Alternative energy

Tidal Energy
 What is a Tide ?
• Tides are the periodic rising and falling of
Earth's ocean surface caused by the
gravitational forces of the Moon (70%) and
the Sun (30%) acting on the oceans.
• Tidal power, sometimes
called tidal energy, is a form
of hydropower that exploits
the movement of water caused
by tidal currents or the rise Tidal Phenomenon
and fall in sea levels due to the
tides.
• Although not yet widely used,
tidal power has potential for
future electricity generation
and is more predictable than
wind energy and solar power.
 Tide Mill

The Sea
History of Tidal power stations
• An early attempt to build a
tidal power plant took place at
Aber-Wrac'h , France in 1925,
but due to financial problems,
it was abandoned in 1930.

• Tidal mills have long existed

in areas affected by tides. In
Europe, tide mills have been
used for over a thousand
years, mainly for grinding
grains.
 Examples of tidal power stations
La Rance:

• The first and largest tidal plant comissioned in 1966

• Built across the La Rance estuary in north-western France
between 1961 and 1967.
• Total length of dam – 750 m
• Basin surface – 22 km2
• 240 MW plant
• The tidal power plant has 24 bulb-type Kaplan turbines with
a rated capacity of 10 MW each.
La Rance:

• Has 6 movable sluice gates

• These gates are used to accelerate filling and emptying of the
storage basin at small differential water levels
• Maximum electric energy production capacity is 5,44,000
MW/year
• Annapolis: The second commercially operated tidal power
plant built in 1984 is a 18 MW plant at Annapolis Royal on
the Nova Scotia coast of the Bay of Fundy in Canada.
 Other sites

400 kW experimental unit at Kislaya Guba, built in 1968 in

Russia on the Barents Sea
 Other sites
3.4 MW Jiangxia station built in China between 1980 and 1986
 Other sites

• Most of the technically available tidal resources in Europe

are in the UK.

• The site in the Severn estuary in south-western England

represents a potential of 8 GW and has been the object of
several feasibility studies.
 Other sites

• Large potential also exists in northern France, at the

Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy.
Tidal Energy Potential (World)
Tidal Energy Potential in India

• India’s potential
(~8000 MW)

• Gulf of Cambay, Gujarat

– 7000 MW
• Gulf of Kutch
– 1200 MW

• Gangetic delta in
West Bengal
– 100 MW
 Tidal Basics

Water on the earth gets pulled into a bulge one way by

the moon's gravity and into a bulge on the opposite side
by the rotational force of the earth.
 Tidal Basics
• Earth rotates on its axis once every 24
hours

• If the moon stood still, then the moon will

be overhead once in every 24 hours giving
(in most places) 2 high and 2 low tides a
day.

• But as the moon is also orbiting in the

same direction as the earth rotates, it
actually takes about 24 hours and 50
minutes for the moon to be in the same
place overhead.

• So the period from one high tide to the

next is about 12 hours 25 minutes.
Rise and fall of water follows a sinusoidal curve

Time taken to fall from high tide to low tide and again to high tide = 6
hours 12.5 minutes

Difference between high and low water levels = range of tide

Tidal range R = (water elevation at high tide – water elevation at low tide)
• Near full moon or new moon,
sun, moon and earth are
approximately in a straight
line

• Gravitational forces enhance

each other

• Tidal range is exceptionally

large

• High tides are higher and low

tides are lower than average
• These high tides are called
Spring Tides

• In the 1st and 3rd quarters of

the moon, when the sun and
moon are at right angles with
respect to earth, Neap Tides
occur

• High tides are lower and low

tides are higher than average

• Tidal range is exceptionally

small
Bulging
Effect
• Tidal range varies and is not constant

• Tidal range – maximum at new and full moons

minimum at 1st and 3rd quarter

• Tides are predictable and tide tables are available

• Tide ranges vary from one location to another

• They are influenced by (1) profile of the local shoreline and

(2) water depth
 Points to consider

• Tides – periodic phenomenon

• No two tides in any cycle are alike

• Of the two tides occuring in a day, one is higher than other

• In any month, tides on full and new moon days are higher than
the rest

• A long term mean value of R is designated as the mean tidal

range at any particular place
 Points to consider

• Mean tidal range varies from place to place

• Where coastline offers resonating influence, tidal range gets

accentuated

• At other places the land may produce dampening effect on the

phenomenon

• Tidal range at Gulf of Kutch = 7 to 8 m

• Tidal range at kerala is ~ 1 m

• Bay of Fundy, Canada has highest tidal range = 20 m

 Points to consider

• Inspite of their complexity, tides can be mathematically

analysed

• Exact time and water level for a high tide and low tide can be
forecast with great accuracy
 Components of Tidal Power Plant

• Dam / Barrage

• Powerhouse

• Sluice ways
• Main equipments of power house - Turbines, electric
generators and other auxiliary equipments

• Dam – barrier between sea and basin / between one basin and
another

• Sluice ways – to fill the basin during high tide / empty the
basin during low tide
 Dam / Barrage

• Barriages have to resist waves whose shock can be severe

• Pressure changes sides continuously

 Dam / Barrage

• Short barriages are preferred – cost

• Upto 20 m, cost is proportional to length

• Above 20 m, cost increases faster with length

• Barriage needs to provide channels for turbines in reinforced

concrete

• Flatness is required for sea bottom

- sandy bottom requires piling
- rocky bottom – place prepared – structure placed
& anchored
 Dam / Barrage

• Barriage influences tidal amplitude

• Modifies the effective length of the basin & its shape

• Requires sites where there is sufficienctly high tidal range

- Minimum useful range = 3 m

• Best sites are bays and estuaries

• Design of barriage depends on power requirements and

analysis of the economics
 Dam / Barrage

• Cheapest schemes invole single barriage – traps water in a

basin at high tide and generate power on the ebb

• Complex schemes involve generation during filling and ebb or

construction of secondary basin – flexible power generation
 Gates and Locks

• Basins have to be filled and emptied

• Gates are opened regularly and frequently

• This operation must use minimum power

• Corrosion problems – cathodic protection / paints

• Gate structures are floated into place

• At present vertical lift gates are used

• At present flap gates are available

 Gates and Locks

• Flap gates operate by water pressure

• Require no mechanical means of operation

• These gates allow only in the direction of sea to basin – basin

level rises well above to sea level
 Power House

• Because of small heads, large sized turbines are needed

• Therefore powerhouse is also a large structure

• French and Russian power plants use bulb type turbines

 Operation Methods of Tidal Power Plants

• Power generation involves flow from artificial basin to sea

• To have continuous generation, tow or more basins can be

constructed

• Major arrangements of tidal power plants

• Single basin arrangement

• Double basin arrangement

 Operation Methods of Tidal Power Plants

• Single Basin Arrangement

• Has only one basin interacting with the sea

• The two are seperated by barriage / dam

• Power generation can be achieved in one of the following

ways:

• Single ebb cycle system

• Single tide cycle system
• Double cycle system
 Single Basin Arrangement

• Single ebb cycle system

• During high tide, gates are opened to permit sea water into
basin
• Turbine sets are shut
• Reservoir starts filling till maximum tidal level is reached
• At the beginning of ebb tide, gates are closed
• Generation of power takes place during ebb tide
• Water from basin flows through turbines generating power
• In estuary, ebb tide has long duration than flood tide
 Single Basin Arrangement

• Single tide cycle system

• During high tide, water flows from ocean to basin

• Turbines are activated and power is generated
• As sea level falls, generation is stopped
• Basin is drained through sluice gates
• Less efficient than ebb tide operation
• Energy produced by ebb cycle system is 1.5 times more
than tidal cycle system
 Single Basin Arrangement

• Double cycle system

• Power is generated during flood and ebb tides

• Reversible water turbines are used
• These are coupled to electrical generator
• Even in this method, continuous generation is not possible
• This problem is solved in the double basin arrangement
 Double Basin Arrangement

• Requires two separate but adjacent basins

• One basin is called upper basin – water level is maintained

above that of the other basin

• Other basin is called lower basin

• Due to difference in head between upper and lower basins,

power can be produced continuously

• Turbines are located between the two basins

• Sluice gates are in the dam structure

 Double Basin Arrangement

• At beginning of flood tide, turbines are shut down

• Gates of upper basin are open and that of lower basin are
closed

• Upper basin is filled up while lower basin remains empty

• When the head is sufficient, turbines are started and water

flows from upper to lower basin

• Power is generated while simultaneously filling up upper basin

• At the end of flood tide, sluice gates of upper basin are closed
 Double Basin Arrangement

• When ebb tide gets lower than water level in lower basin,
sluice gates of lower basin are opened

• Water is drained out until there is sufficient head between

upper and lower basins

• Then again, power is produced during the ebb tide

• Longer and more continuous period of generation is possible

 Advantages of Tidal Power

• Inexhaustible & independent of precipitation

• Pollution free – does not produce toxic gases, ash etc.
• Do not require large are of land as they are constructed
on the sea shore
 Disadvantages of Tidal Power
• Variability in output due to variations in tidal range

• Tidal ranges are variable and turbines have to work on

wide range of head variations, which affects the efficieny

• Intermittent operation

• Duration of power cycle – constant but time of

occurrence – changes . Difficulties in planning of load
sharing

• Corrosion
• Construction is difficult
• High cost