10/10/2016 HowdoesOTECwork?

(oceanthermalenergyconversion)ExplainthatStuff

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OTEC(oceanthermalenergyconversion)
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byChrisWoodford.Lastupdated:January21,2016.

Earth?ItmightbebettercalledOceanus:mostofitis,afterall,coveredinwatermuchofitverywarm
water.Thereallyinterestingthingabouttheoceanisnothowhotitis,butthedifferenceintemperature
betweenthesurface(wheretheSunkeepsthesearelativelyhot)andthedepths(wherethewater,never
warmedbytheSun,isconsiderablycooler).Asanyengineerknows,atemperaturedifferencelikethisisvery
usefulindeedifyou'retryingtomakepower.SowhynotusetheheatinEarth'svastoceanstogenerate
usefulenergy?That'sthebasicthinkingbehindOTEC(oceanthermalenergyconversion),firstsuggestedin
1881,whichinvolvesextractingusefulenergyfromtheheatlockedintheoceans.Howmuchenergyarewe
talkingabout?Accordingtosomeestimates,there'senoughheatintheupperlayersoftheoceanstomeet
humankind'senergyneedshundredsoftimesover.Soundsgreat!So...howexactlydoesitwork?Let'stakea
closerlook!

Photo:Temperaturegradients:AsyoucanseefromthisNASAmapofoceantemperatures,therearehuge
variationsinoceantemperaturebetweenwarmtropicalareas(red,orange,andyellow)andcolderpolarand
temperateregions(greenandblue).Whatyoucan'tseefromthismapisthevariationsintemperaturethat
existatdifferentdepthsoftheoceaninthesameregion.Thetropics(theareacoloredorangeandyellow)
havethebestpotentialforgeneratingOTECpower.ImagebyNASAMODISOceanGroup,GoddardSpace
FlightCenter,andtheUniversityofMiamicourtesyofNASAGoddardSpaceFlightCenter(NASAGSFC).

WhatisOTEC?
Mostoftheelectricityweusecomesfromheatenginesofonekindoranother.Aheatengineisamachine
thatcyclesbetweentwodifferenttemperatures,onehotandonecold,usuallyextractingheatenergyfroma
fuelofsomekind.Inasteamengineorasteamturbine,forexample,coalheatswatertomakehot,high
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pressuresteam,whichisthenallowedtoexpandandcooldowntoalowertemperatureandpressure,pushing
apistonandturningawheelasitdoesso.Thegreaterthetemperaturedifferencebetweenthehotsteamand
thecooledwatervaporitbecomes,themoreenergycanbeextracted(andthemoreefficienttheengine).

InOTEC,weusethetemperaturedifferencebetweenthehotsurfaceoftheoceanandthecooler,deeper
layersbeneathtodriveaheatengineinabroadlysimilarwayexceptthatnofuelisburned:wedon'tneed
tocreateadifferenceintemperaturebyburningfuelbecauseatemperaturegradientexistsintheoceans
naturally!Sincethetemperaturedifferenceisallimportant,weneedthebiggestvertical,temperature
gradientwecanpossiblyfind(atleast20andideallymorelike3040).Inpractice,thatmeansaplace
wherethesurfacewatersareashotaswecanfindandthedeepwaters(perhaps5001000mor10003000ft
beneath)areascoldaspossible.Thebestplacetofindsuchacombinationisinthetropics(betweenthe
latitudesofabout20Nand20S).

Chart:Howoceantemperaturevariouswithdepth.Inthewarmest,tropicalpartsoftheworld'soceans,
surfacetemperaturesaretypically20C(68F)ormore.Inthecoldestdepths,they'reclosetofreezing
(around4Cor39F).ThishugetemperaturedifferencemakesOTECpossible.Watertemperaturechanges
rapidlywithdepthinthemiddleregion,whichisknownasthethermocline.

HowmuchpowercouldOTECmake?
Consideringhowbiganddeeptheoceansare,itcomesasnosurprisetofindtheysoakupandretainvast
amountsofsolarenergy.SomeyearsagooceanengineerRichardSeymourestimatedthattheoceansand
atmospherebetweenthem"intercept...about80trillionkW,oraboutonethousandtimesasmuchenergyas
usedbymanglobally."Howmuchofthatcouldwerecoverfromthesea?AccordingtotheUSDepartment
ofEnergy'sNationalRenewableEnergyLaboratory(DOE/NREL),onatypicalday,thetropicaloceansmop
upheatenergyequivalentto250billionbarrelsofoil.Convertingamere0.005percentofthisintoelectricity
wouldbeenoughtopowerthewholeoftheUnitedStates!However,impressivesoundingestimateslikethis
don'ttakeaccountofthetremendouspracticaldifficultiesinvolvedinharvestingoceanenergy.

HowdoesOTECwork?
ThereareessentiallytwodifferentkindsofOTECplant,knownasclosedcycleandopencycle.

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Closedcycle

InclosedcycleOTEC,thereisalong,closedloopofpipelinefilledwithafluidsuchasammonia,whichhas
averylowboilingpoint(33Cor28F).(Otherfluids,includingpropaneandvariouslowboiling
refrigerantchemicals,havealsobeensuccessfullyusedfortransportingheatinOTECplants.)Theammonia
neverleavesthepipe:itsimplycyclesaroundtheloopagainandagain,pickingupheatfromtheocean,
givingituptotheOTECpowerplant,andreturningasacooledfluidtocollectsomemore.Howdoesit
work?First,thepipeflowsthroughaheatexchangerfixedinthehotsurfacewatersoftheocean,which
makestheammoniaboilandvaporize.Theheatedammoniavaporexpandsandblowsthroughaturbine,
whichextractssomeofitsenergy,drivingageneratortoproduceelectricity.Oncetheammoniahas
expanded,itpassesthroughasecondheatexchanger,wherecoolwaterpumpedupfromtheoceandepths
condensesitbacktoaliquidsoitcanberecycled.Youcanthinkoftheammoniaworkinginabroadly
similarwaytothecoolantinarefrigerator,whichisalsodesignedtopickupheatfromoneplace(thechiller
cabinet)andcarryitelsewhere(theroomoutside)usingaclosedloopcycle.InOTEC,theammoniapicksup
heatfromthehot,surfaceoceanwaters(justasthecoolantchemicalpicksupheatfromthechiller
compartment),carriesittoaturbinewheremuchofitsenergyisextracted,andisthencondensedbacktoa
liquidsoitcanrunroundtheloopformoreheat(justasthecoolantinarefrigeratoriscompressedand
cooledinthefinsaroundthebackofthemachine).

HowclosedcycleOTECworks
Here'sasummaryofthekeystepsinaclosedOTECcycle:

1.Ammonia(oranotherlowboiling,heattransportfluid)flowsaroundaclosedloopattheheartofthe
system.That'sthewhitesquareinthecenterofthisillustration.
2.Hotwaterentersacompletelyseparatepipenearthesurfaceoftheoceanandispipedtowardthe
centralloopcontainingtheammonia.
3.Thehotwaterandtheammoniaflowpastoneanotherinaheatexchanger,sothehotwatergivesup
someofitsenergytotheammonia,makingitboilandvaporize.
4.Thevaporizedammoniaflowsthroughaturbine,makingitspin.
5.Theturbinespinsagenerator,convertingtheenergytoelectricity.
6.Theelectricityiscarriedashorebyacable.
7.Havinglefttheturbine,theammoniahasgivenupmuchofitsenergy,butneedstobecooledfullyfor
reuse.Iftheammoniaweren'tcooledinthisway,itwouldn'tbeabletopickupasmuchheatnexttime
around.
8.Howistheammoniacooled?Inathirdpipe,coldwaterispumpedupfromtheoceandepths.
9.Thecoldwaterandammoniameetinasecondheatexchanger,whichcoolstheammoniabackdownto
itsoriginaltemperaturereadytopassaroundthecycleagain.

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10.Thecoldwaterfromtheoceandepths,nowslightlywarmed,escapesintotheocean(oritcanbeused
forrefrigerationorairconditioning).
11.Thehotwaterfromtheoceansurface,slightlycooled,drainsbackintotheupperocean.

Opencycle

InopencycleOTEC,theseawaterisitselfusedtogenerateheatwithoutanykindofintermediatefluid.At
thesurfaceoftheocean,hotseawateristurnedtosteambyreducingitspressure(rememberthataliquidcan
bemadetochangestate,intoagas,eitherbyincreasingitstemperatureorreducingitspressure).Thesteam
drivesaturbineandgenerateselectricity(asinclosedcycleOTEC),beforebeingcondensedbacktowater
usingcoldwaterpipedupfromtheoceandepths.Oneoftheveryinterestingbyproductsofthismethodis
thatheatingandcondensingseawaterremovesitssaltandotherimpurities,sothewaterthatleavesthe
OTECplantispureandsaltfree.ThatmeansopencycleOTECplantscandoubleupasdesalinationplants,
purifyingwatereitherfordrinkingsuppliesorforirrigatingcrops.That'saveryusefuladdedbenefitinhot,
tropicalcountriesthatmaybeshortoffreshwater.

Photo:AmodelofasimpleopencycleOTECsystem.Theheartofitisalargeturbinedrivenbysteam,
whichiscooledbywaterpumpedupfromthedeepocean.PhotobyWarrenGretzcourtesyofUS
DOE/NREL.

LandandseabasedOTEC

OpenandclosedcycleOTECcanoperateeitherontheshore(landbased)oroutatsea(sometimesknown
asfloatingorgrazing).Bothhaveadvantagesanddisadvantages,whichwe'llconsiderinamoment.Land
basedOTECplantsareconstructedontheshorelinewithfourlargehotandcoldpipelinesdippingdowninto
thesea:ahotwaterinput,ahotwateroutput,acoldwaterinput,andacoldwateroutput.Unfortunately,
shorelineconstructionmakesthemmoresusceptibletoproblemslikecoastalerosionanddamagefrom
hurricanesandotherstorms.
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SeabasedOTECplantsareessentiallythesamebuthavetobeconstructedonsomesortoftethered,floating
platform,notunlikeafloatingoilplatform,withthefourpipesrunningdownintotheseaearlyprototypes
wererunfromconvertedoiltankersandbarges.Theyalsoneedacablerunningbacktolandtosendthe
electricalpowertheygenerateashore.HybridformsofOTECarealsopossible.So,forexample,youcould
buildanOTECplatformsomedistanceoffshoreonthecontinentalshelf,whichwouldsharesomeofthe
advantagesoflandbasedOTEC(stabilityanddurability,closenesstotheshore,andsoon)andfloating
OTEC(opportunitytoexploitagreatertemperaturegradient,sogeneratingpowermoreefficiently).

Photo:Comingintoland:LandbasedOTECmeansyouhavetopipehugevolumesofwaterashore,which
iswhatthisgiantcoldwaterpipelinedoesattheNaturalEnergyLaboratoryatKeaholePoint,Hawaii.Sea
basedOTECavoidsthisproblem,butyouhavetocarrytheelectricitygeneratedoffshoretolandinstead.
PhotobyWarrenGretzcourtesyofUSDOE/NREL.

Advantagesanddisadvantages
Advantages

OTECsoundsimmenselyattractive:it'sclean,greenrenewableenergythatdoesn'tinvolveburningfossil
fuels,producinglargeamountsofgreenhousegases,orreleasingtoxicairpollution.Byhelpingtoreduceour
dependenceonfuelssuchaspetroleum,OTECcouldalsohelptoreducethe"collateral"damagetheworld
suffersfromanoildependenteconomyincludingwarsfoughtoveroilandwaterpollutionfromtanker
spills.Itcouldalsoprovideaveryusefulsourceofpowerfortropicalislandstatesthatlacktheirownenergy
resources,effectivelymakingthemselfsufficient.Aswe'vealreadyconsidered,opencycleOTECcanplaya
usefulpartinprovidingpure,usablewaterfromoceanwater.OTECcanalsobeusedtoproducefuelssuch
ashydrogentheelectricityitgeneratescanbeusedtopoweranelectrolysisplantthatwouldsplitseawater
intohydrogenandoxygen,whichcouldbebottledorpipedashoreandthenusedtopowersuchthingsasfuel
cellsinelectriccars.ThewastecoolingwaterusedbyanOTECplantcanalsobeusedforaquaculture
(growingfishandothermarinefoodsuchasalgaeundercontrolledconditions),refrigeration,andair
conditioning.

Disadvantages

ThebiggestproblemwithOTECisthatit'srelativelyinefficient.Thelawsofphysics(inthiscase,theCarnot
cycle)saythatanypracticalheatenginemustoperateatlessthan100percentefficiencymostoperatewell
belowandOTECplants,whichusearelativelysmalltemperaturedifferencebetweentheirhotandcold
fluids,haveamongthelowestefficiencyofall:typicallyjustafewpercent.Forthatreason,OTECplants
havetoworkveryhard(pumphugeamountsofwater)toproduceevenmodestamountsofelectricity,which
bringstwoproblems.First,itmeansasignificantamountoftheelectricitygenerated(typicallyaboutathird)
hastobeusedforoperatingthesystem(pumpingthewaterinandout).Second,itimpliesthatOTECplants
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havetobeconstructedonarelativelylargescale,whichmakesthemexpensiveinvestments.Largescale
onshoreOTECplantscouldhaveaconsiderableenvironmentalimpactonshorelines,whichareoftenhome
tofragile,alreadythreatenedecosystemssuchasmangrovesandcoralreefs.

Photo:OnshoreOTECplantscantakeupalotofvaluablecoastalland.ThisistheNaturalEnergy
LaboratoryatKeaholePoint,Hawaii.PhotobyWarrenGretzcourtesyofUSDOE/NREL.

AlthoughOTECplantsareonlysuitablefortropicalseaswithrelativelylargetemperaturegradients,that's
lessofaproblemthanitsounds.AccordingtoDOE/NREL,OTECcouldtheoreticallyoperatein29different
sovereignterritories(includingwarmer,southernpartsoftheUnitedStates)and66developingnationsand
temperatepartsoftheworldthatcan'toperateOTECmostlikelyhavealternativeformsofoceanpowerthey
couldexploit,includingoffshorewindturbines,tidalbarrages,andwavepower.

AlthoughOTECproducesnochemicalpollution,itdoesinvolveahumaninterventioninthetemperature
balanceofthesea,whichcouldhavelocalizedenvironmentalimpactsthatwouldneedtobeassessed.One
important(andoftenoverlooked)impactofOTECisthatpumpingcoldwaterfromthedeepoceantothe
surfacesreleasescarbondioxide,thegreenhousegascurrentlymostresponsibleforglobalwarming.The
amountreleasedisonlyafraction(perhaps10percent)asmuchasthatproducedbyafossilfueledpower
plant,however.

HowfaroffisOTEC?
Scientistsandengineershavebeentryingtoextractusefulheatenergyfromtheoceansforoveracentury,
withvaryingamountsofsuccess.Sofar,onlyafewsmallscaleexperimentalunitsareoperating.Oneis
producingabout100kWofelectricity(about510percentasmuchasasinglewindturbine)inJapan,another
isgeneratingabouthalfasmuchinHawaii,andathirdisnowproducingabout1MWinIndiathesearetiny
amountsofenergythatdon'tprovethelongtermcommercialviabilityofOTECinaworldwherethereare
manyothersourcesofpowerandtheeconomicsofenergyhavetoberewrittenfromonedaytothenext.

Allthatcouldbeabouttochange,however.Afteryearsofplanningandconstruction,theLockheedMartin
companyfinallyfinishedworkona100kWprototypeOTECplantinHawaiiinAugust2015.Dependingon
howsuccessfulthatprovestobe,biggerplantscouldfollowLockheedhasalreadyannouncedplansfora
10MWoffshoreplant(with100timesmoregeneratingcapacity)inChina.Undercurrenteconomic
conditions,OTECplantsaremostlikelytobeconstructedinornearsmalltropicalislandsthathavelittleor
noenergyresourcesoftheirown,ahighdependenceonexpensive,importedoil,andperhapsapressing
shortageoffreshwateraswellacombinedOTECpoweranddesalinationplantcouldbeveryattractivein
thatsituation.EarlycustomersarelikelytoincludepowerhungryUSnavalbasesintropicalAmerican
territoriesandthat'soneofthereasonswhytheUSNavyiscurrentlyinvestinginthetechnology.

WhoinventedOTEC?
Here'sabrieftimelineofsomekeymomentsinthehistoryofoceanthermalenergy.

1881:FrenchphysicistJacquesd'Arsonvalsuggestsextractingheatenergyfromtheoceans.
1926:GeorgesClaude,astudentofd'Arsonval's,buildsaprototype,onshoreenergyextracting
machineonthecoastofCuba.In1935,hetriesandfailstoconstructanexperimentaloffshoreOTEC
plantonacargoship.WithPaulBoucheret,ClaudereceivesaUSpatentforanopencycleOTEC
system(number2006985)onJuly2,1935.
1927:OTECgainsfirstwidespreadpublicitywhenAlbertG.Ingallswritesuptheideainanarticle
"InexhaustiblePowerfromSeaWateraDreamoraProphecy?"inScientificAmerican(May1927,
pages339342).
1960s:AmericanengineerJ.HilbertAnderson(aspecialistinrefrigerationandheatcycles)andhisson
JamesAnderson,Jr.beginstudyingoceanthermalenergy.Havingidentifiedmajorshortcomingsin
Claude'sOTECplant,theyproposeusingaclosedloopof"workingfluid"toremoveheatfromthe
upperoceaninasimilarwaytothemechanismofarefrigerator.They'regrantedUSpatent3312054
fortheir"SeaWaterPowerPlant,"basedonclosedcycleOTECusingpropaneastheworkingfluid,on
April4,1967.
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1974:TheUnitedStatesopenstheNaturalEnergyLaboratoryofHawaii(NELHA)on130hectares
(322acres)oflandatKeaholePointontheKonacoastasitsprimarytestlaboratoryforOTEC.Using
closedcycletechnology,itsuccessfullybuildsaprototype,offshore,"miniOTEC"plantonaUSNavy
barge.
1980:IndiabeginsalongseriesofresearchstudiesintoOTEC,currentlyledbyitsNationalInstitute
ofOceanTechnology(NIOT).
1982:TokyoElectricPowerCompanyandToshibasuccessfullyconstructasmall(100kW)OTEC
plantontheislandofNauru,thoughmuchoftheelectricityisusedtooperatetheplantandonly30
40kWissuccessfullyfedintothepowergrid.
1993:TheNaturalEnergyLaboratorysetsanewrecordforopencycleOTECof50kW.Sixyearslater,
itsuccessfullytestsa120kWclosedcycleplant.
2008:TamilNaduElectricityBoardisoperatinganexperimental1MWplantatKulasekarapattinam,
nearTiruchendurintheTuticorindistrict.
2009:USNavycontractsLockheedMartintodevelopa510MWOTECplant(currentlybudgetedat
$12.5million).
2015:LockheedMartinopensitsOTECplantinHawaii,connectsittotheUSpowergrid,and
announcesplansforamuchmoreambitious10MWplantinChina.

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Onthiswebsite

Climatechangeandglobalwarming
Energy
Heat
Heatengines
Heatexchangers
Renewableenergy

Onotherwebsites

OTEC:OceanThermalEnergyConversion:IntroductorywebsitefromUSDOE/NREL.Thislink
takesyoutotheWaybackMachinebecausetheoriginalhas,unfortunately,beendeleted.
LockheedMartin:OTEC:Agoodintroductorywebsitewithphotos,brochures,andsometechnical
detailsofLockheed'splans.
TheIndian1MWFloatingOTECPlant:AnOverviewbyM.Ravindran,Director,NationalInstituteof
OceanTechnology,India.AgoodoverviewofIndia'seffortstodevelopOTEC.
SeaSolarPower:AwebsitepromotingtheOTECtechnologydevelopedinthe1960sbyJ.Hilbert
AndersonandJamesH.Anderson,Jr.

Books
FundamentalsofRenewableEnergyProcessesbyAldoVieiraDaRosa.AcademicPress,2009.Good
introductorycoverageforstudentsandprofessionalsworkinginrenewableenergy.
OceanEnergyRecovery:TheStateoftheArtbyRichardJ.Seymour(ed).AmericanSocietyofCivil
Engineers(ASCEPublications),1992.Acollectionofpapersexploringthemaintypesofocean
energy,includingOTEC,tidal,andwavepower.

Articles

http://www.explainthatstuff.com/howotecworks.html 7/9
10/10/2016 HowdoesOTECwork?(oceanthermalenergyconversion)ExplainthatStuff

HawaiiFirsttoHarnessDeepOceanTemperaturesforPowerbyByMalavikaVyawahare,
ClimateWire/ScientificAmerican,August27,2015.WhataretheprospectsforOTECnowLockheed
Martin'sHawaiisystemiscomplete?
MorefundsforHawaii'sOceanThermalEnergyConversionplantbyBenCoxworth.Gizmag,
November26,2010.AneasytounderstandreviewofLockheedMartin'sHawaiiplant.

Videos
RenewableEnergyFromtheDeepOcean:Abasic4minuteintroductionfromOffshoreInfrastructure
Associates,Inc,withgoodanimations,basedonPuertoRicoasanexamplelocation.

Patents

Methodandapparatusforobtainingpowerfromseawater:USPatent#2006985(July2,1935)by
GeorgesClaudeandPaulBoucherot.TheoriginalopencycleOTECpatent.
SeaWaterSolarPlant:USPatent#3312054(April4,1967)byJamesHAndersonandJamesH
Anderson,Jr.TheAndersons'originalpatentforclosedcycleOTEC.

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Youmightlikemynewbook,AtomsUndertheFloorboards:TheSurprisingScienceHiddeninYourHome,
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