Though the power generation system using ammonia/water mixture (AWM) as working fluid has been put into practical use in the wasteheat power generation systems at high heat source temperatures, power generation using ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) system at low heat source temperatures is not verified thoroughly. Therefore, this paper reports on two weeks continuous operation of an OTEC experimental device. The influence of cold source temperature is clarified on the turbine inlet and outlet temperatures and pressures in this paper.
In the current century, energy and environmental problems are becoming critical, and the need for the development of renewable energy has become urgent. The Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) power plant is a system for generating electric power using the temperature difference between the shallow and the deep water of the ocean. It is an environment-friendly source of energy. Unlike most of the renewable energy resources which are weather dependents, OTEC system provides a stable source of electricity along the year because the shallow and the deep water temperatures are constant. In addition, the seawater used for electricity generation can be further used in many fields, such as desalination of seawater, agriculture, and Lithium recovery. As the temperature difference between the heat source and the heat sink of the ocean is much smaller than that in the conventional and in the nuclear power systems, the cycle efficiency of the OTEC systems is much lower and a huge amount of warm and cold water should be drawn from the ocean in order to drive the cycle; subsequently, the pumping power is huge. As it is a great importance for the practical design of the system, this paper reports on the spectrum characteristic of the OTEC system outputs.
