River Current Resource Assessment and Characterization Considering Ice Conditions

Transcription

1 River Current Resource Assessment and Characterization Considering Ice Conditions Marie-Hélène Briand, Eng., Ph.D. Gilles Boesch, M.Eng., ing Vadim Belotserkovsky Marine Renewables Canada 2013 Annual Conference Nov , 2013, Ottawa

2 2 About Hatch Global consulting firm with employees active in: Mines and Metals Infrastructures Energy Canadian firm with headquarters in Mississauga, 65 offices globally Private firm, employee-owned

3 Hatch Water Power 3 Technical staff of over 425 with experience in Water Power Experienced permanent staff, many of whom are recognized leaders in their fields Over 87 years of experience in hydro projects and excavations in rock Covering all disciplines and project phases from prefeasibility studies to Project and Construction Management Company experience in 125 countries with a strong worldwide reputation Strong history of innovation, engineering awards and accomplishments

4 4 What is Hydrokinetic Technology? Turbines converting kinetic energy from water flow into power: Marine currents River flows No dam or impoundment required New alternative for renewable energy Low environmental impact: No flooding, no visual impact Minimum impact on aquatic life: weak pressure changes Modular design, rapid deployment Highly predictable

5 Axial Flow Hydrokinetic Turbines 5 Without Duct With Duct

6 6 River flow and marine currents Marine currents: 4 peaks every day Bi-directional flow Larger water depths River flows: Constant energy (base load) Unidirectional flow Restricted flow depths

7 World Hydrokinetics Markets: Resource Assessment 7 Canada : Over MW estimated total tidal power along Canadian coasts (National Research Council Canada, 2006) NRC and NRCan developing database of Canada s hydrokinetic potential (Jenkinson & Bomhof, 2012) USA: Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI, 2007): marine and hydrokinetic power (excluding ocean thermal) could provide 23 GW of capacity by 2025 and 100 GW by 2050 World Resource Assessment: Impressive number of large rivers around the world Complete world resource assessment yet to be performed

8 Fluvial Hydrokinetics: Markets 8 Isolated markets Prefab technology, easy to implement Requires limited infrastructure Very high cost for imported fuel Riverside cities Where flooding or dam construction is impossible (ie. St-Lawrence River in Montreal, Hudson River in NY) Site characterization already well-known Regulated flow Between hydroelectric dams Regular hydro is impossible because it affects upstream and downstream works Site characterization already well-known Regulated flow Man-made canals Regulated flow Very little environmental concerns Large rivers The potential justifies the necessary infrastructures (access roads, transmission lines) for great rivers such as Amazon in Brazil Fraser in Canada Mississippi in USA

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10 10 River Hydrokinetic Resource Assessment: Need for Industry Guidelines and Standards No guidelines or standards currently exist for river current resource assessments (standards are being prepared under IEC/TC 114 for wave and tidal energy resource assessments; IEC and , respectively). No methodology available to include impact of river ice in resource assessments. Marine Renewables Canada, with funding from NRCan, is currently sponsoring a Hatch research project to address these limitations and accelerate the development of IEC/TC 114 technical standards for river hydrokinetic energy. Project objectives: Propose guidelines for river current resource assessment Address ice impacts on resource assessment Validated guidelines / methodologies based on field observations

11 11 River Hydrokinetics Resource Assessment and Site Development Site development terminology as per IEC , Tidal Energy Resource Assessment and Characterization : Stage 1 Reconnaissance study Based on readily available river data (flows, river width from maps and river profile from satellite information) Provides a quick assessment of the theoretical capacity of rivers and site location GIS presentation with existing roads and transmission lines Stage 2A Feasibility study Determination of flow conditions at the studied reaches (velocity, turbulence, flow regime, water depth). Stage 2B Feasibility study Selection of potential device placement. Determination of 3-dimensional flow conditions. Stage 3 Layout design study Detailed device placement, design and energy yield.

12 River Hydrokinetic Resource Assessment Methodology: Key Criteria Stage Criteria / Objectives Methodology Scale Data Requirement 12 Modeling and resolution order of magnitude Reconnaissance (Stage 1) Simple and cost-effective estimate of a river s annual energy potential. Channel selection for potential development. Desktop study based on publically available discharge measurements and topographic data only. Complete River Topographical maps, river widths, discharge and drainage area from publically available information. Desktop study or 1-D Model (50-100m) Pre-feasibility (Stage 2A) Full-feasibility (Stage 2B) Development site selection. Determination of flow conditions at the studied reaches (velocity, turbulence, flow regime, water depth). Selection of potential device placement. Determination of 3- dimensional flow conditions. Integration of field surveys (bathymetry, nature of substrate, water levels and flow velocities, sediment ice conditions) and numerical models (2D/3D). River section Development Site Bathymetry and velocity measurements at selected cross sections. Detailed bathymetry, velocity measurements, ice, debris and sediment characteristics. Depth-Averaged 2D Model (5-10m) 3D hydrodynamic model (2-5m horizontally and m vertically) Layout Design (Stage 3) Individual device location for site development. Confirmation of installed capacity and energy generation. Optimization algorithm, determination of wake effect, long term energy estimates, loss and detailed uncertainty analysis. Hydrokinetic device locations Device specifications, detailed daily on-site hydrological series. Wake modeling

13 Example: Site Surveys and Numerical Modelling 13 Source: Alaska Hydrokinetic Energy Research Center, 2013 (Tanana River, AK)

14 14 Ice Impacts on Hydrokinetic Resource Ice Cover Changes velocity distribution Can have positive effects on energy yield Active Frazil Ice Ice Jams Builds up on any solid material Potential for significant disruption of equipment Identify and avoid affected areas Upstream: Loss of power due to stage increase and reduced velocities Drifting Ice (ice floes) At high velocities, floes can become entrained in the flow and damage the submerged unit Need to keep a freeboard

15 Ice Impacts on Hydrokinetic Resource (cont d.) 15 Source: Alaska Hydrokinetic Energy Research Center, 2013

16 16 Ice Impacts on Hydrokinetic Resource (cont d.) Methodology Development Define parameters of ice impact on resource assessment Emphasis on readily available information for reconnaissance purposes Define areas of potential ice formation and ice characteristics Estimate impact of ice on production losses Validate against extensively studied river reach Site measurements and ice characterization Existing ice models (e.g. ICESIM, ICEDYN) For impacts that can t be readily quantified, identify guidelines / empirical rules

17 17 Challenges Ahead Economical challenges Lower costs Fabrication Deployment in large currents Demonstration of low maintenance Sustainability Technical challenges Impact of ice Impact of debris, sediment, aquatic vegetation Improve models for river ice predictions (ice jam, frazil generation e.g.) Performance in harsh climates, high turbulence environments Environmental challenges Demonstration that the technology has no impact on aquatic/marine life Develop win-win conditions for site development: Enhance velocities and energy generated Improve environmental value Overall site improvement for water users

18 18 Thank You Contact: Vadim Belotserkovsky 5 Place Ville Marie, bureau 1400, Montréal, Québec Canada H3B 2G2