Patent Application
20190186474
The invention relates to the field of energy production devices and systems, preferably but not limited to electrical energy, using in particular technologies based on ocean thermal energy (also known by the abbreviation “OTEC”—Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion). Said technologies are used for all types of application and preferably for, but not limited to, those in the ocean, implemented together with the supply of energy for isolated sites, such as an offshore production or drilling site in tropical regions.
Nowadays, petroleum, natural mineral oil and mineral oil mixed with hydrocarbons is freely exploited and is thus central to everyday life and therefore central to the global economy. Moreover, this fossil energy source is referred to as “black gold” for good reason. Indeed, petroleum:
Moreover, petroleum has numerous advantages because, as a liquid energy source, it is easy to pump, store, transport and use. Furthermore, it has a high energy density. However, like any fossil fuel, petroleum is a non-renewable energy source since it requires millions of years to form and the petroleum resources are being depleted more quickly than they are being produced. Finally, petroleum and other fossil fuels are not considered to be green energy sources because the use thereof has a direct or indirect impact on the environment. Indeed, at establishment sites, for example in the immediate vicinity of a hotel, in particular for completely autonomous production of electricity, generator units may be used. Units of this kind are, however, unfavorable to carry out because they require an expensive and unclean supply of fossil fuels. In a variant or in addition, other electrical energy production devices and/or systems are used, exploiting solar energy for example. Although less polluting, devices and/or systems of this kind are nonetheless associated with some drawbacks because the proper operation thereof is dependent on the sunlight.
In order to overcome drawbacks of this kind, it has been necessary to seek solutions based on resources that are virtually inexhaustible and are present on Earth. Owing to the extent thereof on Earth, oceans and seas act as vast solar radiation collectors that allow for heating of the upper regions of said oceans and said seas. Said upper regions referred to as “warm” do not mix with the lower regions referred to as “cold” which are present at greater depth. Indeed, the density of the water increases when the temperature thereof decreases. On the basis of this temperature difference, energy production systems, such as, by way of example, electricity production systems, have subsequently been developed by using technologies based on OTEC.
Nonetheless, thermal electrical energy production systems of this kind can generally be used only in intertropical regions, in order to achieve a sufficient production yield. Indeed, said yield is dependent on the temperature difference between the warm water and cold water sources, it being necessary for said difference to be in the order of twenty degrees Celsius in order to operate in a optimal manner. In addition to producing electrical energy, systems of this kind may also make it possible to generate other forms of “energy” that can be used for example to cool air in a room or to irrigate agricultural land.
In terms of design, the OTEC systems produce energy by means of an operating fluid being present, for example ammonia, seawater or any other fluid of which the condensation point corresponds to a temperature close to four degrees Celsius. An OTEC system of this kind generally comprises an evaporator, inside which said operating fluid is vaporized in contact with warm water previously drawn to the surface. Once vaporized, an operating fluid of this kind is conveyed inside a turbine in order to rotate said turbine and to finally produce electricity. Subsequently, in order to be re-condensed, the operating fluid is conveyed to a condenser included the system, this time in contact with cold water previously drawn from deep in the ocean. Although systems using OTEC technologies generally comprise the same elements, said systems may operate in accordance with different cycles or embodiments.
According to a first embodiment, an OTEC system may operate in an open cycle: the warm seawater is advantageously and directly used for producing electricity. Indeed, said warm water is first pumped into a tank at low pressure or under vacuum, said tank then allowing for said warm water to be vaporized. The water vapor is thus pure. Said vapor is then conveyed to a turbine which it rotates, said turbine being connected to an electrical generator. The vapor is then introduced into a condenser, while being exposed to cold seawater from deep in the ocean, in order to return to its liquid state. Said water, ultimately produced in liquid form, can advantageously be used as drinking water, for irrigation, or for aquaculture. Nonetheless, electrical energy production systems implementing open-cycle operation have drawbacks: firstly, since the cycle is open it is often difficult to achieve a complete vacuum within the system, generally reducing the operating efficiency of an open cycle of this kind. In addition, the low pressure prevailing within the system makes it necessary to use a large-size turbine, resulting in costs and in laborious and complex manufacturing, installation and maintenance processes.
According to a second embodiment, an OTEC system may operate in a closed cycle, usually modelled by an “Organic Rankine Cycle-ORC.” In this case, an OTEC electrical energy production system of this kind firstly comprises an evaporator inside which warm water, previously pumped to the surface, circulates. The warm water thus makes it possible to vaporize an operating fluid that advantageously has a low boiling point. This is the case, for example, for ammonia. Said OTEC system then comprises a turbine into which the vaporized operating fluid passes. Said turbine is thus supplied with the vaporized operating fluid in order to itself drive an electricity generator connected thereto. The gaseous operating fluid expands in the turbine. The pressure of said fluid is therefore lower at the output of the turbine. The OTEC system then comprises a condenser that allows for said operating fluid to be condensed, said condenser causing cold seawater to flow in the interior thereof in order to allow for condensation of this kind. The liquid operating fluid is then conveyed by means of a circulation system, for example a pump, in order to again supply the evaporator and to thus allow for the cycle to be repeated.
According to a third embodiment, an OTEC system may operate in a hybrid cycle. A hybrid cycle of this kind combines the features of the open-cycle and closed-cycle systems. In this design, an OTEC electrical energy production system comprises a chamber under vacuum, inside which salt water is introduced and vaporized very quickly, in the manner of the evaporation process within the open cycle. The water vapor in turn vaporizes an operating fluid, such as ammonia, that is present within a circuit of a closed cycle and is located opposite the operating fluid vaporizer. Said operating fluid, thus vaporized, drives a turbine which in turn starts up an electricity generator. Although it makes it possible to take advantage of the open and closed electrical energy production cycles, respectively, described above, said hybrid cycle is associated with other drawbacks, in particular investment, installation and maintenance costs because twice the materials are required for implementing a hybrid cycle of this kind. Moreover, owing to a significant “return” of cold water to the surface, using said hybrid cycle results in a greater phenomenon of cooling of surface water, which may be damaging for flora and fauna.
Establishing OTEC systems or facilities has been found to be essential for implementing systems or facilities of this kind. Indeed, since the OTEC systems that are based on a temperature gradient of at least twenty degrees Celsius established between warm water at the surface and cold water deep in the ocean, they generally require access to said water resources in tropical regions, i.e. they have to be installed close to or in the seas or oceans. Nowadays, a distinction is made between two types of OTEC system infrastructure, specifically land-based or floating systems. The land-based systems, generally installed in the form of one or more buildings, are located on the waterfronts or close to bodies of water. Land-based systems of this kind have the advantage of not requiring sophisticated mooring systems, endless feeder cables, and intensive maintenance owing to the installation thereof offshore. Furthermore, land-based systems of this kind can advantageously be positioned in sheltered and possible protected regions. Nonetheless, land-based systems of this kind still face problems of coastal erosion and significant damage from possible hurricanes and other storms. Furthermore, the efficiency and the yield thereof have been found to be limited owing to the difficulty in achieving a temperature gradient that is sufficient for optimal operation. Indeed, the cold water used in the systems is primarily drawn from water deep in the sea, in the region of a thousand meters deep. In addition, said devices require very long pipes to be used to draw the cold water, pipes of this kind being susceptible to material failures, as well as having particularly high manufacturing and installation costs. As a result, in some cases, in particular in order to easily draw cold water, to take advantage of a greater temperature gradient, and thus to generate electricity more efficiently, floating systems are preferable thereto. Said floating systems operate in a manner similar to the land-based systems, being based on the use of a temperature gradient between warm water and cold water. As a result, since the floating systems are located directly offshore, it is easy to convey cold water directly to the center of the system, because one or more pipes are positioned vertically, facilitating installation and maintenance of said pipe or pipes.
Furthermore, it is also easy to convey warm water, because the warm water drawn at the surface is located close to the floating systems.
Nonetheless, within the context of the development of floating systems focused on OTEC technologies, one of the frequent problems is that of the installation and maintenance of the central technology. Indeed, the floating systems currently used are generally specifically focused on OTEC technologies and are installed on-site as “all-inclusive” systems. The installation and the maintenance of floating systems of this kind is thus associated with a number of drawbacks, in particular significant bulk during transport and complete replacement of the installation, deploying a large number of professionals and a large amount of equipment directly on-site in order to manage, for example, possible mooring restrictions of the floating system, in particular mechanical, fluidic or even electrical restrictions, consequently leading to exponential costs for said operations.
The invention makes it possible to overcome all or some of the drawbacks that arise in the known solutions.
Among the numerous advantages provided by a floating device according to the invention, it should be noted that said device makes it possible to:
For this purpose, the invention in particular proposes a floating device for cooperating with an insert by means of a reversible fitted connection, comprising a floater and having a main port. In order to propose a modular floating device that can be adapted for a very large number of technological applications, and to reduce the amount of equipment and number of devices used, the main port of a floating device according to the invention is arranged so as to receive said insert, said main port having a cross section that is larger than or substantially equal to the cross section of the outer wall of the casing of a portion of said insert and having a longitudinal axis that is substantially perpendicular to the waterline of said device once said device is in the water. A floating device of this kind furthermore comprises reversible fixing means that are arranged so as to maintain a relative position of said device along the insert.
Advantageously, in order to ensure lasting installation of a floating device according to the invention, the casing or the structure of said floater may be formed primarily of steel and/or polymer.
In a variant or in addition, the floater of a floating device according to the invention may be formed of a plurality of separate elements that cooperate, respectively, in pairs, by means of a mechanical connection of the fitted type.
In order to ensure lasting on-site flotation of a floating device according to the invention, the floater thereof may be formed of a plurality of compartments that cooperate, respectively, in pairs, in accordance with a fitted connection.
In order to protect the structure of a floating device according to the invention from possible impacts, the casing of said device may have a skirt-type structure.
Preferably, but in a non-limiting manner, the fixing means of a floating device according to the invention may make use of bolts.
In a variant or in addition, when the application implemented by a floating system according to the invention requires the use of fluid pipes for the operation thereof, a floating device according to the invention may also comprise a secondary port that has an axis that is substantially in parallel with the longitudinal axis of the main port and is arranged so as to accommodate a water pipe.
Advantageously but in a non-limiting manner, in order to prevent drifting of a floating device 1 according to the invention and to ensure lasting installation and operability thereof, said floating device may furthermore comprise or cooperate with anchoring means.
Preferably, but in a non-limiting manner, the anchoring means may comprise at least one mooring line.
According to a second object, the invention relates to a floating system comprising a floating device according to the invention and an insert that cooperates with said floating device by means of a reversible fitted connection. According to a preferred but non-limiting application, the insert of a floating system according to the invention is advantageously designed to produce electrical energy using a temperature gradient of the oceans.
In order to implement the production of electrical energy, preferably but in a non-limiting manner the insert of a floating system according to the invention may comprise:
In a variant or in addition, advantageously but in a non-limiting manner, when a floating device according to the invention comprises one or more secondary ports, the first and secondary port supply circuits for warm water and cold water, respectively, for the insert of a floating system according to the invention may comprise water pipes, at least one of said pipes being accommodated inside the secondary port of said floating device.
Other features and advantages will emerge more clearly from reading the following description and from the accompanying drawings, in which:
According to a first preferred use, a floating system according to the invention may consist in generating electrical energy form the temperature gradient of the oceans. A system of this kind may advantageously be formed of various sub-systems such as, but not exclusively, a floating device that optionally comprises or cooperates, by means of any mechanical connection, with an anchoring system, and means for intake and discharge water, a technological sub-system or insert that is arranged so as to generate electrical energy, and a sub-system for conveying the electricity thus produced to a storage unit or to one or more facilities that require electrical energy.
An electrical energy production system 20 of this kind preferably uses OTEC technologies, consisting primarily in methods using a temperature gradient that exists between cold deep seawater and tropical warm surface seawater, in order to produce electricity without carbon emissions. At present, in order to operate optimally, the electrical energy production systems require a temperature gradient of approximately twenty degrees Celsius between the pumped cold water and warm water. As a result, in order to obtain a source of cold water at temperatures in the range of five to six degrees Celsius, it is necessary at present for the cold water to be pumped at depths in the range of a thousand meters deep. Nonetheless, the progression of technological advances makes it possible to reduce said temperature gradient and to thus draw cold water at less significant depths. In this case, the electrical energy production system according to the invention can advantageously be adaptable and/or adapted.
According to a first object of the invention, said invention relates to a floating device for cooperating with an insert, also denoted “process,” by means of an advantageously reversible fitted connection. Within the meaning of the invention and throughout the entire document, “insert” is intended to mean any structure or system comprising the technological core, i.e. comprising the elements or materials necessary for carrying out the desired application. An insert of this kind may also be referred to as an “exchangeable column.” As already specified, by way of non-limiting example said floating device is advantageously suitable for being used in conjunction with an insert, in the form of a system for generating electrical energy from a temperature gradient, also referred to as heat transfer, observed between deep waters and surface waters in the sea. However, the invention is not limited to this single embodiment.
Said main port Lp also has a longitudinal axis Alp. Throughout the document, “longitudinal axis of the main port” is intended to mean any axis passing through the floating device in the direction of the length thereof. Regarding the design of the floating device 1, as described with reference to
Furthermore, said floating device 1 according to the invention advantageously comprises a floater, i.e. an integral or multi-part body, or more generally any flotation means, that is designed or suitable for floating on the surface of the water and supporting or keeping a portion or the entirety of the insert 2 at the surface, an insert 2 of this kind generally being a submersible body. By way of non-limiting example, the casing or, more generally, the structure, i.e. the body, of a floater of this kind may in principle preferably be formed of steel and/or polymer(s). The floater may also be arranged such the draft of said floater, and more generally of said floating device, remains limited after said floating device 1 has been placed in the water. Preferably, but in a non-limiting manner, the structure of the floater may be designed such that the draft remains less than five meters. According to
As has been described, the floater of a floating device 1 according to the invention may in principle be an integral body, optionally formed of one or more independent, sealed compartments. In a variant or in addition, according to a second embodiment described in particular with reference to
In a variant or in addition (not shown in the drawings), as already mentioned, the element or elements of a floater of this kind, whether integral or in multiple parts, may consist of a plurality of compartments that are separated by radial partitions. A configuration of this kind, by means of a plurality of compartments, in particular allows the floater, whether this be formed by one element or by a plurality of elements, and finally the floating device, to carry out its function, even if one of the compartments may possibly experience a leak or other damage and can thus no longer carry out its function.
Furthermore, in a variant or in addition, the casing of the element or elements of said floater may comprise a skirt-type structure that surrounds said casing. A skirt structure of this kind may optionally be formed primarily of steel or polymer. The presence of said skirt is particularly expedient because it makes it possible not only to protect the structure from possible impacts, but also to improve the hydrodynamic profile of the floating device according to the invention, by emphasing roll or pitch attenuations which a floating device 1 according to the invention may possibly experience.
In order to allow for lasting cooperation and holding of the insert 2 inside a floating device 1 according to the invention, a floating device 1 of this kind further comprises fixing means (not shown in the drawings). Fixing means of this kind are advantageously reversible, i.e. they ensure that said insert 2 is exchangeable after installation thereof. However, fixing means of this kind are arranged so as to maintain a relative position of said floating device 1 along the insert 2 and to enclose all or part of said insert 2. Advantageously, but in a non-limiting manner, fixing means of this kind for a floating device according to the invention may comprise a plurality of bolts or any other suitable equipment. Once installed inside said floating device 1, the insert 2 is then advantageously maintained by gravitational force and by the presence of said bolts. In a variant or in addition, bolts of this kind may advantageously be replaced by supports or any other fixing means capable of carrying out the attachment and holding function. Moreover, it is possible that the insert 2 and the floating device 1 may be mutually arranged, on account of the structures thereof, to cooperate and to hold together. By way of non-limiting example, the floating device 1 and the insert 2 may comprise shoulders, said shoulders being mutually arranged such that the insert 2 bears on the floating device 1 in the region of the shoulders thereof, simply by means of gravitational force.
In a variant or in addition, when the application implemented by a floating system according to the invention requires the use of fluid pipes for adequate operation, according to an embodiment described with reference to
Furthermore, in order to prevent drifting of a floating device 1 according to the invention, an anchoring system is generally implemented. In addition, the floating device 1 according to the invention may furthermore advantageously comprise or cooperate with anchoring means that cooperate with the floater by means of an optionally reversible fitted connection. Depending on the geomorphology of the installation site or sites of a floating device and a floating system according to the invention, the anchoring means of said floating device may advantageously be arranged so as to moor a floating device of this kind at one or more desired depths. Advantageously, the anchoring means of a floating device of this kind may comprise at least one mooring line 4. In order to optimize the stability of a floating device according to the invention, the anchoring means thereof may preferably comprise six to eight mooring lines, although the number of mooring lines in no way limits the invention. Mooring lines of this kind may be formed of chains, steel cables or polymer cables, a combination of said elements, or any other element capable of ensuring the use of a preferred element for the benefit of another, depending on the sea conditions.
According to a second object, the invention also provides a floating system 20 comprising a floating device 1 according to the first object of the invention and an insert 2 that cooperates with said floating device 1 by means of an advantageously reversible fitted connection. Within the context of the preferred but non-limiting application, said insert 2 is advantageously designed to produce electrical energy using a temperature gradient or heat transfer, on the basis of OTEC technologies. Within this application context, a floating system 20 of this kind may advantageously and commonly be denoted a floating OTEC.
An electrical energy production system 20 of this kind preferably uses OTEC technologies, consisting primarily in methods using a temperature gradient that exists between cold deep seawater and tropical warm surface seawater, in order to produce electricity without carbon emissions. In order to achieve this, said insert 2 is arranged so as to implement closed-cycle OTEC technology.
For this purpose, in order to operate an electrical energy production system 20 of this kind, the insert 2 of a floating system 20 according to the invention may, in a non-limiting manner, comprise a first supply circuit for warm water WW comprising one or more first pumps 110 and a first warm water intake WWI that cooperates with said first pumps 110. A first warm water WW supply circuit of this kind, denoted by a plurality of continuous solid lines, makes it possible to achieve fluid communication among all the elements contained in said first supply circuit and to convey the warm water WW to the electrical energy production system. In an analogous manner, the insert 2 may comprise a second supply circuit for cold water CW comprising one or more second pumps 190 and a second cold water intake CWI that cooperates with said second pumps 190. A second cold water CW supply circuit of this kind, denoted by a plurality of dotted solid lines, makes it possible to achieve fluid communication among all the elements contained in said second supply circuit and to convey the cold water CW to the electrical energy production system. As mentioned above, said first and second supply circuits for warm water WW and for cold water CW comprise a first warm water intake WWI and a second cold water intake CWI, respectively. Respective first and second warm water intakes WWI and cold water intakes CWI of this kind make it possible to convey cold water and warm water to the respective supply circuits thereof and may advantageously be embodied in the form of a plurality of pipes (also referred to as “intake pipes”) which are advantageously and mainly formed of high-density polyethylene. Since the first warm water intake CWI is positioned in the surface water, the holding thereof may be complex in some cases owing to the presence of water flows and waves. In order to ensure the stability of said intake and to limit the displacement thereof, a first warm water intake CWI of this kind may also comprise or cooperate with one or more suitable ballast and/or buoyancy means. The dimensions of the second cold water intake CWI are advantageously arranged so as to be able to convey cold water from a sufficient depth, for example seven hundred or one thousand meters deep, in order that said cold water CW that is drawn is at a temperature of approximately four to seven degrees Celsius.
Furthermore, the insert 2 of a floating system 20 of this kind according to the invention may also comprise a supply circuit for operating fluid WF, said circuit comprising a supply circuit for operating fluid WF comprising a circulation pump 130 for said operating fluid WF. By way of non-limiting example, in order to provided sufficient pressure to the system in order to generate electrical energy while using non-hazardous coolant fluids, which optionally also take account of issues of global warming, an operating fluid WF of this kind preferably and mainly consists of 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane, since this is non-inflammatory and non-toxic. The operating fluid WF supply circuit, which is advantageously closed, is denoted in
Moreover, in order to implement the closed cycle of the electrical energy production system contained within the insert 2, said insert may also comprise a first heat exchanger 120 that cooperates fluidically, i.e. is in fluid communication, with said first warm water WW supply circuit and said operating fluid WF supply circuit. The warm water WW, advantageously drawn from the surface at a temperature of approximately twenty-five to thirty-five degrees Celsius, is conveyed to the first heat exchanger 120 by means of the first supply circuit. The warm water WW then circulates through the first heat exchanger 120 and transfers its heat, in the form of calories, in order to bring the operating fluid WF to boiling point, said operating fluid transitioning to the vaporous state. As a result, the first heat exchanger 120, also referred to as the evaporator, advantageously makes it possible to transfer thermal energy, in the form of heat, from the warm water WW to the operating fluid WF, via an exchange surface that ensures separation between the warm water WW and the operating fluid WF. It is this transfer of thermal energy or heat which allows for the vaporization of said operating fluid WF. By way of a preferred but non-limiting example, the first heat exchanger 120 may advantageously consist of a plate exchanger, also known as a “plate heat exchanger” or “gasket type heat exchanger.” Said first heat exchanger, advantageously a plate exchanger or an exchanger comprising any other exchanger technology that ensures the efficiency of the system 20, may comprise plates that are preferably formed of titanium, in order to guarantee a long service life of said heat exchanger.
Subsequently, the operating fluid WF, in the form of vapor, expands while passing through one, or optionally a plurality of, turbine(s) that drive one or more generators in order to finally generate electrical energy. The floating electrical energy production system may also comprise a turbine 140 that cooperates fluidically, i.e. is in fluid communication, with the first heat exchanger 120 as a result of the operating fluid WF. Preferably, but in a non-limiting manner, a turbine 140 of this kind consists of a single axial impulse type turbine, optionally provided with means for partial admission (not shown in
Subsequently, since the electrical energy production system operates in a closed cycle, the operating fluid WF vapor is again condensed to a liquid in order to finally be recycled within said electrical energy production system. In order to achieve this, said electrical energy production system 20 may also comprise a second heat exchanger 180 that cooperates fluidically, i.e. is in fluid communication, with said second cold water CW supply circuit and said operating fluid WF supply circuit. The cold water CW, advantageously drawn from depths of approximately seven hundred to one thousand meters at a temperature of approximately four to seven degrees Celsius, is conveyed to the second heat exchanger 180 by means of the second supply circuit. The cold water CW then circulates through the second heat exchanger 180 and transfers its heat energy in order to condense the operating fluid WF, said operating fluid transitioning from the gaseous state to the liquid state. As a result, the second heat exchanger 180, also referred to as the condenser, advantageously makes it possible to transfer thermal energy from the cold water CW to the operating fluid WF, via an exchange surface that ensures separation between the cold water CW and the operating fluid WF. It is this transfer of thermal energy which allows for the condensation of said operating fluid WF. Advantageously but in a non-limiting manner, similarly to the first heat exchanger 120, a second heat exchanger 180 of this kind may consist of a double walled heat exchanger. By way of a preferred but non-limiting example, the second heat exchanger 180 may consist of a plate exchanger (also known as a “plate heat exchanger” or “gasket type heat exchanger”).
Once the operating fluid WF is again in the liquid state, a cycle of electrical energy production via the production system 20 is again carried out. The warm water WW and the cold water CW, in turn, are then conveyed to the outside of the system since the respective temperatures thereof are not sufficient to supply the first and second heat exchangers 120, 180 in order to vaporize and condense, respectively, the operating fluid WF. For this purpose, the electrical energy production system 20 may comprise a water outlet WO that cooperates fluidically, i.e. is in fluid communication, with the first and second heat exchangers 120 and 180.
Owing to the structure and the functions thereof, a floating system 20 for generating electrical energy, according to the invention, is designed to preferably receive a turbine 150 that is capable of producing electricity E1 at a power of between two and three megawatt hours. Nonetheless, the invention is not limited to just this range of power values. Said system may advantageously be adapted so as to be capable of producing powers of between two hundred kilowatt hours and five megawatt hours.
As already specified according to an embodiment described with reference to
The water pipe consisting of the cold water intake, in turn, may advantageously be formed primarily of high-density polyethylene (also known by the abbreviation HDPE), because a material of this kind has excellent bending properties and a low density, making it possible to reduce the strain applied on said pipe. However, the invention is not limited to just this material, because the water pipe consisting of the cold water intake may optionally be formed from other materials without limiting the invention. In an analogous manner, the invention is not limited to the use of just one pipe for warm water intake or cold water intake, respectively. A floating system 20 according to the invention may optionally comprise a plurality of water pipes consisting of a plurality of warm water and/or cold water intakes. In an analogous manner, said pipe consisting of the cold water intake can thus advantageously be positioned on or under the insert 2 or even along the floating device 1. The movement of the pipe is certainly one of the main problems encountered at depth. A movement of this kind is generally directly cause by the movements of the floating device, thus generating harmful stresses in the water pipe consisting of the cold water intake. In order to limit, or even to entirely eliminate, this phenomenon, while in particular reducing the stress variations, the water pipe consisting of the cold water intake may optionally comprise or cooperate with ballast means.
A floating system 20 according to the invention may also comprise an additional pipe consisting of a cold water discharge means. An additional pipe of this kind can advantageously be positioned on the insert 2, opposite the water pipe consisting of the cold water intake. In an analogous manner, the water pipe consisting of the cold water return means can advantageously be formed primarily of high-density polyethylene and be of a length of between one hundred and two hundred-and-fifty meters.
Finally, a floating system 20 according to the invention may also comprise means for exporting electricity E1 which make it possible to transport the electricity to land or more generally to the site to which electricity is intended to be supplied. Exportation or carrier means of this kind may advantageously comprise one or more power cables that are independent or optionally positioned and/or fastened along a mooring line or along a water pipe that provides the cold water intake. Preferably, but in a non-limiting manner, the exportation means can be stabilized in the region of the sea bed as far as a coastal zone or even up to another floater.
The invention has been described with reference to the use and/or application thereof in conjunction with electrical energy production for, for example, a hotel complex located in an isolated island archipelago. Said invention may also be carried out for any other category of location, for example isolated communities, government and/or military facilities, large industrial and/or commercial sites, universities, airports or even data-centers that are capable of carrying out “OTEC”-type technologies, i.e. in any part of the world where the required temperature difference, i.e. in the region of twenty degrees Celsius, between a warm source and a cold source, exists throughout the year, typically in tropical waters.
It is also conceivable for the device and system according to the invention to ensure other functions and/or applications than those described and/or mentioned above, in particular preferably the production of electrical energy using a temperature gradient. The invention is not limited to the application within which the device and system according to the invention are used.
Other modifications are also conceivable, without departing from the scope of the present invention defined by the accompanying claims.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/FR2017/050753 | 3/31/2017 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62379540 | Aug 2016 | US |
