Sustainable Energy Science and Engineering Center

Ocean Energy
Text Book: sections 2.D, 4.4 and 4.5
Reference: Renewable Energy by Godfrey Boyle, Oxford
University Press, 2004.
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Ocean Energy
Oceans cover most of the (70%) of the earth’s surface and they generate
thermal energy from the sun and produce mechanical energy from the tides
and waves.
The solar energy that is stored in the upper layers of the tropical ocean, if
harnessed can provide electricity in large enough quantities to make it a
viable energy source.

World ocean temperature

difference at a depth of
1000 m
This energy source is
available throughout the
equatorial zone around the
world or about 20 degrees
north and south of the
equator - where most of
the world's population lives.
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Tides
The ocean tides are caused by the
gravitational forces from the moon and the
sun and the centrifugal forces on the
rotating earth. These forces tend to raise
the sea level both on the side of the earth
facing the moon and on the opposite side.
The result is a cyclic variation between flood
(high) and ebb (low) tides with a period of
12 hours and 25 minutes or half a lunar day.
Additionally, there are other cyclic variations
caused by by the combined effect of the
moon and the sun. The most important ones
are the 14 days spring tide period between
high flood tides and the half year period
between extreme annual spring tides. Low
flood tides follow similar cycles. The ocean
bottom topography has pronounced effect
on the local tides. The tides are accurately
predictable.
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Tidal Power Potential

The world potential for tidal power exceeds 450 TWh
In the open ocean, the maximum amplitude of the tides is about one
meter. Tidal amplitudes are increased substantially towards the coast,
particularly in estuaries. This is mainly caused by shelving of the sea bed
and funneling of the water by estuaries. In some cases the tidal range can
be further amplified by reflection of the tidal wave by the coastline or
resonance. This is a special effect that occurs in long, trumpet-shaped
estuaries, when the length of the estuary is close to one quarter of the
tidal wave length. These effects combine to give a mean spring tidal range
of over 11 m in the Severn Estuary (UK). Tidal energy is highly predictable
in both amount and timing.
The available energy is approximately proportional to the square of the
tidal range. Extraction of energy from the tides is considered to be
practical only at those sites where the energy is concentrated in the form
of large tides and the geography provides suitable sites for tidal plant
construction. Such sites are not commonplace but a considerable number
have been identified in the UK, France, eastern Canada, the Pacific coast
of Russia, Korea, China, Mexico and Chile. Other sites have been
identified along the Patagonian coast of Argentina, Western Australia and
western India.
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Tidal Energy
Tide mills were in use as far back as 1100 AD on the coasts of Spain, France and the
UK. They consisted of a pond filled through a sluice during the flood or high tide and
emptied on the ebb or low tide through an undershot water wheel.
Today, a tide mill consists of a semi-permeable barrage built across an estuary, allowing
flood waters to fill a basin via a series of sluices. At high water the sluice gates are
closed, creating a head of water on the low tide. Electricity is generated by releasing
water through a series of conventional water turbines.

The La Rance tidal power station

generates 240 MW power. The tides
are caused by the Moon and the Sun
moving around the Earth and so in many
places the tides happen twice a day
without fail. This means that it is a more
reliable way of generating electricity than
using wind or sunshine. Generating
electricity this way doesn't produce any
greenhouse gases that cause climate
change.
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La Rance Barrage

24 Reversible pump turbines

Maximum tidal range : 12 m
Typical water head = 5 m
Net output = 480 GWh per year
Typical electricity cost: 10 - 15 ¢ per kWh
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Tidal Energy Types

Types of tidal energy:
The potential energy of sea level differences associated with the tides
Dams close off sea basins at flood or high tide and low head turbines through
which the trapped water are released at low tide.
The kinetic energy of the tidal currents
Water mills submerged in the tidal stream
1 - tidal stream turbines
P = ρV A
3

2
The fluid power of the flow is given by:

1
P = ρV 3 A W/m2
2

1025 kg/m3 Area swept by turbine

Tidal turbine
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Tidal Power
Consider a rectangular basin with a constant
surface area of A.
Tidal range: R
Total volume of basin water = AR
Mass = ρAR
Potential energy available = ρArg (R/2)
Tidal Period = T
Average potential energy extracted = ρAR2g/2T

The center of gravity for the mass of water

will be at R/2 above the lower tide level.
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Wave Energy
Waves, particularly those of large amplitude, contain large amounts of energy. Wave
energy is in effect a stored and concentrated form of solar energy, since the winds
that produce waves are caused by pressure differences in the atmosphere arising
from solar heating. The strong winds blowing across the oceans create large waves,
making many coastal regions around the globe ideally suited to wave energy
schemes. The global wave power resource is estimated to be about 2 TW with
electricity generation potential of about 2000 TWh annually.
Air flowing over the sea exerts a tangential stress on the water surface resulting in the formation
and growth of waves
Turbulent air flow close to the water surface creates rapidly varying shear stresses causing
ripples, known as capillary waves. Capillary waves create more water surface increasing the
friction between water and wind. This adds more energy, which increases the size of the waves,
making them larger and larger.
When the winds slow down or stop, the waves continue their journey, gradually but very slowly
losing their energy. Waves may travel thousands of km before rolling ashore. This predictability of
waves is one of the advantages of wave energy as an energy source.
An ocean wave in deep water appears to be a massive moving object - a crest of water traveling
across the sea surface. An ocean wave is the movement of energy. Out in the ocean where waves
move the water's surface up and down, the water is not moving towards the shore. So, an ocean
wave does not represent a flow of water. Instead it represents a flow of motion or energy from its
origin to its eventual break up. This break up may occur in the middle of the ocean or against the
coast.
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Wave Energy
The water molecules in an ocean wave move in circles. The behavior of waves
depends largely on the relationship between a wave's size and the depth of
water through which it is moving. The movement of water molecule changes
from circular to ellipsoidal as a wave approaches the coast and water depths
decrease. Eventually when the wave rolls up on a beach - and when most of
us observe waves - the movement is mostly horizontal. When talking of ocean
wave, and a potential deployment of Wave Dragon, the influence of water
depth is negligible. Ocean waves are as mentioned above essential movement
of energy. Waves consist of two kinds of energy.

The individual water molecules are

moving steadily and rather slowly in a
circular way, and this energy - kinetic
energy - can be utilized in different
kinds of wave energy converters, either
directly via some kind of propeller or
indirectly by Oscillating Water Columns
wave energy converters
In its circular movement the individual
water molecules are elevated above the
still-water line and thus represent a
potential energy.
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Distribution of Ocean Surface Wave Energy

Source: Kinsman, 1965

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Wave Power

Power, P= (ρg2H2T)/32π W/m ; T= wave period

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Deep Water Wave Power Sources

The highest energy waves are concentrated off the western coasts in the 40o–60o latitude range
north and south. The power in the wave fronts varies in these areas between 30 and 70 kW/m
with peaks to 100kW/m in the Atlantic SW of Ireland, the Southern Ocean and off Cape Horn.
The capability to supply electricity from this resource is such that, if harnessed appropriately,
10% of the current level of world supply could be provided.
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Global Wave Power Sources

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Wave Energy Conversion Types

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Wave Energy Devices

Shoreline devices - Oscillating water column (OWC); the convergent

channel (TAPCHAN); Pendulum
Near shore devices - situated in shallow waters, typically 10 - 25 m
Off shore devices - situated in deeper water, typically > 40 m
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TAPCHAN
The tapered channel wave energy
conversion device:
The Tapchan comprises a gradually
narrowing channel with wall heights
typically 3 to 5 m above mean
water level. The waves enter the
wide end of the channel and, as
they propagate down the narrowing
channel, the wave height is
amplified until the wave crests spill
over the walls to a reservoir which
provides a stable water supply to a
conventional low head turbine. The
requirements of low tidal range and
suitable shoreline limit the use of
this device.
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Shoreline Devices

The OWC comprises a partly submerged concrete or steel

The Pendulum device consists of a
structure, which has an opening to the sea below the water
rectangular box, which is open to the sea
line, thereby enclosing a column of air above a column of
at one end. A pendulum flap is hinged
water. As waves impinge on the device, they cause the
over this opening, so that the action of the
water column to rise and fall, which alternately compresses
waves causes it to swing back and
and depressurizes the air column. This air is allowed to
forth. This motion is then used to power a
flow to and from the atmosphere through a turbine which
hydraulic pump and generator.
drives an electric generator. Both conventional (i.e.
unidirectional) and self- rectifying air turbines have been
proposed. The axial-flow Wells turbine, invented in the
1970s, is the best known turbine for this kind of application
and has the advantage of not requiring rectifying air
valves.
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OWC Plant
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Offshore Devices

The Danish Wave Power float-pump device The Swedish Hosepump has been under
uses a float which is attached to a seabed development since 1980 It consists of a specially
mounted piston pump; the rise and fall motion reinforced electrometric hose (whose internal
of the float causes the pump to operate driving volume decreases as it stretches), connected to a
a turbine and generator mounted on the float which rides the waves. The rise and fall of
pump. The flow of water through the turbine is the float stretches and relaxes the hose thereby
maintained as uni-directional through the pressurizing sea water, which is fed (along with the
incorporation of a non-return valve. output from other Hosepumps) through a non-
return valve to a central turbine and generator unit.
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OWC Devices
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Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is a means of converting into
useful energy the temperature difference between surface water of the
oceans in tropical and sub-tropical areas, and water at a depth of
approximately 1000 m which comes from the polar regions. For OTEC a
temperature difference of 20oC is adequate, which embraces very large ocean
areas, and favors islands and many developing countries.
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OTEC Thermodynamic Cycle

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Typical Ocean Temperature Profile

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Integrated OTEC System