Model construction of heat source in an OTEC pilot plant for stabilization control based on experimental data

Abstract

In ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) plant, electricity is generated by heat energy from temperature difference between warm seawater at surface and cold seawater in depth. OTEC plants have an evaporator as one of the most important devices. Indeed, the evaporator evaporates the working fluid to rotate the turbine connected to the generator. In this research, a model of heat source system in an OTEC pilot plant for stable operation of the plant is constructed. In the OTEC pilot plant, the evaporation of the working fluid is realized by warm water from a boiler. Therefore, it is important to keep the temperature of warm water constant. Since the temperature of warm water can be changed by manipulating the valve opening, first order models to describe the relationship between the temperature and the valve opening are constructed based on experimental data. The effectiveness of the constructed models was verified through simulation.