Ocean energy program summary

Technical Report · Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1990

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6969785· OSTI ID:6969785

The oceans are the world's largest solar energy collector and storage system. Covering 71{percent} of the earth's surface, this stored energy is realized as waves, currents, and thermal salinity gradients. The purpose of the federal Ocean Energy Technology (OET) Program is to develop techniques that harness this ocean energy in a cost-effective and environmentally acceptable manner. The OET Program seeks to develop ocean energy technology to a point where the commercial sector can assess whether applications of the technology are viable energy conversion alternatives or supplements to systems. Past studies conducted by the US Department of Energy (DOE) have identified ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) as the largest potential contributor to United States energy supplies from the ocean resource. As a result, the OET Program concentrates on research to advance OTEC technology. Current program emphasis has shifted to open-cycle OTEC power system research because the closed-cycle OTEC system is at a more advanced stage of development and has already attracted industrial interest. During FY 1989, the OET Program focused primarily on the technical uncertainties associated with near-shore open-cycle OTEC systems ranging in size from 2 to 15 MW{sub e}. Activities were performed under three major program elements: thermodynamic research and analysis, experimental verification and testing, and materials and structures research. These efforts addressed a variety of technical problems whose resolution is crucial to demonstrating the viability of open-cycle OTEC technology. This publications is one of a series of documents on the Renewable Energy programs sponsored by the US Department of Energy. An overview of all the programs is available, entitled Programs in Renewable Energy.

• Research Organization: Solar Energy Research Inst. (SERI), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/CE
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-83CH10093
• OSTI ID: 6969785
• Report Number(s): DOE/CH/10093-67; ON: DE89009482
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY CONVERSION
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CONDENSERS
CORROSION
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
DATA BASE MANAGEMENT
DESIGN
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
HEAT TRANSFER
MASS TRANSFER
OCEAN THERMAL POWER PLANTS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
PROGRESS REPORT
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
SEAS
SEAWATER
SOLAR ENERGY
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
THERMODYNAMICS
TURBINES
VERIFICATION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONVERSION
DOCUMENT TYPES
ENERGY
ENERGY CONVERSION
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY TRANSFER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MACHINERY
MANAGEMENT
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POWER PLANTS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION
SOLAR POWER PLANTS
SURFACE WATERS
TESTING
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
TURBOMACHINERY
WATER
140800* - Solar Energy- Ocean Energy Systems
290400 - Energy Planning & Policy- Energy Resources