Dossier Océan et énergie - Énergie Thermique des Mers

Sommaire IOA News Letters

STUDY ON THE DEEP WATER INTAKE PIPELINE SYSTEM FOR A 1000KW OTEC PLANT

by
Isao Tatsumi
Chimizu Corporation
Japan

OTEC technology needs to be made more cost-effective.  The Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Association (OTECA-Japan) has been studying methods of improving OTEC plant efficiency, the optimal design of intake pipeline equipment in deep water, and multi-purpose utilization in deep water.  This paper presents results from our development work on the intake pipeline system for the OTEC.  A feasibility study was conducted on a large-diameter pipeline for a 1000kw OTEC plant using inexpensive high-density polyethylene with heat insulation and corrosion-proof properties.  We introduced a floating pipeline system in order to avoid the need to conform to the sea floor.  Our fundamental research included; 1)simulation analysis to identify static and dynamic behaviors of the pipe in tidal waves and currents, 2)experiments to identify vibrational phenomena to the pipe produced by wave-current processes and flow in the pipe, 3)experiments to measure the properties of the polyethylene.  Our research indicates that this is likely suited for use in a deep water OTEC plant, although further structural study on the pipeline mooring sections and stress concentration is still needed.