STEP 12 HWC - Hot Water Column
Description
The Hot Water Column is perhaps the simplest scheme for stimulating ocean circulation, this time by sending a stream (column) of hot, salty, aerated water to the ocean depths. A floating beach, say 5kms long, combines a beach, a catchment pond (collector) and a down-pipe. Mid-ocean wave energy is used to fill the pond, which is some metres elevated above ocean level, by inducing the waves to run up a smooth inclined plane, the beach, and transfer their dynamic energy into static head. Dependent on the wave height, the buoyancy of the HWC can be adjusted to produce the best combination of water volume/ head to provide the maximum downflow ir-respective of sea conditions:- a higher flotation level captures less water but provides greater head. From the pond, a vertical pipe allows the water to flow to the ocean depths where it is diffused into the current over a wide area to prevent formation of a return 'chimney'. By choosing a location with minimal (say 0.4%) density difference between hot, salty surface water and cold, less-salty, deep water, a head of 2 metres is sufficient to circulate large volumes of hot water. Only for 8 days per year are ocean conditions unlikely to generate circulation.
The Hot Water Column is perhaps the simplest scheme for stimulating ocean circulation, this time by sending a stream (column) of hot, salty, aerated water to the ocean depths. A floating beach, say 5kms long, combines a beach, a catchment pond (collector) and a down-pipe. Mid-ocean wave energy is used to fill the pond, which is some metres elevated above ocean level, by inducing the waves to run up a smooth inclined plane, the beach, and transfer their dynamic energy into static head. Dependent on the wave height, the buoyancy of the HWC can be adjusted to produce the best combination of water volume/ head to provide the maximum downflow ir-respective of sea conditions:- a higher flotation level captures less water but provides greater head. From the pond, a vertical pipe allows the water to flow to the ocean depths where it is diffused into the current over a wide area to prevent formation of a return 'chimney'. By choosing a location with minimal (say 0.4%) density difference between hot, salty surface water and cold, less-salty, deep water, a head of 2 metres is sufficient to circulate large volumes of hot water. Only for 8 days per year are ocean conditions unlikely to generate circulation.
The down-pipe has several outlets at different depths, each fitted with a diffuser to spread the hot plume. The upper outlet, just below the anticline at some 500m depth disperses hot water (say 26 ºC) into a 6 ºC zone and needs a minimum head to drive it. A larger outlet is provided at 1000m to discharge hot water into a 4ºC zone, while the main outlet at 2000m discharges into a 2ºC zone.
