OTEC Seawater Pipe Cost Comparisons

by Martin E. Iorns,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Ocean Energy Recovery

Abstract:

Describes a material which can substantially reduce the cost of seawater pipes and two methods for building and deploying such pipes for use in land-based OTEC installations, outfall sewers, or underwater tunnels. The material is laminated ferrocement, a lightweight, highly reinforced, ductile, and impact-resistant form of concrete whose long-term durability in seawater has been thoroughly established. In one deployment method, the intake structure is built on a pontoon floating over the site and the pipe is slipformed downward during a period of storm-free weather. In the other method, the pipe is built in segments in floating formwork behind a breakwater or in a basin scooped out of the beach and deployed from shore. Portable equipment is used for both methods and neither method requires a shipyard, a graving dock, or heavy lifts. A method for preparing a trench, deploying pipes through the surf line, and securing them against lateral forces are described.

Subject Headings: Concrete pipes | Underwater pipelines | Reinforced concrete | Benefit cost ratios | Thermal power | Sea water | Pipe materials

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