Tidal power

Tidal energy is derived from the gravitational forces of attraction that

operate between the earth and moon, and between the earth and sun.

The main cause of tides is the effect of the Moon. The effect of the Sun
is about half that of the Moon but increases or decreases the size of the
lunar tide according to the positions of the Sun and the Moon relative to
the Earth

The gravitational force of the moon causes oceans to bulge along an

axis pointing directly at the moon.

The rotation of the earth causes the rise and fall of tides.

When the sun and the moon are in line their gravitational attraction on
the earth combine and cause a “spring” tide.

When they are positioned at a right angle from each other, their
gravitational attraction pulls water in different directions, causing a
“neap” tide.

Some coastlines may have high tides up to 11 meters and in some

cases such as those in the Bay of Fundy located in Atlantic Canada, tides
could reach as high as 17 meters.

The earliest exploitation of tidal power was in tidal mills, created by

building a barrage across the mouth of a river estuary.

Sea water was trapped in a tidal basin on the rising tide and released at
low tide through a waterwheel, providing power to turn a stone mill to
grind corn.

Tidal barrages for electricity generation use large low-head turbines

and can operate for a greater fraction of the day.
how the gravitational attraction of the moon and the sun affect tides on
earth

There are two high tides and two low tides around the Earth at any
instant. One high tide is on the longitude closest to the Moon and the
other on the longitude furthest from the Moon.

The low tides are on the longitudes at 90◦ to the longitudes where the
high tides are situated.

On any given longitude the interval between high tides is
approximately 12 hours 25 minutes .The difference in height between a
high tide and a low tide is called the tidal range

Tidal potential of some large tidal range sites

Country Site Mean tidal Basin area Capacity
range (m) (km^2) (GW)

Argentina Golfo Nuevo 3.7 2376 6.6

Canada Cobequid 12.4 240 5.3
India Gulf of Khambat 7.0 1970 7.0
Russia Mezen 6.7 2640 15.0
Russia Penzhinsk 11.4 20530 87.4
UK Severn 7 520 8.6
How can tidal energy be Harnessed?
Tidal energy can be harnessed in three different ways:

Tidal Barrages
Tidal barrage systems trap sea water in a large basin and the water is
drained through low-head water turbines.

Tidal Fences
Tidal fences are giant turnstiles that have vertical axis turbines mounted
on a fence. The water passes through the fence and powers the turbines.

Tidal Turbines
Tidal turbines are the latest water power technology used in tidal areas.
They look like wind turbines that are lined together underwater. They are
used to capture strong tidal flows, so they have to be built extra strong.
A simple Tidal barrage power plant
Tidal Wave Turbine
 Types of tides
(1) Semidiurnal Tides with Monthly Variation

This type of tide has a period that matches the fundamental period of the moon
( 12 hr 25 min) and is dominated by lunar behavior.

The amplitude of the tide varies through the lunar month, with tidal range being
greatest at full moon or new moon (spring tides) when moon, earth, and sun are
aligned.

At full moon, when moon and sun have diametrically opposite positions, the tides are
highest

(2) Diurnal Tides with Monthly Variation

This type of tide is found in the China Sea and at Tahiti.

The tidal period in this case corresponds to a full revolution (of the moon relative to
the earth (24 hr 50 min).

Semidiurnal tides are subject to variations arising from the axis of rotation of the
earth being inclined to the planes of orbit of the moon around the earth and the earth
around the sun
(3). Mixed Tides

Mixed tides combine the characteristics of semidiurnal and diurnal tides. They may
also display monthly and bimonthly variation.

Examples of mixed tides are those observed in the Mediterranean and at Saigon.
 Tidal Energy Resources

The technology required to convert tidal energy into electricity is very
similar to that used in traditional hydroelectric power plants.

The first requirement is a dam or "barrage" across a tidal bay or

estuary.

Building dams is an expensive process. Therefore, the best tidal sites

are those where a bay has a narrow opening, thus reducing the length
of dam.

At certain points along the dam, gates and turbines are installed.

When there is an adequate difference in the elevation of water on two

different sides of the barrage, the gates will be opened and the
hydrostatic head causes water to flow through turbines, turning electric
generators to produce electricity.

Electricity can be generated by water flowing both into and out of a
bay.

There are two high and two low tides each day. Electricity is generated
from tidal power plants every twelve hours, with no electricity
generation at the six hour mark in between [2].

Alternatively, the turbines can be used as pumps to pump extra water

into the basin behind the barrage during periods of low electricity
demand.

This water can then be released when demand on the system is

greatest, thus allowing the tidal plant to function with some of the
characteristics of a pumped storage hydroelectric facility
Types of turbines use in Barrage type tidal power generation

(1) Bulb Turbine: water flows around the turbine ,which makes the
maintenance difficult, as the water must be prevented from flowing past
the turbine and into the generator. The La rance tidal plant near St Malo
on the Brittany coast in France uses a bulb turbine.
(2) Rim Turbine: Rim turbines also known as the Straflo turbine, It
reduces the problems encountered by bulb turbine as generator is
mounted on the barrage at right angles to turbine blades. Despite that, it
is difficult to regulate the performance of Rim turbines which are not
unsuitable for pumping either. This turbine is used in Annapolis Royal in
Nova Scotia.
(3) Tubular Turbine: In this turbine ,the generator is on the top of the
barrage and the blades are connected to a long shaft. Tubular turbines are
proposed for the Severn tidal project in the United Kingdom
What are the benefits of tidal energy?
Here are some benefits of using tidal energy:

Renewable energy source

Tides are very predictable and therefore very reliable

Does not produce greenhouse gases

Very cheap because it is It’s free
 Ecological and environmental impact of tidal power plant
The installation of a tidal barrage has a major impact on both the environment and
ecology of the estuary and the surrounding area for the following reasons.

1. The barrage acts as a major blockage to navigation and requires the installation of
locks to allow navigation to pass through.

2. Fish are killed in the turbines and impeded from migrating to their spawning
areas.

3. The intertidal wet/dry habitat is altered, forcing plant and animal life to adapt
or move elsewhere.
4. The tidal regime may be affected downstream of a tidal barrage. For example, it has
been claimed that a proposed barrage for the Bay of Fundy in Canada could increase the
tidal range by 0.25 m in Boston, 1300 km away.

5. The water quality in the basin is altered since the natural flushing of silt and pollution
is impeded, affecting fish and bird life. On the positive side, there are the benefits
arising from carbon-free energy, improved flood protection, new road crossings,
marinas, and tourism.
 Some of tidal project Around the World

(1) Annapolis Tidal Generation, Bay of Fundy, Canada:

The Annapolis Tidal Generating Station was completed in1984.

This facility has the distinction of being the first and only modern
tidal plant in North America and is the home to the world's highest
tides.

Tides, which can sometimes reach 21 feet in height, rise and fall
every 12 hours and 25 minutes in harmony with the gravitational
forces of the sun, the earth, and the Moon

The tide comes in and out twice a day, therefore the turbine is turned
also twice a day ; meaning that, electricity is generated twice a day
and supplied to the provincial electric grid.

Annapolis uses the largest straflo turbine in the world to produce

more than 30 million kWh/year - enough to power 4,000 homes.
Annapolis Tidal Generation, Bay of Fundy, Canada:
(2) La Rance Project , France:

The Rance tidal power plant, generating 240 MW, is the largest
operating tidal facility in the world, far bigger than the next largest, the
Annapolis facility (20 MW) in Canada

The enclosed estuary of the Rance River in Brittany has a surface area
of 22 km^2 and very large tides with 13.5 meter difference between
high and low tides during the equinox.

There are 24 units of 10 MW which can run during both incoming and
outgoing tides.

The Rance plant is a major tourist and educational attraction receiving

around 400000 visitors a year, including many school parties and
engineering study groups
La Rance Tidal Power Station shown one of the tidal turbines
 (B)WAVE ENERGY

Wind generated by the differential heating of the earth pass over the
open bodies of water, transferring some of its energy to the water in
the form of waves.

Wave power is a huge resource that is largely untapped.

The need for wave power devices to be able to withstand violent sea
conditions has been a major problem in the development of wave
power technology.

The energy in a surface wave is proportional to the square of the

amplitude and is usually described in kW per meter front.

Typical ocean waves transport about 30–70 kW of power per metre
width of wave-front.
The history

The first patent for a wave power device was filed as

early as 1799,

Wave power was effectively a dormant technology until the
early 1970s, when the world economy was hit by a series of
large increases in oil prices.

Wave power was identified as one of a number of sources of
alternative energy that could potentially reduce dependency
on oil.

It received financial support to assess its technical potential
and commercial feasibility, resulting in hundreds of
inventions for wave power devices

But, most of these were dismissed as either impractical or
uneconomic.

The main concerns were whether wave power devices
could survive storms and their capital cost

During the 1980s, publicly funded research for wave power

virtually disappeared as global energy markets became more
competitive.

However, in the late 1990s interest in wave power.

technology was revived due to increasing evidence of global
climate change and the volatility of oil and gas prices

A second generation of wave power devices emerged which

were better designed and had greater commercial potential.
The key issues affecting wave power development are:

 survivability in violent storms;

 vulnerability of moving parts to sea water;

capital cost of construction;

operational costs of maintenance and repair;

cost of connection to the electricity grid.

 WAVE POWER DEVICES
(1) Spill-over devices
TAPCHAN (Tapered Channel)

Is a Norwegian system in which sea waves are focused in a tapered
channel on the shoreline.

Tapering increases the amplitude of the waves as they propagate

through the channel.

The water is forced to rise up a ramp and spill over a wall into a
reservoir about 3–5 m above sea level

The potential energy of the water trapped in the reservoir is then

extracted by draining the water back to the sea through a low-head
Kaplan turbine.

Besides the turbine, there are no moving parts and there is easy
access for repairs and connections to the electricity grid

Unfortunately, shore-based TAPCHAN schemes have a relatively low power output
and are only suitable for sites where there is a deep water shoreline and a low tidal
range of less than about a meter.
To overcome these limitations, a floating offshore version of TAPCHAN called Wave
Dragon is under development, with an inlet span
of around 200 m, to generate about 4 MW
(2) Oscillating water columns

The oscillating water column (OWC) uses an air turbine
(weir turbine) housed in a duct well above the water surface

The base of the device is open to the sea, so that incident
waves force the water inside the column to oscillate in the
vertical direction

As a result the air above surface of the water in the column
moves in phase with the free surface of the water inside the
column and drives the air turbine

They turbine turns in the same direction irrespective of the
direction of the air
(3) Archimedes Wave swing

The Archimedes wave swing is a remarkably simple and elegant

solution to tidal power generation.

This wave energy converter is a cylindrical shaped buoy which is

submerged and tethered to the ocean floor.

This generation unit has got only one moving part, the floater unit.

The floater unit is an air-filled device which is connected to a lower

fixed cylinder.

In the fixed cylinder, a uniquely designed linear generator converts the
up and down motion into energy.

The system comprises of only one moving part, the floater and use
hydraulic unit or a motor generator set in order to generate eletricity.
 Simple working principle

The wave action powers the floater which moves up and down,
generating a reciprocating movement

When the wave crest approaches, pressure on the top of the floater
increases, which pushes mechanism inside the cylinder downwards,
compressing the gas within the cylinder to balance the pressure

When the wave trough passes over the floater, the reverse process
takes place , moving the floater upwards and decompressing the gas
inside the cylinder.

This reciprocating motion generated by the floater is converted into

electricity by means of a hydraulic system or a motor-generator set.

Having only one moving part makes the system is more reliable with
less need for maintenance.
Archimedes Wave swing
Salter Duck : is another device that can harness wave energy
References

T. J. Hammons, "Tidal power," Proceedings of the IEEE, vol. 81, pp.
419-433, 1993.

S. Sheth and M. Shahidehpour, "Tidal energy in electric power

systems," in IEEE Power Engineering Society General Meeting, 2005.,
2005, pp. 630-635 Vol. 1.

C.H.Lee and F.G Nielsen” Analysis of Oscillating Water Column

Devices Using Panel Method