OTEC
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Welcome to the website on Ocean Thermal Energy
News update 22nd June 2009
OTEC team was present at the conference 'Energy Ocean 2009' in Rockport, Maine U.S. where they presented dOmeTEC and the airlift. Delft University of Technology and the Energy Ocean organization were kind enough to sponsor the team. The OTEC people present at the conference were all believers and shared the strong passion for OTEC.
The OTEC enthusiasts <sup/>
- "De ingenieur" article published 6 March 2009
- News update 23rd Februari, 2009
Technology Magazine "De Ingenieur" will publish the winning dOmeTEC solution in next magazine, available from March 6th. The Team is lifting OTEC to a higher level. Stay in touch. More news will follow soon. - News update 10th Februari, 2009
OTEC design published on www.ecoboot.nl - The Team is happy to see a growing enthusiasm in OTEC as sustainable solution. Stay in touch for more news. - News update 2nd Februari, 2009
OTEC Team publication on www.ingenieursjournaal.nl - News update 23nd January, 2009
OTEC Team wins the Design Challenge!
Part of the Masters at the University of Technology in Delft is the Design Challenge, in which entrepreneurial students are challenged to come up with innovative solutions. We were assigned to design an technical feasible and cost competitive 10MW OTEC Power Plant for installation in the area near Curacao. In order to meet the requirements of today, we focused our attention on the key components and finally achieved radical innovation ? dOmeTEC!
Intro
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is a method for generating electricity using the thermal potential (temperature difference) from the upper and lower sea waters. The thermal potential drives a Rankine Cycle, which produces electricity (think of an inverted refrigerator process). Interesting areas for OTEC applications are in the equatorial zone, where the thermal potential is highest.
History
OTEC is an advanced technology having a long history of developments. Since 1800 there have been several attempts to develop and refine the OTEC system. So far, these attempts were purely experimental and consisted of demo plants, which were too small to be scaled to commercial size systems. Besides that, most systems were not successful due to economical and technological difficulties.
Current situation
The situation is changed now. Renewable energy is in the spotlights, offering opportunities for the OTEC technology. Developments such as the rise of the fossil fuel prices and an increasing knowledge in the offshore industry, result in the OTEC system to be economically more attractive and technologically more feasible.
Although, the commercial interest in the OTEC system rises, several remaining difficulties and challenges keep the industry from investing. In general these are:
- The environmental impact (biofouling, large seawater flows);
- Required capital investment (2,5-10 million $ per MW);
- Technical risks (deployment, environmental loading, size, efficiency).
To proceed beyond the experimental phase and towards commercialization, innovative solutions for these problems are required.
Technological challenges
The main challenges can be specified for the key components of the OTEC system:
Heat Engine
- Low thermal potential (+/- 20 -25 degrees temperature difference);
- Low Thermal efficiency of the heat engine (Rankine Cycle is only 3%);
Water Ducting System
- Large cold and warm water flows resulting in large diameter pipes (4 - 10m diameter);
- High environmental loading and difficulties in deployment;
Pumping system
- Pumping the water from large depth to the surface, using a minimum amount of energy
- Environmental impact at the inlet
Innovation - dOmeTEC!
Interested?! <b/>
Contact:
otecdesign@gmail.com
OTEC Team members:
Berend Jan Kleute - BSc Mechanical Engineering, MSc Offshore Engineering
George Dodoros - BSc Chemical Engineering, MSc Management of Technology
Jody Verpoort - BSc Technology, Policy and Management, MSc System Engineering, Policy Analysis and Management
Yosef Safi Harb - BSc Aerospace Engineering, MSc Aircraft Design
