The Ocean Heat Shuffler is a refinement of the Hot Water Column (see STEP 12 – HWC). Here the wave energy gathered is used to send a stream (column) of hot, salty, aerated water to the bottom of the anticline, and this descending flow powers the simultaneous lift of cold water from the extreme depths.
A floating machine, say 5kms long, combines a beach, a catchment pond (collector), a down-pipe and a riser 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 OHS can be adjusted to produce the best combination of water volume/ head to provide the maximum downflow irrespective 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 a point just below the anticline at some 500m depth, where it is diffused into the current to prevent formation of a return ‘chimney’. The descending stream drives a series of pistons connected to an endless rope, and as the pistons return to the surface they bring up a column of very cold (say 2ºC) deep water via a riser pipe. This is diffused at some 10metres below surface level.
