MODULE-5(70%)- OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY

CONVERSION(OTEC)
 OTEC is a method to produce electricity by using the
temp difference between warm ocean surface and cool
deep ocean water to run a heat engine.
 About 70% of the earths surface is covered by oceans,
which are continuously heated by the sun
 Extracting the solar energy stored in an ocean is carried
out by exploiting the temp difference between warm
surface water and cold deep sea water.
 As long as the temp difference between warm surface
water and cold deep sea water is >20 degree centigrade
OTEC systems can produce significant amount of power.
Principle of OTEC

 The warm water from the ocean surface is collected

and pumed through the heat exchanger to heat and
vapourize a working fluid as shown in fig below.
 The working fluid expands through a heat engine
(similar to a turbine) coupled to a generator
 Woking fluid vapour coming out of heat engine is
condensed back into liquid by a condenser
 Cold deep ocean water is pumped through condenser
where the vapour is cooled and returns to liquid state.
 The liquid is pumped again through heat exchanger
and cycle repeats –known as closed cycle OTEC.
Basic rankine cycle and its
working
 Rankine cycle consists of
 An evaporator
 A turbine expander
 A condenser
 A pump
 Working fluid
 In open cycle OTEC, warm sea water is used
as working fluid, whereas in closed cycle type
ammonia or propane is used
Continued…

Warm ocean surface water flows into the evaporator which is the high-
temperature heat source. A fluid pump is utilized to force the fluid in a heat
evaporator where liquid fluid vapourizes. Then, the vapour of boiling fluid
enters the turbine expander coupled with an electrical generator to generate
electrical power. The vapour released from the turbine enters into condenser
where it condenses. The cold deep sea water is pumped through the
condenser for heat rejection from vapour fluid and condenses it as liquid
fluid. The liquid fluid is again pumped through evaporator and cycle
repeats.
As temperature difference between high- and low-temperature ends is
large enough, the cycle will continue to operate and generate power.
OTEC PLANTS

 1)land based power plant

 2)floating power plant
 1)land based power plant:
 It is constructed on sea shore and accommodates all the
parts of OTEC plants.
 It requires laying down long pipes from plant site on shore
to two extreme points of necessary temp gradient
 One pipe is used to collect warm ocean surface another
long pipe laid down on the slope deep into the ocean to
collect cold water.
 Third pipe is used as outlet to discharge used water again
into ocean
Continued…

 Cost of pipe installation and maintenance is

expensive
 Land based OTEC plant has the advantage of
savings on electrical transmission line and
connectivity to electrical power grid.
 Large electricity is used to pump water
through long pipes, the net electricity
reduces.
Floating power plant

 Floating power plant is built on a ship

platform exactly where temp gradient
sufficient for OTEC plant is available.
 Working principle is same as that of land
based power plant.
 Long transmission line is required to transmit
electrical power from plant to sea shore.
Types of OTEC cycle

 Open cycle OTEC

 Closed cycle OTEC
 Hybrid cycle
Open cycle OTEC system
Continued…
 An open-cycle OTEC uses the warm ocean surface water as working fluid. It
is a non-toxic and environment friendly fluid. The major components of this
system are shown in Figure 13.4. It consists of evaporator, low-pressure
turbine coupled with electrical generator, condenser, marine culture ponds,
non-condensable gas exhaust, and pumps. Evaporator used in an open-cycle
sys- tem is a flash evaporator in which warm sea water instantly boils or flash
in the chamber that has reduced pressure than atmosphere or vacuum. It
results in reduced vapourization pressure of warm sea water. A large turbine
is required to accommodate large volumetric flow rates of low-pressure
steam, which is needed to generate electrical power, and is used with other
plant components in a similar manner. During vapourization process in an
evaporator, oxygen, nitro- gen, and carbon dioxide dissolved in sea water are
separated and are non-condensable. They are exhausted by non-condensable
gas exhaust system. Condenser is used to condense vapour or steam released
from steam turbine is condensed by cold deep sea water and returned back to
sea.
Continued…

 In open cycle OTEC, warm ocean surface water is pumped

into a low pressure boiler to boil and produce steam
 Steam is used in steam turbine to drive the generator for
producing electrical power.
 Cold deep ocean water is used in condenser to condense
steam.
 Desalinated water is produced in open cycle through
surface condenser. It is fresh water and widely used as
water resource for drinking, agriculture and industry.
 Also this water can be used for aquaculture-nutrient rich
cold deep sea water provides sufficient environment for fish
farming
Closed cycle and its working

 Closed (Rankine) cycle consists of

 An evaporator
 A turbine expander
 A condenser
 A pump
 Working fluid
 In open cycle OTEC, warm sea water is used
as working fluid, whereas in closed cycle type
ammonia or propane is used
Closed cycle OTEC
 The schematic of closed-cycle OTEC (Rankine cycle)is shown in Figure
above. It has different arrangement when compared to open-cycle OTEC.
Organic fluid with low boiling point is used as working fluid.(hence size of
the turbine used is reduced when compared to open cycle system). Ammonia
liquid is the most widely used working fluid. Working fluid flows in a closed
loop and perfectly sealed piping system. Working fluid circulates around the
loop continuously. Warm ocean surface water flows through completely
separate piping system and discharges in upper surface of ocean. Warm
surface sea water and working fluid piping are placed very closely to each
other in a heat exchanger to transfer warm sea water heat into working fluid.
The cold deep sea water piping system is in contact with working fluid
piping system in a condenser where working fluid condenses to its liquid
state. Other components of both open- and closed-cycle OTECs are similar
Continued…

 Warm ocean surface water flows into the evaporator-a high

temp heat source.
 Fluid pump is utilised to force the fluid in a heat evaporator
where liquid fluid vapourises
 The vapour of boiling fluid enters the turbine coupled to the
generator
 Vapour released from the turbine enters into condenser where
it condenses
 The cold deep sea water is pumped through the condenser for
heat rejection from vapour fluid and condenses it as liquid fluid.
 The liquid fluid is again pumped through evaporator and cycle
repeats.
OTEC Hybrid Cycle

As shown in fig below, a hybrid cycle combines the features

of both closed-cycle and open-cycle systems.
Warm sea water is pumped into a vacuum chamber where
it is used to flash and produces steam.
Working fluid in another closed cycle loop is evaporated and
vapourized by steam in vacuum chamber.
The fluid vapour rotates the turbine and drive an
electric generator to produce electricity.
Hybrid configurations also produces fresh water
Advantages OF OTEC

Renewable
Natural resource, available in abundance
It is pollution free
Good source of fresh water. It provides fresh
water for drinking , agriculture and industry.
Disadvantages(Problems with
OTEC)
 High cost-more expensive than electricity produced by chemical and
nuclear fuels
 Complexity-OTEC plants must be located where a difference of about
20 degree centigrade occurs. Ocean depths must be available fairly
close to shore based facilities for economic operation
 Acceptibility-for the large scale production of electricity, OTEC plants
are poorly acceptable due to their high costs.

 Lower efficiency- A high temp difference between ocean surface warn

water and cold deep ocean water is required for efficient operation of
plant.
 Low energy conversion efficiency is the biggest problem in the
development of OTEC technology. This is because the energy conversion
efficiency of the OTEC technology is limited by the small temperature
difference between cold seawater and warm seawater
Application of OTEC in
addition to produce
electricity
 CH

 1)Electricity-electrical energy is the primary

product of OTEC plants. Laying long down
long transmission and distribution cables
upto the sea shore for domestic and
industrial applications is not practical from
economic point of view. OTEC plants are
therefore considered for other applications
 2)H2 production- Electricity produced from
OTEC plants is used for separating H2 and
O2 by the method of electrolysis of water..
H2 is considered as the second best usable
form of energy after electricity.
 3)Ammonia and methanol production:OTEC
electricity can be used to obtain by
products such as ammonia and methanol,
that can be transferred either by tankers or
pipelines to on shore application
 4)desalinated water- desalinated water is produced in open cycle
and hybrid cycle OTEC plants through surface condenser. It is
fresh water and widely used as water resource for drinking,
agriculture and industry.
 5)Aquaculture-nutrient rich cold deep sea water provides
sufficient environment for fish farming
 6)air conditioning-cold water can be used as a fluid in air
condition systems.
 7)chilled soil agriculture- chilled soil agriculture is another
application of OTEC plants. Cold deep sea water flowing through
underground pipes chills the surrounding soil. The temp
difference is maintained between plant roots in the cool soil and
plant leaves in the warm air and thus tree and plant grows.
Benefits of OTEC

1. Benefits as a Measure of the Value of OTEC

Economic and other benefits are the value of OTEC plants. These
include the following:
1.It is a clean, renewable natural resource available in plenty.
2.It has no environmental problems and greenhouse effects.
3.It is a source of base load electricity and fuels such as
hydrogen, methanol, and ammonia.
4.It provides freshwater for drinking, agriculture, and industry.
5.It encourages chilled agriculture and aquaculture.