DESIGN OF LOW-COST ALUMINUM HEAT EXCHANGERS FOR OTEC PLANT-SHIPS

The most expensive components of an OTEC system are the evaporators (heated by warm surface water), the condensers (cooled by water from 700-1000 m depth), and the floating ocean platform. To minimize these costs, a simple two-phase-flow heat exchangers made of large-diameter aluminum tubes (ammonia inside, sea water outside) are designed for integration in a simple, barge-type, reinforced concrete hull. Each 2.5-MW//e(net) evaporator or condenser module has 132 tubes approximately 700 ft long, folded to 27 horizontal passes each; 6 of these tubes are "nested" in a vertical plane in each of 22 "elements" . The method of analysis and a concept for assembling these modules are presented. The estimated costs for the heat exchangers and the total OTEC plant-ship (to busbars) are $5.45 sq. ft. of surface area and $1130/kW//e(net), respectively, for a first-of-a-kind, 100-MW//e(net) demonstration plant ship for use on tropical high seas. The costs for the sixth and subsequent 500-MW//e(net) commercial plant-ships are estimated to be 2.72/sq. ft. and 566/kW//e.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Presented at Sharing the Sun: Solar Technology in the Seventies, Joint Conference of the International Solar Energy Society, Solar Energy Society of Canada, Incorporated, Winnipeg, Manitoba, August 15-20, 1976.
• Corporate Authors:

  International Solar Energy Society

  National Science Centre, P.O. Box 52
  Parkville, Victoria 3052,   Australia 
• Authors:
  • Olsen, H L
  • Pandolfini, P P
  • Blevins, R W
  • Dugger, G L
  • Avery, W H
• Conference:
  • Presented at Sharing the Sun: Solar Technology in the Seventies, Joint Conference of the International Solar Energy Society, Solar Energy Society of Canada, Incorporated, Winnipeg, Manitoba, August 15-20, 1976.
• Publication Date: 1976

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 485-506
• Serial:
  • Volume: 5

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Costs; Economic analysis; Electric power generation; Energy conversion; Heat exchangers; Oceans; Offshore platforms; Seawater; Temperature gradients; Thermal efficiency; Thermal power generation
• Old TRIS Terms: Marine platforms; Thermal gradients
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Economics; Energy; Finance; Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00168324
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Engineering Index
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 30 1978 12:00AM