Ocean energy: floating factories could harvest 40 percent of nation's ammonia needs

Journal Article · Mon Sep 27 04:00:00 EDT 1976 · Commer. Am.; (United States)

OSTI ID:7145915

A study conducted by the Maritime Administration, Department of Commerce, entitled Maritime and Construction Aspects of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Plant Ships, studied the feasibility of building vessels to convert ocean thermal energy into electricity and to produce ammonia, hydrogen, aluminum, and other energy-intensive products at competitive costs. By 1986 a fleet of 21 specialized commercial vessels could be producing as much as 40 percent of the national ammonia requirements out of energy derived from the oceans, at a considerable saving in natural gas which now is the principal raw material used in making ammonia. The report proposes that each of these vessels could produce 1,600 tons of ammonia/day, by ''grazing around'' at speeds below one knot in the tropical seas, where the temperature differential between surface waters and the depths is highest. The capital cost of such vessels varies inversely to the temperature differential of the available water, so the tropical location could reduce costs by a factor of as much as 2.5 from a site located near the U.S. coast. The OTEC vessels would produce electricity by piping aboard warm surface water to evaporate ammonia in a closed system, creating a vapor which would drive turbine electrical generators. The vapor would then be condensed by cold water drawn from depths of 2,500 feet, and the cycle would begin again. The electricity generated by this process would be used to electrolyze water to produce hydrogen and to power an air liquefaction plant to produce nitrogen. The hydrogen and nitrogen would then be compressed together to form ammonia. The ammonia would be stored at -28/sup 0/F until it could be loaded aboard ammonia tankers. (MCW)

• OSTI ID: 7145915
• Journal Information: Commer. Am.; (United States), Journal Name: Commer. Am.; (United States) Vol. 1:20; ISSN COAMD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

090320 -- Inorganic Hydrogen Compound Fuels-- Preparation-- (1976-1989)
10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
14 SOLAR ENERGY
140800 -- Solar Energy-- Ocean Energy Systems
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
299001* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Solar-- (1989-)
ALUMINIUM
AMMONIA
BY-PRODUCTS
CONSTRUCTION
CONVERSION
COST
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
ELECTRICITY
ELEMENTS
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
FERTILIZERS
FLUIDS
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
METALS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
NONMETALS
OCEAN THERMAL POWER PLANTS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POWER PLANTS
PRODUCTION
PROFITS
SEAS
SEAWATER
SHIPS
SOLAR POWER PLANTS
SURFACE WATERS
TANKER SHIPS
WATER