Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) systems : losses due to heat transfer in cold water pipes

Abstract

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) systems harness the natural temperature difference (ΔT) between surface water and deep seawater to generate power in the form of electricity. The temperature of seawater however fluctuates based on the geographical location, as well as on factors such as ocean depth and proximity to the coastline. Therefore, the distance from shore might be very long where the requisite ΔΤ is met for the system to function optimally. This study assesses scenarios where the required ΔT is at a high distance from shore, by evaluating the heat transfer losses in the cold-water pipe (CWP). A computational investigation was conducted on the CWP to evaluate a more precise ΔΤ, as in most literature studies, the ΔΤ used in the performance assessments does not consider any heat transfer losses.