GB2556968A - A novel platform for providing OTEC units with a supply of warm and cold sea water and safety from storms - Google Patents
A novel platform for providing OTEC units with a supply of warm and cold sea water and safety from storms Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2556968A GB2556968A GB1713655.7A GB201713655A GB2556968A GB 2556968 A GB2556968 A GB 2556968A GB 201713655 A GB201713655 A GB 201713655A GB 2556968 A GB2556968 A GB 2556968A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- otec
- units
- sgstem
- platform
- water
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03G—SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS; MECHANICAL-POWER PRODUCING DEVICES OR MECHANISMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR OR USING ENERGY SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03G7/00—Mechanical-power-producing mechanisms, not otherwise provided for or using energy sources not otherwise provided for
- F03G7/04—Mechanical-power-producing mechanisms, not otherwise provided for or using energy sources not otherwise provided for using pressure differences or thermal differences occurring in nature
- F03G7/05—Ocean thermal energy conversion, i.e. OTEC
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
- B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING
- B63B35/00—Vessels or similar floating structures specially adapted for specific purposes and not otherwise provided for
- B63B35/44—Floating buildings, stores, drilling platforms, or workshops, e.g. carrying water-oil separating devices
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
- B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING
- B63B35/00—Vessels or similar floating structures specially adapted for specific purposes and not otherwise provided for
- B63B35/44—Floating buildings, stores, drilling platforms, or workshops, e.g. carrying water-oil separating devices
- B63B2035/4433—Floating structures carrying electric power plants
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
- Y02E10/30—Energy from the sea, e.g. using wave energy or salinity gradient
Abstract
A floating housing for Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) units comprises a platform with buoyant ballast tanks 4 and a mooring system 8. The platform has a number of slots 9 into which the individual OTEC units may be fitted. A common inlet hose 2 draws cold water from the depth of the ocean for the units, and a common outlet hose 3 vents used water back to the ocean. The outlet hose contains a turbine (not shown), which produces electricity. In a second embodiment an OTEC unit is fitted with a ballast tank and a winch attached to a mooring line, providing a standalone floating unit or a group of units without an associated platform.
Description
(54) Title of the Invention: A novel platform for providing OTEC units with a supply of warm and cold sea water and safety from storms
Abstract Title: A floating housing system for OTEC units (57) A floating housing for Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) units comprises a platform with buoyant ballast tanks 4 and a mooring system 8. The platform has a number of slots 9 into which the individual OTEC units may be fitted. A common inlet hose 2 draws cold water from the depth of the ocean for the units, and a common outlet hose 3 vents used water back to the ocean. The outlet hose contains a turbine (not shown), which produces electricity.
In a second embodiment an OTEC unit is fitted with a ballast tank and a winch attached to a mooring line, providing a standalone floating unit or a group of units without an associated platform.
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A novel platform for providing OTEC units with a supply of warm and cold sea cold water and safety from storms.
Intro
Our new-otec platform is an innovative series of designs which is free from many of the traditional problems associated with OTEC.
Our existing patent uses a turbine to drive a pump and it preferablg uses the waste cold water generated bg the OTEC sgstem to drive the turbine. The turbine and pump are placed at the bottom of our sgstem in the deep-sea areas. Placing the pump at the bottom makes the use of hoses possible. The waste cold water can be vented awag from the 'fresh' cold water intake through a length of hose so that the intake is not contaminated.
At least one of four main problems can be avoided with an appropriate design.
Ί. Rigid pipes
2. Floating surface installation where storm damage is a serious issue.
3. Verg large heat exchangers
4. Very large offshore structures
Preferable features
A modular OTEC platform comprising at least one OTEC power unit.
The OTEC power units are sealed so that theg can be placed underwater.
Large no's of OTEC units can be efficientlg grouped together.
The units can be used alone as single units on or offshore The units are preferablg buogant and must be in the case of single offshore units.
Single offshore units mag also mean a small group of units which does not have a platform as such.
Platforms of different size can be created simplg bg lengthening the frame and widening the diameter of the hoses.
The units are provided warm and cold sea water through communal compartments.
It is possible to place pumps and valves if necessary in these compartments.
A large diameter hose, pipe etc. can be used to deliver the water. The platform would work for all cold-water delivery methods.
Small, manageable power units can be used. These power units are named 'cassettes' 'power units' - OTEC units' in this document.
Each cassette can be removed or added into a slot - berth.
An electrical connection is provided with the berth.
A means of securing the cassette to the berth is also provided
The cassette can be joined to a winch and electrical connection and hydraulic connection both for the power it produced and power used.
A mooring system may simply comprise a rope and weight - preferably with a drum and winch to reel in the rope. The location under the water ought to make this possible due to the lower wave forces.
The various sections of the platform are removeable for convenience.
Hydraulic or electrical pumps can be provided preferably these are also contained within the cassette rather than on the platform.
All pumping equipment may be held in each heat exchanger cassette - thus if any part which has a direct relation with the operation of the heat exchanger power unit can be maintained / fixed by removing the single OTEC cassette.
The platform can be fitted with vents and valves which are controllable. These may be required on starting up the system or when shutting down.
Single offshore unit
A single offshore unit is essentially a single OTEC cassette with additional buoyancy if necessary, a mooring, a tether, an electrical and hydraulic inlet - and outlet - (use of and production of power), a connection to the surface, a surface marker buoy - telematics or UAV style control system - a person skilled in relevant trades can advise. Fig Ί. Shows the main parts - A supply of cold water is provided. Conduits for the fresh and waste sea water are provided so that exiting waste cold water can preferably be used as the turbine driving fluid in the case of the turbine driven pump.
Pumps for pumping sea water are provided.
The unit can be lowered to a depth below the sea surface to avoid storm damage.
The unit can be streamlined.
The tether and surface marker buoy can be used to retrieve the single unit.
The space in the middle or the side or above the otec unit in fig Ί can become a space where buoyancy, adjustable or fixed can be added.
Optional equipment
Hydraulic or electric winches can be used.
Hydraulic or electric pumps can be used.
Moorings - Any traditional method may apply - Steel wire rope - synthetic rope - or chain etc.
Clump weights - anchor weights - suction piles etc.
Rather than using a hose and since the platform is in-itself inventive it may be preferable to use a pipe - a pair of hoses with a pump mounted on a lower heat exchanger or a hose and electric pump. Each can provide cold water.
Fig 1.
Shows an OTEC unit cassette - the cassettes hold all the important components - heat exchangers - turbine and generator - ammonia pump - system controls - telematics water pumps - electrical connection.
Fig 2.
Most importantly shows a layout for the system - a detachable hose and hose couplings - a mooring system - and the communal warm water and cold-water intake.
When a turbine driven pump is used to deliver deep sea cold water, waste / used cold sea water is driven down one hose where it drives a turbine which drives a pump. The pump drives fresh / unused cold water up a hose for use in an OTEC power unit.
In any case cold water enters the communal compartment - fresh and waste water cold water compartments are partitioned Cold water is used to condense ammonia - Cold water changes temperature. Waste cold water then pumped down a hose to drive the turbine. It is then vented away from the fresh cold sea water intake.
Warm water is taken in and vented through additional compartments in this case at the side of the super-structure. Appropriate debris filters can be provided.
Fig 3.
A system with no OTEC units can be used to test sub-systems and for training.
Fig 4.
Cassettes can be made so that they are buoyant and joined to a winch - thus with the assistance of a person skilled in the trade a cassette would rise to the surface and could be winched back into place. The process can really be accomplished with or without a winch. The main point is that the OTEC units are easily removeable as they are readily accessible from above as there is no obstruction.
A winch system including rope and electrical connection can provided. If not divers or ROV or ? would be required to retrieve a unit. We wish to patent that they are accessible from above, easily removed and yet joined to a communal supply of water(s), warm and cold. Provided with an appropriate mooring. That the subsystems are also readily accessible and removeable and can be broken into sections for the sake of maintenance.
Fig 5.
Winch motors and their drive system whether they are hydraulic or electric can be fixed onto the lower side of the platform. From here they can be readily maintained, fixed, replaced etc.
Fig 5 also shows that the various parts of the platform are detachable and easy to access. Fig 6.
Shows the physical design of the cassette housing system.
Fig 7.
Shows one method of installing a platform.
Figi.
cold water out
Condenser - ammonia is cold from a gas to a liquid.
cold water in single stage turbine and electrical generator - expansion of gaseous ammonia drive turbine to produce power hot water in
Evaporator - ammonia is heated from a liquid to a gas hot water out
Mechanical pump - pressurises the system and circulates the ammonia
Fig-2 detachable bower warm water in warm water out
Ballast tanks
3m diameter cold water hoses cold water compartments bowser support frame mooring rope and drum
180 kw cassette
Fig-3
1.
Dummy OTEC system
Without the internal parts of the OTEC cassette the 2 MW system would be very inexpensive.
This would be ideal for:
Practising installation
Lower and raising cassettes
Providing design verification
Training staff
Testing subsystem's
2.
By verifying the design using the dummy system there can be confidence in the design without large investments.
Fig-4
1.
Maintenance system
When maintenance of a single cassette is required.*
Hydraulic or electric winch activated
2the cassette is buoyant so rises to the surface
3the cassette is detached from the cables at the surface the cassette is lifted onto a boat
A replacement cassette is attached to the cables at the surface the replacement cassette is lowered into place *
This maintenance systems allow the rest of the OTEC cassettes to continue working. This allows for a very high capacity factor resulting in higher revenues and profits.
3.
A - Buoyant cassette
B- Cassette tether and electricity cable
Both cables have small buoyant floats.
Fig-5
Easy access maintenance platform
All key parts sensibly arranged to make maintenance as easy as possible.
Duct joining bowser is made of flexible material which makes alignment easer
The bowser is detachable form the duct and the hoses are detachable from the bowser
Flanged hose sections are detachable form one another. Depending on the area which requires maintenance the hose system can be raised to the surface. Without raising the platform.
In the event of winch failure, the winch system is easily accessed by divers from the underside
Fig-6
OTEC cassette system slots are designed to guide cassettes into place when being installed by winching
When in place the cassette can take in warm and cold water
Fig-7
114 MW offshore OTEC system towed to deep water 3 km offshore fully sealed air lift bags are joined to the OTEC system.
Anchor ropes lowered using remote control hoses joined to bowser and / or bowser and hoses joined to main frame.
hoses lowered.
ballast tanks emptied and OTEC system sinks to a depth of 30 m
Excess anchor rope reeled in remotely.
Air lift bags are removed *air lift bags reman at the surface whilst OTEC system sinks to prevent sinking past desired depth ** there are a number of different options for joining the hoses and bowser to the main frame.
Claims (7)
1. A system for housing OTEC power units wherein a platform for housing OTEC units is held up from the sea bottom with buoyancy and weighted down with at least one mooring.
2. A system according to claim Ί. wherein a slot sgstem for the power unit is provided so that the power unit can be removed.
3. A sgstem according to claim Ί. wherein the mooring sgstem is retractable.
4. A sgstem according to claim Ί. wherein the buogancg is stored in detachable, streamlined, ballast tanks fixed onto the side of the super-structure.
5. A system according to claim 1. wherein the super-structure supports a common, detachable cold water and warm water intake sgstem; a pluralitg of OTEC units feed from the communal water sources.
6. A system according to claim 1. and 2. Wherein the power unit is fitted with a winch and electricity supplg.
7. A sgstem according to claim Ί and 2 where the hose sgstem is joined to water turbine driven pump and wherein the turbine is driven bg waste cold water and wherein the waste cold water is vented through an additional length of hose awag from the pump intake.
Intellectual
Property
Office
Application No: Claims searched:
GB1713655.7
1 (partial) and 2 to 7 (complete)
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBGB1614524.5A GB201614524D0 (en) | 2016-08-25 | 2016-08-25 | Platform |
Publications (3)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB201713655D0 GB201713655D0 (en) | 2017-10-11 |
| GB2556968A true GB2556968A (en) | 2018-06-13 |
| GB2556968B GB2556968B (en) | 2022-09-28 |
Family
ID=57119862
Family Applications (2)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBGB1614524.5A Ceased GB201614524D0 (en) | 2016-08-25 | 2016-08-25 | Platform |
| GB1713655.7A Active GB2556968B (en) | 2016-08-25 | 2017-08-24 | A novel platform for providing OTEC units with a supply of warm and cold sea cold water and safety from storms |
Family Applications Before (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBGB1614524.5A Ceased GB201614524D0 (en) | 2016-08-25 | 2016-08-25 | Platform |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (2) | GB201614524D0 (en) |
Cited By (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN110056490A (en) * | 2019-03-25 | 2019-07-26 | 天津大学 | A kind of ocean thermal energy conversion device |
| GB2579850A (en) * | 2018-12-18 | 2020-07-08 | Subsea 7 Norway As | Long-distance transmission of power underwater |
| US11001357B2 (en) | 2019-07-02 | 2021-05-11 | Raytheon Company | Tactical maneuvering ocean thermal energy conversion buoy for ocean activity surveillance |
| US11085425B2 (en) | 2019-06-25 | 2021-08-10 | Raytheon Company | Power generation systems based on thermal differences using slow-motion high-force energy conversion |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN111894812B (en) * | 2020-07-17 | 2021-11-23 | 上海电气风电集团股份有限公司 | Installation method and installation device of offshore wind turbine |
Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4373338A (en) * | 1980-01-11 | 1983-02-15 | Hollandsche Beton Groep N.V. | System for generating energy using the temperature difference between the water temperature at the sea surface and the water temperature at greater depth |
| WO2007122376A1 (en) * | 2006-04-13 | 2007-11-01 | Alan West | Offshore apparatus for capturing energy |
| US20100180924A1 (en) * | 2009-01-16 | 2010-07-22 | Lockheed Martin Corporation | Floating Platform with Detachable Support Modules |
| GB2487372A (en) * | 2011-01-18 | 2012-07-25 | Dominic Michaelis | Offshore marina formed from a number of interconnected ships |
-
2016
- 2016-08-25 GB GBGB1614524.5A patent/GB201614524D0/en not_active Ceased
-
2017
- 2017-08-24 GB GB1713655.7A patent/GB2556968B/en active Active
Patent Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4373338A (en) * | 1980-01-11 | 1983-02-15 | Hollandsche Beton Groep N.V. | System for generating energy using the temperature difference between the water temperature at the sea surface and the water temperature at greater depth |
| WO2007122376A1 (en) * | 2006-04-13 | 2007-11-01 | Alan West | Offshore apparatus for capturing energy |
| US20100180924A1 (en) * | 2009-01-16 | 2010-07-22 | Lockheed Martin Corporation | Floating Platform with Detachable Support Modules |
| GB2487372A (en) * | 2011-01-18 | 2012-07-25 | Dominic Michaelis | Offshore marina formed from a number of interconnected ships |
Cited By (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2579850A (en) * | 2018-12-18 | 2020-07-08 | Subsea 7 Norway As | Long-distance transmission of power underwater |
| GB2579850B (en) * | 2018-12-18 | 2021-05-19 | Subsea 7 Norway As | Long-distance transmission of power underwater |
| CN110056490A (en) * | 2019-03-25 | 2019-07-26 | 天津大学 | A kind of ocean thermal energy conversion device |
| CN110056490B (en) * | 2019-03-25 | 2020-09-08 | 天津大学 | Ocean temperature difference energy power generation device |
| US11085425B2 (en) | 2019-06-25 | 2021-08-10 | Raytheon Company | Power generation systems based on thermal differences using slow-motion high-force energy conversion |
| US11001357B2 (en) | 2019-07-02 | 2021-05-11 | Raytheon Company | Tactical maneuvering ocean thermal energy conversion buoy for ocean activity surveillance |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB201614524D0 (en) | 2016-10-12 |
| GB201713655D0 (en) | 2017-10-11 |
| GB2556968B (en) | 2022-09-28 |
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