Patent ID: 8776519

Claim:
A power-generating plant, comprising: a floating off-shore platform comprising a plurality of cells; one or more water turbines housed in one or more of the plurality of cells; one or more cold water pipes housed in one or more of the plurality of cells; and one or more vacuum chambers housed in one or more of the plurality of cells, wherein each of the one or more vacuum chambers is partially submerged below sea level, maintained at a pressure lower than pressure of surrounding seawater, and comprises: an intake screen positioned at the bottom of the vacuum chamber and configured to permit warm seawater to enter the vacuum chamber; a mist generator positioned above the intake screen and configured to cause the warm seawater to form a mist comprising warm water droplets and water vapor; at least one cold water injection nozzle configured to spray cold water into the vacuum chamber at a cold water injection point; an acceleration region positioned between the mist generator and the cold water injection point, and configured to cause water vapor lifts the warm water droplets and accelerates upward toward the cold water injection point; a condensing region positioned between the cold water injection point and the top of the vacuum chamber, and configured so that the cold water sprays the accelerated mist to form a mixed water jet within the condensing region; a water catchment system configured to collect the water from the water jet, wherein the catchment system is configured with baffles positioned at an elevation within the vacuum chamber close to a maximum height achieved by the mixed water jet; and one or more water turbine configured to produce power by harnessing static pressure head generated from the lifting the warm water droplets from the bottom of the vacuum chamber to the top of the vacuum chamber.