ABSTRACT 



Of the many foreseeable problems confronting 

 economical ocean thermal energy conversion opera- 

 tion, two major items are the deterioration of the 

 structural and functional components, which prevents 

 efficient operation, and the biofouling of the sur- 

 faces, which adds excess weight to the floating 

 ocean platform. The techniques required for effec- 

 tive long-term control of deterioration and corro- 

 sion have been investigated actively for many years, 

 and successful solutions for most situations have 

 been developed. For the most part, these solutions 

 can be directly transferred to the ocean thermal 

 energy conversion plant. The majority of problems 

 in these areas are expected to be associated with 

 scale-up and will require some advanced development 

 due to the immensity of the ocean thermal energy 

 conversion platform. 



Current antifouling control systems are not 

 effective for long-term fouling prevention. Commer- 

 cially available antifouling coatings are limited to 

 a 3-year service life in temperate waters, and even 

 shorter in tropical waters. However, underwater 

 cleaning techniques and some fouling-control systems 

 presently being used by conventional power plants 

 may find utility on an ocean thermal energy conver- 

 sion plant. In addition, some recent major advances 

 in long-term antifouling coatings sponsored by the 

 Navy may be applicable to ocean thermal energy 

 conversion. 



ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION 

 This work was accomplished under Work Unit 2853-501 and was spon- 

 sored by the Department of Energy. It was initiated as part of the 

 Biofouling and Corrosion Project administered under Agreement RL-76-9599 

 by Drs. Lyle D. Perrigo and George A. Jensen of the Pacific Northwest 

 Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352. This Laboratory is operated for 

 the U.S. Department of Energy by Batelle Memorial Institute. 



INTRODUCTION 



BACKGROUND 



The Department of Energy (DOE) currently is investigating several 

 power-generating techniques as alternatives to conventional fossil-fueled 

 and nuclear power plants. One of the several proposed techniques would 



