Thermal Efficiency Enhancement of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Using Solar Thermal Energy

Abstract

Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) is a power generation system that utilizes small temperature differences between the surface and deep sea water. This paper describes the simulation results of the thermal efficiency of an OTEC plant that utilizes not only ocean thermal energy but also solar thermal energy as a heat source. This power generation system is termed SOTEC (solar and ocean thermal energy conversion). Simulation results of a 100- kWe SOTEC plant, in which the solar collector is installed in two configurations, are obtained and compared with those of an ordinary OTEC plant. The simulation result shows that the proposed SOTEC plant can enhance the annual mean thermal efficiency up to 1.5 times higher than that of the ordinary OTEC plant.