Lecture 33

Absorption of raw tidal energy

 Summary of last class…
• Generators, Electrical Equipment, Transmission
Generator
• Constraints are that the bulb diameter should not be more than 120 percent
and not less than 80 percent of the runner diameter
• the relationship between the generator output and its dimensions and speed,

Electrical Equipment
(1) the excitation system design for which the static type is preferred with an
excitation transformer and automatic voltage regulator for each group of four
units;
(2) the generation voltage that could provide economy at 13.8 kV by eliminating
the intermediate step-up transformation;
(3) possible integration of the switchboard into the powerhouse units with
transmission to shore over only a few high-voltage cables;
(4) use of one transformer for groups of four or eight turbo generator units;
(5) group transformers to reduce the number and utilize more effectively the
transmission line breakers;
 ABSORPTION OF RAW TIDAL ENERGY

1. Static Absorption Capability

2. Dynamic Absorption Capability
 Static Absorption Capability
• Tidal energy absorbed by a power system has the effect of
displacing or reducing a like amount of thermal energy
generated within that system.
• The value of energy saving associated with tidal energy can
thus be measured in terms of the amount and cost of
thermal energy displaced.
• It may also be possible to reduce the total installed capacity
of non-tidal generation when a tidal-electric plant, even an
ebb flow generating one, is brought into the system.
• This may also result in slight capacity savings that could be
credited to the tidal-electric scheme.
 Question?...
• Will there be any tidal energy “surplus” after
all the tidal energy that can be absorbed by a
system has been absorbed?
• What are the characteristics of this surplus?
• What can be done with it?
 Answer…
• It might be used for retiming by means of a
pumped-storage facility, although it would be
logical and utility practice to use, for this
purpose, the cheapest energy available after
meeting current loads.
• On the other hand, the surplus power could
be exported to contiguous systems over
existing or specially built transmission lines.
 Definition of Static…
• The static absorption capability of a system may be defined
as its ability to reduce or “back-off” generation in order to
accept the periodic tidal energy outputs illustrated in Fig.
• Generation can be backed off to a level that is referred to as
the “must-run” level.
The types of must-run generation would be the following:
1. Must-run hydro Technical and/or operating constraints prevent
hydro generation at some plants from being reduced to zero,
for example, to maintain a minimum river flow or to avoid
spillage; this portion of the hydro capacity is must-run
generation.
2. Must-run nuclear generation Nuclear plants are not designed
to follow rapid load changes, and, even if they could cycle, the
fuel saving obtained by tidal substitution should the variable
cost of nuclear be higher than the average cost of tidal, would
not be significant; a specified fraction of the nuclear capacity in
the system constitutes a component of must-run generation.
 Conti…
3. Minimum oil- or coal-fired, must-run generation
Shutting down completely fossil-fueled generators
twice a day for the benefit of tidal absorption would
incur significant startup costs and increased O&M
costs; some fraction of load in excess of the nuclear
and hydro must-run is considered as fossil must-run,
which corresponds to the minimum loading of the
fossil units and depends on the operating
characteristics of the plant or plants committed.
 summary
The amount that can be absorbed is a function of:
(1) the system size and load characteristics;
(2) the rate at which the output from other
generating units can be backed off and
displaced by tidal generation; and
(3) also the rate at which these units can be
ramped up again when generation from the
tidal plant has terminated.
 Dynamic Absorption Capability
• In view of the limitations on static absorption capability, tidal generation
would primarily displace coal, oil, and gas-fired generation.
• These plants would have to be capable of being “backed-off” and
accepting loads at rates dictated by the superposition of the steepness of
the tidal pulse and the coincident load changes in the system.
• The resultant load-following capability required from the cycling plant is

where, dT is the steepness of the front or tail of the tidal pulse in MW/min,
and dL/dt is the rate of change in the system load in megawatts/minute.
 Summary
• Raw tidal energy absorption capability of a system varies with
changes in system load and must-run generation change, but it is
essentially the difference between system load and must-run
generation at any given time.
• The changes are sufficiently slow to allow an hourly simulation with
sufficient accuracy for prefeasibility studies.
• However, a more detailed analysis of the dynamic problems
associated with the output gradient of tidal plants would require
system simulation in much smaller time steps than one hour.
• The conceptually simplest approach for calculating annual absorption
of raw tidal energy is to develop a chronological sequence of 8760
hourly load must-run and tidal output data, and then to compute the
amount of raw tidal energy absorbable by the simple process of
subtraction.
 Conti…
• The dominant parameters affecting the absorption capability
are the ratio of the maximum tidal output to peak system load,
the must-run level, and the annual system load factor.
• The must-run level is governed by both static and dynamic
considerations.
• The dynamic constraint, arising from the limited load following
capability of a thermal plant, is only significant in the case of
tidal plants that are very large with relation to the system peak.
• The lower the must-run level and the higher the annual load
factor, the higher is the raw tidal absorption capability for the
same tidal plant/system peak ratio.
 Next Class topic..
• ENHANCING RAW TIDAL ENERGY OUTPUT