An application of OTEC principle to thermal power plant as a co-generation plant

Abstract

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is a process that employs the natural temperature difference between the ocean surface and the depths of the ocean. A new approach of feasible study was carried out, for a newly designed closed cycle demonstration of OTEC plant principle of application, for Co-Generation plant with the help of Thermal power plant tail-ended water temperature as a warm surface temperature and deep cold sea water as a low temperature. Basically OTEC plants can operate when the solar energy is available; this paper presents a new approach of utilizing the same principle to operate it continuously as a Co-Generation plant for Thermal power plants. In Thermal power plant tail ended warm water temperature increases the heat transfer between the warm water and working fluid, which increases the working fluid temperature before the turbine. It is observed that thermal efficiency and the output power of system will increase with increasing operating temperature difference. Increasing turbine inlet temperatures also increase the efficiency and the work done by the turbine. The efficiency and the power output increases with increasing ratio of warm water to cold water flow rates. The study of findings from this work can contribute to develop a Co-Generation plant for Thermal power plant.