Feasibility study of extracting electrical energy from OTEC by thermoelectric phenomenon

Temperature gradient in ocean water layers can be used for providing heat source and heat sink of thermoelectric effect. The thermoelectric OTEC is a system which replaces the vapor derived generators in OTEC plants with compact heat exchangers integrated with thermoelectric generators and therefore requires no pressure vessels, working fluid pumps and other equipment in a vapor OTEC power plant. This concept was introduced in 19th century and some studies were presented then. However, the new advances in thermoelectric technologies have enabled us to produce power with even small ΔT (1-10K) and since the thermal capacity of the water is high, it suggests that the temperature gradient between ocean layers would relatively stayed the same. This has led us to study the feasibility of using Thermoelectric OTEC plants to produce electricity. Findings suggest that using this technology in a large scale can be useful for electricity generation especially in local areas, far-a-way islands or offshore oil facilities. Areas where temperature difference between ocean layers is more than 20K (such as Caspian Sea in IRAN) could be a desired choice for Thermoelectric OTEC. In this study the maximum available power output and thermodynamic efficiency of the system is presented.

Feasibility study of extracting electrical energy from OTEC by thermoelectric phenomenon Keywords:

Thermoelectric , OTEC , Ocean energy , Renewable Energy