Tidal Power: Alan E. Suárez

TIDAL POWER
ALAN E. SUÁREZ
Energy and Environmental Processes
Processi per l’Energia e l’Ambiente (PEA)
A.A. 2013/2014
SCOPE 2
The aim of this presentation is:
• To show the sea energy presented in the tides.

• To show how is possible to take advantage of this energy to convert it
in another useful kind of energy (work).
• To show the history in the world of development of this transformation.
• To show the currents plants and projects using tidal energy.
• To show the pros and contras of this renewable energy.
• To show some ideas about new projects using tidal energy, be it for
improve the current technology or for creating new ways to take
advantage of or new uses.
PEA_WAVE AND TIDAL ENERGY

INTRODUCTION 3
What is Tidal energy?
• Tidal Energy (or Power) is the energy transported by the tides

currents in the ocean in form of mechanical energy.
• It can be converted into
a useful forms of power
(energy), mainly
electricity generation.

INTRODUCTION 4
What is the difference between Waves and Tides?
• Tide is the cyclic rise and fall • Ocean Wave (or Wind Wave)
of sea level, caused by the is an surface wave generated
gravitational pulls of the sun by local wind.
and moon.
Earth land masses also move because of the Moon and Sun pulls,
but it’s not easily to see
INTRODUCTION 5
Percentage for Total World Energy Consumption – Tidal Energy

2009 2010 2011
16,7% x 0,001% 19% x 0,001%

< 0,00016%
= 0,00017 % = 0,00019 %

INTRODUCTION 6
Total World Tidal Energy Production
• Currently: 250 MW approx.

• Potential in ocean currents to produce ca. 450 TW
 1,8 million times current production
 0,00019% x 1 800 000
= 342% of current total world energy consumption!
• But, statistics…
http://www.forbes.com
Source: Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy

Outlook 2013,
http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/er/pdf/appa.pdf
http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/er/pdf/tbla17.pdf

FUNDAMENTALS 7
What causes the tides?
• Moon gravitational pulls
• Sun gravitational pulls
• Sun-Moon position relative to

the earth

FUNDAMENTALS 8
Tide changes
• Sea level rises over several hours, covering the intertidal zone (flood
tide).
• The water rises to its highest level, reaching high tide, and stopping
(slack tidal; slack water).
• Sea level falls over several hours, revealing the intertidal zone (ebb
tide).
• The water stops falling, reaching low tide, and stopping (slack tidal;
slack water).
THESE MOVEMENTS GENERATE CONSTANT TIDAL STREAMS,

WITH A HIGH AMOUNT OF ENERGY

FUNDAMENTALS 9
What influences tide behavior?
• Offshore and near-shore deep

(bathymetry)
• Coastlines shape
• Declination of the Earth’s orbit
• Declination of the Moon’s orbit
• Presence of land masses
• Speed of the Earth’s rotation
(inertia)
• Coriolis effect on the tide flow
• Frictional forces
FUNDAMENTALS 10
Tides classification I
• Diurnal tides (daily tides):

• 1 high tide – 1 low tide each tidal day
• Unusal
(e.g. Gulf of Mexico)
• Semidiurnal tides (semidaily tides):

• 2 high tides – 2 low tides each tidal day
• Equal tides during each period
• Period of 12 hrs and 24.5 minutes
(e.g. Moon passing through equator)
• Mixed tides:
•2 high tides – 2 low tides each tidal day
•Unequal tides during each period
Most common type

FUNDAMENTALS 11
Tides classification II
• Spring tides:
Both Sun and Moon pulls in
the same line (syzygy)
• Neap tides:
Moon in quadrature
respect to the sun (90°)
• Metereological tides
(storm surges):
• Wind and barometric
pressure changes
• Shallow seas and
near coasts.

FUNDAMENTALS 12
Tides datum
• Reference level
• Vertical datum
• Reference plane
• MLW Spring generally taken

as reference
• Tides can also vary with the

meterological conditions
• Winds
• Pressure

FUNDAMENTALS 13
Tidal constituents (Tidal Analysis)
• One single tidal constituent represents just one effect (M2: Moon
pull; S2: Sun pull, etc.)
• h t = 𝐴𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝜔𝑡 + ), where 𝐴 =amplitude, 𝜔=frequency, 𝑡=time,

=phase constituent.
• Every place has different tidal constituents factors.
• By adding the different tidal constituents, it’s possible to find the

tidal behavior for each different place (e.g. Ports).

FUNDAMENTALS 14
Major Tidal constituents
Darwin Speed
Species
Symbol rate(°/hr)
Shallow water overtides of principal lunar M4 57,97

Higher
harmonics Shallow water overtides of principal lunar M6 86,95
Period < 12 h
Shallow water overtides of principal solar S4 60,00
Principal lunar semidiurnal M2 28,98

Semi-diurnal
Principal solar semidiurnal S2 30,00
Period < 24 h
Larger lunar elliptic semidiurnal N2 28,44
Diurnal Lunar diurnal (Luni-solar declinational) K1 15,04

Period > 24 h Lunar diurnal (Lunar declinational diurnal) O1 13,94

FUNDAMENTALS 15
Tide Predicting
Machine
CURIOUS FACT:
These machines
were used in the
World War II to
predict the tides
for planning the
invasion of
Normandy.
FUNDAMENTALS 16
M2 Tidal Constituent
AMPHIDROMIC
POINT COTIDAL
LINE

FUNDAMENTALS 17
Tide measurement (real data)
• Tide Pole (or Tide Staff) Gauges
• Float Gauges
• Thomson type (1887)

FUNDAMENTALS 18
Tide measurement (real data)
• Acoustic Gauges
• Pressure Gauges
• Radar Gauges
• Ultrasonic Gauges
• OTHER USES: Shipping and fishing industries; Tsunami warnings.

TIDAL STREAMS 19
Tides prediction
• National Ocean Service (NOS) information:

• For various part of the world, in 4 volumes (+1 for Alaska).
• Each volume:
• Table 1: Tides for Reference stations
• Table 2: Tidal differences and ratios for subordinate stations
• Table 3: Information for tide at any time between HW and LW
• Table 4-5: Sunrise-Sunset for various latitudes and conversions

FUNDAMENTALS 20
Tidal Analysis Precursors – Physics
• Galileo Galilei (Discorso del flusso e reflusso del mare, 1616 ) 

Earth’s rotation
• Isaac Newton (Principia, 1687)  Gravitational forces
• Pierre-Simon Laplace (1776)  Partial differential equations
• William Thomson (Lord Kelvin; 1860)  Laplace eq. + Curl
component / Fourier analysis / First «Tide predicting machine».
• George Darwin (Tides prediction, 1891)  Best approach –
Harmonic analysis
• Dr. Arthur Thomas Doodson (1921)  Best approach, including
new Lunar theory / 388 tidal frequencies / Doodson-Légé TPM

TIDAL STREAMS 21
Tidal Streams (Currents)
• Horizontal movement of water, product of the constant and

rhythmic pulls over the oceans, as seen before.
• Depending on the place, and even on the Earth-Moon-Sun position,
they can be stronger or weaker.
• Slack water (stand of the tide)  Unstressed water; no movement
time.
• Spring tide has a speed about
double that of a neap tide. Else
streams are between these two
numbers.
• Spring tides have shorter
slack times than average.
TIDAL STREAMS 22
Tidal and Nontidal Currents
• Tidal current: it depends on the rise and fall of the tide.
• Nontidal current: includes currents not due to tidal movement:

• Permanent currents in the general circulatory system
• Temporary currents from meteorological conditions (e.g. wind)
• Real currents are a combination of these both kind of currents.

TIDAL STREAMS 23
Major global Nontidal Currents

TIDAL STREAMS 24
General features
• Tidal current is rotary (and slower), when not restricted (offshore)
• Caused by the Earth’s rotation
• Clockwise in the Northern hemisphere; Counterclockwise
in the Southern one
• Speed varies throughout the tidal cycle

• 2 maximums and 2 minimums in opposite directions
Tide current is
Reversing (and higher),
when restricted to
channels
Current rose
Reversing current
(Current ellipse)

TIDAL STREAMS 25
Nontidal flow effect
Effect on a Reversing current
Effect on a Current rose

TIDAL STREAMS 26
In general, effect of…
• Time of Tidal Current vs. Time of Tide (not always the same)
• Relationship Between Speed of Current and Range of Tide
• Variation Across an Estuary (speed profile)
• Variation with Depth (velocity, e.g. slack+subsurface movement)
• Tidal current observations are made with sophisticated electronic

current meters.

TIDAL STREAMS 27
Current meters
• Mechanical current meters
• Acoustic current meters
• Measuring current based on

electromagnetic induction

TIDAL STREAMS 28
Tidal current prediction
• Coverage less extensive than for tides prediction (more unpredictable)

• Information required for calculating any tidal current:
• Predicted times of maximum currents and slack times, for Reference
stations
• Differences and ratios for subordinate stations
• Information for current velocity at any time by using (a) and (b)
• Slack durations.

TIDAL STREAMS 29
Tidal Currents Prediction
Tidal
atlas
Tidal
diamond
• 1 knot = 51,4 cm/s = 1,85 km/h

• As high as 13 kn (6,7 m/s; 24 km/h)

TIDAL POWER 30
Introduction
• Not yet widely used, but has a great potential for the future electricity
generation.
• Energy source used since Middle age and Roman times.
• It’s the only technology that draws on energy of the Moon-Earth system.
• Energy practically inexhaustible (renewable energy resource).
• Tidal power causes losses to the Moon-Earth system, shortening the
solar days (negligible effect, noticed over million of years).

TIDAL POWER 31
1. Tidal stream generator (TSG)
• TSGs o TECs (Energy Converters) use kinetic energy of tidal currents

to produce work in power turbines.
• It’s used also to draw on energy from the river’s currents (nontidal).
• Conceived in 1970s, during the oil crisis.
• It’s the cheapest and least ecologically damaging of the three ways TPG
• Regarding to wind turbines,

• Similar power when water speed is ca. 1 m/s (2 knots)
• 4 times power approx. when water speed is 2-3 m/s (4-6 knots)
• Non uniformity of technologies; 6 principal types recognized by EMEC.

TIDAL POWER 32
1. TSG – Axial turbines Bottom mounted

axial turbine
• Close in concept to traditional windmills,

but underwater.
• The most currently operating type.
• Low head of water above  Restricts
individual capacity to about 25 – 50 MW.
• Installations in Canada, UK, Nor. Ireland, USA, Norway, Australia,
China, India, Greek (reaching up to 5 MW); The most are pilot projects.
• Italy: Strait of Messina (Pilot projects). 25-300 kW.
• e.g. Australia, project for 450 turbines in Clarence strait. 300-400
homes each.
• Some projects also in Rivers (e.g. Thames River; nontidal source).
TIDAL POWER 33
1. TSG – Axial turbines
Evopot, 2008 (Prototype)

Cable tethered turbine
Northern Ireland
AR-1000,
1 MW @ 2,65 m/s
2011

TIDAL POWER 34
Gorlov turbine
1. TSG – Crossflow turbines South Korea
• Invented by Georges Darreius in 1923.
• Installation either vertical or horizontal.
Kobold B
Stretto di Messina
2003

TIDAL POWER 35
1. TSG – Flow augmented turbines / Venturi
• Use of a duct or shroud to augment the flow

going into the turbine.
• Increased significantly the output power. Race Rocks
Columbia
• They can operate at slow water flows, 2006
increasing the flow velocity
• Growing technology

TIDAL POWER 36
1. TSG – Oscillating Devices
• Do not have a rotating

component.
• They use aerofoil (hydrofoil,
better)
• Growing technology
(prototypes)
• England, Scotland, Australia,
Canada, as precursors.
BioStream:
http://vimeo.com/25533045
TIDAL POWER 37
1. TSG – Potential sites

• Pembrokeshire in Wales
• River Severn between Wales and England
• Cook Strait in New Zealand
• Kaipara Harbour in New Zealand
• Bay of Fundy in Canada.
• East River in the USA
• Golden Gate in the San Francisco Bay
• Piscataqua River in New Hampshire
• The Race of Alderney and The Swinge in the Channel Islands
• The Sound of Islay, between Islay and Jura in Scotland
• Pentland Firth between Caithness and the Orkney Islands, Scotland
• Humboldt County, California in the United States
• Columbia River, Oregon in the United States
• Colombia (Chocó)
TIDAL POWER 38
2. Tidal barrage
• Use a dam-like structure, capturing the energy (by turbines) from water
masses moving in and out of a bay (or river).
• Two flow directions (in and out; high tide current and low tide current).
• It’s the oldest method of tidal power generation (since 1960s).
• Few operating plants.
Estuary of the
Rance River
France
240 MW
1966
TIDAL POWER 39
2. Tidal barrage – Ebb Generation
• The basin is filled with the incoming high tide current.

• Sluice gates are closed.
• When outside water level is low enough (low tide, head enough), gates
are opened to allow water going out, through the turbines.

TIDAL POWER 40
2. Tidal barrage – Flood Generation
• The basin is emptied with the low

tide.
• When outside water level is high
enough (high tide, head enough),
gates are opened to allow the water
coming into the basin

TIDAL POWER 41
2. Tidal barrage – Pumping
• The basin is filled up (by turbines working in reverse), at a high over

the outside high tide.
• When outside water level is low enough (low tide, head enough),
gates are opened to allow water going out, through the turbines.
• The cost of pumping in is returned with the power generation,
because potential energy is proportional to the square of tidal high
variation.

TIDAL POWER 42
2. Tidal barrage – Two basins scheme
• One is filled at high tide, and the other is emptied at low tide.
• Turbines are placed between the basins.
• Offer advantages over normal schemes:

• Adjustment with high flexibility
• Generation almost continuously
• Disadvantages:
• Very expensive to construct (extra lengh of barrage)

TIDAL POWER 43
2. Tidal barrage – Tidal lagoon power
• It’s a both flood/ebb power generation, but at large scale.
• No plant exists.
• There’s a project called SWANSEA BAY TIDAL LAGOON (South

Wales), where a high power potential exists, with a tidal range of
approx. 10 m.

TIDAL POWER 44
3. Dinamyc Tidal Power (DTP)
• Recent new technology (since 1997). No plants existing.

• Long dam-like structure perpendicular to the coast.
• In addition, a parallel barrier, to form together a T shape
barrier.
• This structure creates water level differences on opposite
sides, which generate electrical power by means of turbines.
• Properly currents for this arrangement:
Some China, Korea and UK coasts.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hT4FUlOYr4

TIDAL POWER 45
Biggest tidal power plants in the world
The biggest tidal power station nowadays, all of they Barrage type, are:
(to have a reference, the biggest plant (hydro-electric) in the world produces 22 500 MW)
There are so many projects to be executed, e.g. The Swansea Bay Tidal
Lagoon, or the Australian project for 450 turbines in Clarence strait. 300-
400 homes each.

TIDAL POWER 46
Advantages Disadvantages
• Energy source completely renewable. • High costs compared with another

renewable (and no renewable)
• Tides behavior is more predictable than energies.
wind and solar energies.
• Limited availability of properly sites
• New technologies are bringing down (flows, velocities).
high costs (economical. &
environmental) and improving • Some Tidal Power Plants, specifically
efficiencies. the barrage type, affect the sea
environmental, by killing fishes and/or
• Most of tidal producing plants do not modifying estuaries salinity.
affect marine environmental, specifically
TSG and DTP types. • Lack of concluding and contundent
studies about which are the best
technologies.

TIDAL POWER 47
Improvement Opportunities in the Tidal Power Industry
• Interface of the Tidal Power Stations output with National Grids, for
example by associating it with the Wireless power (in study).
• Assessment of the Tidal Power Stations economic interest, in order to

promote and sell new ideas for projects.
• New projects for coasts non or a few explored (e.g. South America).
• New studies for minimize the environmental impact of these

technologies.
• Optimizing existing schemes.
• Optimizing efficiencies by means of fluid dynamics analysis.

TIDAL POWER 48
References
• http://news.enerjienstitusu.com/2012/12/fossil-fuels-still-king-in-eias-annual-energy-
outlook-2013/
• http://wpage.unina.it/agodemar/eolpower/storia.html
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-16186209
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8173570.stm
• http://www.tide-project.eu/index.php5?node_id=Reports-and-
Publications;83&lang_id=1
• http://www.neptunerenewableenergy.com/
• http://en.wikipedia.org
• http://www.solarsystemscope.com/
• http://www.visitmyharbour.com/articles/3180/hourly-tidal-streams-irish-sea-and-
bristol-channel

TIDAL POWER 49
References
• http://pemsea.org/eascongress/international-conference/presentation_t4-1_kim.pdf
• Marine-Renewables-News.com
• http://www.marine-renewables-news.com/about-us
• http://www.energias-renovables-marinas.com/
• http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/ocean/motion/tides2.htm
• http://www.marine.tmd.go.th/marinemet_html/lect19.html
• http://archive.is/s3U4F
• http://www.oceanenergycouncil.com/index.php/Tidal-Energy/Tidal-Energy.html
• iopscience.iop.org/1748-3190/8/3/036011/article
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hT4FUlOYr4
• http://www.tablademareas.com
TIDAL POWER 50
References
• http://www.edumedia-sciences.com/es/a520-sol-tierra-luna
• http://asteromia.net/luna/la-luna-orbita.html
• http://archive.is/s3U4F
• http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2011/10/how-tide-predicting-machines-saved-d-day/
• http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/constitu.html
• http://web.vims.edu/physical/research/TCTutorial/tideanalysis.htm
• http://www.ams.org/samplings/feature-column/fcarc-tidesiii3
• http://co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/map/
• http://msi.nga.mil/MSISiteContent/StaticFiles/NAV_PUBS/APN/Chapt-09.pdf

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TIDAL POWER

The aim of this presentation is:

• To show the sea energy presented in the tides.

PEA_WAVE AND TIDAL ENERGY

What is Tidal energy?

• Tidal Energy (or Power) is the energy transported by the tides

PEA_WAVE AND TIDAL ENERGY

What is the difference between Waves and Tides?

Percentage for Total World Energy Consumption – Tidal Energy

16,7% x 0,001% 19% x 0,001%

PEA_WAVE AND TIDAL ENERGY

Total World Tidal Energy Production

• Currently: 250 MW approx.

Source: Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy

PEA_WAVE AND TIDAL ENERGY

What causes the tides?

• Moon gravitational pulls

• Sun gravitational pulls

• Sun-Moon position relative to

PEA_WAVE AND TIDAL ENERGY

THESE MOVEMENTS GENERATE CONSTANT TIDAL STREAMS,

PEA_WAVE AND TIDAL ENERGY

What influences tide behavior?

• Offshore and near-shore deep

• Diurnal tides (daily tides):

• Semidiurnal tides (semidaily tides):

PEA_WAVE AND TIDAL ENERGY

PEA_WAVE AND TIDAL ENERGY

• MLW Spring generally taken

• Tides can also vary with the

PEA_WAVE AND TIDAL ENERGY

Tidal constituents (Tidal Analysis)

• h t = 𝐴𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝜔𝑡 + ), where 𝐴 =amplitude, 𝜔=frequency, 𝑡=time,

• Every place has different tidal constituents factors.

• By adding the different tidal constituents, it’s possible to find the

PEA_WAVE AND TIDAL ENERGY

Major Tidal constituents

Shallow water overtides of principal lunar M4 57,97

Principal lunar semidiurnal M2 28,98

Diurnal Lunar diurnal (Luni-solar declinational) K1 15,04

PEA_WAVE AND TIDAL ENERGY

PEA_WAVE AND TIDAL ENERGY

Tide measurement (real data)

• Tide Pole (or Tide Staff) Gauges

PEA_WAVE AND TIDAL ENERGY

Tide measurement (real data)

• OTHER USES: Shipping and fishing industries; Tsunami warnings.

• National Ocean Service (NOS) information:

PEA_WAVE AND TIDAL ENERGY

Tidal Analysis Precursors – Physics

• Galileo Galilei (Discorso del flusso e reflusso del mare, 1616 ) 

PEA_WAVE AND TIDAL ENERGY

Tidal Streams (Currents)

• Horizontal movement of water, product of the constant and

Tidal and Nontidal Currents

• Tidal current: it depends on the rise and fall of the tide.

• Nontidal current: includes currents not due to tidal movement:

• Real currents are a combination of these both kind of currents.

PEA_WAVE AND TIDAL ENERGY

Major global Nontidal Currents

PEA_WAVE AND TIDAL ENERGY

• Speed varies throughout the tidal cycle