In this chapter, we present the methodology for the selection of the working fluid, the environmental and working conditions for operation, and the development carried out for the design of a closed cycle OTEC prototype plant. This prototype uses the temperature difference between the cooler deep waters and the warmer surface waters of the Mexican Caribbean Sea to feed a thermal machine capable of generating 1 kW of electrical energy; and it works with an organic Rankine cycle, composed of a pump, a turbine, and two heat exchangers. The advances carried out in installing the prototype are also presented.

No abstract