Assessment of tidal current energy in Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea, China

Abstract

In china, Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea are major shallow water areas. There are many regions with high current velocities which are potential sites for tidal energy development. In this paper, a 3D numerical model, verified by the measured data, was built to quantify the extractable current energy along the coast of the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea. By using tidal harmonic analysis method, 4 major constituents’ harmonic constants and ellipse parameters, including M2, S2, K1, O1, were calculated. The tidal currents’ characteristics in Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea were analyzed and their maximum probable velocity could be obtained. The FLUX method was applied to calculate the kinetic energy flux through the front cross-sectional area of the flow channel. Based on numerical simulation results, the tidal current energy in three regions, including Shandong Peninsula, Bohai Strait and Liaodong Bay, was evaluated. The results showed that the maximum tidal current energy density, 6.2 kW/m2 and 5.5 kW/m2, might occur at mid-ebb in the east of Shandong Peninsula and in the northeast of Bohai Strait, respectively. In addition, Tidal Stream Exploitability (TSE) method was used to find optimal areas of tidal farm in Chengshan Cape. The detailed results about power density distribution in Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea would be given by further analysis.