Producing electricity from marine renewable resources is a research area that develops continuously. The field of tidal energy is on the edge to progress from the prototype stage to the commercial stage. However, tidal resource characterization, and the effect of tidal turbines on the flow, is still an ongoing research area in which this thesis aims to contribute. In this thesis, measurements of flow velocities have been performed at three kinds of sites. Firstly, a tidal site has been investigated for its resource potential in a fjord in Norway. Measurements have been performed with an acoustic Doppler current profiler to map the spatial and temporal characteristics of the flow. Results show that currents are in the order of 2 m/s in the center of the channel. Furthermore, the flow is highly bi-directional between ebb and flood flows. The site thus has potential for in-stream energy conversion. Secondly, a river site serves as an experimental site for a marine current energy converter that has been designed at Uppsala University and deployed in Dalälven, Söderfors. The flow rate at the site is regulated by an upstream hydro power plant, making the site suitable for experiments on the performance of the vertical axis turbine in a natural environment. The turbine was run in steady discharge flows and measurements were performed to characterize the extent of the wake. Lastly, at an ocean current site, the effect that transiting ferries may have on submerged devices was investigated. Measurements were conducted with two sonar systems to obtain an underwater view of the wake caused by a propeller and a water jet thruster respectively. Furthermore, the variability of the intermittent renewable sources wind, solar, wave and tidal energy was investigated for the Nordic countries. All of the sources have distinctly different variability features, which is advantageous when combining power generated from them and introducing it on the electricity grid. Tidal variability is mainly due to four aspects: the tidal regime, the tidal cycle, local bathymetry causing turbulence, asymmetries etc. and weather effects. Models of power output from the four sources was set up and combined in different energy mixes for a “highly renewable” and a “fully renewable” scenario. By separating the resulting power time series into different frequency bands (long-, mid-, mid/short-, and short-term components) it was possible to minimize the variability on different time scales. It was concluded that a wise combination of intermittent renewable sources may lower the variability on short and long time scales, but increase the variability on mid and mid/short time scales. The tidal power variability in Norway was then investigated separately. The predictability of tidal currents has great advantages when planning electricity availability from tidal farms. However, the continuously varying tide from maximum power output to minimum output several times per day increases the demand for backup power or storage. The phase shift between tidal sites introduces a smoothing effect on hourly basis but the tidal cycle, with spring and neap tide simultaneously in large areas, will inevitably affect the power availability.

The energy of the tides represents one globally existent source of renewable energy, and has the potential to play a major role in a sustainable future. An assessment of the potential for tidal energy extraction using marine current turbines at a particular location in the Beaufort River near Parris Island, South Carolina is presented. The Marine Corps Recruit Depot located on Parris Island is situated between the confluence of the Broad and Beaufort Rivers. These rivers are tidally dominated, and experience some of the largest tidal ranges in the southeastern United States, between 2.5 and 3 meters during spring tide periods. Because Parris Island already has much of the necessary land-based infrastructure in place, there is logical potential for the extraction of kinetic energy from the nearby tidal streams using underwater turbines for power production. In order to evaluate the potential of a particular location to produce significant amounts of energy using these types of devices, extensive investigations must be conducted to determine important site characteristics such as water depth, current velocity, and water level fluctuations over time. This potential was investigated using in-situ measurements in the vicinity of the pump station on Parris Island, and by developing a numerical model of the region using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). This model was calibrated using the results from the in-situ measurements, and was then used to determine the impacts of tidal energy extraction on the local flow field. Results from in-situ measurements indicate that tidal currents along the portion of the Beaufort River analyzed in this study are driven primarily by the semi-diurnal M2 tidal constituent. The tidal range at the study site is approximately 2 meters on average, with a mean depth-averaged current velocity magnitude of 0.57 m/s predicted for a period of one year. A mean depth-averaged current velocity magnitude of 0.59 m/s was observed over the course of the longer-term ADCP deployment from November 12 to December 17, 2009. The maximum current speed at the site is approximately 1.2 m/s at the water surface. The ROMS model applied to the coastal areas surrounding Parris Island, SC produces results that closely resemble in-situ measurements collected previously during both the boat-based survey and the longer-term ADCP deployment. In the analysis of the effects of energy extraction from the system, four separate cases were considered in which 10, 20, 30, and 60% of the total kinetic energy contained in the flow was dissipated near the location of the longer-term ADCP deployment. Minimal impacts on the local hydrodynamics were observed across the four cases considered.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Civil Engineering / Master / Master of Philosophy

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Entre 06/08/11 e 25/02/12 foram obtidas séries temporais contínuas de intensidade e direção das correntes e intensidade do eco ao longo de toda a coluna dágua, e medições, de temperatura e pressão, próximas ao fundo, na região adjacente ao canal de acesso à baía de Sepetiba (230'16.5"S e 4359'29.4"W, profundidade local de aproximadamente 25 m) através da utilização de um perfilador acústico ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler), modelo WorkHorse BroadBand Sentinel (600 kHz, Teledyne-RDI). A partir dos dados adquiridos, observou-se a existência de correntes intensas próximo ao fundo (até 1,02 m/s), principalmente durante os períodos de enchente sob condições de sizígia, que são fortemente influenciadas pela orientação do canal de navegação. A análise das séries temporais das componentes da velocidade mostraram, em conformidade ao relatado por alguns autores, que esta é uma baía cuja circulação é fortemente influenciada pela dinâmica da maré sendo M2, M4, M6 e M8 as principais componentes harmônicas que atuam no sistema. Além disso, observou-se significativa assimetria da maré, sendo os períodos de enchente consideravelmente mais curtos e associados às correntes mais intensas, o que permite concluir que no setor investigado da baía de Sepetiba há dominância de enchente. Outra característica interessante da área de estudo relaciona-se à observação de que ventos intensos de S-SO são responsáveis pelo empilhamento de água no interior da baía, sendo que altura do nível da superfície da água apresenta relação direta com as variações da pressão atmosférica local. Em diversos períodos, quando há atuação de ventos de E-NE é possível encontrar Água Central do Atlântico Sul (ACAS) no interior da baía de Sepetiba, desde a sua entrada principal até as adjacências da ilha Guaíba. Além disso, foram identificadas diversas oscilações de baixa frequência que puderam ser associadas à variação da pressão atmosférica. Oscilações de alta frequência foram associadas à dinâmica da maré, a co-oscilações da maré e ao vento. Em relação à concentração de Material Particulado em Suspensão (MPS), durante os períodos de sizígia foram registradas as maiores concentrações material particulado na coluna dágua. Durante os períodos de sizígia, o fluxo de MPS é mais pronunciado do que durante as quadraturas, sendo que, independente do período da maré, o fluxo cumulativo de material particulado em suspensão é dirigido para o interior da baía de Sepetiba. Considerando o alinhamento dos vetores de velocidade em conformidade a direção preferencial do canal de navegação, tem-se que o fluxo cumulativo de MPS varia entre dirigido para SE na região próxima ao fundo, a dirigido para NE próximo ao topo da coluna dágua, o que sugere a deflexão do movimento das correntes em consequência do atrito. Ao longo de um dia, o fluxo do material particulado é mais pronunciado durante as enchentes, quando há aumento das tensões cisalhantes que atuam sobre o leito da baía redisponibilizando para a coluna dágua o material que estava depositado no fundo. / Between August 6, 2011 and February 25, 2012, continuous time series of water column current speed and direction, echo intensity, as well as nearbed pressure and water temperature were obtained in a station located at the rim of Sepetiba bay main access channel (230'16.5"S and 4359'29.4"W, local depth 25 m). The data set was recorded by a 600 kHz WorkHorse BroadBand Sentinel Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (Teledyne-RDI). Strong flood currents (up to 1.02 m/s) were documented in the nearbed area, particularly under springtide conditions. It was observed that channel orientation strongly influence current direction. The analysis of the alongchannel current velocity component substantiated previous claims that tides strongly control Sepetiba bay circulation. The main tidal harmonic components that were identified through spectral analysis are M2, M4, M6 and M8. Moreover, tides are strongly asymmetric: floods are up to 2 hours shorter than ebbs and are associated with the strongest flows. For this reason, it was concluded that at least in the sector that was monitored during this study, Sepetiba bay is a flood-dominated environment. Another interesting observation is that under the influence of strong S-SW winds, water gets piled up inside the bay and water level is directly related to the local atmospheric pressure variability. In several occasions, under E-NE winds, South Atlantic Central Water (SACW) was observed inside Sepetiba bay, extending from its entrance up to the Guaíba island area. Furthermore, several low frequency oscillations could be related to atmospheric pressure oscillations. On the other hand, higher frequencies could be associated with tides, tidal co-oscillations and local winds. Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) concentration, which was quantitatively determined from the corrected echo intensity signal, exhibited higher values throughout the water column during springtide conditions. The cumulative SPM flux was predominantly directed towards the bay, except close to the bottom, where the lowest measurement, at 2.2 mab, was directed to the shelf. This pattern of cumulative SPM flux, that rotates from going toward the southeast close to the bottom to the NE close to the water surface, suggests the occurrence of current deflection due to shear. When looked into the time scale of a complete tidal cycle (13 hours) SPM fluxes are larger during floods, when higher shear stresses resuspend and redistribute SPM throughout the water column, whereas during ebbs higher concentrations are more limited to the nearbed area, particularly under neap tide conditions.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Entre 06/08/11 e 25/02/12 foram obtidas séries temporais contínuas de intensidade e direção das correntes e intensidade do eco ao longo de toda a coluna dágua, e medições, de temperatura e pressão, próximas ao fundo, na região adjacente ao canal de acesso à baía de Sepetiba (230'16.5"S e 4359'29.4"W, profundidade local de aproximadamente 25 m) através da utilização de um perfilador acústico ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler), modelo WorkHorse BroadBand Sentinel (600 kHz, Teledyne-RDI). A partir dos dados adquiridos, observou-se a existência de correntes intensas próximo ao fundo (até 1,02 m/s), principalmente durante os períodos de enchente sob condições de sizígia, que são fortemente influenciadas pela orientação do canal de navegação. A análise das séries temporais das componentes da velocidade mostraram, em conformidade ao relatado por alguns autores, que esta é uma baía cuja circulação é fortemente influenciada pela dinâmica da maré sendo M2, M4, M6 e M8 as principais componentes harmônicas que atuam no sistema. Além disso, observou-se significativa assimetria da maré, sendo os períodos de enchente consideravelmente mais curtos e associados às correntes mais intensas, o que permite concluir que no setor investigado da baía de Sepetiba há dominância de enchente. Outra característica interessante da área de estudo relaciona-se à observação de que ventos intensos de S-SO são responsáveis pelo empilhamento de água no interior da baía, sendo que altura do nível da superfície da água apresenta relação direta com as variações da pressão atmosférica local. Em diversos períodos, quando há atuação de ventos de E-NE é possível encontrar Água Central do Atlântico Sul (ACAS) no interior da baía de Sepetiba, desde a sua entrada principal até as adjacências da ilha Guaíba. Além disso, foram identificadas diversas oscilações de baixa frequência que puderam ser associadas à variação da pressão atmosférica. Oscilações de alta frequência foram associadas à dinâmica da maré, a co-oscilações da maré e ao vento. Em relação à concentração de Material Particulado em Suspensão (MPS), durante os períodos de sizígia foram registradas as maiores concentrações material particulado na coluna dágua. Durante os períodos de sizígia, o fluxo de MPS é mais pronunciado do que durante as quadraturas, sendo que, independente do período da maré, o fluxo cumulativo de material particulado em suspensão é dirigido para o interior da baía de Sepetiba. Considerando o alinhamento dos vetores de velocidade em conformidade a direção preferencial do canal de navegação, tem-se que o fluxo cumulativo de MPS varia entre dirigido para SE na região próxima ao fundo, a dirigido para NE próximo ao topo da coluna dágua, o que sugere a deflexão do movimento das correntes em consequência do atrito. Ao longo de um dia, o fluxo do material particulado é mais pronunciado durante as enchentes, quando há aumento das tensões cisalhantes que atuam sobre o leito da baía redisponibilizando para a coluna dágua o material que estava depositado no fundo. / Between August 6, 2011 and February 25, 2012, continuous time series of water column current speed and direction, echo intensity, as well as nearbed pressure and water temperature were obtained in a station located at the rim of Sepetiba bay main access channel (230'16.5"S and 4359'29.4"W, local depth 25 m). The data set was recorded by a 600 kHz WorkHorse BroadBand Sentinel Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (Teledyne-RDI). Strong flood currents (up to 1.02 m/s) were documented in the nearbed area, particularly under springtide conditions. It was observed that channel orientation strongly influence current direction. The analysis of the alongchannel current velocity component substantiated previous claims that tides strongly control Sepetiba bay circulation. The main tidal harmonic components that were identified through spectral analysis are M2, M4, M6 and M8. Moreover, tides are strongly asymmetric: floods are up to 2 hours shorter than ebbs and are associated with the strongest flows. For this reason, it was concluded that at least in the sector that was monitored during this study, Sepetiba bay is a flood-dominated environment. Another interesting observation is that under the influence of strong S-SW winds, water gets piled up inside the bay and water level is directly related to the local atmospheric pressure variability. In several occasions, under E-NE winds, South Atlantic Central Water (SACW) was observed inside Sepetiba bay, extending from its entrance up to the Guaíba island area. Furthermore, several low frequency oscillations could be related to atmospheric pressure oscillations. On the other hand, higher frequencies could be associated with tides, tidal co-oscillations and local winds. Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) concentration, which was quantitatively determined from the corrected echo intensity signal, exhibited higher values throughout the water column during springtide conditions. The cumulative SPM flux was predominantly directed towards the bay, except close to the bottom, where the lowest measurement, at 2.2 mab, was directed to the shelf. This pattern of cumulative SPM flux, that rotates from going toward the southeast close to the bottom to the NE close to the water surface, suggests the occurrence of current deflection due to shear. When looked into the time scale of a complete tidal cycle (13 hours) SPM fluxes are larger during floods, when higher shear stresses resuspend and redistribute SPM throughout the water column, whereas during ebbs higher concentrations are more limited to the nearbed area, particularly under neap tide conditions.

A numerical model has been developed for the study of stratified tidal circulation in Indian Arm - a representative inlet on the southern coast of British Columbia. Equations for horizontal velocity, salt conservation, continuity, density (calculated as a linear function of salinity), and the hydrostatic approximation govern the dynamics. All equations have been laterally integrated under the assumption of negligible cross-inlet variability. The model is time dependent and includes nonlinear advective terms, horizontal and vertical turbulent diffusion of salt and momentum, and variations in width and depth. Provisions for surface wind stress and a flux of fresh water are also included, although neither was utilized in this study. An explicit finite difference scheme centred in both time and space was used to solve for the horizontal and vertical velocity components, salinity, and surface elevation on a staggered rectangular grid. A backward Euler scheme was used to suppress the computational mode. Tests using a semi-implicit scheme to solve the finite difference equations over realistic topography led to numerical instabilities at modest values of the time step - in spite of the unconditional stability criteria - suggesting that linear stability analysis may give misleading results for strongly nonlinear systems. Surface elevations calculated from tidal harmonic analysis and salinity timeseries derived from linearly interpolated CTD casts were prescribed at the open boundary. Initial and boundary conditions based on observations in Burrard Inlet and Indian Arm during the winter of 1974-75 were used to study the inlet's response to tidal forcing and to simulate the deep-water renewal that occurred during this period. Coefficients for the horizontal turbulent diffusion of momentum and salt were set equal to 10⁶ cm² s⁻¹. Reducing this value by a factor of two was found to have little impact on the solution. A further reduction to 10³ cm² s⁻¹ led to numerical instabilities under conditions of dense water inflow. The side friction term in the momentum balance was tuned to match calculated and observed dissipation rates in Burrard Inlet; leading to good agreement between the observed and calculated barotropic tide. Contour plots of tidal amplitudes and phases for model currents and salinities revealed a standing wave pattern for the K₁ and M₂ internal tides in Indian Arm; thus allowing for the possibility of resonance. A comparison of model results with vertical amplitude and phase profiles from harmonic analysis of Cyclesonde current meter timeseries at two locations in Indian Arm was consistent with this result. A least-squares fit was made of the vertical modal structure in the model to the complex tidal amplitudes. This led to calculations of the kinetic energy contained in each of the modes along the model inlet for the M₂ and K₁ constituents. Most of the energy was found to be contained in the barotropic and first baroclinic modes, with the latter dominating in the deep basin, and the former dominating near the sill. Second mode energy was significant for the K₁ constituent at some locations in Indian Arm. There are clear indications in the model of barotropic tidal energy being radiated into the inlet basin via the internal tide. Simulations of the influx of dense water into Indian Arm yielded exchange rates that are consistent with observed values and suggest the possibility of fine-tuning the model coefficients to allow prediction of future overturning events. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

As the second largest river in the U.S., the entrance to the Columbia River is home to some of the most extreme wave conditions on the Pacific Coast. Winter storms commonly generate waves 6-8 m in height, which in combination with strong tidal currents, can produce dangerous navigation conditions. To improve understanding of the wave dynamics in this complex setting, the SWAN model is applied; 2 hindcasts are conducted and an operations forecast is developed. The model is forced with offshore wave heights obtained from a buoy located in 134 m water depth (for the hindcasts) and a specialized WaveWatchIII forecast (for the forecast). In both cases tidal currents are obtained from SELFE, a circulation model of the Columbia River. The hindcasts are validated through measurements obtained from an inshore buoy located in 25 m water depth, a 4-week field experiment and remote sensing methods. The model performs best at the location of the buoy, with a normalized root-mean-squared error (NRMSE) of 11%, primarily because it is outside the area of strong tidal currents. Within the river mouth, the model is able to predict the changes in the wave field due to currents, but its performance is limited by errors in velocity estimates and strong shears in the tidal current profile. From the modeling work, it is evident that wave transformations at the mouth of the river are dominated by the tidal currents. The forecast has been operational since August 2011 and provides 45-hours of predictive wave information. In comparison with measured wave heights at the buoy, the forecast performs well, with a NRMSE of 16%. The majority of errors are caused by errors in the input conditions, since they themselves are forecasted. Additional errors arise from phase-resolved properties in the wave field that the model is unable to produce; these errors are also present in the hindcasts. Despite the limitations, this forecast provides valuable information to bar pilots since it includes the effects of the tidal currents. / Graduation date: 2013

Thesis: Ph. D., Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2017 / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references. / Waves, currents, and bathymetric change observed along 11 km of the southern shoreline of Martha's Vineyard include storm events, strong tidal flows (> 2 m/s), and an inlet migrating 2.5 km in ~7 years. A field-verified Delft3D numerical model developed for this system is used to examine the hydrodynamics in the nearshore and their effect on the migrating inlet. An initial numerical experiment showed that the observed 700 tidal modulation of wave direction in the nearshore was owing to interactions with tidal currents, and not to depth-induced refraction as waves propagated over complex shallow bathymetry. A second set of simulations focused on the separation of tidal currents from the southeast corner of Martha's Vineyard, showing the positive correlation between flow separation and sediment transport around a curved shoreline. Observations of waves, currents, and bathymetric change during hurricanes were reproduced in a third numerical experiment examining the competition between storm waves, which enhance inlet migration, and strong tidal currents, which scour the inlet and reduce migration rates. The combined field observations and simulations examined here demonstrate the importance of wave and tidal current forcings on morphological evolution at timescales of days to months. / by Julia A. Hopkins. / Ph. D. / Ph.D. Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Thesis (S.M.)--Joint Program in Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Ocean Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-65). / Hydrothermal vents discharge superheated, mineral rich water into our oceans, thereby providing a habitat for exotic chemosynthetic biological communities. Hydrothermal fluids are convected upwards until they cool and reach density equilibrium, at which point they advect laterally with the current. The neutrally buoyant plume layer can have length scales on the order of several kilometers, and it therefore provides the best means to detect the presence of vent fields on the seafloor, which typically have length scales on the order of a few meters. This thesis uses field measurements of the velocity, temperature and particulate anomalies associated with the TAG hydrothermal plume to demonstrate that tidal currents exert a strong impact on the plume shape, and to provide new constraints on the thermal power of the TAG hydrothermal system. The results show that the power output of the TAG system is on the order of 6000 MW, which is up to two orders of magnitude greater than previous estimates, and that there is considerably more entrainment than had previously been assumed. / by Sacha Wichers. / S.M.

Notre travail de thèse présente une contribution à l'étude du comportement d'un jet flottant horizontal, représentatif de la dispersion de rejets dans un milieu marin. Il consiste à modéliser ce type d'écoulement par une approche mathématique basée sur la résolution numérique moyennant la méthode des volumes finis, à valider le modèle numérique par des mesures à échelle réduite sur des maquettes expérimentales, et, enfin, à simuler la dispersion de polluants à grande échelle sur un cas réel. Trois cas d’étude ont été abordés:Le premier cas est relatif à l’étude numérique et expérimentale d'un jet flottant turbulent rond et "non-Boussinesq", injecté horizontalement dans un milieu statique et homogène. Les résultats ont permis de décrire la nature du jet et son comportement en fonction des conditions initiales d’éjection. La deuxième étude a concerné un autre cas représentatif des rejets des émissaires de stations d'épuration. Il s’agit d’un jet pariétal admettant l’approximation de Boussinesq en régime de convection mixte. L’objectif ici est d’étudier l'influence de l'effet combiné de la turbulence et de la présence de la paroi sur le comportement du jet. Dans le dernier cas d’étude, on a modélisé, en 2D et en 3D, à grande échelle un processus côtier de dispersion de rejets en surface libre appliqué sur le cas de la pollution de la baie de Tanger. Les résultats ont permis de visualiser le mécanisme de la dispersion et d’avoir des informations précieuses sur l’écoulement généré au voisinage des plages par l’interaction des rejets et des mouvements de flux et de reflux de la marée. / This work is a contribution to the study of horizontal buoyant jet behavior that presents the dispersion of discharges into the marine environment. It consists in the modeling of this flow by a mathematical approach based on numerical simulation by means of the finite volume method, the validation of a numerical model by measurements on experimental model at a small, and, finally, the simulation of pollutant dispersion on a large scale on a real case. Three cases of study were broached: The first case relates to the experimental and numerical study of horizontal round turbulent non-Boussinesq buoyant jet in a static homogeneous environment. The results were used to describe the nature and the behavior of the jet as a function of the initial conditions of ejection. The second study involved another case of discharges from outfalls. We investigated a numerical and experimental study about a horizontal buoyant wall turbulent jet in a static homogeneous environment. The aim was to analyze the influence the effect of both turbulence and wall boundary on the behavior of the jet. The latter case of study focused on numerical simulation in 2D and 3D of the coastal process of discharges dispersion on a free surface. This modeling dealt more precisely with the dispersion of discharges into a marine environment in the presence of cross flows. The bay of Tangier in Morocco was chosen as an application site. The results made it possible to visualize the dispersion mechanism and to gain valuable information on the flow generated by the interaction of discharges and high/low tide movements near the beaches of the bay.