TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING
CENTRAL CAMPUS
LALITPUR

Class Notes on
OTEC Devices, Wave Power Extraction Devices and Tidal Power Extraction Devices
On the partial fulfillment of the subject of Renewable Energy Technologies

Submitted By:
Shubhash Joshi 072-MSE-566

Submitted To:
Dr. Ajay Kumar Jha
Energy System Planning and Management

July 2016

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Devices

Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) uses the temperature difference between cooler
deep and warmer shallow or surface seawaters to run a heat engine and produce useful
work, usually in the form of electricity. OTEC is a base load electricity generation system as
it is always producing power. However, since the temperature differential is small,
the thermal efficiency is low.

Figure: Working of an OTEC plant (Source: http://goo.gl/fuXg7w)

There are various independent companies working in the field of OTEC under different
names but they can be mainly divided in the following types.

Land-based
In this type of OTEC system, the power generating site is based on land. The water needed
for the electricity is run through a series of pipes and after energy loss, cold water is sent
back to the sea.
Plants constructed on or near land do not require sophisticated mooring, lengthy power
cables, or the more extensive maintenance associated with open-ocean environments. They
can be installed in sheltered areas so that they are relatively safe from storms and heavy
seas. Electricity, desalinated water, and cold, nutrient-rich seawater could be transmitted
from near-shore facilities via trestle bridges or causeways. In addition, land-based or nearshore sites allow plants to operate with related industries such as mariculture or those that
require desalinated water.

Shelf based
OTEC plants can be mounted to the continental shelf at depths up to 100 meters (330 ft). A
shelf-mounted plant could be towed to the site and affixed to the sea bottom. This type of
construction is already used for offshore oil rigs.
The complexities of operating an OTEC plant in deeper water may make them more
expensive than land-based approaches. Problems include the stress of open-ocean
conditions and more difficult product delivery. Addressing strong ocean currents and large
waves adds engineering and construction expense. Platforms require extensive pilings to
maintain a stable base. Power delivery can require long underwater cables to reach land.
For these reasons, shelf-mounted plants are less attractive.

Floating
The floating OTEC facilities use floating mechanism for generating the Floating OTEC
facilities operate off-shore. Although potentially optimal for large systems, floating facilities
present several difficulties. The difficulty of mooring plants in very deep water complicates
power delivery. Cables attached to floating platforms are more susceptible to damage,
especially during storms. Cables at depths greater than 1000 meters are difficult to

maintain and repair. Riser cables, which connect the sea bed and the plant, need to be
constructed to resist entanglement.
As with shelf-mounted plants, floating plants need a stable base for continuous operation.
Major storms and heavy seas can break the vertically suspended cold-water pipe and
interrupt warm water intake as well. To help prevent these problems, pipes can be made of
flexible polyethylene attached to the bottom of the platform and gim balled with joints or
collars.

Wave Power Extraction Devices

Wave power is the transport of energy by wind waves, and the capture of that energy to do
useful work for example, electricity generation, water desalination, or the pumping of
water (into reservoirs). Wave power is distinct from the diurnal flux of tidal power and the
steady gyre of ocean currents. A machine able to exploit wave power is generally known as
a wave energy converter (WEC).

Working Principle

Figure: Wave in an Ocean (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_power)

When an object bobs up and down on a ripple in a pond, it follows approximately an elliptical trajectory.
Motion of a particle in an ocean wave.
A = At deep water. The elliptical motion of fluid particles decreases rapidly with increasing depth below the
surface. B = At shallow water (ocean floor is now at B). The elliptical movement of a fluid particle flattens
with decreasing depth. 1 = Propagation direction. 2 = Wave crest. 3 = Wave trough.

Waves are generated by wind passing over the surface of the sea. As long as the waves
propagate slower than the wind speed just above the waves, there is an energy transfer
from the wind to the waves. Both air pressure differences between the upwind and the lee
side of a wave crest, as well as friction on the water surface by the wind, making the water
to go into the shear stress causes the growth of the waves.
Wave height is determined by wind speed, the duration of time the wind has been blowing,
fetch (the distance over which the wind excites the waves) and by the depth and
topography of the seafloor (which can focus or disperse the energy of the waves). A given
wind speed has a matching practical limit over which time or distance will not produce
larger waves. When this limit has been reached the sea is said to be "fully developed".
In general, larger waves are more powerful but wave power is also determined by wave
speed, wavelength, and water density.
Oscillatory motion is highest at the surface and diminishes exponentially with depth.
However, for standing waves near a reflecting coast, wave energy is also present as
pressure oscillations at great depth, producing microseisms. These pressure fluctuations at
greater depth are too small to be interesting from the point of view of wave power.
The waves propagate on the ocean surface, and the wave energy is also transported
horizontally with the group velocity. The mean transport rate of the wave energy through a
vertical plane of unit width, parallel to a wave crest, is called the wave energy flux (or wave
power, which must not be confused with the actual power generated by a wave power
device).
An effective wave power device captures as much as possible of the wave energy flux. As a
result, the waves will be of lower height in the region behind the wave power device.

Types of Wave Energy Converter

Types of wave energy converter (WEC) can be summarized in following 5 basic types
according to the the method used to capture the energy of the waves.

Fig: Generic wave energy concepts: 1. Point absorber 2. Attenuator 3. Oscillating wave surge converter 4.
Oscillating water column 5. Overtopping device (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_power)

Point absorber buoy

This device floats on the surface of the water, held in place by cables connected to the
seabed. The hydraulic pumps are used to transmit the mechanical displacement of the
buoys to the generator.

Surface attenuator
These devices act similarly to point absorber buoys, with multiple floating segments
connected to one another and are oriented perpendicular to incoming waves. A flexing
motion is created by swells that drive hydraulic pumps to generate electricity.

Oscillating wave surge converter

These devices typically have one end fixed to a structure or the seabed while the other end
is free to move. Energy is collected from the relative motion of the body compared to the
fixed point. These capture systems use the rise and fall motion of waves to capture
energy. Once the wave energy is captured at a wave source, power must be carried to the
point of use or to a connection to the electrical grid by transmission power cables.

Oscillating water column

Oscillating Water Column devices can be located on shore or in deeper waters offshore.
With an air chamber integrated into the device, swells compress air in the chambers
forcing air through an air turbine to create electricity.

Overtopping device
Overtopping devices are long structures that use wave velocity to fill a reservoir to a
greater water level than the surrounding ocean. The potential energy in the reservoir
height is then captured with low-head turbines. Devices can be either on shore or floating
offshore.
Some of the practical examples developed by various companies of the wave energy
converters are given as:

Salters Duck
Salter's duck, also known as the nodding duck or by its official name the Edinburgh duck, is
a device that converts wave power into electricity. The wave impact induces rotation
of gyroscopes located inside a pear-shaped "duck", and an electrical generator converts
this rotation into electricity with an overall efficiency of up to 90%.

Figure: Salters Duck (https://baonguyen1994.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/image003.png)

Pelamis Wave Energy Converter

The Pelamis Wave Energy Converter is a technology that uses the motion of ocean surface
waves to create electricity. The machine is made up of connected sections which flex and

bend as waves pass; it is this motion which is used to generate electricity.

Figure: Pelamis Wave Energy Converter (Source:

http://images.energy365dino.co.uk/standard/112148_64d65215a70a4e5fbb11.JPG)

Tidal Power Generation Devices

Tidal power, also called tidal energy, is a form of hydropower that converts the energy
obtained from tides into useful forms of power, mainly electricity.
Tidal power is taken from the Earth's oceanic tides; tidal forces are periodic variations in
gravitational attraction exerted by celestial bodies. These forces create corresponding
motions or currents in the world's oceans. Due to the strong attraction to the oceans, a
bulge in the water level is created, causing a temporary increase in sea level. When the sea
level is raised, water from the middle of the ocean is forced to move toward the shorelines,
creating a tide. This occurrence takes place in an unfailing manner, due to the consistent
pattern of the moons orbit around the earth. The magnitude and character of this motion
reflects the changing positions of the Moon and Sun relative to the Earth, the effects of
Earth's rotation, and local geography of the sea floor and coastlines.
Tidal power is the only technology that draws on energy inherent in the orbital
characteristics of the EarthMoon system, and to a lesser extent in the EarthSun system.
Other natural energies exploited by human technology originate directly or indirectly with
the Sun, including fossil fuel, conventional hydroelectric, wind, biofuel, wave and solar
energy. Nuclear energy makes use of Earth's mineral deposits of fissionable elements,
while geothermal power taps the Earth's internal heat, which comes from a combination of
residual heat from planetary accretion (about 20%) and heat produced through radioactive
decay (80%).
The existing devices that are used for generating Tidal Power can be summarized in
following categories.

Tidal stream generator

Tidal stream generators (or TSGs) 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. These turbines
can be horizontal, vertical, open, or ducted and are typically placed near the bottom of the
water column.

Tidal barrage
Tidal barrages make use of the potential energy in the difference in height (or hydraulic
head) between high and low tides. When using tidal barrages to generate power, the
potential energy from a tide is seized through strategic placement of specialized dams.
When the tides bring high wave of water, the water is saved to a tank at a higher altitude.
When the wave recedes, this water is allowed to fall down and generate electricity.

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