Energy and Fresh Water Production From Icebergs

Heizer, Ray T.

doi:10.1016/b978-0-08-022916-4.50057-1

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Weeks and Campbell themselves published a more detailed article (1973). A review of the papers presented during the present conference, and at the 1977 conference (Husseiny 1978, Balaban 1979), suggests that we are still enmeshed in the initial stage of this project cycle. Perhaps this is to be expected, considering how little we know about icebergs and the Antarctic and Arctic oceans and currents that both transport and degrade them.…”

Section: Life Cycle Status Of Iceberg Utilization Proposalsmentioning

confidence: 90%

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Design Parameters for a South African Iceberg Power and Water Project

DeMarle

1980

Ann. Glaciol.

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Construction of an iceberg processing plant at Saldanha Bay, Republic, of South Africa, is proposed. A reservoir would be constructed at Rieibaai for ice storage. Tidal forces would be harnessed to pump the warm water of Saldanha Lagoon over heat exchangers (using ammonia or propane gas as a heat exchange medium), thus providing power for electrical generators and for melting ice. A functional analysis of operations is presented, together with proposed costs. It is suggested that the fresh water and electricity produced by this system will cost 6¢/m3 and 3¢/kwH, respectively.

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Section: Life Cycle Status Of Iceberg Utilization Proposalsmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…If the power plant had an operating efficiency of 5%, the ice could he used to produce $6,380,000 worth of electricity. Power plants using ice were first described at the 1977 conference on the use of icebergs (Heizer 1978, Roberts 1978, DeMarle 1979(a)).…”

Section: South African Iceberg Utilization Proposalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design Parameters for a South African Iceberg Power and Water Project

DeMarle

1980

Ann. Glaciol.

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“…It was suggested in 1977 that this energy could be used to provide electric power and thus increase the economic return that can be obtained from an iceberg [Heizer, 1978;Roberts, 1978;DeMarle, 1979]. It was suggested in 1977 that this energy could be used to provide electric power and thus increase the economic return that can be obtained from an iceberg [Heizer, 1978;Roberts, 1978;DeMarle, 1979].…”

Section: The Icetec Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%

The resource potential of Antarctic icebergs

Wadhams

1990

Mineral Resources Potential of Antarctica

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The possible use of Antarctic icebergs as a source of water and electrical power is discussed. We review the history of the idea, the development of concepts of iceberg use from the 1950s onward, and the physical properties of icebergs which determine their susceptibility to decay and thus their likely survival time under tow. The elements of an iceberg utilization scheme are discussed, including potential destinations, iceberg detection and selection, propulsion, protection, and processing. An "Icetec" scheme which combines water utilization with power generation via ocean thermal energy conversion would seem to offer the best economic prospect for iceberg use, but many technical problems remain unsolved while fundamental physical processes affecting an iceberg tow have yet to be examined experimentally. this, was (1.63 _ 0.10) x l0 •5 kg yr -1, by Shumskiy et al. [1964]. A more recent estimate is by Orheim [1984], who makes use of the large observational data set collected by ships of opportunity and transmitted in standard format to Norsk Polarinstitutt. From 33,000 sightings of icebergs he used statistical arguments to derive an estimate of 2.3 x l015 kg (i.e., about 2.7 x 103 km 3) for the mean annual iceberg flux, which would give the Antarctic ice sheet a negative mass balance. This, then, is the maximum freshwater volume avail-able annually. By comparison, the mean flow rate of the Amazon River is 5.7 x 103 km 3 yr -•, roughly double the Antarctic iceberg flux [Dietrich et al., 1980]. Therefore icebergs could make a significant addition to the world's water supplies, but only if most of those produced were captured. Since the annual flux represents about 5000-10,000 individual bergs, this is an impossible task; so the global contribution of icebergs to the world's usable water can only be a minor one. However, iceberg water is available in a ready-packaged form, and as we shall see, there are a number of destinations and types of iceberg water scheme which may be economically attractive and technically feasible. HISTORY OF THE IDEAThe economic use of natural ice as a refrigerant has a very long history [Reynolds, 1979[Reynolds, , 1983. The Romans used ice from Alpine lakes, which was transported in straw to Rome. By the early nineteenth century the use of lake ice was widespread throughout Europe and North America. Ice was cut from lakes during winter and stored in insulated ice houses for summer use. Thoreau [1854] gives a classic description of ice cuttingon Walden Pond. Where a nation such as Great Britain needed ice for refrigeration (the preservation of fish, in particular, required large quantities) but was unable to supply it herself, an export trade developed from more northerly countries. Norway began exporting glacier ice to Britain in 1822, and by 1898, 550,000 tons were being exported annually to Britain, France, and Germany. The ice was taken from ice caps such as Folgefonni (southwestern Norway) and JOkulfjordbreen near Troms½ and was mined either by the use of explosives

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“…A coupling of particular interest would use ice to increase the thermal gradient in an ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) scheme. Detailed analyses of this possibility are given by Heizer (1978) and by Roberts (1978). As Schwerdtfeger (1979) has pointed out a 1 km 3 iceberg has a mass of roughly 9 × 10 11 kg and represents 3 × 10 7 J of energy in a 0°C environment.…”

Section: The State Of the Artmentioning

confidence: 99%

Iceberg Water: An Assessment (Invited paper)

Weeks

1980

Ann. Glaciol.

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This review of the idea of using icebergs as a source of fresh water starts with a historical survey covering the period up to April 1980 and stresses how the approach to the subject has changed with time. Both the progress that has been made and the problems that have either just surfaced or never been adequately addressed are discussed. It is concluded that successful tows to Australia, clearly the most easily-reached potential delivery site, are a possibility if icebergs can be demonstrated to retain their structural integrity during tows in high seas and if favorable schemes can be developed for docking and processing. Tows to sites in the northern hemisphere such as Saudi Arabia and California are significantly more difficult and will remain so until an effective and operationally-realistic method is developed for isolating the iceberg from the warm sea-water that will be encountered during part of the tow. Whatever the ultimate resolution of the iceberg-water proposal may prove to be, research stimulated by this idea has already resulted in a major improvement in our knowledge of the life and times of real icebergs in real oceans.

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Energy and Fresh Water Production From Icebergs

Cited by 6 publications

References 4 publications

Design Parameters for a South African Iceberg Power and Water Project

Design Parameters for a South African Iceberg Power and Water Project

The resource potential of Antarctic icebergs

Iceberg Water: An Assessment (Invited paper)

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