Parametric study of working conditions of an Organic Rankine Cycle applied to Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is an elegant way to provide renewable and non-fluctuating energy. The temperature difference between the cold deepwater and the hot shallow water in tropical areas allows to drive a thermodynamic cycle. However, the range of temperature is very small compared to that of conventional cycles. The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is employed in order to take full advantage of the low temperature difference, because of its simplicity and reliability. The results of this study show that, considering the needed mass flow rate to reach the net output work, ammonia is clearly the most performing working fluid. However, when considering the thermal efficiency, the differences between the working fluids aren’t significant. In order to compare this working fluids, we can also take account of the working pressures or the environmental impacts of each fluids. So, a study have to be completed to show witch objective or multiobjective parameter best fits to the characterization of the performance of ORC applied to OTEC.