TIDAL ENERGY

ABSTRACT

Tidal energy is a form of hydropower that converts the energy of tides into electricity or other
useful forms of power. It's also a renewable source of electricity which does not result in the
emission of gases responsible for global warming or acid rain associated with fossil fuel
generated electricity. Use of tidal energy could also decrease the need for nuclear power, with its
associated radiation risks. The few studies that have been undertaken to date to identify the
environmental impacts of a tidal power scheme have determined that each specific site is
different and the impacts depend greatly upon local geography.

If fossil fuel resources decline during the 21st century, as predicted by Hubbert peak theory,
tidal power is one of the alternative sources of energy that will need to be developed to satisfy
the human demand for energy. Whatever the process is a traditional power generation using a
alternator and mechanical energy (for rotation) are collected from tidal energy using a simple
floating device but create a artificial floating dam to hold huge energy, a system also involved to
convert linier motion to rotary motion not using any traditional turbine.

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CONTENT

Chapter 1

1.0 Introduction………………………………………………………………...01

1.1 Tides………………………………………………………………………..02

1.2 Energy from the Tides……………………………………………………...02

1.3 Tidal Energy in India……………………………………………………….03

1.4 Tidal Energy Around the World……………………………………………05

Chapter 2

2.0 Tidal Energy Extraction……………………………………………………07

2.1 Tidal Barrage……………………………………………………………….08

2.2 Wave Piston…………………...……………………………………………09

2.3Eco Wave Power……………………………………………………………10

2.4Tidal Turbines……………………………………………………………….11

Chapter 3

3.0 Sites for Installation of Tidal Power Plants………………………………...12

3.1 Advantages…………………………………………………………………12

3.2Disadvantages…...………………………………………………………….13

3.3Application…………………………………………………………………13

4.0 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………...……14

5.0 Reference……………………………………………………….…………...…….15

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
There are numerous diverse forms of ocean energy that are being explored as potential sources
for energy extraction. Some of them are ocean current energy, tidal energy, wave energy,
offshore wind energy and thermal energy. Even though the tidal power is still an immature
concept, it is definitely a major contributor for electricity generation from renewable sources in
the near future.

Fig 1.1 tidal energy

The occurrence of tides was witnessed from Roman times and this energy was used on rivers
such as the joint estuary of the Tigris, the Tibet River in Rome and Euphrates Rivers even much
earlier. The flow of water in the form of tides, induced due to the relative positions of the planets
Sun-Earth-Moon can surely be considered as one of the reliable sources of energy if suitable
systems are designed with an economic plan. In the recent past, use of renewable energy
resources for the extraction of energy has been the point of discussion. Researchers working on
renewable energy are mainly interested to extract the energy from tides because of its advantages
over other forms of renewable energies as the forecasting of tides is easier and accurate from
time and magnitude point of view, the density of sea water is much denser than wind, lack of
extreme flow speeds and negligible aesthetic damage.

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1.1 TIDES
Tides are the periodic motion of the waters of the sea due to the inter-attractive forces between
the celestial bodies. Tides are very long-period waves that move through the oceans in response
to the forces exerted by the moon and sun. Tide and current are not the same. Tide is the vertical
rise and fall of the water and tidal current is the horizontal flow. In simple words, the tide rises
and falls, the tidal current floods and ebbs. The principal of tidal forces are generated by the
Moon and Sun. The Moon is the main tide-generating body. Due to its greate distance, the Sun’s
effect is only 46 per cent of the Moon’s.

Fig 1.2 Tides

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1.2 ENERGY FROM THE TIDES

There are three types of tides: diurnal, semidiurnal and mixed. Tidal Energy is one of the new
and evolving technologies, which is commercially not viable and still in Research &
Development (R&D) stage. Tidal energy is inexhaustible and can be considered as a renewable
energy source. Itis an advantage because it is less vulnerable to climate change ; while the other
sources are all vulnerable to the random changes in climate. The review given by the Energy
Technology Support Unit (ETSU) on the Tidal Stream Energy was the initial attempt to estimate
the energy from tidal stream resources in the UK.

The points marked by the ESTU were later studied and modified in 2001 in a document
submitted to the UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) by Binnie, Black and Veatch. Most
of the existing technology used for tidal energy conversions from the wind power industry.

Researchers have predicted that UK has is capable to produce over 20% of its electrical needs
from its tidal resources. It is also a fact that the studies carried out so far in predicting the energy
that can be extracted from tides, has only focused on the past and present\ availability

of the energy. But it is also important to consider and address the effects of exploiting the
renewable energy sources for energy extraction. There has to be an understanding among the
developers as to when and where to stop the energy extraction so that there is minimum or no
disturbance caused to the regular natural phenomenon.

1.3 TIDAL ENERGY IN INDIA

The tides that are generated along some parts of the Indian coastline have the potential to extract
energy from the turbines. The tidal elevation in India is as high as 8.5 m at Bhavnagar, Gujarat
and as low as 0.5 m at the Southern part of India. Survey of India predicts tide levels at some
locations along the Indian coastline and Tide Tables are published for every year.

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Fig 1.3 Tidal Energy in India

As per the studies carried out by Central Water and Power Commission (CWPC) in 1975, the
Gulf of Kutch and Gulf of Khambhatin Gujarat and Sunderbans area in West Bengal are the only
suitable site in India for the production of tidal energy. In 1980s, Central Electricity Authority
(CEA) took up a study for the assessment of tidal energy potential in india. CEA listed few
places of Potential Tidal Energy extraction in india shown in table.

No tidal power generation plant has been installed in india due to its high cost of generation of
electricity and lack of techno-economic viability. However, there are proposals for setting up of
tidal power stations at Gujarat.

Table-1 Tidal energy potential in India

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1.4 TIDAL ENERGY AROUND THE WORLD

The necessity to reduce CO2 emissions and gradual increase in cost of fossil fuel has resulted in
a significantly increased use of tidal energy. Today, tidal energy around the world is increasingly
being considered as a potential source of renewable energy (Bryden and Scott, 2007). Extreme
tides are found in many locations across the globe. Some of them are: the Pentland Firth,
Scotland; the Severn estuary; the Aleutians; the fjords of Norway; the Philippines; the Straits of
Messina, Italy; the Bosporus, Turkey; the English Channel; Indonesia, and the straits of Alaska
and British Columbia.

Fig 1.4 Tidal Energy Around The World

The first major hydroelectric plant was put to operation in 1967 that used the energy of the tides
to generate electricity. It produced about 540,000 kW of electricity. Studies have shown that the
European territorial waters have 106 locations for extracting tidal energy that would provide
electricity of 48 TW per year. It is estimated around 50,000 MW of installed capacity being
achievable along the coasts of British Columbia alone. There are greater predictions of extracting
energy of about 90,000 MW off the North West coast of Russia and about 20,000 MW at the
inlet or Mezen river and White Sea. There are also estimations along the West coast of India
having potential to generate 8,000MW.

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Table 2 gives the highest available tidal levels in some of the regions that have the potential to
establish tidal power stations. Tidal power plants have already been set up at some of these
places and some are still in the planning phase. The main characteristics of four large-scale tidal
power plants that were constructed after World War II and currently exist are given in Table 3 .

Table2. Highest tides of the global ocean

site country Tidal elevation(m)

Bay of Fundy Canada 16.2
Severn estuary England 14.5
Port of Ganville France 14.7
Penzhinskaya Guba Russia 13.4
La Rance France 13.5
Puerto rio Gallegos Argentina 13.3
Bay of Mezen(white sea) Russia 10

Table 3. Existing large tidal power plants

Site Country Bay area Avg. tide Installed Power

(km2 ) (m) (MW)
La Rance France 22 8.55 240
Kislaya Guba Russia 1.1 2.3 0.4
Annapolis Canada 1.5 6.4 18
Jiangxia China 1.4 5.08 3.9

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CHAPTER 2

TIDAL ENERGY EXTRACTION

Different methods have been suggested by authors for the extraction of tidal energy.
However, the basic principle behind the methods remains same. However, there are two primary
methods to extract energy from the tides.
a. Estuaries into which large amounts of ocean water flows in due to high tidal range, are
captured behind barrages and the turbines are rotated by utilizing the potential energy of the
stored water.
b. The kinetic energy of moving water can be used to extract energy similar to the principle of
extraction of wind energy. Both methods that are mentioned above have been suggested and
followed and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. It may also be possible to employ
pumping strategies for barrages to obtain better efficiency and to match electricity demand
better.

Fig 2.1 Tidal Energy Extraction

The devices that are used in the energy generation vary in size, shape and specifications.
ISSC has classified the devices into three types:
a. Tidal barrages that store tidal flow and generate power through discharge.
b. Tidal fences which block a passage and extract energy in either or both directions of tidal
flow.

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c. Tidal current devices which are fixed or moored within a tidal stream.

2.1 TIDAL BARRAGE

Tidal barrage is a structure generally built across the mouth of the estuary through which the
water flows in and out of the basin. The tidal barrage has sluice gates that allows the flow of
water in and out of the basin. The water flows into the bay during high tide and the water is
retained by closing the sluice gates at the beginning of low tide. The barrage gates are controlled
by knowing the tidal range of the location and operating it at right times of the tidal cycle. There
are turbines located at the sluice gates which produce electricity when the gates are opened
during the low tide.
The barrage is installed across an inlet of an ocean bay or lagoon that forms a tidal basin. Sluice
gates on the barrage control water levels and flow rates to allow the tidal basin to fill on the
incoming high tides and to empty through an electricity turbine system on the outgoing ebb
tide.Utilize potential energy

TWO TYPES

1. Single basin system

2. Double- basin system

Single Basin System

 Ebb generation: During flood tide basin is filled and sluice gates are closed,
trapping water. Gates are kept closed until the tide has ebbed sufficiently and thus
turbines start spinning and generating electricity.
 Flood generation: The basin is filled through the turbine which generate at flood
tide.
 Two way generation: Sluice gates and turbines are closed until near the end of
the flood tide when water is allowed to flow through the turbines into the basin
creating electricity. At the point where the hydrostatic head is insufficient for
power generation the sluice gates are opened and kept open until high tide when

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they are closed. When the tide outside the barrage has dropped sufficiently water
is allowed to flow out of the basin through the turbines again creating electricity.

Double Basin System

The upper basin is filled with water during high tide and lower basin is emptied
during the low tide.

There are two basins, but it operates similar to an Ebb generation, single- basin system.
The only difference is a proportion of the electricity is used to pump water into the
second basin allowing storage.

Fig 2.2Tidal Barrage

The advantage of using barrage to method to generate electricity in comparison with fossil fuels
is that it reduces the greenhouse effects, to provide a better environment. La Rance tidal power
plant, France is an example for barrage method. On the top of the barrage there is a four-lane
highway that cuts 35 km of distance between the towns of Saint Malo and Dinard representing.

2.2 WAVE PISTON

The Wave piston concept was formulated by three mechanical engineers who joined forces to
challenge the commercial viability of wave energy. The background for entering this challenging

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task was a mutual vision of a greener society. The team has robust experience in project
management, product development and offshore engineering.

Fig 2.3Tidal Wave Piston

Working
The present concept, the Wave Piston system, will shortly be described. First, a series of thin
plates are mounted on a core circular cylinder, as shown on the unit in Fig. 1. Second, the system
is to be located near the free surface. The system works as follows:

1. Water is sucked into a separate pipe mounted above the Wave Piston pipe via a series of holes.
2. The twin plates moves and create a pumping action.
3. The Wave Piston pumps water into the core circular cylinder. The pumping rate and thus the
water pressure in the core cylinder dictates the energy converted.
4. At the end of the core cylinder, at shore is located a turbine and power converter equipment.

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2.3 ECO WAVE POWER

Fig2.4 Tidal Eco Wave Power

The floaters draw energy from incoming waves by converting the rising and falling motion of the
waves into an clean energy generation process. More precisely, the movement of the floaters
compresses and decompresses hydraulic pistons which transmit bio-degradable hydraulic fluid
into land located accumulators. In the accumulators, at a pressure is being built. This pressure
rotates a hydraulic motor, which rotates the generator, and then the electricity is transferred into
the grid, via an inverter.

Fig2.5 Tidal Eco Wave Power Working

The fluid, after decompression, flows back into the hydraulic fluid tank, where it is then re- used
by the pistons, thus creating a closed circular system.

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The system commences production of electricity from wave heights of 0.5 meters.
The whole operation of the system is controlled and monitored by a smart automation system.
Also, when the waves are too high for the system to handle the floaters automatically rise above
the water level and stay in the upward position until the storm passes. Once the storm passes, the
floaters return to operation mode.

2.4 TIDAL TURBINES

Tidal turbines are similar to wind turbines in that they have blades that turn a rotor to power a
generator. They can be placed on the sea floor where there is strong tidal flow. Because water is
about 800 times denser than air, tidal turbines have to be much sturdier and heavier than wind
turbines. Tidal turbines are more expensive to build than wind turbines but can capture more
energy with the same size blades.

Fig2.5 Tidal Turbines

 Make use of the kinetic energy of moving water to power turbines, in a similar way to
wind turbines that use wind to power turbines.
 Operate during flood and Ebb tides.
 Consists of a rotor, gearbox, and a generator. These three parts are mounted onto a
support structure. There are three main types:
 Gravity structure
 Piled structure

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 Floating structure
 Gravity Structures: are massive steel or concrete structures attached to the base of the
units to achieve stability by their own inertia.
 Piled structures: are pinned to the seabed by one or more steel or concrete piles. The
piles are fixed to the seabed by hammering if the ground conditions are sufficiently soft
or by pre- drilling, positioning and grouting if the rock is harder.
 Floating structures: provide a potentially more convincing solution for deep water
locations.

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CHAPTER 3
SITE FOR INSTALLATION OF TIDAL POWER PLANT

Some preliminary standards are given by Couch and Bryden to identify sites that are suitable for
the development of a tidal energy extraction. The most important variables generally considered
are:
1. The local water depth: Existing device technology concepts are generally limited to
operational water depths of 25–45 meters.
2. The location of the nearest exploitable grid connection: For an immature industry, the
economics of tidal energy extraction require easy access to a nearby grid connection with spare
capacity otherwise, the capital cost cannot be viably recouped across the life of the project.
3. An energetic and persistent resource: Large mean spring and neap tide velocities are highly
desirable. Some sites have the added advantage of minimizing the low velocity periods of the
tidal cycle as the local dynamics ensure that the tidal flow reverses through the slack period at an
accelerated rate. The sites that the developers are interested to extract energy tend to have peak
spring tidal velocities of 3+ m/s.
If these three primary criteria are met, a site is considered to have solid potential for future
development. The majority of coastal locations can be rejected out of hand by consideration of
just these three variables.

3.1 ADVANTAGES OF TIDAL ENERGY

 It is an renewable source of energy.

 Tidal energy is environment friendly energy and doesn’t produce greenhouse gases.

 As 71% of Earth’s surface is covered by water, there is scope to generate this energy on
large scale.

 Efficiency of tidal energy is far greater as compared to coal, solar or wind energy . Its
efficiency is around 80%.

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 Tidal energy doesn’t require any kind of fuel to run.

 The life of tidal energy power plant is very long.

 Tides are predictable.

3.2 DISADVANTAGES OF TIDAL ENERGY

 They Have an Impact on Marine Life
 Maintenance and Corrosion are an Issue
 It is a Costly Technology
 There are very few ideal locations for construction of plant and they too are localized
to coastal regions only.

3.3 APPLICATION
 Tidal Electricity: The most important use of tidal energy is the generation of Electricity,
called Tidal Electricity. The electric power generated from the tides is reliable as tides are
predictable and uniform in nature.
 Grain Mills: Tidal Energy has been in use for hundreds of years. Just like the Wind
Mills, Tidal Energy was used for the mechanical crushing of grains in grain mills. To
crush grains. Here, the movement of the turbines powered by tidal energy was used.
 Energy Storage: Tidal Energy is also used to store energy in hydroelectric dams, which
act as large energy storage. Tidal Barrages and reservoirs can be modified to store
energy.
 Provide Protection to Coast During High Storms: Tidal Barrages are capable to
prevent damage to the coast during high storms. They also serve to create easy transport
between the two arms of an estuary or a bay.

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4.0 CONCLUSIONS
 The tidal energy industry has to develop a new generation of efficient, low cost and
environmentally friendly apparatus for power extraction from free or ultra- low head
water flow.
 The negative environmental impacts of tidal barrages are probably much smaller than
those of other sources of electricity, but are not well understood at this time.
 It is important to consider the influence of energy extraction while estimating the
available energy from a potential tidal energy site.
 The future costs of other sources of electricity, and concern over their environmental
impacts, will ultimately determine whether humankind extensively harnesses the
gravitational power of the moon.
 As yet the majority of this tidal energy resource is under-utilized; however, if effectively
captured using suitably engineered systems, it could be capable of making a major
contribution to our future energy needs.

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5.0 REFERENCE
 www.google.com
 www.wikipedia.com
 www.studymafia.org
 https://www.ecowavepower.com/our-technology/how-it-
works/
 https://www.wavepiston.dk/

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