Ocean Cooling Tower First Principles

The first problem to be resolved is that more heat remains close to the Earth’s surface at present (2022 CE) than is suitable for the lives of humans and other surface-or-sea-dwelling life. It is generally accepted that this heat is continuing to increase, and is of Anthropogenic origin – i.e. created by human beings.

This heat is an energetic excitation of molecules, and it is found in air, water and solids. Present life-forms – including human life – have evolved in a global temperature of approx. – 0.25^oC, which remained approximately the same until the late 1940s, when it reached 0.00^oC – see chart: ‘Global Average Temperature Change’. According to this chart, the present global temperature is approx. 0.08^oC, and is continuing to rise constantly along approximately the same gradient.

In order to maintain life, humans and other life forms have to expend energy (‘work’ as defined in physics) – a process which creates still more heat. This situation is aggravated by the need for continuing economic activity, and the increasing number of human beings, many of them becoming old, and therefore needing extra heat and mechanical input to continue to live in an acceptable way.

The second problem is that a combination of constantly-increasing heat and heavy use of existing water is causing many areas to become desiccated, leading to fear, conflict, starvation, emigration/immigration and refugee-ism.

The best solution to problems of emigration and refugee-ism is to make it possible and secure for people to stay in their established homes, and to remove the threats of flooding, wildfires and desiccation.

The invention will provide food security wherever it is implemented, which will increase overall security, as less people will be forced to move.

 

 

View the Ocean Cooling Tower Animated Diagram here

 

Method described in this article

Removing the heat (as held within air, water or other fluid, and solid earth/rock, etc.) from the vicinity of the surface of the Earth to an area where it can be cooled harmlessly. Heat naturally moves from hotter to colder environments. As measured by Radiosonde balloons, the atmosphere loses on average about 1 degree Celsius and 0.02 hpA of pressure for every 100 metres of height gained.

Amongst the serious threats to present life-forms currently presented by Global Warming, a very significant element is the heating of the oceans and seas (which comprise about 70% of the world’s surface) and rivers and large lakes. The effects of this include:

1. Melting of ice-caps, leading to rising sea-levels, causing flooding and erosion;
2. Acidification of the water, leading to health-challenges for many sea-creatures, including corals;
3. Reduction in the oxygen levels in the water, causing ill-health and sometimes extinction among oxygen-dependent life forms;
4. Enforced change in habitat for many animals, loss of livelihood and security for many people, esp. people dependent on fishing.

o my knowledge no specific technical proposal has yet been made to address this problem.

Some geo-engineering proposals have been made – see https://www.ametsoc.org/index.cfm/ams/about-ams/ams-statements/statements-of-the-ams-in-force/geoengineering-the-climate-system/ – but they tend to be on a very large scale, liable to introduce new hazards, and are currently discredited as solutions to the problems.

The principles on which this invention is based are:

1. Heat moves easily and naturally from a warm liquid, gas or other substance to a cooler liquid, gas or other substance unless prevented by insulation;
2. At every point on the globe’s surface, a cooler liquid or gas is present within a manageable distance – as follows:
   1. With every increase in altitude of approx. 100 metres, the temperature of the air falls by approx. 1^o
   2. By moving water to a higher altitude, allowing it to lose heat through a heat-conductive material – e.g. a HEAT-TRANSFER VESSEL OF COPPER – into the surrounding cooler air, and then returning it (contained if need be in a tube surrounded by effective thermal-insulation) to or below the ocean surface, it will be possible over a period to effect a substantial cooling of the ocean.
   3. Devices or machines to move the water as described above should be available reasonably economically and capable of large-scale prefabrication.
   4. Electric power is nowadays available from photovoltaic sources to power pumps while sufficient sunlight is available. If (or while) sunlight is not available, the current options are battery-power, wave-power, wind-power or power from the relevant electric grid.

What is now suggested is a self-priming pump powered by an electric motor (for the purpose of prototyping only, model BR-31/40 by AZCUE seems suitable). This pump is capable of propelling sea-water at a rate of 2 cubic metres per hour to a height of 200m, which would give a throughput of 48 cubic metres per day or 17250 M3 per annum. Much larger pumps are available and a large number could be provided along the sea-boards of the world.

A structure is proposed in the accompanying drawing which would draw sea-water into a pump at sea-level, pump it in a pipe held upright, or at an upward-inclined angle, by a rigid frame to the required altitude and allow it to circulate if need be in a bath or tank made of material with very low thermal-insulation properties, such as copper, optionally with fins to increase surface area in contact with the cold air.  From this ‘HEAT-LOSS VESSEL’ – see drawing – it would fall under gravity (if need be in a pipe surrounded by material with very high thermal-insulation properties) to a level near to the sea-surface, above the sea-surface or below the sea-surface, depending on which is most suitable for local conditions.

If it is needed, the falling water could be aerated/oxygenated by creating turbulence through inline mixers, or protuberances inside the tubing with possible air-inlets placed above them, so that air is dragged in by the falling water.

Peltier-type cooling could be used if need be to supplement the heat-reduction provided by the ‘HEAT-LOSS VESSEL’.

Alternative arrangements for raising the water could include Archimedes Screws – in series if need be – and bucket-chains.

To enable continuing performance despite varying tide levels, the invention proposes creating artificial basins with anchorages for floating pump-and-pipe structures, as shown in the Drawing.

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