A power plant that uses the temperature difference between the surface layer (heat source) and the deep layer (cold source) of seawater to produce electricity is called difference power plant of seawater temperature.
Three basic conditions must be met to convert thermal energy into mechanical energy: heat source, cold source and working fluid. Ordinary heat engines use water as the working fluid, and the heat source heats the working fluid to generate steam, which drives the turbogenerator to produce electricity. The exhaust steam is cooled by the condenser and the condensed water is returned to the boiler. continue to be heated and recycled. The thermal energy of the oceans comes mainly from solar energy. The world's oceans are vast and the tropical oceans are also quite large. The thermal energy ofoceans can be reconstituted after use and deserves to be developed and used. Seawater temperature difference power generation technology uses surface seawater (25-28℃) heated by solar energy as a high temperature heat source, and uses water sea (4-7℃) at a depth of 500-1000 meters as a low temperature heat source. high temperature heat source, using a thermal cycle composed of a heat engine. Power generation system technology. From a high temperature heat source to a low temperature heat source, it is possible to obtain efficient energy with a total temperature difference of approximately 15 to 20°C. Ultimately, it is possible to obtain energy with technical significance from a temperature difference of 11°C.
As long as half of the ocean surface, between 20° south latitude and 20° north latitude, is used forelectricity production and the sea water temperature drops only 1°C on average, 60 billion kilowatts of energy from electrical energy can be obtained, which is equivalent to the current entire electrical energy produced in the world. Experts estimate that the U.S. East Coast alone can get 75 times the electricity the U.S. needed in 1980 from warm current coming from the Gulf of Mexico.
According to oceanographers' estimates, temperature differences in the world's oceans can generate up to 2 billion kilowatts of energy.
Sea water temperature difference energy refers to the thermal energy that maintains the water temperature difference between sea water surface and deep sea water. It is an important form of ocean energy. The ocean surface converts most of the sun's radiant energy into warm water and stores it ins the upper layers of the ocean. On the other hand, large areas of near-freezing water flow slowly from the poles toward the equator at depths less than 1,000 meters. In this way, vertical seawater temperature differences of more than 20°C occur throughout the year in many tropical or subtropical marine areas. This temperature difference can be used to carry out thermodynamic cycles and produce electricity.