Objective Functions and Performance Optimization of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) with CO2-Based Binary Zeotropic Mixture Power Cycle

Abstract

Ocean thermal energy is a huge renewable and clean energy. For different applications of the Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) system, new objective functions are proposed and optimal CO2-based binary zeotropic mixtures for each objective function are discussed. Propane, butane, isobutane, and pentane were selected as the secondary component of the mixture working fluid. Based on each objective function, some parameters of the CO2-based binary zeotropic mixture power cycle were studied and the optimal working fluids were obtained. The results indicated that the thermal efficiency showed an upwards trend as the evaporating temperature increased from 20 to 23 °C and decreased as the molar fraction of the secondary component of the working fluid increased from 0.01 to 0.05, but the specific volumetric flow showed the opposite trend. The specific net power increased as the evaporating temperature increased, and the net power output had a greater effect on the variations in the specific net power than the molar fraction of the secondary component. When taking thermal efficiency or specific volumetric flow as the objective functions, CO2/propane was the suitable working fluid under the considered conditions; in the case that specific net power was taken as the objective function, CO2/butane (0.97/0.03 or 0.96/0.04 molar ratio) or CO2/isobutane (0.97/0.03, 0.96/0.04, or 0.95/0.05 molar ratio) were suitable under the considered evaporating temperature.