• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.43-49
• /
• 2013

The use of ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) to generate electricity is one of the methods proposed to utilize renewable energy and to protect the environment. In this study, simulations were performed to investigate the effect of weather conditions in the Ulsan region, Korea, on the efficiency of a solar-heating OTEC (SH-OTEC) system. This system utilizes solar thermal energy as the secondary heat source. Various working fluids were also simulated to select one that is suitable for this system. The results showed that R152A, R600, and R600A, in that order, were the most suitable working fluids. The effective area of the solar collector for a $20^{\circ}C$ increase in the collector outlet temperature fluctuated from 50 to $97m^2$ owing to the change in the monthly average solar gain. The annual average efficiency of the SH-OTEC increases to 6.23%, compared to that of a typical conventional OTEC, which is 2-4%.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.13 no.4 s.35
• /
• pp.159-168
• /
• 1999

부유식 파랑에너지 변환시스템(Oscillating Water Column)에 대한 해석은 입력파와 챔버, 챔버내 공기의 상호작용으로 인하여 어려움이 많다. 이 논문은 이와 같은 요소를 고려하면서도 쉽고 간편한 해석법을 제시한다. 파랑에너지에 의한 자가발전은 파랑에너지를 기계적 운동으로 변환하고 이를 전기에너지로 변환함으로써 가능하다. 본 논문은 파랑에너지에서 기계적 에너지로 변환하는 과정에 집중하여 그 부분의 성능을 해석한다. 단일 진동수 규칙파가 입력되었을 때에 파에 의하여 챔버의 상하운동이 선형적으로 발생하는 것으로 보며, 이 상하운동에 챔버내의 압력 영향을 고려하였다. 상하운동과 챔버내로 투과한 파, 그리고 챔버내 압력에 의해 발생되는 파에 의해 챔버내의 상대운동을 정하고, 그 상대 운동에 의한 공기의 압축 팽창과 온도상승을 근사적 열역학적 방정식으로 해석하였고 오리피스를 통한 유량을 결정하였다. 얻어진 식은 간단하면서도 관련요소의 영향을 전반적으로 표현한다. 결과에 따르면 고정식의 에너지 변환식은 부유식의 특별한 경우로서 파악되었다. 또한 고정식의 시스템을 그대로 부유식으로 바꿨을 때 그 변환효율은 적어지는 것으로 나타났다. 본 해석법은 계산이 간편하므로 설계단계에서 유용하게 활용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

• Journal of Power System Engineering
• /
• v.18 no.5
• /
• pp.88-93
• /
• 2014

In this paper, the performance analysis of condensation and evaporation capacity, turbine work and efficiency of the OTEC power system using vapor-liquid Ejector is presented to offer the basic design data for the operating parameters of the system. The working fluid used in this system is $CO_2$. The operating parameters considered in this study include the vapor quality at heat exchanger outlet, pressure ratio of ejector and inlet pressure of low turbine, mass flow ratio of separator at condenser outlet. The main results were summarized as follows. The efficiency of the OTEC power cycle has an enormous effect on the mass flow ratio of separator at condenser outlet. With a thorough grasp of these effects, it is possible to design the OTEC power cycle proposed in this study.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
• /
• v.3 no.4
• /
• pp.309-325
• /
• 2013

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) systems utilize the temperature difference between the surface water and deep ocean water to generate electrical energy. In addition to ocean surface waves, wind and current, in certain locations like the Andaman Sea, Sulu Sea and the South China Sea the presence of strong internal waves may become a concern in floating OTEC system design. The current paper focuses on studying the dependence of the CWP hydrodynamic drag on relative velocity of the flow around the pipe, the effect of drag amplification due to vortex induced vibrations and the influence of internal waves on the floating semi and the cold water pipe integrated OTEC system. Two CWP sizes are modeled; the 4m diameter pipe represents a small scale prototype and the 10m diameter pipe represents a full commercial size CWP. are considered in the study.

• Journal of Power System Engineering
• /
• v.20 no.6
• /
• pp.87-92
• /
• 2016

This research dealt with performance characteristics of OTEC system applying an ejector and additional pump. Each system using five kinds of working fluids was analyzed, and primary parameters with respect to entrainment ratio were examined: Turbine gross power, evaporation capacity, pump work, efficiency and volume flow ratio. The primary results were as following. The efficiency of ejector-pump OTEC system was dependent on entrainment of the ejector. The degree of efficiency change was different from applied working fluid, and amount of pump work was turned out to be primary factor affected system efficiency. Meanwhile, optimized entrainment ratio was different from applied working fluid since their different vapor density. System efficiency at optimized entrainmet ratio of each working fluid was around 5%, showing minor difference each other.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.62-97
• /
• 2000

Recently the research for utilization of waste heat produced from electric power plants, casting factories, heat treating factories or commercial are being afforded by the need for energy saving. The objective of this study is to develop a thermoelectric generation system which unused energy from close-at-hand sources such as garbage incineration heat and industrial exhaust etc. into electricity. This paper a thermoelectric technology on a optimum system design method and efficiency and cost effective thermoelectric element on order to extract the maximum power output from energy conversion of waste energy. It is shown that the longitudinal stresses of module contacted with two point constrained Al tubes could be released more than those with a one-point constrained.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.40 no.9
• /
• pp.557-567
• /
• 2016

In this study, the optimal design of heat exchangers, including the evaporator and condenser of a solar-heating ocean thermal energy conversion (SH-OTEC), is investigated. The power output of the SH-OTEC is assumed to be 100 kW, and the SH-OTEC uses the working fluid of R134a and high-performance commercial tubes. The surface heat transfer area and the pressure drop were strongly dependent on the number of tubes, as well as the number of tube passes. To solve the reciprocal tendency between the heat transfer area and pressure drop with respect to the number of tubes, as well as the number of tube passes, a genetic algorithm (GA) with two objective functions of the heat transfer area (the capital cost) and operating cost (pressure drop) was used. Optimal results delineated the feasible regions of heat transfer area and operating cost with respect to the pertinent number of tubes and tube passes. Pareto fronts of the evaporator and condenser obtained from multi-objective GA provides designers or investors with a wide range of optimal solutions so that they can select projects suitable for their financial resources. In addition, the surface heat transfer area of the condenser took up a much higher percentage of the total heat transfer area of the SH-OTEC than that of the evaporator.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
• /
• v.42 no.1
• /
• pp.9-16
• /
• 2018

The development of limited petroleum resources for use with mankind inevitably explores and seeks to develop oil fields in the deep sea area, under the rise of the oil prices market situation. The use of Oceanic Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) technology, which operates the power generation facility using the temperature differences between the deep water and the surface water, is progressing actively as a trend to follow. In this study, the application of the Discharged Thermal Energy Conversion (DTEC) was designed and analyzed under the condition that the supply condition of seawater used in the FPSO installed in the deep sea area is changed up to 400m depth. In this case, it was confirmed that the design of the system that can generate more electric power according to the depth of water is confirmed, by thus applying the DTEC system by taking the cooling water at a deeper water depth than the existing design water depth. The FPSO considers the similarity of the OTEC power generation facilities, and will apply the DTEC system to FPSO in the deep sea area to accumulate technology and the conversion to further utilize the OTEC power generation facilities after the end of life cycle of oil production, which could be a solution to two important issues, namely, resource development and sustainable development.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.51-56
• /
• 2014

In this paper, OTEC(Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) system with vapor-vapor ejector is newly proposed. And 6 wet refrigerants are applied into the proposed OTEC system for performance comparison. The results of comparison performance are as follows. In the view of system efficiency, R32/R744(90:10) has the highest efficiency among the 6 refrigerants. In case of evaporation capacity, pump work and mass flow rate of working fluid, R744, R717 and R717 is lowest value, respectively. As this results, the vapor-vapor ejector is able to increase the efficiency of system. And It is necessary to select the optimized working fluid considering environmental and economic factors.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.45-50
• /
• 2014

In this paper, the Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion(OTEC) with vapor-vapor ejector is proposed newly. At this OTEC system, a vapor-vapor ejector is installed at inlet of condenser. The vapor-vapor ejector plays a very important role in increasing of the production work of low-stage turbine throughout the decrement of outlet pressure of ejector. The performance analysis is conducted for optimizing the system with HYSYS program. The procedure of performance analysis consists of outlet pressure of high turbine, the mass ratio of working fluid at separator, total working fluid rate, and nozzle diameters of vapor-vapor ejector. The main results is summarized as follows. The nozzle diameter is most important thing in this study. When each nozzle diameter of vapor-vapor ejector is 10 mm, the efficiency of OTEC system with vapor-vapor ejector shows the highest value. So it is necessary to set the optimized nozzle diameters of vapor-vapor ejector for achieving the high efficiency OTEC power system.