Modeling power output for tidal turbines
LE3 .A278 2011
2011
Karsten, Richard
Acadia University
Bachelor of Science
Honours
Mathematics and Statistics
Mathematics & Statistics
In recent years, growing environmental concerns have created a demand for greener energy sources. With so much energy present in the earth's tides, tidal power o ers the potential for a lot of renewable energy production. The Bay of Fundy has the highest tidal ranges in the world, and thus is a prime location for tidal power production. The highest water speeds are seen through the narrow Minas Passage, through which all of the water owing into and out of the Minas Basin must pass. It is in this location that turbine placement will be considered in this thesis. While the goal is to place turbines within the Minas Passage, there are many possible locations and con gurations, each giving a di erent power output. A model is developed mathematically to predict how much power each of these con gurations would produce. This can be done using numerical simulations, but these are time-consuming and so we develop a mathematical model which can perform accurately, yet run quickly. Finally, optimization of power output is discussed using this model.
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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:758