Patent ID: 8584462
Filing Date: 2013-11-19
Classification: F03G,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A method for producing electrical and/or mechanical energy from a temperature different between warm surface seawater and cold seawater collected at depths up to 2 miles below the surface of an ocean or sea, where the method comprises: passing a first rich vapor stream, which may be pressure adjusted in a third throttle control valve if needed, through a turbine unit, where a portion of thermal energy in the first rich vapor stream is converted to a useable form of energy to produce a spent rich solution stream, combining the spent rich solution stream with a cooled second lean liquid stream, which may be pressure adjusted in a third throttle control valve if needed, to form an intermediate solution stream, where the intermediate solution stream is leaner than the rich solution stream, condensing the intermediate solution stream in a first condenser utilizing a cold seawater stream to form a fully condensed, intermediate solution stream to form a warmed cold seawater stream, pressurizing the fully condensed intermediate solution stream in a first pump to a higher pressure to form a higher pressure, fully condensed intermediate stream, dividing the higher pressure, fully condensed intermediate stream into a first higher pressure, fully condensed intermediate substream and a second higher pressure, fully condensed intermediate substream, combining the first higher pressure, fully condensed intermediate substream with a second rich vapor stream to form a rich solution stream, condensing the rich solution stream in a second condenser utilizing the warmed cold seawater stream to form a fully condensed rich solution stream, pressurizing the fully condensed rich solution stream in a second pump to a higher pressure to form a higher pressure, fully condensed rich solution stream, preheating the higher pressure, fully condensed rich solution stream in a first preheater utilizing a first cooled warm seawater substream to form a preheated, higher pressure, rich solution stream, partially vaporizing the preheated higher pressure, rich solution stream in a first partial vaporizer unit to from a partially vaporized, rich solution stream and a cooled warm seawater stream, dividing the cooled warm seawater stream into the first cooled warm seawater substream and a second cooled warm seawater substream, separating the partially vaporized, rich solution stream in a first separator to form the first rich vapor stream and a first lean liquid stream, meanwhile, preheating the second higher pressure, fully condensed, intermediate substream in a second preheater utilizing the second lean liquid stream to form a preheated, second higher pressure, intermediate substream and the cooled second lean liquid stream, partially vaporizing the preheated, second higher pressure, intermediate substream in a second partial vaporizer unit utilizing the second cooled warm seawater substream to form a partially vaporized, second higher pressure, intermediate substream, combining the partially vaporized, second higher pressure, intermediate substream with the first lean liquid stream, which may be pressure adjusted by a first throttle control valve if needed, to form a lean solution stream, and separating the lean solution stream in a second separator to form the second rich vapor stream and the second lean liquid stream, where all of the streams are derived from a multi-component working fluid and where the method is closed with respect to the multi-component working fluid.