MEC573 - Wind, solar and hyraulic potential: cases studies (2017-2018)

Summary

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The atmospheric, oceanic and terrestrial environment could be an infinite source of energy for human activity. One of the main challenge for the next century is to develop renewable energy production with a low emission of greenhouse gazes. The goal of this course is to get the basic knowledge on physics and hydrodynamics at small and intermediate scale in order to quantify the aeolian, solar or hydraulic potential of a local or regional area. Independently of the technology and its efficiency what is the available power of a given environment ?  What is the availability and the variability or the energetic resource ? How could we match the variability of the natural energetic resource to the human activity ?

This course is divided in 3  lectures and 7 working afternoon devoted to a specific project using laboratory experiments, numerical simulations or data analysis.

Lecture 1: Intro and Hydropower

• Economical, environmental and political issues
• Energy: definitions, units, magnitudes.
• Water cycle, potential temperature, precipitations
• Conventional dam: principle, efficiency, power capacity, capacity factor

• The mean total head H, head loss, maximum flow rate and power

• Fluvial flows: Froude number, Fluvial-torrential transition

• Hydraulic load of a free surface flow

• Energy and momentum conservation
• Run of river electricity: principle, efficiency, power capacity, capacity factor

Lecture 2: Wind and solar resources

• Wind power developpment
• Wind resource statistical analysis, Weibull law
• Turbulent boundary layer, Reynolds decomposition, logarithmic law
• Atmospheric boundary layer, diurnal cycle
• Mountain winds and see breeze
• Radiative budget of the atmosphere
• Optical thickness, clouds, aerosols
• Clouds thermodynamics, potential temperature
• Solar power systems: principle, efficiency, power capacity, capacity factor

Lecture 3: Tidal resources and energy storage

• Tidal wave and tidal power, astronomical forcing
• Bay or estuary resonance

• Tidal power plant: principle, efficiency, power capacity

• Tidal turbine: an emerging market

• Tidal currents: variability, coastal amplification, tidal ellipses

• Betz law for a tidal turbine

• Tidal turbine: principle, efficiency, power capacity, strengths and drawbacks.
• Energy storage: chemical, thermal, mechanical and gravitationnal

Numerus clausus: 25

Langue du cours : English

Credits ECTS : 4

MEC662 - Hydro, Wind, and Marine Ressources (2017-2018)

After the course the student should be able to

• - use the basics of fluvial flows and tidal dynamics.
• - understand the dynamics of atmospheric , fluvial or marine boundary layers
• - understand the meteorological forcing and its variability
• - estimate the wind, the fluvial or tidal energy potential of a particular site or region
• - make the distinction between the amount of energy and the power available

- quantify the resource’s availability and its variability

Eligibility/Pre-requisites:

Basic knowledge in fluid mechanics, Bernoulli and Navier-Stokes equations.

Course main content:

The course is divided in three blocs dedicated to hydro , wind and marine resources.

1. 1 Introduction

                - Economical, environmental and political issues

                - Various units of energy, primary and final energy, capacity of some power plants

1. 2 Hydroelectric resource

                - Water cycle, potential temperature, precipitations

                - Gravitational energy: resource and energy

                - Conventional dam: principle, efficiency, power capacity, capacity factor

                - The mean total head H, head loss, maximum flow rate and power

                - Environmental impact and carbon budget of hydroelectric power plants

2. Laboratory demonstration (ENSTA)

Observations and quantification of free surface channel flows, fluvial-torrential transition, efficiency of small hydro-dam. Data analysis and personal homework.

 3. Fluvial hydraulics

                - Flow regimes, Froude number

                - Hydraulic load of a free surface flow

                - Fluvial-torrential transition

                - Hydraulic jump, dissipation

                - Energy and momentum conservation

                - Run of river electricity: principle, efficiency, power capacity, capacity factor

4. Basic Meteorology and wind resources

- Synoptic winds, global circulation

- local winds: sea breeze, mountain winds, …

- Wind variability, turbulence, Rayleigh decomposition

- Weibull distribution, wind spectra, turbulence intensity

5. Atmospheric or Oceanic boundary layers

- laminar boundary layer

- turbulent boundary layer, logarithmic law

- stable or unstable boundary layers

- wind or hydro measurements within the boundary layer

- On-site resource assessment 

6. Wind or river turbines: Betz limits and turbines interactions

- The standard Betz law

- Betz law with a free surface

- Individual turbine wake and multiple turbines interaction

- On-site resource assessment

7. Laboratory demonstration (ENSTA) 

Head loss of a free surface flow: fluvial and torrential regime, turbulent boundary layer, bottom roughness, logarithmic law. Data analysis and personal homework.

8. Tidal wave and tidal power

                  - History: first uses of tidal power

                  - Astronomical forcing

                  - Ocean response: Kelvin waves and tidal waves

                  - Bay or estuary resonance: shallow-water model

                  - Impact of bottom friction

                  - Tidal power plant: principle, efficiency, power capacity

                - Environmental impact of tidal power plants

9. Tidal currents and tidal turbine

                - Tidal turbine: an emerging market

                - Tidal currents: variability, coastal amplification, tidal ellipses

                - French and UK resources

                - Bottom friction and boundary layer profile, turbine wake

                - Tidal turbine: principle, efficiency, power capacity, strengths and drawbacks.

 Examination and requirements for final grade:

The final grade is a combination of the reports from the laboratory sessions and a 3h individual examination with exercises (open book exam). 

Langue du cours : Anglais

Credits ECTS : 4

PHY103 - Beginner's Lab I (2017-2018)