Tidal Range Questions

March 8, 2012

Question 1
A tidal barrage has an enclosed basin of constant vertical area 60 km2 . The
external tide has an amplitude of 3m for the M2 tide.
a) Write down the frequency of the M2 tide when the period is 12.42 hours.
b) Write down the potential energy for this enclosed basin.
c) Given that the efficiency for the turbines is only 25%, calculate the energy
yield per year. (There are 705 tides per year)

Question 2
A tidal lagoon is built in a sea where the tides have 2 major components. The
M2 tide has an amplitude of 3.5m and the S2 constituent has an amplitude of
1m. The lagoon is a circle with diameter 4km and vertical internal walls.
a) What is the tidal range for a neap and spring tide?
b) Calculate the energy yield from the spring and neap tides assuming an
efficiency of 25%.
c) Calculate an estimate for the annual energy yield for this lagoon given
there are 705 tides per year.

Question 3
A tidal range empoundment is built which has vertical walls and a simple sinusoidal external tide. Show that the optimal pump height for the tidal range
system with instantaneous pumping and generation is given by
B = 2A


,
1

where B is the pump height, A is the tide amplitude and  = G P is the round
trip efficiency. Therefore show that the optimal energy is
E = 2gSA2 G

1
,
1

where is the water density, g is the acceleration due to gravity and S is the
constant cross sectional area with depth.

Question 4
Using the same lagoon as in question 2.
a) What is optimal pump height for the spring and neap tides and therefore
their optimal energy yield for G = 0.8 and P = 0.5?
b) Hence write down the annual energy yield.
c) The internal water level height is restricted to the spring tide level, thus
allowing pumping only on neap tides. Calculate an estimate of the annual energy
yield.