Performance of small-scale tidal power plants
Small-scale tidal power plants--having electric power between 1 and 100 MW, approximately--possess several attractive economic and environmental benefits. The dynamical behavior of such systems is calculated in terms of dimensionless variables and parameters so that the size of the system is inconsequential (except for one parameter related to the slope of the walls of the tidal basin). Two measures of system performance are defined: capacity factor (ratio of average to rated power) and effectiveness (ratio of average to ideal tidal power). It was found that improving both parameters is mutually incompatible so that an economic analysis will determine the optimum values of the system design and performance parameters. The effects of variation of tidal range and basin shape were determined. Using typical variable flow properties of low-head hydroturbines, a favorable design head could be determined from the analysis. It was found that the change in the area of the intertidal zone relative to the surface area of the tidal pond is greater for small, as compared to large, systems, possibly leading to proportionately greater environmental effects. A comparison of the performance of several tidal power plant designs with the methodology of this paper showed generally good agreement with the dimensionless performance parameters and only a modest difference among them over several orders of magnitude in size of power plant.
- Research Organization:
- Massachusetts Inst. of Technology, Cambridge, MA
- OSTI ID:
- 6545356
- Journal Information:
- J. Energy; (United States), Vol. 7:6
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
TIDAL POWER PLANTS
PERFORMANCE
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS
CAPACITY
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
DESIGN
DYNAMICS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
HYDRAULIC TURBINES
OPTIMIZATION
POWER FACTOR
POWER RANGE 1-10 GW
POWER RANGE 10-100 GW
SIZE
MACHINERY
MECHANICS
POWER PLANTS
TURBINES
TURBOMACHINERY
160701* - Tidal Power Plants- Design & Operation