Exergy of the Ocean Thermal Resource and the Second-Law Efficiency of Idealized Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Power Cycles

摘要

A formula is developed to compute the maximum amount of work which can be extracted from a given combined mass of warm and cold ocean water (a quantity called the exergy of the ocean thermal resource). Second it compares the second-law efficiencies of various proposed ocean thermal energy conversion power cycles to determine which best utilizes the exergy of the ocean thermal resource. The second-law efficiencies of the multicomponent working fluid cycle, the Beck cycle, and the open and closed single- and multiple-stage Rankine cycles are compared. These types of OTEC power plants are analyzed in a consistent manner which assumes that all deviations from a plant making use of all the exergy (one with a second-law efficiency of 100%) occurs because of irreversible transfer of heat across a finite temperature difference. Conversion of thermal energy to other forms is assumed to occur reversibly. The comparison of second-law efficiencies of various OTEC power cycles shows that the multistage Rankine open cycle with just three stages has the potential of best using the exergy of the ocean thermal resource. (ERA citation 08:000285)