Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2005. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 89). Also available online.

In the quest to reduce the release of carbon dioxide to limit the effects of global climate change, tidal-in-stream energy is being investigated as one of many possible sustainable means of generating electricity. In this scheme, turbines are placed in a tidal flow and kinetic energy is extracted. With the goal of producing maximum power, there is an ideal amount of resistance these turbines should provide; too little resistance will not a develop a sufficient pressure differential, while too much resistance will choke the flow. Tidal flow in a strait is driven by the difference in sea-level along the channel and is impeded by friction; the interplay between the driving and resistive forces determines the flow rate and thus the extractible power. The use of kinetic energy flux, previously employed as a metric for extractible power, is found to be unreliable as it does not account for the increased resistance the turbines provide in retarding the flow. The limits on extraction from a channel are dependant on the relationship between head loss and velocity. If head loss increases with the square of the velocity, a maximum of 38% of the total fluid power may be extracted; this maximum decreases to 25\% if head loss increases linearly with velocity. Using these values, the estimated power potential of BC's Inside Passage is 477MW, 13% of previous assessments. If a flow has the ability to divert through a parallel channel around the installed turbines, there are further limits on production. The magnitude of this diversion is a function of the relative resistance of impeded and diversion channels. As power extraction increases, the flow will slow from its natural rate. This reduction in velocity precipitously decreases the power density the flow, requiring additional turbine area per unit of power. As such, the infrastructure costs per watt may rise five to eight times as additional turbines are installed. This places significant economic limitations on utility-scale tidal energy production. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Civil Engineering, Department of / Graduate

This study is performed as a partial aid to a larger study that aims to determine if electromagnetic fields produced by underwater power cables have any effect on marine species. In this study, a new numerical method for calculating magnetic fields around subsea power cables is presented and tested. The numerical method is derived from electromagnetic theory, and the program, Matlab, is implemented in order to run the simulations. The Matlab code is validated by performing a series of tests in which the theoretical code is compared with other previously validated magnetic field solvers. Three main tests are carried out; two of these tests are physical and involve the use of a magnetometer, and the third is numerical and compares the code with another numerical model known as Ansys. The data produced by the Matlab code remains consistent with the measured values from both the magnetometer and the Ansys program; thus, the code is considered valid. The validated Matlab code can then be implemented into other parts of the study in order to plot the magnetic field around a specific power cable. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

In this thesis anchoring systems for marine renewable energy devices are examined for an area of interest off the coast of Southeast Florida that contains both ocean current and thermal resources for future energy extraction. Bottom types observed during previous regional benthic surveys are compiled and anchor performance of each potential anchor type for the observed bottom types is compared. A baseline range of environmental conditions is created by combining local current measurements and offshore industry standards. Numerical simulations of single point moored marine hydrokinetic devices are created and used to extract anchor loading for two potential deployment locations, multiple mooring scopes, and turbine rotor diameters up to 50 m. This anchor loading data is used for preliminary anchor sizing of deadweight and driven plate anchors on both cohesionless and cohesive soils. Finally, the capabilities of drag embedment and pile anchors relevant to marine renewable energy devices are discussed. / by Michael Grant Seibert. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Simulations have been carried out to validate a hydrokinetic energy system non-dimensional scaling procedure. The requirements for a testing facility intended to test such devices will be determined from the results of the simulations. There are 6 simulations containing 3 prototype systems and 2 possible model facility depths to give a range of results. The first 4 tests are conducted using a varying current profile, while the last 2 tests use a constant current profile of 1.6 m/s. The 3 prototype systems include a: 6 m spherical buoy, a 12 m spherical buoy and a turbine component system. The mooring line used for the simulations is a 6x19 Wire Rope Wire Core of diameter 100 mm and length 1000 m. The simulations are implemented using Orcaflex to obtain the dynamic behavior of the prototype and scaled system. / by William Valentine. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

The increasing demand for energy and the increased depletion rate of nonrenewable energy resources call for research on renewable alternatives. Mapping the availability of these resources is an important step for development of energy conversion projects. For this purpose, the wave power potential along the Atlantic coast of the southeastern USA, and the tidal stream power along the coast of Georgia are investigated in this study. Wave power potential is studied in an area bounded by latitudes 27 N and 38 N and longitudes 82 W and 72 W (i.e. North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and northern Florida). The available data from National Data Buoy Center wave stations in the given area are examined. Power calculated from hourly significant wave heights and average wave periods is compared to power calculated using spectral wave energy density. The mean power within 50 km of the shore is determined to be low, whereas higher power is available further offshore beyond the 3500 m contour line. The tidal stream power potential along the coast of the state of Georgia is evaluated based on the NOAA tidal predictions for maximum tidal currents and three dimensional numerical modeling of the currents with Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). The modeling results are validated against the available measurements. This region has low to moderate average tidal currents along most of the coast, but with the possibility of very strong local currents within its complex network of tidal rivers and inlets between barrier islands. Tidal stream power extraction is simulated with a momentum sink in the numerical models at the estuary scale to investigate effect of power extraction on the estuarine hydrodynamics. It is found that different power extraction schemes might have counterintuitive effects on the estuarial hydrodynamics and the extraction efficiency. A multi-criteria method that accounts for the physical, environmental and socioeconomic constraints for tidal power conversion schemes is proposed to select favorable locations and to rank them according to their suitability. For this purpose, the model results are incorporated into a Geographical Information System (GIS) database together with other geospatial datasets relevant to the site selection methodology. The methodology is applied to the Georgia coast and the candidate areas with potential are marked.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Aberdeen University, 2009. / Title from web page (viewed on July, 1 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

Within the scope of the OCEANET-Project (autonomous measurement platforms for energy and material exchange between ocean and atmosphere) on board of the research vessel (RV) Polarstern clouds have been investigated over the Atlantic Ocean under different atmospheric conditions and climate zones by active and passive remote sensing. An existing measurement platform, including lidar, microwave radiometer, all sky camera and broadband radiation sensors, has been extended by spectral radiation measurements with the COmpact RAdiation measurements System (CORAS). CORAS measures spectral downward radiances and irradiances in the visible to near-infrared wavelength region. The data were corrected to consider the movements of the ship and with it the misalignment of the sensor plane from earth’s horizon. Using observed and modeled spectral transmitted radiances cloud properties such as cloud optical thickness (tau ) and effective radius (reff) were retrieved. The vertical cloud structure with limitations for thick clouds is obtained from lidar and microwave radiometer measurements. The all sky camera provides information on the horizontal cloud variability. Cloud optical thickness and effective radius, will be retrieved by using a plane parallel radiative transfer model and a new spectral 3D retrieval method. / Im Rahmen des OCEANET-Projektes (autonome Messplattform zur Bestimmung des Material- und Energieaustauschs zwischen Ozean und Atmosphäre) wurden Wolken über dem Atlantischen Ozean unter verschiedenen atmosphärischen Bedingungen und Klimazonen an Bord des Forschungsschiffes Polarstern durch aktive und passive Fernerkundung untersucht. Die bereits existierende Messplattform (Lidar, Mikrowellenradiometer, Vollhimmels-Kamera, Standardmeteorologie und breitbandige Strahlung) wurde mit einem Spektrometersystem (CORAS) erweitert. CORAS misst spektrale abwärtsgerichtete Irradianzen und Radianzen im Wellenlängenbereich 350-2000 nm. Die Daten werden in Bezug auf die Schiffsbewegungen, sowie die horizontale Abweichung der Sensorebene lagekorrigiert. Mit beobachteten und modellierten Radianzen werden Wolkenparameter, wie die optische Dicke (tau) und der effektiveRadius (reff) abgeleitet. Die vertikale Wolkenstruktur (mit Beschränkungen für dicke Wolken) wird von Lidar- und Mikrowellenradiometer erhalten. Die Vollhimmelskamera liefert Informationen über die horizontale Wolkenverteilung. Die Wolkenparameter werden mit einem plan-parallelem Strahlungstransfermodell in Kombination mit einem neuen spektralen 3D Retrieval abgeleitet.

Ocean energy research has grown in popularity in the past decade and has produced various designs for wave energy extraction. This thesis focuses on the performance analysis of a uni-directional impulse turbine for wave energy conversion. Uni-directional impulse turbines can produce uni-directional rotation in bi-directional flow, which makes it ideal for wave energy extraction as the motion of ocean waves are inherently bi-directional. This impulse turbine is currently in use in four of the world’s Oscillating Wave Columns (OWC). Current research to date has documented the performance of the turbine but little research has been completed to understand the flow physics in the turbine channel. An analytical model and computational fluid dynamic simulations are used with reference to experimental results found in the literature to develop accurate models of the turbine performance. To carry out the numerical computations various turbulence models are employed and compared. The comparisons indicate that a low Reynolds number Yang-shih K-Epsilon turbulence model is the most computationally efficient while providing accurate results. Additionally, analyses of the losses in the turbine are isolated and documented. Results indicate that large separation regions occur on the turbine blades which drastically affect the torque created by the turbine, the location of flow separation is documented and compared among various flow regimes. The model and simulations show good agreement with the experimental results and the two proposed solutions enhance the performance of the turbine showing an approximate 10% increase in efficiency based on simulation results.