UNIT - 4

SYLLABUS
Hydel Power: Water power estimates - use of hydrographs -
hydraulic turbine - characteristics and part load
performance - design of wheels - draft tubes and penstocks
- plant layouts; Brief idea of other sources viz. - tidal -
geothermal - gas-based - etc.
Course Objectives
• To understand the basic concepts on wind energy systems with concept on
aerodynamics, horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines.
• To understand the various relations between speed, power and energy in
the wind systems.
• It provides the knowledge in fundamentals of solar energy systems, various
components of solar thermal systems, applications in the relevant fields and
design of PV systems.
• To understand the Hydel system components and their design
concepts. To get an idea on different other sources like tidal,
geothermal and gas based units.
• To understand the use of various renewable sources as distributed
generators.
Course Outcomes
• Illustrate basic concepts of renewable and distributed sources.
• Demonstrate the components of wind energy conversion systems.
• Model PV systems and analyze MPPT Techniques.
• Illustrate the concept of Energy Production from Hydro - Tidal
and Geothermal.
• Distinguish between standalone and grid connected DG systems and design
hybrid renewable energy systems.
Hydel Power: Water Power Estimates
 India stands 5th in global market for installed hydroelectric power capacity.

 As of 31st March 2020, India's installed utility-scale hydroelectric capacity

was 46,000 MW, or 12.3% of its total utility power generation capacity.

 Additional smaller hydroelectric power units with a total capacity of 4,683

MW (1.3% of its total utility power generation capacity) have been installed.

 India's hydroelectric power potential is estimated at 1,48,700 MW at

60% load factor.
 In the fiscal year 2019–20, the total hydroelectric power generated in India
was 156 TWh (excluding small hydro) with an average capacity factor of
38.71%.

The hydroelectric power plants at Darjeeling and Shivanasamudra were

established in 1898 and 1902, respectively.

 They were among the first in Asia and India has been a dominant player in
global hydroelectric power development.

 India also imports surplus hydroelectric power from Bhutan.

Small hydropower, defined to be generated at facilities with nameplate
capacities up to 25 MW, comes under the ambit of the Ministry of New and
Renewable energy (MNRE), whilst large hydro, defined as above 25 MW,
comes under the ambit of the Ministry of Power.

 Koyna Hydroelectric Project (Koyna River, Maharashtra) is the largest

completed hydroelectric power plant in India, with a power capacity of 1960
MW.
Hydroelectric potential
 India's economically exploitable and viable hydroelectric potential is
estimated to be 1,48,701 MW.

 An additional 6,780 MW from smaller hydro schemes (with capacities of

less than 25 MW) is estimated as exploitable.

 56 sites for pumped storage schemes with an aggregate installed capacity

of 94,000 MW have also been identified.

 In central India, the hydroelectric power potential from

the Godavari, Mahanadi, Nagavali, Vamsadhara and Narmada river basins
has not been developed on a major scale due to potential opposition from
the tribal population.
Basin-wise potential of Hydropower
 Brahmaputra has highest potential in terms of generating
Hydroelectricity followed by Indus, Ganga.

 East following rivers have largest potential as compared to west following

rivers and central Indian basins.

 The public sector accounts for 92.5% of India's hydroelectric power

production.

 The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), Northeast Electric

Power Company (NEEPCO), Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVNL), Tehri Hydro
Development Corporation (THDC), and NTPC-Hydro are some of the public
sector companies producing hydroelectric power in India.
 The private sector is also expected to grow with the development of
hydroelectric energy in the Himalayan mountain ranges and in the northeast
of India.

 Indian companies have also constructed hydropower projects

in Bhutan, Nepal, Afghanistan, and other countries.

 Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), a state-owned enterprise in north

India, has an installed capacity of 2.9 GW.

 The generation cost after four decades of operation is about 27 paisa

(0.34¢ US) per kWh.
 BBMB is a major source of peaking power and black start capability to the
northern grid in India and its large reservoirs provide wide operational
flexibility.

 BBMB reservoirs also supply water for the irrigation of 12.5 million acres
(51,000 km2) of agricultural land in partner states, enabling the green
revolution in the northern India.

The International Hydropower Association estimates that the total

hydropower potential in India is 6,60,000 GWh/year, of which 5,40,000
GWh/year (79%) is still undeveloped.

 India ranks as the fourth country in the world by undeveloped hydropower

potential, after Russia, China and Canada, and fifth by total potential,
surpassed also by Brazil.
Pumped Storage Units
 India has transformed from an electricity deficit state to an electricity surplus state.

 Peak load shortages can be met making use of pumped storage schemes
which store surplus power to meet peak load demands.

 The pumped storage schemes also contribute secondary, seasonal power at no

additional cost when rivers are flooded with excess water.

 India has already established nearly 4,800 MW pumped storage capacity with the
installation of hydropower plants.

 In a tropical country like India, abundant water for agriculture is needed due to a
very high annual evaporation rate.
 Pumped storage units can also be used as pumping stations to supply river water
for upland irrigation, industrial needs, and drinking water.

 The amount of water necessary to meet this demand can be harnessed from
India's rivers via pumped storage units.

 Food security in India is improved with water security which in turn is possible
from the energy security to supply the power needed for the pumped storage
schemes.

 More and more solar power generation is becoming available at cheaper cost and
it has advantage in terms of environmental impact.

 Solar power can meet energy demands daytime and night time energy demands
can be helped by pumped storage units.
 Many of the existing hydro power stations on the west-flowing rivers located in
the Western Ghats of Kerala and Karnataka are to be expanded to include pumped
storage units in an effort to solve the water deficit of east-flowing rivers like
the Kaveri, the Krishna, etc.
 Before we understand the use of hydrographs, we must know what is
Hydrological Cycle.
Use of hydrographs
 A hydrograph is a graph showing the rate of flow (discharge) versus time
past a specific point in a river, channel, or conduit carrying flow.

 The rate of flow is typically expressed in cubic meters or cubic feet per
second (cms or cfs).

 Hydrographs often relate change of precipitation to change of discharge

over time.

 It can also refer to a graph showing the volume of water reaching a

particular outfall, or location in a sewerage network or river or water
stream.
Hydraulic Turbines
What are Hydraulic Turbines?
 Hydraulic turbines are rotary machines that convert the energy of fluid
(usually water) flow into mechanical energy.

 And this energy further converts into electrical energy by rotating the shaft
of the dynamo (or generator).

 The energy of the fluid flow is known as hydraulic energy, which is

converted into mechanical energy through hydraulic turbines.

 An electric generator coupled with the turbine shaft converts the hydraulic
energy into electrical energy.
 The electric power generated through hydraulic energy is called
Hydroelectric power.

Hydroelectric power is a controlled method for generating power by

utilization of water.

 These hydraulic turbines are mostly found in dams to generate electric

power.

World’s first hydroelectric power plant, “The Vulcan Street Plant”

started operation in 1882, on the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin.

The world’s largest hydroelectric power plant is located on the Three

Gorges Dam, Hubei province (China).
Working principle of a Hydraulic Turbine
 Hydraulic turbines are based on Newton’s second law.
 According to Newton's law, the rate of change of momentum of a body is
directly proportional to the applied force.
 So, in the turbines, force is generated by changes in the moment of water.
 This force is applied against turbine blades or buckets.
 Changing in momentum results in pressure force generated, and rotates
the turbine.
 As the change in momentum is high, the resulting generated force is also
high, which increases the energy conversion.
 To consider this principle, the blades or buckets are designed so they can
convert the maximum energy of water.
Performance Characteristic Curves of Turbines
 Hydraulic Turbines gives their best performance when they are operated at
certain conditions of head, discharge, speed and output power.
 Model turbines are tested under different conditions of head, discharge,
speed, power, efficiency.
 Results are plotted in the form of curves and are known as performance
characteristic curves.
 For convenience, curves are plotted in terms of unit quantities.

Types of performance characteristic curves:

• Main Characteristic curves/Constant head curves
• Operating characteristic curves/Constant Speed curves
• Constant efficiency curves (Muschel Curves)
Main Characteristic curves/Constant head curves
 Curves are drawn by conducting experiment at constant head.
 Head and gate openings are kept constant and speed is varied by varying
load on the turbine.
 For each value of speed, corresponding values of power and discharge are
obtained.
Operating Characteristic Curves/Constant Speed Curves
 Tests are performed at constant speed.
 Constant speed is attained by regulating the gate opening there by varying
the discharge flowing through the turbine as the load varies.
 Head may or may not be kept constant.
Constant Efficiency Curves
 Head Range and Turbine Suitability
Part load
Performance
It depends on
various factors
that define the
type of turbine
suitable in a
hydel power
plant
Specific speed
The Specific speed is high for turbines which works under high heads and low
flow rate and vice versa is also true.
Rotational speed
The rotational speed of the turbine depends upon the specific speed of
the turbine, frequency and number of pair of poles in the electric
generator.

Efficiency of turbine
 The efficiency of the turbine selected should be as high as possible and it is
considered for various working conditions of turbines.

Different turbines in decreasing order of their overall efficiency are as

follows :
Efficiency of turbines = Francis Turbine > Kaplan Turbine > Pelton Turbine
Disposition of turbine shaft
 Based on the experiences, it is recommended that the horizontal shaft
arrangement is best suitable for large size impulse turbines such as Pelton
turbine etc.
 Similarly, in case of large size reaction turbines such as the Kaplan turbine,
Deriaz turbine etc. vertical shaft arrangement is recommended.

Part-load operation
 In general, the efficiency of the turbine is maximum when it is running with
a designed load condition.
 When the part-load or overload condition arises the efficiency reduces
which is uneconomical.
In that case, Deriaz turbine or Kaplan turbine is recommended.
Performance Characteristics of various Turbines
Turbine Wheel Design
There are two main types of hydropower turbines: reaction and impulse.
REACTION TURBINE
 A reaction turbine generates power from the combined forces of pressure
and moving water.
 A runner is placed directly in the water stream, allowing water to flow over
the blades rather than striking each individually.
 Reaction turbines are generally used for sites with lower head and higher
flows
Propeller Turbine
 A propeller turbine generally has a runner with three to six blades.
 Water contacts all of the blades constantly.
 Picture a boat propeller running in a pipe.
 Through the pipe, the pressure is constant; if it wasn't, the runner would be
out of balance.
 The pitch of the blades may be fixed or adjustable.
 The major components besides the runner are a scroll case, wicket gates,
and a draft tube.
Different models are:
IMPULSE TURBINE
 An impulse turbine generally uses the velocity of the water to move the
runner and discharges at atmospheric pressure.
 A water stream hits each bucket on the runner.
 With no suction on the down side of the turbine, the water flows out from
the bottom of the turbine housing after hitting the runner.
 An impulse turbine is generally suitable for high-head, low-flow
applications.

The two main types of impulse turbine are Pelton and Cross-flow turbines.
Draft Tube
 It is a diverging tube fitted at the exit of runner of turbine and used to utilize
the kinetic energy available with water at the exit of runner.
 This draft tube at the end of the turbine increases the pressure of the
exiting fluid at the expense of its velocity.
 This means that the turbine can reduce pressure to a higher extent without
fear of back flow from the tail race.
 In an impulse turbine the available head is high and there is no significant
effect on the efficiency if the turbine is placed a couple of meters above
the tail race.
But in the case of reaction turbines, if the net head is low and if the turbine
is installed above the tail race, there can be appreciable loss in available
pressure head to power the turbine.
 Also, if the pressure of the fluid in the tail race is higher than at the exit of
the turbine, a back flow of liquid into the turbine can result in significant
damage.
 By placing a draft tube (also called a diffuser tube or pipe) at the exit of the
turbine, the turbine pressure head is increased by decreasing the exit
velocity, and both the overall efficiency and the output of the turbine can be
improved.
 The draft tube works by converting some of the kinetic energy at the exit of
the turbine runner into the useful pressure energy.
 Using a draft tube also has the advantages of placing the turbine structure
above the tail race so that any required inspections can be made more easily
and reducing the amount of excavation required for construction.
Efficiency of Draft Tube
 It is defined as the ratio of the actual conversion of kinetic energy into pressure
energy in the draft tube to the kinetic energy available at the draft tube inlet
 ɳ = Difference of kinetic energy between inlet and outlet-tube losses/Kinetic
Energy at the inlet.

 V2 = Fluids velocity at inlet of draft tube or at the outlet of turbine

 V3 = Fluids velocity at outlet of draft tube
 g = gravitational acceleration
 hd = head losses in draft tube
Draft Tube allows turbine to be placed above the tail race and
simultaneously allows it to operate at the same efficiency if it was placed at the
tail race.
Penstock
 Penstock is a closed conduit that conveys water to the turbine through a
fore-bay or surge tank.
Penstocks are made to resist maximum water pressure, especially water
hammer.
They are also quite expensive and play a vital role in the water conductor
system.
The penstock is laid on the surface or embedded in the concrete or buried in
the ground as per site-specific conditions.
The penstocks are fitted with specials like bends, expansion joints,
manholes, matching pieces, reducer or expander, and bell mouth intake.
 Flow in the penstocks is pipe flow and the losses are calculated using the
Darcy Weisbach equation.
Head Loss = fLV2(2gD)−1
where,
“f” is friction coefficient of the inner surface of penstock and depends upon
the material,
“L” is the length of penstock (m),
“V” is the velocity in the penstock (m/s),
“g” is gravitational coefficient (m/s2) and “D” is diameter (m).
Penstock connection to Turbine
 The penstock connects the intake structure to the turbine where, the
potential energy is converted into pressure energy.
 There is also a loss of energy, but in this case, it is related to the friction in
pipes which, in turn, depends on the pipe diameter, the flow velocity, the
surface roughness of the penstock, and it increases proportionally to the
length of the conduit.
 Increasing the penstock diameter will reduce friction losses and increase
the power of the turbine.
 It is important to note that low-head power stations do not have a
penstock, so water flows directly from the intake into the turbine
Hydel Power Plant Layout
Tidal Energy
 Another form of ocean energy is called tidal energy.
 When tides comes into the shore, they can be trapped in reservoirs behind
dams.

• Then when the tide drops, the water behind the dam can be let out just like in a regular
hydroelectric power plant.
Energy from the moon
 Tides generated by the combination of the moon and sun’s gravitational
forces
 Greatest affect in spring when moon and sun combine forces
 Bays and inlets amplify the height of the tide
 In order to be practical for energy production, the height difference needs
to be at least 5 meters
 Only 40 sites around the world of this magnitude
 Overall potential of 3000 gigawatts from movement of tides
 It works by building
Barrage to contain water
after high tide, then water
has to pass through a turbine
to return to low tide.

Power is generated
during flow-in and flow-out
of the tidal water.
Disadvantages
Presently costly
 Expensive to build and maintain
 A 1085MW facility could cost as much as 1.2 billion dollars to
construct and run
 Connection to the grid
 Technology is not fully developed
 Barrage style only produces energy for about 10 hours out of the day
 Barrage style has environmental affects
 Such as fish and plant migration
 Silt deposits
 Local tides change- affects still under study
Advantages
 No pollution
 Renewable resource
 More efficient than wind because of the density of water
 Predictable source of energy vs. wind and solar
 Second generation has very few disadvantages
 Does not affect wildlife
 Does not affect silt deposits
 Less costly – both in building and maintenance
Geothermal Energy

Different Geothermal Energy Sources

Hot Water Reservoirs:
As the name implies these are reservoirs of hot underground water.
There is a large amount of them, but only fifty percent are suited for space
heating and remaining for electricity production.
Natural Steam Reservoirs:
 In this case a hole dug into the ground can cause steam to come to the
surface.

Geo-Pressured Reservoirs:
 In this type of reserve, brine completely saturated with natural gas in stored
under pressure from the weight of overlying rock.
 This type of resource can be used for both heat and for natural gas.

Hot Dry Rock:

 It is similar to Normal Geothermal Gradient, but the gradient is 400C/km
dug underground.
Normal Geothermal Gradient:
 At any place on the planet, there is a normal temperature gradient of
+300C per km dug into the earth.
 Therefore, if one digs 20,000 feet the temperature will be about 1900C
above the surface temperature.
 This difference will be enough to produce electricity.
 However, no useful and economical technology has been developed to
extracted this large source of energy.

Molten Magma:
 No technology exists to tap into the heat reserves stored in magma.
How Direct Uses Work
 Direct Sources function by sending water down a well to be heated by the Earth’s
warmth.
 Then a heat pump is used to take the heat from the underground water to the
substance that heats the house.
 Then after the water it is cooled is injected back into the Earth.
Direct uses of geothermal energy is appropriate for sources below 1500C

 Space heating
 Air conditioning
 Industrial processes
 Drying
 Greenhouses
 Aqua-culture
 Hot water
 Resorts and pools
 Melting snow
Geothermal Energy used for Power Generation
Generation of Electricity is appropriate for sources >150oC.
Dry Steam Plants:
 These were the first type of plants created.
 They use underground steam to directly turn the turbines.
Flash Steam Plants:
 These are the most common plants.

 These systems pull deep, high pressured hot water that reaches
temperatures of 3600F or more to the surface.

 This water is transported to low pressure chambers, and the resulting

steam drives the turbines.

 The remaining water and steam are then injected back into the source
from which they were taken.
Binary Cycle Plants:
 This system passes moderately hot geothermal water past a liquid,
usually an organic fluid, that has a lower boiling point.

 The resulting steam from the organic liquid drives the turbines.

 This process does not produce any emissions and the water temperature
needed for the water is lower than that needed in the Flash Steam Plants
(2500F – 3600F).
Hot Dry Rocks:
 The simplest models have one injection well and two production wells.
 Pressurized cold water is sent down the injection well where the hot
rocks heat the water up.
 Then pressurized water of temperatures greater than 2000F is brought to
the surface and passed near a liquid with a lower boiling temperature,
such as an organic liquid like butane.
 The ensuing steam turns the turbines.
 Then, the cool water is again injected to be heated.
 This system does not produce any emissions.
Geo thermal’s Harmful Effects
 Brine can salinate soil if the water is not injected back into the reserve after the
heat is extracted.

 Extracting large amounts of water can cause land subsidence, and this can lead
to an increase in seismic activity.

 To prevented this the cooled water must be injected back into the reserve in
order to keep the water pressure constant underground.

 Power plants that do not inject the cooled water back into the ground can
release H2S, the “rotten eggs” gas.

 This gas can cause problems if large quantities escape because inhaling too much
is fatal.
 One well “blew its top” 10 years after it was built, and this threw hundreds
of tons of rock, mud and steam into the atmosphere.

 There is the fear of noise pollution during the drilling of wells.

Geo thermal’s Positive Attributes
 Useful minerals, such as zinc and silica, can be extracted from underground
water.
 Geothermal energy is “homegrown” and that means it will create jobs, a
better global trading position and less reliance on oil producing countries.
 In large plants the cost is 4-8 cents per kilowatt hour and this cost is almost
competitive with conventional energy sources.
 Geothermal plants can be online 100%-90% of the time.
 Coal plants can only be online 75% of the time and nuclear plants can only
be online 65% of the time.
 Flash and Dry Steam Power Plants emit 1000x to 2000x less carbon dioxide
than fossil fuel plants, no nitrogen oxides and little SO2.
 Binary and Hot Dry Rock plants have no gaseous emission at all.
 Geothermal electric plants production in 13.380 g of Carbon dioxide per
kWh, whereas the CO2 emissions are 453 g/kWh for natural gas, 906g g/kWh
for oil and 1042 g/kWh for coal.
 Geothermal plants do not require a lot of land, 400m2 can produce a
gigawatt of energy continuously for over 30 years.
 Produces 4 times the energy that they consume.
 Initially costs more to install, but its maintenance cost is 1/3 of the cost for
a typical conventional heating system and it decreases electric bill -- this
means that geothermal space heating will save the consumer money.
 They can be installed with the help of special programs that offer low
interest rate loans.
 Electricity generated by geothermal plants saves 83.3 million barrels of fuel
each year from being burned world wide. which prevents 40.2 million tons of
CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere.
 Direct use of geothermal energy prevents 103.6 million barrels of fuel each
year from being burned world wide and this stops 49.6 tons of CO2 from being
emitted into the atmosphere.
World Wide Geothermal Uses and Potential
Potential in INDIA
 According to a report by D. Chandrasekharam of the Indian Institute of
Technology, Mumbai, the geothermal provinces of India have a potential to
produce around 10,600 MW of power.

 The focus in India has been on conventional geothermal energy exploration in the
vicinity of volcanoes, geysers and hot springs where high heat flow occurs at
shallow depths of a few hundred meters.

 These projects use naturally occurring steam and hot water to generate
electricity.

 Engineered geothermal systems (EGS) projects in which water is circulated along

drilled pathways to great depths to heat it up have not yet been explored in any
detail in India.
 These projects are more expensive but because they don't have to be located near
unusually high heat regimes the aggregate energy potential may be even bigger
than what is estimated for conventional projects.

 Everything right now is still in the "estimates and potential" stage.

 Not much energy if any at all is being produced from any of these sites.

 So far at least the government has been neglecting this clean energy resource.

 We lack the right policies to make both conventional and engineered geothermal
energy economically viable.
Gas-based Power Generation
 Natural gas power plants generate electricity by burning natural gas as
their fuel.

There are many types of natural gas power plants which all generate
electricity, but serve different purposes.

All natural gas plants use a gas turbine where, natural gas is added, along
with a stream of air, which combusts and expands through this turbine
causing a generator to spin a magnet, making electricity.

 Natural gas power plants are cheap and quick to build.

 They also have very high thermodynamic efficiencies compared to
other power plants.

 Burning of natural gas produces

fewer pollutants like NOx, SOx and particulate matter than coal and oil.

 This means that air quality tends to improve (i.e., reduces smog) when
switching to natural gas plants from coal plants.

Note: They are no better than Nuclear Power Plants as they produce less
pollution than gas based power generation.
Operation
Natural gas turbines are theoretically simple and have three main parts as
seen in figure.
 Compressor: Takes in air from outside of the turbine and increases its pressure.
 Combustor: Burns the fuel and produces high pressure and high velocity gas.
 Turbine: Extracts the energy from the gas coming from the combustor.
What is BIOGAS?
A mixture of methane and
carbon dioxide

CH4

CO2
Methane or ‘swamp gas’,
produced naturally in swampy
ponds
How is it made?
Biogas is produced by the breakdown of organic waste by bacteria
without oxygen (anaerobic digestion or fermentation).

What types of organic waste could be turned in

biogas?

Leftover food from houses, shops, restaurants and factories

Sewage

 Cow, sheep and Leftover meat and Leftover straw and

chicken manure blood from abattoirs crops from farming
Common Circular Digester with floating gas Holder
Typical composition of biogas
Compound Molecular formula %

Methane CH4 50–75

Carbon dioxide CO2 25–50

Nitrogen N2 0–10

Hydrogen H2 0–1

Hydrogen sulphide H2S 0–3

Oxygen O2 0–0
Common Circular Digester
Waves
Have you ever been knocked over by a wave?
 Waves contain a lot of energy.
 Waves are caused by wind, wind is caused by the uneven heating of the
Earths atmosphere and the heat comes from the sun.

• Wave energy can be used to produce electricity. Locations, on the edge of the Oceans
has some of the best wave-power sites in the world!
How does wave energy work?
Specially designed machines
are used to harness the power of
waves.
Ex: Oscillating Water Column
• As a wave enters the collector, the
surface of the water column rises
and compresses the volume of air
above it.
• The compressed air is forced into an
aperture at the top of the chamber,
moving past a turbine.
• As the wave retreats, the air is
drawn back through the turbine due
to the reduced pressure in the
chamber.
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion - OTEC
OCEAN ENERGY
• Ocean covers >70% Earth’s surface.
• Largest natural collector and storage system.
• Largest renewable energy resource.
OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion)
OTEC utilizes T between warm shallow and cold deep ocean waters to
run a heat engine.
OTEC RESOURCE ESTIMATION
Ocean surface area is 370x106 km2
Average incident solar power is 240 W/m2
Tropical ocean surface area is 100x106 km2
Useful limit: 50 TW(Johnson, 1992)
19 TW (Avery&Wu, 1996)
10 TW(Daniel, 2001)
3 TW(Nihous, 2007)
HISTORY (1881-1970)
1. Concept by D’Arsonval (1881)
2. First small T plant (Beligum, 1928)
3. First OTEC by Claude (Cuba, 1930)
4. OTEC by Claude (Brazil, 1933)
5. 3 MW design by French (Africa, 1956)
6. Design by Andersons (1963)
First OTEC system
Idea thought of by Jacques D’Arsonval, in 1881.
French physician that contributed greatly to electrophysiology.
His student, Georges Claude, created the first OTEC system in Cuba in
1930.
OTEC System
• Hot surface water, boils low boiling point liquid
• Boiling liquid turns turbine which generates electricity
• Electricity carried to land through underwater cable
• Deep cold water used to cool and condense liquid
HISTORY (1971-1990)
1. Design by U of Massachusetts (1972)
2. First OTEC Workshop (CMU, 1973)
3. Annual OTEC Conference (‘73-‘81)
4. Design by Saga U (1974)
5. NELHA (Natural E Lab of Hawaii) established (1974)
6. Design by Carnegie-Mellon U (1975)
7. Various commercial-scale designs by JHU (CD), Westinghouse, Lockheed, TRW, GE, Ocean Thermal Co. etc. (1970s, 1980s)
8. OTEC Act and OTEC RD&D Acts passed (1980)
9. Commercial-scale designs by Tokyo Electric Power Co (1982)
10.Mini-OTEC (Lockheed, Dillingham, and Hawaii, 1979)
11.OTEC-1 by DOE (1980)
12.Japanese Mini-OTEC (Japan Sea, 1979)
13.OTEC facility (Nauru, Pacific ocean, 1982)
14.Saga U 50 kW-facility (Japan, 1982)
15.Design by France (Tahiti, 1982)
16.Design by France (Grenoble, 1982)
17.Taiwan OTEC effort (1986)
18.OTEC 50 kW-plant (Kyushu E Power Co, Japan, 1987)
19.NELHA 50kW OC-OTEC (1987)
HISTORY (1990-present)
1. Design by Saga U (Philippine, 1990)
2. OTEC 210 KW plant (PICHTR, 1992)
3. OTEC 1MW India plant (Tamil Nadu, 2000)
A FEW RECENT PROPOSALS
1. Puerto Rico OTEC proposal (OTEC Co, 1998)
2. USN Diego Garcia OTEC proposal (1998)
3. Sagar Shakti Research (India, 2001)
4. Mexico OTEC proposal (2003)
MAIN COMPONENTS OF AN OTEC SYSTEM

• Evaporators

• Condensers

• Cold-water pipe

• Turbines
Thermodynamic Cycle
• A thermodynamic cycle consists of a collection of thermodynamic
processes transferring heat and work, while varying pressure, temperature, and
other state variables, eventually returning a system to its initial state.

• In the process of going through this cycle, the system may perform work on its
surroundings, therefore acting as a heat engine.
• Two primary classes of thermodynamic cycles are power cycles and heat pump
cycles.

• Power cycles are cycles which convert some heat input into a mechanical work
output.

• Heat pump cycles transfer heat from low to high temperatures using mechanical
work input.
• Thermodynamic power cycles are the basis for the operation of heat engines, which
supply most of the world's electric power and run the vast majority of motor
vehicles.

• Thermodynamic heat pump cycles are the models for heat pumps and refrigerators.
ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION
1. Closed cycle

• Ammonia can be used as a working fluid

2. Open cycle

• Water is the working fluid

• Desalinated water can be produced
Benefits of Open System OTEC if perfected

-Desalinated water
-Mari culture
Mari culture is a specialized branch of aquaculture involving the cultivation of marine
organisms for food and other products in the open ocean, an enclosed section of the ocean, or in
tanks, ponds or raceways which are filled with seawater.
An example is the farming of marine fish, prawns etc.
-Air conditioning
3. Hybrid cycle

• Ammonia is the working fluid

• Warm sea water is flashed and is then used to vaporize ammonia

HEAT EXCHANGERS
• Shell and tube design can be enhanced by using fluted tubes: the working fluid flows into the grooves
and over the crests, producing a thin film that evaporates more effectively.

• In an advanced plate-and-fin design, working fluid and seawater flows through alternating parallel
plates; fins between the plates enhance the heat transfer.

• Original material chosen – Titanium - Expensive, so alternative material – Aluminium.

• Selected Aluminium alloys may last 20 years in seawater.

TURBINES
• Characterized by low pressure ratios and high mass flow of working fluids.

• The turbine is to be designed to have a good isentropic expansion efficiency over a considerable range
of pressure ratio

For a 1 MW OTEC plant, a 4-stage axial flow reaction turbine coupled to a synchronous
generator through 2 : 1 speed reduction gear box is chosen.

For a considerable range of pressure ratios the turbine efficiency remains above 0.85.

For 100 MW – low speed 200 rpm unit around 45 m in diameter.

PROS & CONS
• Reduces Carbon footprint by providing clean cost effective energy.
• Produces desalinated water for industrial, agricultural and residential uses.
• Promotes Global competitiveness and International Trade.
• Enhances energy independence.
• Has potential to mitigate green house gas emissions from burning fossil fuels.