Steady-state analysis of a conceptual offshore wind turbine driven electricity and thermocline energy extraction plant

Daniel Buhagiar and Tonio Sant

Renewable Energy, 2014, vol. 68, issue C, 853-867

Abstract: A system for using offshore wind energy to generate electricity and simultaneously extract thermal energy is proposed. This concept is based on an offshore wind turbine driven hydraulic pump supplying deep seawater under high pressure to a land based plant consisting of a hydroelectric power generation unit and heat exchanger. A steady-state system model is developed using empirical formulae. The mathematical model comprises the fundamental system sub-models that are categorised as the rotor, hydraulic pump, pipeline, hydroelectric turbine and heat exchanger. A means for modelling the seawater temperature field across a two-dimensional bathymetry is also discussed. These mathematical models are integrated into a computational tool and a brief parametric static analysis is undertaken. The results illustrate the effect of pipeline diameter, rotational speed of the grid connected hydroelectric turbine, and the turbine distance from shore on the overall performance of the system. Through adequate parameter selection, the total rate of energy output for such a system, consisting of both electricity and thermal energy, is shown to increase by as much as 84%, when compared to a conventional wind turbine having an identical rotor diameter but which supplies only electrical energy.

Keywords: Offshore engineering; Hydraulic power; Wind turbine; seawater cooling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:68:y:2014:i:c:p:853-867

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2014.02.043

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