INTRODUCTION

Ocean THERMAL ENERGY CONVERSION(OTEC) IS A

TECHNOLOGY FOR GENERATING RENEWABLE ENERGY.
SINCE OTEC EXPLOITS RENEWABLE SOLAR ENERGY,
RECURRING COST TO GENERATE ELECTRICAL POWER
ARE MINIMAL.
THERE ARE SOME HIGH FIXED COSTS THAT DOMINATE
THE ECONOMICS OF OTEC.
 WORKING
PRINCIPLE
OTEC utilizes the oceans 20c
natural thermal gradient
between the warm surface of
water and the cold deep sea
water to drive a rankine cycle.
 OTEC PROCESS
Ocean water acts as heat source
and the cold water at 1000 m
depth acts as heat sink.
 OTEC PROCESS
5. Heat
extraction from
COLD DEEP 4. Expanding vapor
cold-water sink
WATER drive the turbine, and
to condense the 5C
electricity is created by
working fluid in
a generator
the condenser.
CONDENSER

TURBINE
2. Fluid pump pressurizes and
pushes working fluid to GENERATOR
WORKING evaporator
FLUID
(LIKE EVAPORATO
AMMONIA)
R 3. Heat addition
from the hot-water
1. Power input to source used to
WARM SURFACE
pumps to start WATER 28 C evaporate the
process working fluid within
the heat exchanger
(Evaporator)
 OPEN CYCLE SYSTEM
Open-cycle OTEC uses the tropical
oceans' warm surface water to
make electricity. When warm
seawater is placed in a low-
pressure container, it boils. The
expanding steam drives a low-
pressure turbine attached to an
electrical generator. The steam,
which has left its salt behind in the
low-pressure container, is almost
pure fresh water. It is condensed
back into a liquid by exposure to
cold temperatures from deep-
ocean water.

OPEN CYCLE SYSTEM

 CLOSED CYCLE SYSYTEM
Closed-cycle systems( Rankine )
use fluid with a low-boiling point,
such as ammonia, to rotate a
turbine to generate electricity.
Here's how it works. Warm
surface seawater is pumped
through a heat exchanger where
the low-boiling-point fluid is
vaporized. The expanding vapor
turns the turbo-generator. Then,
cold, deep seawaterpumped
through a second heat
exchangercondenses the vapor
back into a liquid, which is then
recycled through the system.

CLOSED CYCLE SYSTEM

 ADVANTAGES
Mineral Extraction :

OTEC helps in mining ocean

water for 57 trace elements. the
large volume of water needed and
because of the expense involved in
separating the minerals from
seawater. But in OTEC plants
already pumping the water, the only
remaining economic challenge is to
minimize the cost of the extraction
process.
 DISADVANTAGES
i. OTEC-produced electricity at present would cost more
than electricity generated from fossil fuels at their
current costs.
ii. OTEC plants must be located where a difference of
about 20 C occurs year round. Ocean depths must
be available fairly close to shore-based facilities for
economic
iii. No energy company will put money in this project
because it only had been tested in a very small scale.
iv. Construction of OTEC plants and lying of pipes in
coastal waters may cause localized damage to reefs
and near-shore marine ecosystems.
 CURRENT
OTEC

PLANT
In March 2013, Saga University with various Japanese
industries completed the installation of a new OTEC
plant. The plant consists of two units; one includes
the 50kW generator while the second unit is used for
component testing and optimization. Currently, this is
the only fully operational OTEC plant in the world.
In 2002, India tested a 1 MW floating OTEC pilot plant
near Tamil Nadu. The plant was ultimately
unsuccessful due to a failure of the deep sea cold
water pipe.
 SUMMARY
1. Based on Rankine cycle - Thermodynamic cycle which
converts heat into work through a heat engine
2. As with any heat engine , the greatest efficiency and
power is produced with the largest temperature differences.
3. Uses the vertical temperature gradient in the ocean as a
heat sink/source
4. Temperature differences generally increases with
decreasing latitude , in the tropics, thereby mainly used in
equatorial waters where temperature difference is greatest
 FUTURE
The fossil fuels will in the near future be
consumed, so we had to find some alternative
energy sources. OTEC is a source, which uses
the renewable solar collector, the sea, instead
of an artificial collector.

The problem is that this investment will be

more expensive than the fossil fuels power
plants, and it will take a long time before
anyone will put some money in this project and
outrival the now existing plants.
THANK YOU