Moored pipe/mobile platform: An innovative approach to the floating OTEC plant

The moored pipe/mobile platform (MP-Squared) approach is one in which the cold water pipe (CWP) of a floating Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) plant is permanently moored in the ocean at the production site. The plantship (surface platform), however, is capable of being disconnected from the moored CWP to avoid storms or for shoreside maintenance. Two conceptual versions of MP-Squared were developed through a parametric design process and both were tested in an experimental wave tank. The results indicated that MP-Squared offers a technically sound and operationally attractive option for designers of OTEC plants.