REQUIREMENTS FOR OTEC STRUCTURES 

 Scope 



This study addresses the requirements of OTEC structures as a class 

 and not the requirements of individual configurations or concepts. At 

 present, OTEC structural concepts range from long, vertically oriented 

 structures to moderately long, horizontally oriented structures, and 

 from single-cylindrical-hull surface structures to multiple-cylindrical- 

 hull submerged structures J- J Requirements common to all OTEC concepts 

 are the focus in this paper for describing current concrete technology and 

 identifying areas for profitable research and development. 



System Requirements 



The basic system requirements for OTEC structural systems include: 

 o Capability (to perform the mission) 

 o Availability (to begin the mission) 

 o Reliability (to continue performance throughout mission life) 



The fundamental requirement is, of course, to be able to construct and 

 deploy structural systems capable of performing their service functions 

 in the ocean environment for the design life of about 25 to 40 years 

 (not specifically defined at this stage). 



Capability . The service function of the platform is to house men 

 and equipment in a dry one-atmosphere environment. 



The cold water pipe is required to transport huge volumes of cold 

 water with a minimum of power, head loss, and temperature change from 

 depths of one thousand to several thousand feet. 



