Meeting the Inspection, Maintenance and Repair Requirements of Ocean Thermal Energy Facilities

The concept of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is to use the temperature difference between warm surface water and cold deep water to run a heat engine and generate electricity. If OTEC is to provide substantial input to the total world energy demand, it will be necessary to operate facilities that draw cold water through 9-to 22-meter diameter riser pipes from 1,000-meter depths. This paper examines the modifications to an existing OTEC design and presently available inspection, maintenance and repair (IM&R) systems that are required to meet anticipated IM&R requirements.