Analysis of the Mist Lift Process for Mist Flow Open-Cycle OTEC

摘要

Preliminary results are presented of a numerical analysis to study the open-cycle mist flow process for ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC). Emphasis in the analysis is on the mass transfer and fluid mechanics of the steady-state mist flow. The analysis is based on two one-dimensional models of the mist lift process: a single-group model describes a mist composed of a single size of drops and a multigroup model considers a spectrum of drop sizes. The single-group model predicts that the lift achieved in the mist lift process will be sensitive to the inlet parameters. Under conditions that lead to maximum lift in the model for a single drop size, the multigroup model predicts significantly reduced performance. Because the growth of drops is important, sensitivity of the predicted performance of the mist lift to variations in the collision parameters has been studied. (ERA citation 05:036466)