ME403 ADVANCE ENERGY ENGINEERING

MODULE 05

Lecture 02

Tidal and Wave Energy

 MODULE 05

Other Renewable Energy sources Brief account of

• Geothermal,
• Tidal , Wave,
• MHD power generation,
• Small, mini and micro hydro power plants.
• Fuel cells – general description, types, applications.
• Hydrogen energy conversion systems, hybrid systems
Economics and technical feasibility
 Ocean Energy Sources—General Aspects

Ocean energy sources may be broadly divided into the following four categories
1. Tidal energy.
2. Wave energy.
3. Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC).
4. Energy emanated from the sun-ocean system from the mechanism of surface water
evaporation by solar heating i.e., hydrological cycle.
 Tidal Power Plants - Introduction

• The moon  major factor in the tide formation

• Tides  produced mainly by the gravitational attraction of the moon and the sun on the
water of solid earth and the oceans
• Surface water is pulled away from the earth on the side facing the moon, and at the
same time solid earth is pulled away from the water on the opposite side
• As the earth rotates  the position of the given area relative to the moon changes 
also the tides
• A high tide will be experienced at a point which is directly under the moon.
 At the same time, a diametrically opposite point on the earth’s surface also
experiences ahigh tide due to dynamic balancing
Tidal Power Plants - Introduction
 Tidal Power
When a basin exists along the shores with high tides  the
power in the tide can be hydroelectrically utilized
Components of Tidal Power Plants
1. Power house: the turbines, electrical generator and other
auxiliary equipment are the main component of a power
house
2. Dam or Barrage: The function of dam to form a barrier
between the sea and basin or between one basin and the
other in case of multiple basins.
3. Sluice ways: the sluice ways are used either to fill the basin
during the high tide or empty the basin during the low tide,
as per operational requirement. These are gate-controlled
devices.
 Classification of Tidal Power Plants
Single Basin System
• can generate power only intermittently
• The sluice way is opened during high tide to fill the basin.
• The basin is separated from the sea by a dam
 Classification of Tidal Power Plants
Double Basin System
• two basins at different levels.
• A dam is provided between two basins. The turbines are located in the dam
 Tidal Power Plants - Advantages
• Tidal power is completely independent of the precipitation (rain) and its uncertainty, besides
being inexhaustible.
• Large area of valuable land is not required.
• When a tidal power plant works in combination with thermal or hydro-electric system, peak
power demand can be effectively met with.
• Tidal power generation is free from pollution.
 Tidal Power Plants - Limitations
1. Due to variation in tidal range the output is not uniform.
2. Since the turbines have to work on a wide range of head variation (due to variable tide range)
the plant efficiency is affected.
3. There is a fear of machinery being corroded due to corrosive sea water.
4. It is difficult to carry out construction in sea.
5. As compared to other sources of energy, the tidal power plant is costly.
6. Sedimentation and silteration of basins are the problems associated with tidal pow plants.
7. The power transmission cost is high because the tidal power plants are located away from load
centres.
 Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)
• Large difference between the temperatures of the ocean surface waters, especially on the
tropics and the deep seawaters stimulate the presence of thermal gradients
• The minimum water temperature difference must be 20º C to operate the OTEC power cycle on
a satisfactory way
• Three types of OTEC systems developed  utilise sea water temperature differentials
1. Closed-cycle
2. Open-cycle
3. Hybrid-cycle
 Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)
Open-cycle
 Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)
Open-cycle
 Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)
Closed-cycle

Working Fluid
ammonia, propane or a Freon-
type refrigerant
 Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)
Closed-cycle
 Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)
Hybrid OTEC System

• combines the features of both the closed-

cycle and open-cycle systems
• Electricity and desalinated water
• seawater enters a vacuum chamber where it
is flash evaporated into steam, similar to the
open- cycle process
• steam vapourises the ammonia working fluid
of a closed-cycle loop
 Wave Energy
• Wave energy comes from the interaction between the winds and the surfaces of oceans
• It is estimated that about 10 kW of power is available for every metre width of the wave front
• A large variety of devices have been developed for harvesting of energy but these are
complicated and fragile in face of gigantic power of ocean storms
 hydraulic accumulator wave machine
 high-level reservoir machine
 Dolphin-type wave-power machine
 Dam-Atoll wave machine

Devices
Oscillating Water Columns (OWC)
Floats or Pitching Devices
Wave Surge or Focusing Devices
 Oscillating Water Columns (OWC)
• generate electricity from the wave-driven rise and fall of water in a cylindrical shaft
• The rising and falling water column drives air into and out of the top of the shaft  powering an
air-driven turbine
 Floats or Pitching Devices
• generate electricity from the bobbing or pitching action of a floating object
• generate electricity through the harmonic motion of the floating part of the device
 Wave Surge or Focusing Devices
• a shore-mounted structure to channel and concentrate the waves, driving them into an elevated
reservoir
• a shoreline-based system called the Tapered Channel (Tapchan)