Alternative Energy from the Ocean

The Sea Heat Energy Conversion (OTEC) was conceived by French engineer Jacques D'Arsonval in 1881. However, at the time of this writing, the Hawaii Natural Energy Laboratory was home to the only experimental OTEC factory operating on the earth. . OTEC is a potential alternative energy source that needs to be funded and explored more than at present. A major obstacle to overcoming the application of OTEC at a broad and practical level is cost. It is difficult to reduce costs to a reasonable level because of the process currently used to encourage the OTEC. Sea heat energy will be very clean and not add pollutants to the air. However, because now it needs to be formed with our current technology, OTEC plants will have the capacity to disrupt and possibly damage the local environment.

There are three types of OTEC.

"Closed Cycle OTEC" 

uses low boiling liquids such as, for example, propane acts as an intermediate liquid. The OTEC factory pumps warm sea water into the reaction room and boils the intermediate liquid. This produces liquid vapor between pushing the engine turbine, which produces electricity. The steam is then cooled by entering cold sea water.

"Open Cycle OTEC"

not different from closed cycles, except in the Open Cycle there is no intermediate fluid. Seawater itself is a turbine engine drive in this OTEC format. Warm sea water found on the surface of the sea is transformed into low-pressure steam under the limits of vacuum. Low pressure steam is released in a focused area and has the power to drive the turbine. To cool the steam and make non-salt water for human consumption, deeper sea-cool water is added to the steam after producing enough electricity.

"Hybrid Cycle OTEC"

actually just a theory for now. This seeks to illustrate the way we can use maximum heat energy from sea water. There are actually two sub-theories for the theory of Hybrid Cycling. The first involves using a closed cycle to produce electricity. This electricity is in turn used to create the vacuum environment needed for open cycling. The second component is the integration of two open cycles so that twice the amount of desalinated, potable water is made with only one open cycle.

Apart from being used to produce electricity, the closed OTEC plant cycle can be used to treat chemicals. OTEC plants, both open biking and close cycling, can also be used to pump cold deep sea water which can then be used for cooling and air conditioning. Furthermore, during the period of moderation when seawater circled the factory, the attached can be used for aquaculture and aquaculture projects such as fish farming. Obviously there are a number of products and services that we can obtain from this alternative energy source.

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