Method of and means for maintaining a halocline in an open body of salt water

A power plant having, in combination, a heat source in the form of an open body of water containing dissolved salts, a heat exchanger for extracting heat from the heat source and supplying heat to a heat engine, and a condenser for cooling the exhaust of the heat engine, the heat source comprising:

• (a) a halocline in the body of water adjacent the surface thereof and above a heat storage layer which is itself above the hypolimnion whereby solar radiation incident on the surface of the body of water is absorbed in the halocline and transferred into the heat storage layer;
• (b) means for drawing liquid from the body of water and increasing its density to a value greater than the density of liquid below the halocline;
• and
• (c) means to inject the liquid of increased density into the body of water below the halocline for inducing upwelling in the body of water thereby countering the effects of molecular diffusion of salt across the halocline.

Apparatus comprising:

• (a) a halocline adjacent to the surface of a solar pond for absorbing solar radiation, the salinity of the halocine having a predetermined functional relationship with depth;
• (b) a heat storage layer below the halocline for storing heat from the halocline at a given average rate;
• (c) means for extracting sensible heat from the heat storage layer at substantially said given average rate;
• and
• (d) means for maintaining the salinity in the halocline at substantially said predetermined functional relationship with the depth;
• (e) said last-named means including means for inducing an upward vertical flow across the halocline to counter the effects of wind-mixing and molecular diffusion.