Selective withdrawal from a rotating stratified current with applications to OTEC

The results of a simple theoretical model of axisymmetric withdrawal from a rotating stratified current are presented. A rotating stratified flume was used to test the validity of the theory. Good agreement was found and when the theory is applied to the fluid motion into an OTEC plant, it is found that when the current going by the plant is small, large vortices develop near the inlets. The torques on the plant due to these vortices and the degradation of temperature due to selective withdrawal processes are estimated to be potentially significant.