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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

OTEC energy via methanol production

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5285900
The conceptual design of an 160 MW/sub e/ OTEC plantship has been documented; it is designed to produce 1000 tonne/day of fuel-grade methanol from coal slurry shipped to the plantship, using oxygen and hydrogen from the on-board electrolysis of water. Data and components are used that were derived by Brown and Root Development, Inc. (BARDI) in designing a barge-mounted plant to make methanol from natural gas for Litton Industries and in the design and construction of a coal-to-ammonia demonstration plant in operation at Muscle Shoals, Alabama, for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The OTEC-methanol plant design is based on the use of the Texaco gasifier and Lurgi synthesis units. The sale price of OTEC methanol delivered to port from this first-of-a-kind plant is estimated to be marginally competitive with methanol from other sources at current market prices.
Research Organization:
Johns Hopkins Univ., Laurel, MD (USA). Applied Physics Lab.; Brown and Root Development, Inc., Houston, TX (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AI01-77ET20342
OSTI ID:
5285900
Report Number(s):
CONF-830812-62; ON: DE84005592
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English