There has long been an interest in using the vast quantities of thermal energy i

Question

There has long been an interest in using the vast quantities of thermal energy in the oceans to run heat engines. A heat engine needs a temperature difference, a hot side and a cold side. Conveniently, the ocean surface waters are warmer than the deep ocean waters. Suppose you build a floating power plant in the tropics where the surface water temperature is approximately 30.0 deg C . This would be the hot reservoir of the engine. For the cold reservoir, water would be pumped up from the ocean bottom where it is always approximately 6.00 deg C . What is the maximum possible efficiency of such a power plant?

Explanation / Answer

maximum possible efficiency = 1 -(T2/T1) = 1 - 6/30 =0.8 = 80%

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