Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC)
Alternative Energy from the Ocean
Although it sounds like a vey modern scientific term - OTEC or Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion was first used by the Jacques D’Arsonval a French engineer back in 1881. Sadly only one place in the world is actually running a plant using and studying this technology and that is The Natural Energy Laboratory on the island of Hawaii. Cost is the main stumbling block that OTEC has yet to face and therefore providing it a hard time implementing on an extensive and sensible level. Ocean thermal energy can not add pollutants into the air because it burns in a very clean manner but it is a complicated process. Unfortunately, the other down-side to these plants is they have the potential to damage local environments which some critics say offsets any benefits they may bring.
Three types of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion exist:
Type one is known as ‘CCOTEC’ or ‘Closed Cycle OTEC’ which requires a gas that can be turned into a liquid at a very low temperature - propane is one such example that can be employed. The Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion plant works in a way that it boils the intermediate fluid once it pumps the warm sea water into the reaction chamber. The vapor created by this conversion pumps large turbines and creates electrical energy. To cool down the vapor, putting in cold sea water is required.
When the ‘Open Cycle Ocean Thermal Energy’ system is used it is similar to it’s cousin the Closed Cycle except that no gas to form the intermediate liquid is present. In this kind of OTEC format, the main driver of the engine’s turbine is the sea water itself. Under the constraint of a vacuum, the warm sea water originating from the surface of the ocean is turned into a low-pressure vapor. When low-pressure vapor is released in a focused area, it will then have the control to drive the turbine. The deeper ocean’s cold waters are added to the vapor to cool it down after it has generated sufficient electricity so it can create desalinated water for human consumption.
At the moment, the “Hybrid Cycle Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion” still remains just a theory. Bringing about the notion that we could make maximum usage of the ocean waters’ thermal energy is just the main purpose of the theory. Two sub-theories are actually contained in the theory of Hybrid Cycling. Strangely, the first method uses the closed cycle system to provide power to create the vacuum that is used in the open cycle method. Following on from this is the second part which incorporates two open cycle plants that will produce twice the drinking water than one open cycle plant.
To treat chemicals is another contributing feature of using a closed cycle OTEC plant aside from the fact that it can generate electricity. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion plants both open cycling and close cycling kinds, are also able to be utilized for pumping up cold deep sea water which can then be used for refrigeration and air conditioning. The water around the plants during the process can also be used to help promote fish farming projects as well. There is clearly quite an array of products and services that we could derive from this alternative energy source.
