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- The technology exists and expanded development of OTEC is key to develop desaliniation plants
- OTEC is feasible and the tech exists now
Has TechOTEC is feasible, economically viable, and new tech solvesMcCallister and McLaughlin 2012 [Captain Michael, Senior Engineer with Sound and Sea Technology, Commander Steve, Critical Infrastructure Programs Manager at Sound and Sea Technology, January, "Renewable Energy from the Ocean", U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, Vol. 138, Issue 1, EBSCO] The well-known OTEC operating principles date to the original concept proposed by Jacques-Arséne d'Arsonval in 1881. OTEC recovers solar energy using a thermodynamic cycle that operates across the temperature difference between warm surface water and cold deep water. In the tropics, surface waters are above 80 degrees Fahrenheit, while at depths of about 1,000 meters water temperatures are just above freezing. This gradient provides a differential that can be used to transfer energy from the warm surface waters and generate electricity. For a system operating between 85 and 35 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature differential yields a maximum thermodynamic Carnot cycle efficiency of 9.2 percent. Although this is considered low efficiency for a power plant, the "fuel" is free. Hence, the real challenge is to build commercial-scale plants that yield competitively priced electricity. Overcoming Barriers Previous attempts to develop a viable and practical OTEC commercial power system suffered from several challenges. The low temperature delta requires large seawater flows to yield utility scale outputs. Therefore, OTEC plants must be large. Thus, they will also be capital-intensive. As plant capacity increases, the unit outlay becomes more cost-effective due to economy of scale. Survivable cold-water pipes, cost-efficient heat exchangers, and to a lesser extent offshore structures and deep-water moorings represent key technical challenges. However, developments in offshore technologies, new materials, and fabrication and construction processes that were not available when the first serious experimental platforms were developed in the 1970s now provide solutions. When located close to shore, an OTEC plant can transmit power directly to the local grid via undersea cable. Plants farther from shore can also produce power in the form of energy carriers like hydrogen or ammonia, which can be used both as fuel for transportation and to generate power ashore. In agricultural markets, reasonably priced, renewable-based ammonia can displace natural gas in fertilizer production. Combined with marine algae aqua-culture programs, OTEC plants can also produce carbon-based synthetic fuels. OTEC facilities can be configured to produce fresh water, and, from a military perspective, system platforms can also serve as supply bases and surveillance sites. Facing Reality Availability of relatively "cheap" fossil fuels limits societal incentives to change and makes energy markets difficult to penetrate. However, the realization of "peak oil" (the theoretical upper limit of global oil production based on known reserves), ongoing instability in Middle East political conditions, adversarial oil-supply partners, and concerns over greenhouse-gas buildup and global warming all contribute to the need for renewable energy solutions. An assessment of OTEC technical readiness by experts at a 2009 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration workshop indicated that a 10 megawatt (MW) floating OTEC facility is technically feasible today, using current design, manufacturing, and installation technologies. While readiness and scalability for a 100 MW facility were less clear, the conclusion was that experience gained during the construction, deployment, and operation of a smaller pilot plant would be a necessary step in OTEC commercialization. The Navy now supports the development of OTEC, with the goal of reducing technical risks associated with commercialization. Yes tech- has been tested and proven viable in nearly 100 different countries around the world and the technology exists nowIRENA 2014 [The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental organisation that supports countries in their transition to a sustainable energy future, and serves as the principal platform for international co-operation, a centre of excellence, and a repository of policy, technology, resource and financial knowledge on renewable energy. IRENA promotes the widespread adoption and sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy, including bioenergy, geothermal, hydropower, ocean, solar and wind energy, in the pursuit of sustainable development, energy access, energy security and low-carbon economic growth and prosperity. OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY CONVERSION TECHNOLOGY BRIEF http://www.irena.org/DocumentDownloads/Publications/Ocean_Thermal_Energy_V4_web.pdf Potential and Barriers – OTEC has the highest potential when comparing all ocean energy technologies, and as many as 98 nations and territories have been identified that have viable OTEC resources in their exclusive economic zones. Recent studies suggest that total worldwide power generation capac - ity could be supplied by OTEC, and that this would have no impact on the ocean’s temperature profiles. Furthermore, a large number of island states in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean have OTEC resources within 10 kilometres (km) of their shores. OTEC seems especially suitable and economically viable for remote islands in tropical seas where generation can be combined with other functions e.g ., air-conditioning and fresh water production The technology exists and expanded development of OTEC is key to develop desaliniation plantsCross 2013 [Martin, Translator, former chef and marketeer, currently disabled. I write articles on food,, travel, politics, religion and technology. How an ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) plant works https://suite.io/martin-cross/67sw266 The ocean as a heat source for power generation The Sun warms the surface of the ocean in the Tropics to a consistent 20-25°C, compared to the temperature of 5°C in the ocean depths (below 1000m). A heat engine can be used to harness this temperature differential to generate electricity. The temperature differences are small and plant efficiency is low but the resource is available 24/7 and therefore capable of providing continuous base load electricity without the logistical nightmare that providing power to remote tropical communities can entail. The technology is currently only capable of producing significant amounts of electrical power in the Tropics but potentially could offer significantly more energy than options in the temperate zones such as wave and tidal power. For tropical islands where space is at a premium, and coastal areas remote from major power generating plants, an OTEC plant could represent the simplest and most sustainable method of providing their power requirements. The host of ancillary products offered by the process can greatly reduce potential amortization periods and the large volumes of desalinated water produced in the open-cycle and hybrid configurations could enable these installations to be readily adapted to use primarily as desalination plants and hydrogen generation plants. An OTEC plant – an enormous heat engine A heat engine is a means of using heat to provide useful work. A domestic refrigerator and an air conditioning unit are both forms of heat engine, moving heat from an area required to be cold and releasing it to the ambient air. In an OTEC plant, a fluid is forced to vaporize to drive a low-pressure turbine generator system. In a closed cycle plant, the working fluid is usually a refrigerant with a low boiling point, such as ammonia. In an open cycle plant, the seawater itself is used as the working fluid. The two cycles can also be combined in a hybrid plant. Cold seawater from more than a kilometre deep in the ocean is an essential part of a standard OTEC plant. This can be pumped up but the long stretches of pressure piping required can prove expensive: alternatives are to desalinate the seawater near to the seafloor (which lowers its density) and allow it to rise naturally to the surface or, in a closed cycle, to pump vaporized refrigerant down into the depths to be condensed, thereby reducing the pumping volumes required and saving costs. The plants produce large quantities of cold water available as a by-product, which can be used for local air conditioning, speciality fish-farming and other forms of aquaculture. Open-cycle and hybrid plants can also supply fresh distilled water, which can be used for domestic purposes or industrially to produce hydrogen for fuel cells for a hydrogen economy. These, and other by-products, can be used to reduce operating costs and provide additional benefits to the local community. OTEC is feasible and the tech exists nowMartí et al 2010[ José A. is president of Offshore Infrastructure Associates, with offices in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Scotch Plains, New Jersey. He is a licensed professional engineer and planner, a diplomate of the American Academies of Environmental and Water Resources Engineers and has more than 30 years of experience.. Manuel A.J. Laboy is vice president and director of Offshore Infrastructure Associates. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a master’s of business administration, and he is a licensed professional engineer. He has extensive experience in process design, construction and plant operations. Dr. Orlando E. Ruiz is an assistant professor at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, and a director of Offshore Infrastructure Associates. He received a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and also completed the General Electric Edison Engineering Development Program. He has worked with aerospace and computer companies and maintains a consulting practice. Commercial Implementation Of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Using the Ocean for Commercial Generation Of Baseload Renewable Energy and Potable Water https://www.sea-technology.com/features/2010/0410/thermal_energy_conversion.html Technical Feasibility The nearly 80 years of studies and designs since Claude’s first attempt to demonstrate OTEC technology in Cuba in 1930 and the investment of more than $500 million in R&D and engineering during the mid-1970s to the early 1990s—in the United States alone—have provided sufficient data to build commercial-scale OTEC plants at the present time, given the proper economic conditions and the right markets. In 1980, a report prepared by the RAND Corp. (Santa Monica, California) for the U.S. Department of Energy found that power systems and platforms required for OTEC plants were within the state of the art. Subsequent work, such as designs developed by APL in 1980 and GE in 1983, addressed other issues like the cold-water pipe and the cable used to transport electricity to shore. Substantial additional progress has occurred since then. For example, submarine cables capable of serving the needs of OTEC plants have been developed and are in use for other applications. Techniques for fabricating and installing large-diameter pipes and immersed tubes developed for other applications, such as offshore oil, ocean outfalls and channel crossings, are adaptable to OTEC. The APL and GE designs, as well as the one developed in 1994 by the Tokyo Electric Power Services Co. for its 10-megawatt-electrical closed-cycle plant to serve the Republic of Nauru, are all based on the use of commercially available components and techniques. Offshore Infrastructure Associates Inc. (OIA) has developed configurations for commercial-scale OTEC plants based on available technologies in widespread use for other applications. In addition to general design, work has centered on process optimization and system integration, with the dual objectives of minimizing parasitic power consumption and reducing overall capital cost. Suppliers for plant components have been identified. In summary, OIA has verified conclusions reached by previous investigators: Commercial OTEC plants are technically feasible today. Directory: file -> fetch fetch -> 11 th Lit Semester 1 Final Study Guide!!! fetch -> Industrial Revolution Inventors fetch -> Analysis for Galveston Hurricane of 1900 fetch -> The Illuminators (Team 2) 1900 Galveston Hurricane Cycle a team Assignment fetch -> Team csi-utb ruth Reyes Jose Ferrer fetch -> Galveston Hurricane of 1900 Cycle a-teacher as a Problem Solver fetch -> Is Climate Change Starting a New Dust Bowl? 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