OTEC Plant Response and Control Analysis

Abstract

An analysis is presented which allows prediction of closed-cycle OTEC power plant system response and control. Two basic operational control schemes are presented, which are primarily related to the type of seawater pumps employed. Variable flow seawater pumps allow optimization of the OTEC thermal-cycle state points for maximization of net generated power. Constant flow pumps are cheaper and simpler, but do not allow direct control over the evaporator and condenser operating temperatures. A system of nonlinear differential equations representing the basic elements of a constant seawater flow OTEC plant with turbine bypass flow control has been formulated for computer solution. Typical normalized response curves are presented for pressures, temperatures, mass flow rates, and generator speed for a small-scale, 50-kW OTEC plant design.