cooling water.

• Excess water is reinjected at some distance deep into the ground for disposal.

• The non-condensable gases are removed from the condenser by steam jet
ejection.
Liquid dominated (wet steam fields)
• In high temperature liquid dominated reservoir, water temperature is above
175°C; however, it is under high pressure and remains in liquid state.

• When water is brought to the surface and pressure is reduced, rapid boiling
occurs and it “flashes” into steam and hot water.
Hot water resource
• Hydrothermal reservoirs of low to moderate temperatures (20°C–150°C) can be
used to provide direct heat for residential and industrial uses.

• The hot water is brought to the surface where a heat exchanger system transfers
its heat to another fluid (liquid or air).

• The geothermal fluid is reinjected into the ground after extraction of heat.

• The heated fluid transports heat to the place of use.

• Recent surveys have identified a large potential for direct use geothermal
applications.

• Iceland is the world leader in direct applications.

• Some 92.5 per cent of its homes are heated with geothermal energy, saving
Iceland over $100 million annually in avoided oil imports.

• Reykjavík, Iceland has the world’s biggest district heating system.

• Once known as the most polluted city in the world, it is now one of the cleanest.
Geo-pressured Resources
• While drilling for oil and gas, hot salty water (brine) reservoirs, at moderately
high temperature, (90 °C to 200 °C), and under great pressure are found at a
depth of 3 to 6 km.

• Because of the very high pressure of the water, up to 1350 atm in the deepest
layer, these reservoirs are referred to as geo-pressured.

• A special feature of geo-pressured water is that it also contains a significant

amount of dissolved methane gas, usually 1.9 – 3.8 m3 per m3 of water.
• The solubility of methane in water at normal pressure is quite low, but it
increases with pressure.

• When the water is brought to the surface and its pressure reduced, the methane
gas is released from the solution.

• Thus methane can be extracted from brine by simple and economical gravity
separation technique.

• This resource is potentially very promising because three types of energy can be
extracted from the wells:
(i) thermal energy from the heated fluids
(ii) mechanical (hydraulic) energy from the high pressures involved and
(iii) chemical energy from burning of methane gas.
Hot dry rock
• There are regions underground at temperatures exceeding 200 °C, with little or
no water.

• The rocks are impermeable and/or there is no surface water in the vicinity.

• Such resources up to a depth of 5 km are estimated to be significant and worthy

of development as a source of energy.

• Hot dry rocks are much more common than hydrothermal reservoirs and more
accessible, so their potential is quite high.
Magma Resources
• At some places, molten or partially molten rock (magma chamber), at
temperatures 650°C to 1,200°C, occurs at depths 5 km – 10 km.

• These resources are located, especially in the vicinity of recent volcanic activity
(e.g. Hawaii).

• Very high temperature and large volume make magma a huge potential energy
source, the largest of all geothermal resources.

• However, successful magma drilling technology has not been established yet.
• Extracting magma energy is expected to be the most difficult of all
resource types.

• Magma technology will require special drilling technology to deal with

the interaction of the drill bit with molten rock, the effects of
dissolved gases, and mechanisms of heat transport in molten magma.

• This resource has not been developed as yet.

Sites of geothermal energy in India
APPLICATIONS
1. Direct Heat Use

2. Electric Power Generation

Direct Heat Use
Electric Power Generation