Modeling assessment of tidal current energy in the Qiongzhou Strait, China

In the present study, an existing three-dimensional finite volume computational ocean model （FVCOM） was refined and configured including an algorithm for computing the power density and mean power density at Qiongzhou Strait of China. The refined model was validated with the measured tidal levels and tidal currents at different gauging stations. The model results are in reasonable agreement with the measured data. Based on the modeling results, we assess the resource of the tidal stream energy in the Qiongzhou Strait and discuss the temporal and the spatial distribution of the tidal current energy there. The conclusion is extracted： the higher power density occurs in the middle area of the strait, and lower at both sides. Characteristics of power density such as the maximum possibility speed, maximum power density during the spring tide period and the neap tide period, have the similar distribution. The southeast part and central area of the strait are of rich tidal current energy, where the maximum possibility speed can reach to 4.6 m/s, and the maximum power density of the spring tide period and the neap tide period can reach 5 996 and 467 W/mz separately in the surface layer The annual mean power density can reach 819 W/m2. Statistical length of accumulative time of the velocity exceeding 0.7 m/s is about 4 717 h at local point during a year. The total theoretical tidal current energy resource is approximately 189.55 MW and the available exploited energy on present technology condition is 249, 20.2 and 263 GW/a separately by using the methods FLUX, FARM and GC in the Qiongzhou Strait.

Experimental Study on Hydrodynamic Characteristics of Vertical-Axis Floating Tidal Current Energy Power Generation Device

To study the characteristics of attenuation, hydrostatic towage and wave response of the vertical-axis floating tidal current energy power generation device （VAFTCEPGD）, a prototype is designed and experiment is carried out in the towing tank. Free decay is conducted to obtain attenuation characteristics of the VAFTCEPGD, and characteristics of mooring forces and motion response, floating condition, especially the lateral displacement of the VAFTCEPGD are obtained from the towing in still water. Tension response of the #1 mooring line and vibration characteristics of the VAFTCEPGD in regular waves as well as in level 4 irregular wave sea state with the current velocity of 0.6 m/s. The results can be reference for theoretical study and engineering applications related to VAFTCEPGD.

Motion Responses Analysis for Tidal Current Energy Platform: QuadSpar and Catamaran Types

ωOne approach to support floating tidal current turbines is by using a moored catamaran, a barge type platform.Considering its low draft, one might expect that it performs best at typical straits with sea states of small wavelets to small waves. The problem is that the high rotational motion responses of the catamaran due to wave loads tend to reduce the turbine performance. This paper looks for a possibility to deteriorate these rotational responses by introducing a platform with four buoyant legs referred to as a quad-spar considering its good stability performance.The platforms are moored by four catenary cables as their mooring system. The motion response modeling was undertaken by Computational Fluid Dynamic(CFD) simulation based on three-dimensional potential flow theory.Considering sea states of straits with typical tidal current energy potentials, the environmental load was set on random wave with the significant wave height, Hs, of about 0.09 to 1.5 m and the wave period, T, of about 1.5 to 6 s corresponding to the wave frequency,, of about 1.1 to 4.2 rad/s. This study found that lower motion responses can be satisfied by the quad-spar, in which its yaw, roll and pitch responses are on average about 5%, 44%, and 38%,respectively, compared to those of the catamaran. This result indicates that the quad-spar is more effective in reducing rotational motion responses needed to keep a high performance of the tidal current energy system.

Assessment of the Tidal Current Energy Resources and the Hydrodynamic Impacts of Energy Extraction at the PuHu Channel in Zhoushan Archipelago,China

An unstructured model FVCOM(The Unstructured Grid Finite Volume Community Ocean Model)with sink momentum term was applied to simulate the tidal current field in Zhoushan Archipelago,China,with focus on the region named PuHu Channel between Putuo Island and Hulu Island.The model was calibrated with several measurements in the channel,and the model perform-ance was validated.An examination of the spatial and temporal distributions of tidal energy resources based on the numerical simula-tion revealed that the greatest power density of tidal energy during spring tide is 3.6kWm^(−2)at the northern area of the channel.Two parameters were introduced to characterize the generation duration of the tidal array that causes the temporal variation of tidal current energy.The annual average available energy in the channel was found to be approximately 2.6MW.The annual generating hours at rated power was found to be 1800 h when the installed capacity of tidal array is approximately 12MW.A site for the tidal array with 25 turbines was selected,and the layout of the array was configured based on the EMEC specifications.Hydrodynamic influence due to the deployment of the tidal array was simulated by the modified FVCOM model.The simulation showed that the tidal level did not significantly change because of the operation of the tidal array.The velocity reduction covered a 2km^(2)area of the downstream the tidal array,with a maximum velocity reduction of 8cms−1 at mid-flood tide,whereas the streamwise velocity on both sides of the farm increased slightly.

Analysis of Tidal Current Energy Potential in the Major Channels of the Bohai Strait Based on Delft3D

The utilization and development of tidal current energy can help alleviate the current energy shortage,improve the global ecological environment,and maintain sustainable development.In this study,numerical simulation is carried out on a rectangular grid using Delft3D.The tidal current energy potential of the major channels in the Bohai Strait is further simulated and estimated by comparing the simulated and measured data.Results show that the flow module in Delft3D has good modeling ability for the assessment of tidal current energy potential.The average flow velocity,maximum flow velocity,and energy flow density are consistent.The Laotieshan Channel,located in the northern part of the Bohai Strait,shows a large tidal current energy potential.The maximum flow velocity of this channel can reach 2 m s-1,and the maximum energy flow density can exceed 500 W m-2.The tidal current energy in the Laotieshan Channel is more than 10 times that in other channels.Therefore,this study advocates for the continued exploration and exploitation of the tidal current energy resources in the Laotieshan Channel.

Maximum Power Point Tracking of Hybrid Tidal Current—Supercapacitor Energy Conversion System

This paper proposes control of maximum power tracking system of tidal current energy system. A permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) works as a variable speed generator in the proposed energy system. A controller was applied to achieve the maximum power control of tidal current turbine on a wide range of water current speed change. A dynamic model and simulation of the energy system coupled with current change are presented. The measured DC voltage and DC current are used to determine the position of maximum power point that controls the DC/DC boost converter duty cycle depending on the Hill Climb Search (HCS) algorithm. This algorithm doesn’t require any information or measurements about current’s speed change or generator’s characteristics. A supercapacitor added to fix the load voltage despite of tidal current speed or load variations. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the controller proposed system.

Marine renewable energy in China: Current status and perspectives

Based on a general review of marine renewable energy in China, an assessment of the development status and amount of various marine renewable energy resources, including tidal energy, tidal current energy, wave energy, ocean thermal energy, and salinity gradient energy in China＇s coastal seas, such as the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea, is presented. We have found that these kinds of marine renewable energy resources will play an important role in meeting China＇s future energy needs. Additionally, considering the uneven distribution of China＇s marine renewable energy and the influences of its exploitation on the environment, we have suggested several sites with great potential for each kind of marine energy. Furthermore, perspectives on and challenges related with marine renewable energy in China are addressed.

Design and Test of 1/5th Scale Horizontal Axis Tidal Current Turbine

Tidal current energy is prominent and renewable. Great progress has been made in the exploitation technology of tidal current energy all over the world in recent years, and the large scale device has become the trend of tidal current turbine （TCT） for its economies. Instead of the similarity to the wind turbine, the tidal turbine has the characteristics of high hydrodynamic efficiency, big thrust, reliable sealing system, tight power transmission structure, etc. In this paper, a l/5th scale horizontal axis tidal current turbine has been designed, manufactured and tested before the full scale device design. Firstly, the three-blade horizontal axis rotor was designed based on traditional blade element momentum theory and its hydrodynamic performance was predicted in numerical model. Then the power train system and stand-alone electrical control unit of tidal current turbine, whose performances were accessed through the bench test carried out in workshop, were designed and presented. Finally, offshore tests were carried out and the power performance of the rotor was obtained and compared with the published literatures, and the results showed that the power coefficient was satisfactory, which agrees with the theoretical predictions.

Numerical Investigation of Flow Motion and Performance of A Horizontal Axis Tidal Turbine Subjected to A Steady Current

Horizontal axis tidal turbines have attracted more and more attentions nowadays, because of their convenience and low expense in construction and high efficiency in extracting tidal energy. The present study numerically investigates the flow motion and performance of a horizontal axis tidal turbine with a supporting vertical cylinder under steady current. In the numerical model, the continuous equation and incompressible Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are solved, and the volume of fluid method is employed to track free surface motion. The RNG k-ε model is adopted to calculate turbulence transport while the fractional area/volume obstacle representation method is used to describe turbine characteristics and movement. The effects of installation elevation of tidal turbine and inlet velocity on the water elevation, and current velocity, rotating speed and resultant force on turbine are discussed. Based on the comparison of the numerical results, a better understanding of flow structure around horizontal axis tidal turbine and turbine performance is achieved.

Research on the Unsteady Hydrodynamic Characteristics of Vertical Axis Tidal Turbine

The unsteady hydrodynamic characteristics of vertical axis tidal turbine are investigated by numerical simulation based on viscous CFD method. The starting mechanism of the turbine is revealed through analyzing the interaction of its motion and dynamics during starting process. The operating hydrodynamic characteristics of the turbine in wave-current condition are also explored by combining with the linear wave theory. According to possible magnification of the cyclic loads in the maximum power tracking control of vertical axis turbine, a novel torque control strategy is put forward, which can improve the structural characteristics significantly without effecting energy efficiency.

Experimental study of hydrodynamic performance of full-scale horizontal axis tidal current turbine

In this paper, experiments of both the model turbine （1 kW） and the full scale （10 kW） turbine are carried out in a towing tank and a basin, respectively, and the test of the full scale turbine on the sea is conducted. By comparison between the model turbine （D = 0.7 m） and the full scale turbine （D = 2.0 m）, it is shown that the maximum power coefficient increases with the increase of the diameter of the turbine. The test results on the sea are used to study the hydrodynamic performances of the horizontal axis turbine, and provide a basis for the design. Experimental results can validate the accuracy of the numerical simulation results.

Optimization of Blade Motion of Vertical Axis Turbine

In this paper,a method is proposed to improve the energy efficiency of the vertical axis turbine.First of all,a single disk multiple stream-tube model is used to calculate individual fitness.Genetic algorithm is adopted to optimize blade pitch motion of vertical axis turbine with the maximum energy efficiency being selected as the optimization objective.Then,a particular data processing method is proposed,fitting the result data into a cosine-like curve.After that,a general formula calculating the blade motion is developed.Finally,CFD simulation is used to validate the blade pitch motion formula.The results show that the turbine＇s energy efficiency becomes higher after the optimization of blade pitch motion;compared with the fixed pitch turbine,the efficiency of variable-pitch turbine is significantly improved by the active blade pitch control;the energy efficiency declines gradually with the growth of speed ratio;besides,compactness has lager effect on the blade motion while the number of blades has little effect on it.

THE HYDRODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF FREE VARIABLE-PITCH VERTICAL AXIS TIDAL TURBIN

The hydrodynamic characteristics of free variable-pitch vertical axis tidal turbine are investigated by combining experimental and numerical simulations. The variations of hydrodynamics are obtained based on testing the kinematics and the dynamics of the turbine under different flow and structural conditions. Through analyzing the movement of the turbine and the characteristics of the flow field by numerical simulations, it is shown how the turbine＇s performance is improved.

Status of testing field for ocean energy generation

Ocean energy, considered as clean energy, is one kind of marine resources of great importance. Its development and utilization have become an indispensable part of national development strategy in China. Testingfields are required when conducting tests of ocean energy generation devices in real sea, which is the key step conducted before engineering prototypes transformed into scale industrialization applications. This paper introduces the construction and operation conditions of large-scale testing fields for wave energy and tidal current energy generation devices and presents a brief comparative analysis. Developing status and related technologies on testingfields for ocean energy power generation in China are also discussed. Furthermore, this paper investigates the necessity of grid-connected test for ocean energy generation and points out that the construction of ocean energy testingfields is helpful to ensure the efficient utilization of ocean energy resources.

Optimal configuration problem identification of electrical power cable in tidal turbine farm via traveling salesman problem modeling approach

Electrical power cables in tidal turbine farms contribute a significant share to capital expenditure(CAPEX). As a result, the routing of electrical power cables connecting turbines to cable collector hubs must be designed so as to obtain the least cost configuration.This is referred to as a tidal cable routing problem. This problem possesses several variants depending on the number of cable collector hubs. In this paper, these variants are modeled by employing the approach of the single depot multiple traveling salesman problem(mTSP) and the multiple depot mTSP of operational research for the single and multiple cable collector variants, respectively. The developed optimization models are computationally implemented using MATLAB. In the triple cable collector cable hub variant, an optimal solution is obtained, while good-quality suboptimal solutions are obtained in the double and single cable collector hub variants. In practice,multiple cable collector hubs are expected to be employed as the multiple-hub configurations tend to be more economic than the single-hub configurations.This has been confirmed by this paper for an optimal tidal turbine layout obtained with OpenTidalFarm. Suggestions are presented for future research studies comprising a number of heuristics.