The main area of focus of the group is the utilization of the ocean resources to find alternative technologies for fresh water and renewable energy. Currently the group is working on three specific areas, fresh water production using low temperature thermal desalination (LTTD) process, and energy production using two distinctly different processes, Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion and Wave Energy.
Desalination by LTTD process: The concept of the variation in the ocean water temperature with an increase in depth is used in the Low Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) to flash evaporate the warm water at low pressure and condense the resulting vapour with the deep sea cold water. Starting from a small laboratory based 5m3/day capacity scale model, the group has successfully commissioned one 100m3/day capacity land based plant at Kavaratti and one 1000m3/day capacity floating barge based desalination plant off the coast of Chennai.
The group has successfully commissioned and operating the LTTD process for power plants where huge amounts of warm water are discharged continuously from the plant. A demonstration plant is being set-up at North Chennai Thermal Power Station and continuously generating fresh water is being used by the power plant. Establishment of similar plant at Tuticorin Thermal Power Station with 2 x 1 MLD capacity is under progress.
NIOT has successfully demonstrated 1000 m3 / day barge mounted desalination plant 40km off Chennai coast in March 2005. Efforts are on to establish large scale offshore desalination plant off Chennai around 1000m water depth.
