Tidal Range Power Density Estimate
Screen ideal single-basin range energy and cycle-averaged electrical output with supplied efficiency; not a tidal-stream kinetic power calculation or plant yield guarantee.
Description
Tidal-range generation uses basin potential energy over a tidal cycle.
Tidal-range generation uses basin potential energy over a tidal cycle. It differs from extracting kinetic energy from tidal currents.
Screen ideal single-basin range energy and cycle-averaged electrical output with supplied efficiency; not a tidal-stream kinetic power calculation or plant yield guarantee.
When to use Tidal Range Power Density Estimate
Use this tool to screen ideal single-basin range energy and cycle-averaged electrical output with supplied efficiency; not a tidal-stream kinetic power calculation or plant yield guarantee.
Gather the water, wave, current or profile observations and any supplied calibration constants. Confirm units and the stated coordinate and pressure conventions.
How to use Tidal Range Power Density Estimate and understand its results
- Gather the water, wave, current or profile observations and any supplied calibration constants. Confirm units and the stated coordinate and pressure conventions.
- Enter basinAreaM2, tidalRangeM, waterDensityKgPerM3, gravityMPerSecondSquared, cyclePeriodSeconds, conversionEfficiencyFraction using the field table and calculation rules, then run the tool.
- Read idealEnergyPerCycleJoules, modelMeanElectricalPowerWatts, meanPowerDensityWattsPerM2. The explanation below defines the units, signs, ordering and any flags or placeholder values.
- If the tool reports an input issue, correct the values and run it again. Apply the stated assumptions when interpreting a successfully returned result.
| Input field | Meaning | Value type; see rules below | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| basinAreaM2 | Basin area m2 | number | Required |
| tidalRangeM | Tidal range m | number | Required |
| waterDensityKgPerM3 | Water density kg per m3 | number | Required |
| gravityMPerSecondSquared | Gravity m per second squared | number | Required |
| cyclePeriodSeconds | Cycle period seconds | number | Required |
| conversionEfficiencyFraction | Conversion efficiency fraction | number | Required |
Use positive area, density, gravity and cycle seconds, nonnegative range and efficiency in [0,1]. Return ideal joules, efficiency-adjusted cycle-average watts and watts per basin m².1
cycle energy = density × gravity × basin area × range²/2 Units, indexing, boundary conditions and exceptional cases are defined in the calculation rules above.
| Output field | Meaning | Value type |
|---|---|---|
| idealEnergyPerCycleJoules | Ideal energy per cycle joules | number |
| modelMeanElectricalPowerWatts | Model mean electrical power watts | number |
| meanPowerDensityWattsPerM2 | Mean power density watts per m2 | number |
{
"input": {
"basinAreaM2": 100,
"tidalRangeM": 2,
"waterDensityKgPerM3": 1000,
"gravityMPerSecondSquared": 10,
"cyclePeriodSeconds": 100,
"conversionEfficiencyFraction": 0.5
},
"output": {
"idealEnergyPerCycleJoules": 2000000,
"modelMeanElectricalPowerWatts": 10000,
"meanPowerDensityWattsPerM2": 100
}
}Limitations and assumptions
No turbine dynamics or realized plant yield is modeled.
Numbers and computed results must be finite; overflow produces an error. Missing required fields, extra fields, wrong value types and violations of the calculation rules are input errors.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Use Tidal Constituent Amplitude Combiner: Synthesize supplied harmonic tidal constituents with explicit phase/time datum; not a fixed six-hour cosine interpolation or prediction of surge residuals. For a complementary task, use Surge Residual Minus Astronomical: Subtract a bracketed interpolated astronomical-tide series from observed levels on the same datum; residual includes all non-tidal errors/processes, not purely meteorological surge.
References
-
Tidal Range Power Density Estimate — tool.io
Similar or alternative tools
- Tidal Constituent Amplitude Combiner
Synthesize supplied harmonic tidal constituents with explicit phase/time datum; not a fixed six-hour cosine interpolation or prediction of surge residuals.
- Surge Residual Minus Astronomical
Subtract a bracketed interpolated astronomical-tide series from observed levels on the same datum; residual includes all non-tidal errors/processes, not purely meteorological surge.