Experiments on Oxygen Desorption from Surface Warm Seawater under Open-Cycle Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion

This paper presents the results of scoping deaeration experiments conducted with warm surface seawater under open-cycle ocean thermal energy conversion (OCOTEC) conditions. Concentrations of dissolved oxygen in seawater at three locations (in the supply water, water leaving the predeaerator, and discharge water from an evaporator) were measured and used to estimate oxygen desorption levels. The results suggest that 7 percent to 60 percent of the dissolved oxygen in the supply water was desorbed from seawater in the predeaerator for pressures ranging from 35 to 9 kPa. Bubble injection in the upcomer increased the oxygen desorption rate by 20 percent to 60 percent. The data also indicated that at typical OC-OTEC evaporator pressures, when flash evaporation in the evaporator occurred, 75 percent to 95 percent of the dissolved oxygen was desorbed overall from the warm seawater. The results were used to find the impact of a single-stage predeaeration scheme on the power to remove noncondensable gases in an OC-OTEC plant.