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Marine energy test for Owens Corning composites

The OTEC system will involve pumping huge volumes of warm sea water through a heat exchanger to draw off heat to generate electricity

Fiberglass manufacturer Owens Corning is providing composite materials for the marine energy demonstration project being developed by Lockheed Martin.

Aerospace firm Lockheed Martin is pioneering a system that will make use of the difference in temperatures between warm surface layers of the ocean and colder layers deeper down.

Called Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, the ocean thermal power technology has been developed for decades.

But with fresh funding from the government is now at the stage where Lockheed is beginning to assess potential for a utility-scale project (see this BrighterEnergy.org story).

XStrand

Owens Corning, which has its global HQ in Toledo, Ohio, said last week that it has been contracted to supply its XStrand high-strength glass fiber for pipes that will reach thousands of feet below the ocean surface.

The company said the project would demonstrate the use of composite technologies in ocean environments.

Already used in wind turbine blades, the OTEC system will subject the materials to a different set of pressures, within marine conditions.

Marcio Sandri, Americas vice president and managing director for the Owens Corning Composite Solutions Business, said: “Composite materials already enable cost-effective fabrication of blades for wind turbines.

“With high-strength glass fiber reinforcements enabling the continuous production of tough, corrosion-resistant large-diameter pipe at sea directly from a floating platform, OTEC can become another viable method for obtaining energy from renewable sources.”

The OTEC technology involves the pumping of large volumes of seawater from the warm surface layers of the ocean through a heat exchanger. Here, the heat from the water is transferred to a special fluid that has a low boiling point. The fluid turns into a vapor, which can then be used to drive a turbine to generate electricity.

The colder water is then returned to the lower levels of the ocean.

“Eye-opening”

Because the difference in temperature is relatively small between the different layers of the ocean, the OTEC system will require movement of large volumes of water, which will offer a stern test for Owens Corning’s composite materials.

The company said the fabrication and installation of large-diameter pipes able to withstand the forces from the water would be one of the largest technical challenges for the entire project.

“OTEC will be an eye-opening demonstration of the potential of composite materials,” said Mr Sandri.

OTEC could enable Hawaii achieve energy independence within a generation” - Dennis Cooper, Lockheed Martin

“Manufacturing large-diameter pipe directly from a floating platform will expand the definition of on-site fabrication, which is already a familiar practice for composites. The power and caustic effects of ocean water are also well known and make this a great application for the strength and corrosion resistance of composites.

Owens Corning has already worked with Lockheed in earlier stages of the project to test its materials against fatigue and corrosion as well as some performance testing.

Fabrication work for the next stage of the OTEC project is being carried out at Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Center in Sunnyvale, California.

West Virginia University’s Constructed Facilities Center is also supporting the project.

If successful, Dennis Cooper, OTEC program manager for Lockheed Martin, said the technology might offer energy independence for coastal communities like Hawaii.

He said: “It’s conceivable, that OTEC could enable Hawaii achieve energy independence within a generation. Our independent research and development work to date has shown OTEC to be technically feasible. The next step is to demonstrate it on a commercial scale.”