Skip to main content

OTEC

Capturing energy using temperature gradients across water depths.

Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) technology converts solar energy stored in the layers of the tropical and subtropical oceans. Thermal heat engines use the temperature difference between the sun-warmed surface water and cold water in the deep ocean. The temperature difference between surface waters and deeper water can reach over 25oC in summer months, although usually this temperature difference exists only over water with depths of 1,000 m or greater. Many different OTEC archetypes have been investigated, some on floating offshore platforms and some built onshore with pipelines to transport the water to and from the ocean. Each system uses one or a combination of thermodynamic processes to turn the temperature difference into mechanical energy. Both the open-cycle and closed-cycle plants use cold water pumped from the deep ocean to condense a working fluid. An ancillary benefit is that the condensate is freshwater that can have other uses such as agriculture and potable drinking water.

Photo: Okinawa Prefecture Industrial Policy Division

Marine Energy Documents Related to OTEC

Tethys Engineering is a knowledge hub that contains documents and resources about the technical aspects of marine energy development. The table below contains all of the documents in the Tethys Engineering Knowledge Base associated with OTEC.

Total: 542

Title Author Date Sort ascending Type of Content Technology Collection Method Engineering
Thermodynamic Analysis of an Integrated OTEC-Based Multi-Generation Plant for Hydrogen and Freshwater Production Ramachandran, C., Arun Shal, U., Ramachandran, S. Conference Paper OTEC, Hybrid-Cycle Modeling Hybrid Devices, Performance
Heat transfer mechanism of cold-water pipe in ocean thermal energy conversion system Mao, L., Wei, C., Zeng, S. Journal Article OTEC Modeling Performance
Experimental study on dynamic stability of vertical cantilevered pipe aspirating fluid immersed in various water depths Ma, Y., You, Y., Zhang, J. Journal Article OTEC Lab Data, Modeling, Test Center Hydrodynamics, Performance, Structural
Evaluation of a novel OTEC System composed of Uehara Cycle for power and refrigeration cogeneration Xue, Y., Bian, Y., Liu, Y. Journal Article OTEC, Closed-Cycle Modeling Performance
Explore the influence of intermediate extraction on thermodynamic performance and economy of Uehara cycle Zhu, K., Bian, Y., Liu, Y. Journal Article OTEC, Closed-Cycle Modeling Performance
A transient model for clean electricity generation using Solar energy and ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) - case study: Karkheh dam - southwest Iran Dezhdar, A., Assareh, E., Keykhah, S. Journal Article OTEC, Hybrid-Cycle Modeling Hybrid Devices, Performance
OTEC and Advanced Deep Ocean Water Use for Kumejima: An Introduction Martin, B., Okamura, S., Yasunuga, T. Conference Paper OTEC, Closed-Cycle Field Data, Full Scale Grid Integration, Performance
Performance Analysis of a 10 MW Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Plant Using Rankine Cycle in Malaysia Thirugnana, S., Jaafar, A., Rajoo, S. Journal Article OTEC, Closed-Cycle Modeling Performance
Performance evaluation of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) stabilization based on risk analysis Lim, S., Lee, H., Yoon, J. Journal Article OTEC, Closed-Cycle Field Data, Full Scale Performance, Substructure
A review of geographic information system (GIS) and techno economic (TE) software tools for renewable energy and methodology to develop a coupled GIS-TE software tool for marine renewable energy (MRE) O’Connell, R., Murphy, J., McAuliffe, F. Journal Article Current, Wave, Salinity Gradient, OTEC Field Data, Modeling
Thermodynamic analysis and turbine design of a 100 kW OTEC-ORC with binary non-azeotropic working fluid Ma, Q., Gao, Z., Huang, J. Journal Article OTEC, Open-Cycle Modeling Materials, Performance, Structural
Objective Functions and Performance Optimization of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Cycle with CO2-Based Binary Zeotropic Mixture Power Cycle Shi, W., Sun, Y., Pan, L. Journal Article OTEC, Closed-Cycle Materials, Performance
A Review of Offshore Renewable Energy in South America: Current Status and Future Perspectives Shadman, M., Roldan-Carvajal, M., Pierat, F. Journal Article Current, Wave, Salinity Gradient, OTEC Field Data Hybrid Devices
Opinion on ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) Xiao, C., Gulfam, R. Journal Article OTEC, Closed-Cycle Modeling Materials, Performance, Structural
Performance Evaluation of Control Compatibility for an OTEC Pump Shutdown Condition Lim, S., Yoon, J., Lee, H. Journal Article OTEC, Closed-Cycle Modeling Control, Performance
Potential sites for the use of ocean energy in the Mexican Caribbean Chávez, V., Barcenas, J., Martínez, M. Journal Article Current, Ocean Current, Wave, OTEC
Thermodynamic performance of a radial-inflow turbine for ocean thermal energy conversion using ammonia Zhang, C., Wu, Z., Wang, J. Journal Article OTEC, Closed-Cycle Modeling Hydrodynamics, Performance, Structural, Substructure
Recent development of integrating CO2 hydrogenation into methanol with ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) as potential source of green energy Zulqarnain, M., Yusoff, M., Keong, L. Journal Article OTEC Performance
Thermodynamic and exergoeconomic optimization of a novel cooling, desalination and power multigeneration system based on ocean thermal energy Geng, D., Gao, X. Journal Article OTEC, Open-Cycle Modeling Hybrid Devices, Performance, Structural
A review of energy extraction from wind and ocean: Technologies, merits, efficiencies, and cost Rehman, S., Alhems, L., Alam, M. Journal Article Current, Tidal, Ocean Current, Wave, Salinity Gradient, OTEC Performance
Performance Improvement of OTEC-ORC and Turbine Based on Binary Zeotropic Working Fluid Ma, Q., Huang, J., Gao, Z. Journal Article OTEC, Closed-Cycle Modeling Materials, Performance
Site selection of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) plants for Barbados Hall, K., Kelly, S., Henry, L. Journal Article OTEC Modeling
Growth of ocean thermal energy conversion resources under greenhouse warming regulated by oceanic eddies Du, T., Jing, Z., Wu, L. Journal Article OTEC Modeling
The investigation of optimum multi-component blends in organic Rankine cycle for ocean thermal energy conversion Yang, M-H., Yeh, R-H. Journal Article OTEC, Closed-Cycle Modeling Performance
Abrasion and Cavitation Erosion Resistance of Multi-Layer Dip Coated Sol-Gel Coatings on AA2024-T3 Hegde, M., Kavanagh, Y., Duffy, B. Journal Article Current, Wave, Salinity Gradient, OTEC Field Data Materials
Structural analysis of low pressure steam turbine rotor for Open Cycle Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OC-OTEC) based desalination plant Majumdar, A., Mani, A., Jalihal, P. Book Chapter OTEC Modeling Structural
Assessment of potential and temperature differential for an ocean thermal energy conversion plant. Case study: Cozumel, Mexico Bernal, E., Garrido, D., Perea, G. Conference Paper OTEC Modeling
Site Assessment of Multi-purpose Offshore Platform with OTEC in East and Southeast Asia Ding, Y., Duan, F., Tabeta, S. Conference Paper OTEC Modeling
Finite Element Modelling of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Cold Water Pipe (CWP) Adiputra, R., Utsunomiya, T. Conference Paper OTEC Modeling Structural
Pre-expansion ejector absorption power cycle for ocean thermal energy conversion Yi, S., Zhang, Z., Peng, W. Journal Article OTEC Modeling Performance
Bibliometric analysis for ocean renewable energy: An comprehensive review for hotspots, frontiers, and emerging trends Hu, H., Xue, W., Jiang, P. Journal Article Current, Wave, Salinity Gradient, OTEC
Harnessing Ocean Thermal Energy from Offshore Locations in Pakistan Using an Organic Rankine Cycle Haroon, M., Ayub, A., Sheikh, N. Conference Paper OTEC, Closed-Cycle Performance
Thermoelectric Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion: A Computational Optimization Yu, J., Asthagiri, A. Presentation OTEC, Hybrid-Cycle Modeling Performance, Structural
Optimization Design of the Organic Rankine Cycle for an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion System Yang, X., Liu, Y., Chen, Y. Journal Article OTEC, Closed-Cycle Modeling Performance
Multi-objective optimization of an open-cycle, ocean thermal energy conversion system with desalinization Hernández-Romero, I., Zavala, V., Flores-Tlacuahuac, A. Journal Article OTEC, Open-Cycle Modeling Hybrid Devices, Performance
Identification of nonparametric thermodynamic model and optimization of ocean thermal energy conversion radial inflow turbine Liu, Y., Xue, Y., Chen, Y. Journal Article OTEC Performance, Structural
Study on improving the storage efficiency of ocean thermal energy storage (OTES) unit by using fins Li, S., Zhang, Y., Zhou, Z. Journal Article OTEC Modeling Hybrid Devices, Performance
Seawater desalination through reverse osmosis driven by ocean thermal energy conversion plant: Thermodynamic and economic feasibility Liponi, A., Baccioli, A., Vera, D. Journal Article OTEC Modeling Performance
Ocean energy applications for coastal communities with artificial intelligence: a state-of-the-art review Zhou, Y. Journal Article Current, Wave, Salinity Gradient, OTEC Control, Grid Integration, Performance
Investigation of a low-pressure flash evaporation desalination system powered by ocean thermal energy Wang, L., Ma, X., Kong, H. Journal Article OTEC, Hybrid-Cycle Modeling Hybrid Devices, Performance
Reliability Evaluation of Power Systems Containing Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Power Plants Nasiriani, K., Ghaedi, A., Nafar, M. Journal Article OTEC, Open-Cycle Modeling Grid Integration
Construction of a state-space model with multiple flow rate inputs for an OTEC plant using Rankine cycle Matsuda, Y., Suyama, D., Sugi, T. Journal Article OTEC, Hybrid-Cycle Modeling Performance
Coupled response characteristics of cold water pipe and moored ship for floating OTEC plant Hisamatsu, R., Utsunomiya, T. Journal Article OTEC Modeling Hydrodynamics, Mooring, Performance, Substructure
Control strategy of load following for ocean thermal energy conversion Li, D., Fan, C., Zhang, C. Journal Article OTEC Modeling Control, Performance
Unlocking the Potential of Marine Energy Using Hydrogen Generation Technologies Thorson, J., Matthews, C., Lawson, M. Report Current, Tidal, Ocean Current, Wave, Salinity Gradient, OTEC
Operation Control and Performance Analysis of an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion System Based on the Organic Rankine Cycle Yang, X., Liu, Y., Chen, Y. Journal Article OTEC Modeling Control, Performance
Theoretical assessment of the available power from the marine energy sources in Mexico García-Santiago, E., Mendoza, E., Silva, R. Journal Article Current, Wave, Salinity Gradient, OTEC
Economic Viability Analysis for an OTEC Power Plant at San Andrés Island Herrera, J., Sierra, S., Hernández-Hamón, H. Journal Article OTEC, Open-Cycle
An External Ocean Thermal Energy Power Generation Modular Device for Powering Smart Float Zhang, H., Ma, X., Yang, Y. Journal Article OTEC Hydrodynamics, Performance
Harvesting Energy from Ocean: Technologies and Perspectives Khan, M., Khan, H., Aziz, M. Journal Article Current, Tidal, Wave, Salinity Gradient, OTEC Performance
Displaying 151 - 200 of 542 results