A proposed enhancement to the PickensPlan: Baseload, renewable electricity derived from ocean thermal energy in the Gulf of Mexico
Along with the electricity derived from wind energy, as a proposed enhancement to the PickensPlan, copious amounts of baseload electricity can be generated and cabled into the U.S. electrical grid from floating ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) plants located in the Gulf of Mexico. For example, connected into Tampa, New Orleans, and Brownsville from distances of about 60 to 100 miles (see "Pickens.doc", attached).
I'm a specialist in ocean thermal energy, starting in 1973 when I organized and conducted the initial U.S. ocean thermal R&D program within the U.S. renewable energy R&D program. Ocean thermal R&D had equal status with the other five renewable energy R&D programs: wind, photovoltaics, biofuels, heating/cooling of buildings, and solar thermal.
Please look at the accomplishments of the ocean thermal R&D program from 1972-1982, which are summarized in my invited review paper, "Energy from the Ocean", available at URL
http://www.offinf.com/EnergyfromOceanCohen.pdf
More details about OTEC are provided on this Web site on the page corresponding to the "Ocean Thermal Energy" group, at http://push.pickensplan.com/group/oceanthermalenergy You are invited to join that group.
Attached is a brief (two-page) summary of the status and potential of ocean thermal energy. Also attached is a proposal to the U.S. Congress and the incoming Administration to rapidly advance the DOE ocean thermal R&D program.
I'm a specialist in ocean thermal energy, starting in 1973 when I organized and conducted the initial U.S. ocean thermal R&D program within the U.S. renewable energy R&D program. Ocean thermal R&D had equal status with the other five renewable energy R&D programs: wind, photovoltaics, biofuels, heating/cooling of buildings, and solar thermal.
Please look at the accomplishments of the ocean thermal R&D program from 1972-1982, which are summarized in my invited review paper, "Energy from the Ocean", available at URL
http://www.offinf.com/EnergyfromOceanCohen.pdf
More details about OTEC are provided on this Web site on the page corresponding to the "Ocean Thermal Energy" group, at http://push.pickensplan.com/group/oceanthermalenergy You are invited to join that group.
Attached is a brief (two-page) summary of the status and potential of ocean thermal energy. Also attached is a proposal to the U.S. Congress and the incoming Administration to rapidly advance the DOE ocean thermal R&D program.
Tags: baseloadelectricity, electricity, gulfofmexico, ocean, oceanthermal, otec, pickensplan
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Permalink Reply by Albert Alejandro on -
Robert; I must say I am impressed.That is not your intention im sure.I`ve read your proposal to reactivate DOE OTEC and intend to forward it to my Congressman. I have bean activle seeking knowledge and info on many forms of renewable energy and wish to learn more about ocean thermal energy. I have started a group called Inexpensive Clean Energy, where we share information on all kind of renewable energy and paths that are being taken to make it affordable and avaliable for anyone. We also share links, videos and ideas and have discussions on them. I honestly feel you can make a very good contribution to our group. Please check us out and contribute. Thank you. AL
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Permalink Reply by Tom Swift on -
Mr. Cohen,
The big problem with OTEC is the cycle itself. You pinpointed that yourself in your pdf right at the beginning. On page 6 you wrote: "Cost projections for mature OTEC power plants indicate that this is likely to be so (referring to it being sufficiently efficient) in the short term for specific market sectors."
That's asking too much from a technology that's been in use for over 150 years! Fact is: no OTEC project has ever broke even. Contemplating it on a large scale is pretty much a dead end. OTEC needs something revolutionary, a break-through.
Thinking outside of the box for a minute: How about improving efficiency by eliminating the working fluid feed pump from the Rankine cycle. We're running a unique cycle that does just that. It uses a simple, yet clever trick. It may be the only hope to achieve economical OTEC, and we'd like to find an OTEC licensee.
I invite you to take a good look at it. NASA and SATOP have. They performed an independent paper study comparing our cycle to the Rankine cycle at various temperatures. Eliminating that feedpump sure looks inviting. See it at Matter And Energy.com
Drop me a line through the website, and I'll send you the report.
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Permalink Reply by Thomas Dixon on -
Could this conceptual ocean energy machine work--?
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Seaflum9.jpg, 250 KB
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Permalink Reply by Kaine Vitrano on -
I see everyone has ideas about all this. I think this is somewhat a good idea. My only discontent with this idea is that Mr. Pickens is doing this for profit when he is already set for life from his oil days. Why not push this for the sake of the environment and the future of generations to come? Your common American can't invest in wind turbines(Pickens can, due to his oil rich history), so why not make it a non-profit program/cover costs of this plan/execution and invest the profits in healthcare, education(which is in big trouble and why we are falling behind in the world), future technologies beyond this plan and any other areas that may come up needing funding. Overall, it will help our economy/create jobs/etc, but why should only a select few be able to profit again after their oil rich history, unfair. I think they owe it to the environment! Wouldn't you say so?
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Permalink Reply by Thomas Ketchum on -
AN OPEN LETTER TO MR. T. BOONE PICKENS.
We have joined your effort to reduce U.S. dependency on imported oil and gas and, in that connection, are presenting you with a method for increasing the efficiency of present natural gas usage, as it relates to fertilizer production in the United States.
Our plan is proven to increase nitrogen delivery efficiency by more than 40%, compared to currently-used methods of creating dry chemical fertilizers and dumping them on the ground.
What we are offering you is a simultaneous solution to (1) Homeland Security, (2) Agriculture, (3) Environmental concerns, and (4) Economic Stimulus and Development concerns, which are of increasing interest to all Americans.
What we have to offer is a 100% environmentally “green” liquid fertilizer manufacturing installation and processes, along with patented formulae, which produce liquid ecological fertilizers (N-P-K, plus micro elements) using common non-toxic mineral compounds.
The formulations do NOT, per se, include any organic materials. However, here in Europe, these formulations are so ecologically friendly ("green") that they are certified for use in "organic" farming operations.
These machines produce N-P-K fertilizers WITHOUT EVER using dangerous, explosive, Ammonium Nitrate. Accordingly, you will find that a broad deployment of these machines, throughout our nation can be a big help in the "War On Terror", since they form the basis of restricting Ammonium Nitrate to a very very few, large industrial farm operations. As such, terrorists will have a much harder time making Oklahoma City-styled bombs.
We have erected a pilot facility (for sales purposes, so as to not give away formulae secrets during actual operations) near the city of Buzau (about 100 km from Bucharest). We are prepared to allow close inspection of this facility by you or your designated representatives and/or by the United States government in Bucharest, which could confirm any and all claims we make about this enterprise for anyone interested.
We are requesting that you or someone you trust undertake a “fact-finding” trip to Romania to witness the machinery and the processes after an initial evaluation by the aforementioned appropriate local representatives of the U.S. government who are presently in Bucharest.
Thereafter, we would ask you to seriously consider corporate sponsorship of a deployment of these machines along your proposed wind generation corridor (as spelled-out in the Pickens Plan). Thereafter, we ask that you propose legislation back in the Congress, which would place these machines in service throughout the United States in sufficient numbers and in broad enough distribution (as to area) so as to support subsequent legislation to strictly curtail and limit access to Ammonium Nitrate fertilizers, as a measure to assist in “the War on Terror”. The machines and processes are needed because, until now, no large-scale, commercially-viable alternative existed to Ammonium Nitrate fertilizers.
Only with a nation-wide mandate to increase efficiency in nitrogen delivery, such as can be achieved by the large-scale use of these machines, can the aforementioned 40+ % increase in natural gas use efficiency be had, as it relates to natural gas use in fertilizer production.
With these machines, you eliminate a readily-available explosive from the public domain. This does not even touch the other benefits to be had from these remarkable fertilizers.
In the spirit of patriotism, we are prepared to work with you to ensure that costs for deployment of this technology is not prohibitive and also does not run counter to either good business or the National Interests of the United States.
Specifically, we offer to train trainers here in Romania and there, in the United States, once domestic production is funded and, otherwise, fully supported.
We have all information at the ready to support our proposal, immediately. Please contact us, directly, for more specific information.
Think how many people would be put to work simply manufacturing the machinery (places like closed shipyards or other facilities closed during a recent economic slowdown would be perfect, for example).
We hope to hear from you or from someone of equal vision for a more energy self-sufficient future for the United States.
While we would rather keep this simple and deal, exclusively, with one man of vision and means, we are prepared, in any case, to license those who might wish to use our inventions on some lesser scale.
Sincerely,
Thomas L. Ketchum, Jr.
and Elena M. Ketchum
for
SC Thopy7 SRL
Strada Dr. Ion Nanu Muscel, Nr. 13, Ap. 3
Bucharest, Romania
050521
fax: 011-40-21-410-8910
office: 011-40-73-100-3792
email: FOLPLANT@AOL.COM
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Permalink Reply by Brian on -
Mr. Cohen,
There is a different OTEC process available that is simpler and does not need the huge heat exchangers or any pumps. It is Mist Lift OTEC and Stuart L. Ridgway proved that it works! It is a two phase flow process that lifts water as high as 140 feet and then drops the water thru a standard everyday hydro electric generator. More R&D will be needed, but it has been proven to work. Had DOE kept funding the OTEC concept, this high efficient and simple process would have been developed beyond the experiment. It has sat on the shelves since 1984. I am looking for funding to do one more test of this concept. Anyone interested in helping obtain this modest testing would be of great help. It won't cost much more than what the first experiment cost.
underacocnuttree@me.com
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Permalink Reply by Ken Bell on -
I remember that Clarence Zener and others at Carnegie Mellon were very big on this idea, but it involved adding a foaming agent to generate a stable two-phase flow and then breaking the foam at the top of the cycle. The economics, not to mention the environmental problems with the foaming agent , were show-stoppers. If you have a reasonably descriptive reference on Ridgway's work, I'd like to see it. Ken Bell, School of Chemical Engineering, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078.
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