The cause of the difference in ocean temperatures is solar energy. Ocean temperature difference energy is also called ocean thermal energy. The water temperature difference in the middle and upper layers of the ocean contains a certain amount of energy, called the seawater temperature difference energy.
About 60% of the Solar radiation reaching the water surface is transmitted to a depth of 1 meter. 18% can reach a depth of 10 meters below the sea surface, and a small amount of solar radiation can even penetrate to a depth of less than 100 meters underwater. Sea water temperature changes with water depth. Generally, the deep water zone can be roughly divided into three layers. The first layer extends from the sea surface to a depth of about 60 meters, called the surface layer. The seawater layer hason the one hand absorbs the radiant energy of the sun and is also affected by the influence of wind and waves, which causes the sea water to mix and the temperature of this sea water layer changes relatively little . The water temperature is around 26 to 27 degrees Celsius. The second layer extends from a water depth of 60 meters to 130 meters. The temperature of sea water decreases sharply with depth and the temperature changes significantly, becoming a variable temperature layer. The depth of the third layer is more than 300 meters. Due to the influence of cold water from the polar regions, the temperature of this seawater layer drops to around 4 degrees Celsius. There is a temperature difference of more than 20 degrees Celsius between surface seawater and deep seawater, which is a huge source of energy.
The source of energy for ocean temperature difference is energysolar.
Ocean thermal energy comes primarily from solar energy:
The planet's oceans are large, and tropical oceans are also quite large. Ocean thermal energy can be replenished after use and is worth developing and using. According to calculations, as long as half of the ocean surface between 20 degrees south latitude and 20 degrees north latitude is used for electricity generation, the sea water temperature will only drop by 1° C on average;
Efficient use of ocean thermal energy:
It can obtain 60 billion kilowatts of electrical energy, equivalent to all electrical energy currently produced around 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. It is necessary to use efficacement energy from the temperature difference of sea water to serve human beings.
Arsene Arsonval of France first proposed the idea of generating electricity from ocean temperature differences in 1881. That is, the invention of '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. So, in 1930, Claude successfully used the energy of the ocean temperature difference to generate electricity for the first time off the coast of Cuba. However, pure electricity production was negative.
Benefits of Ocean Temperature Difference Energy:
The ocean makes up 70% of the Earth's surface. Since this energy comes from the sun, we can say that it is inexhaustible and inexhaustible. The temperature difference of thesea water is only 20°C and it is low quality energy. The maximum conversion efficiency is only about 4%. It is a natural energy source and does not cause environmental pollution. Compared to other natural energy sources, it can be used day or night and is not limited by time, season, climate and other conditions.
Stable energy supply. Because sea water is corrosive and bio-fouling. Therefore, equipment should consider using corrosion-resistant and less polluting materials. Materials should be used and measures to resist biofouling should also be considered. Since seawater pumped from the depths contains more nutrients, it is conducive to increasing marine fish production.
Use the temperature difference between the surface water of tropical oceans and the aeu of cold sea at a depth of 760 meters to produce electricity. The biggest advantage of the ocean thermal energy conversion device is that it can work continuously without being affected by tidal changes and waves. Additionally, not only does it produce no air pollutants or radioactive waste, its byproduct is high-quality desalinated seawater. The surface water temperature of tropical seas is generally around 27°C.