What Is Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion

Although it is not widely known among the general population, Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion has a long history of development. French engineer Jacques Arsene d’Arsonval originally developed the idea of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion in 1881. In 1930, d’Arsonval’s student Georges Claude built the first OTEC plant in Cuba. The system used a low pressure turbine to generate 22 kW of electricity.OTEC has the potential to produce enormous quantities of electricity and should be explored to this effect. Practical implementation of OTEC is the last obstacle. The processes and technology presently used to drive OTEC are costly; however, further experimentation will bring the cost of using OTEC down.Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion can be accomplished by means of three different methods. Closed cycle, or Anderson cycle, OTEC employs a liquid with a low boiling point, ammonia for example, as an intermediate fluid. Warm water from the ocean’s surface is pumped into a reaction chamber along with the intermediate fluid; where it causes the intermediate fluid to boil. The resultant vapor is used to spin a turbine which produces electricity. The vapor of the intermediate fluid is then cooled with cold sea water from the depths of the ocean. Open cycle, or Claude cycle, OTEC is much the same as closed cycle; however, open cycle does not employ the use of an intermediate liquid. The sea water is actually used to spin the turbine in an open cycle OTEC plant. Placing warm sea water in a low pressure causes it to boil. This steam is then focused on a low pressure turbine which is attached to an electrical generator. The vapor is then cooled with water from the ocean’s depths.A key point is the fact the sea water leaves the salt and all other impurities behind when it turns to steam. After cooling the steam, the water can be used for crop irrigation and even human drinking water. In a sense, an open cycle OTEC plant is a gigantic water distillery that produces electricity.Presently, Hybrid Cycle OTEC is only a theory. It proposes finding maximum usage of the thermal energy in the ocean’s waters. It begins with closed cycle OTEC to generate the electricity used to create the necessary vacuum for open cycle OTEC. At this point two open cycles are employed, twice the electricity and distilled water will be created.Closed cycle OTEC is not only useful in producing electricity, it is also valuable in producing large amounts of hydrogen. Liquid hydrogen is used to fuel rocket engines and other industrial purposes. All forms of OTEC pump cold water from the depths of the ocean to facilitate their process. Aside from being necessary for OTEC, the cold water can be used for refrigeration and air conditioning. In Additon, the adjacent seas are used to heat the cold water that has been used to cool the flash vapor, so it can be recycled into the system after it has been sufficiently heated by the sun. Fish farming and various other aquaculture projects can be performed in these waters.Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion is multi-faceted to the extent, that with time, it may prove to be the most versatile source of alternative energy.