Sensitivity analysis of a closed cycle ocean thermal energy conversion power plant

Abstract

In order to have a thorough parameter identification of a closed cycle ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), sensitivity analysis method is suggested. It can illustrate the effects of each parameter variation on the output of the system and also can reveal their order of significance. In this paper, effect of different input parameters such as input warm and cold water temperatures, warm and cold water pipe diameters, warm and cold water velocity in pipes, and evaporator and condenser working temperatures on the net output power and efficiency of the system is investigated. A 100 MW power plant case study has been chosen for the sensitivity analysis process. The main advantage of this study is providing an acceptable range for system parameters which gives designers an insight to select system configuration properly.