CN85107154A

CN85107154A - Wave-powered generator

Info

Publication number: CN85107154A
Application number: CN198585107154A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 弗里德克·雷克兰; 吉恩·简·利
Original assignee: Wave Power Industries Ltd (us) 150 North Santa Anita Suite 300 Arcadia Calif
Current assignee: Wave Power Industries Ltd (us) 150 North Santa Anita Suite 300 Arcadia Calif
Priority date: 1985-09-12
Filing date: 1985-09-12
Publication date: 1987-03-11

Abstract

One device that can generate electricity by wave motion, it has a resonant chamber, and a buoyancy aid is arranged in the chamber.Resonant chamber is pressed the fundamental mode operation.Resonant chamber can strengthen the amplitude of wave.

Description

Wave-powered generator

The present invention relates to water body, for example the wave motion of ocean converts useful various forms of energy to.

Since several thousand, human dream always utilizes the energy of ocean as power.Once attempted utilizing the fluctuation generating of tide.Also once attempted utilizing the generating that moves up and down of the buoyancy aid in the ocean.These attempt the U. S. Patent NO.3 in Kriegel (kriegel) application, illustrate in 487,228 and the U. S. Patent NO.3 of Kan Mo (kammerer) application, 515,889.

Utilize the motion generation kinetic force of buoyancy aid to have some serious problems.One of problem is, buoyancy aid bears the impact of ocean wave continuously, and this is all the more so in stormy weather especially with the heavy damage buoyancy aid.

Another problem is to design, and the vertical motion of buoyancy aid is converted to the device of available energy.Often need to adopt articulated joint and the acarpous member of other kinds, because they need bear the continuous impact of wave and the effect of corrosive salt solution, so the life-span is limited.

Be that system can't work when seawater was tranquil to follow another relevant problem of system that buoyancy aid that wave moves up and down generates electricity.For reaching certain efficient, require wave motion to have enough amplitudes, this also is that power generation system is carried out capital investment is desired.Yet, many areas in the world, in the most of the time in 1 year, especially in summer, the motion amplitude of wave is little.Like this, or interim when this of every year, power generation system is on the shelf, or, for energy can be provided continuously, must the high stocking system of expenditure of construction.

Purpose of the present invention will address these problems exactly, does the dream of power to realize the inexhaustible ocean wave energy of human use.

The objective of the invention is to propose a kind of device, its buoyancy aid is followed ocean wave motion and is moved up and down, thereby with water body, for example the wave motion of ocean converts kinetic force to.The present invention is based on such discovery, can utilize member protection buoyancy aid, and protection converts floating motion the device of available energy to, and the amplitude that acts on the wave motion of buoyancy aid can also be strengthened simultaneously.This member is a resonant chamber by fundamental mode work.

This device is a resonant chamber, and it has an outer wall, on an opening is arranged, be used to make seawater and wave to pass in and out this chamber.This chamber can make the wave motion amplitude of water body strengthen.Like this, the wave motion amplitude in this chamber is greater than the wave amplitude that enters this chamber by opening.Buoyancy aid in this chamber moves up and down with the wave motion in this chamber.The generator of installing in this buoyancy aid is according to floating motion work, converts the kinetic energy of buoyancy aid to available energy.

In order to make this chamber by fundamental mode Gong Zhen And work, preferably so determine its size, promptly its equivalent diameter is approximately from 0.15L/pi to L/pi.L is the length between the crest that enters into this chamber by opening, pi=3.14159.In general, the equivalent diameter of this chamber is less than 100 feet.Concerning a horizontal section is circular chamber, get its diameter usually, from about 0.2L/pi to about 0.6L/pi.Nearly 40 to 70 feet of the diameter of this chamber.

Usually, opening is parallel with crest in the inlet chamber.It is through about 1/36 to about 1/3 of the chamber circumference.General more than 1/18 of chamber circumference of getting more.

A scheme of the present invention is, the part of locular wall is a breakwater structure, and many this chambers that have a buoyancy aid in interior are connected with a breakwater.

After the resonant chamber that has installed by the fundamental mode effect, the wave amplitude in the chamber can be above two times wave wave amplitudes in the inlet chamber.Clearly, the present invention can make and anyly utilize buoyancy aid to follow the Wave energy electric generator that wave moves up and down to raise the efficiency greatly.In addition, locular wall can protect buoyancy aid and device thereof to avoid the impact of wave, though thereby the life-span ， And that has prolonged device can adopt shaky, the device that efficient is high, and this can't adopt under the situation that resonant chamber is not installed.For example, buoyancy aid can be " pancake " shape, and this cylindrical diameter needs thousand times greater than buoyancy aid thickness at least.This " pancake " shape buoyancy aid is many than the ball float fragility, but considerably cheaper.Because locular wall has been protected the buoyancy aid of thin pancake shape, thereby can successfully utilize this buoyancy aid.

With reference to following explanation, claims and accompanying drawing, characteristics of the present invention, characteristic and advantage will be easier to understand.

Figure 1 shows that according to the present invention the principle design that proposes, utilize the plan view of the device of ocean wave motion generating;

Figure 2 shows that the part sectional view of getting from 2～2 lines of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 shows that the sectional view of overlooking of another kind of device that two buoyancy aids are arranged in the Room that proposes according to the present invention;

Figure 4 shows that according to the present invention to propose, have square chamber another kind of device overlook sectional view;

Figure 5 shows that according to the present invention to propose, the front view of another device that can change openings of sizes mechanism is housed on the locular wall;

Figure 6 shows that according to the present invention to propose that one has constituted the plan view from above of the breakwater of three resonant chamber rear walls;

Figure 7 shows that according to the present invention to propose, be positioned at 5 chambers of a jetty termination;

Fig. 8 schematically shows, the system that utilizes a resonant chamber and buoyancy aid to generate electricity.

According to illustrated in figures 1 and 2, the main member that ocean wave motion is converted to a kind of device of available energy is, by the chamber 10 that closure wall 12 constitutes, and a buoyancy aid 14 and a reciprocating pump 16.One groove or opening are arranged on the wall 12, and the wave shown in the arrow 20 among Fig. 1 can be by in its inlet chamber.

Device 9 is particularly suitable for using in wave.Yet it also can be used in any kind of water body, as long as this water body has enough wave energy, thereby erecting device 9 is worthwhile.

The determining dimensions of chamber 10, lay and arrange be it is become can be by the resonant chamber of fundamental mode work." resonant chamber " speech is meant that the wave amplitude in this chamber is greater than the wave amplitude that enters in this chamber." fundamental mode " speech is meant, first that occurs in an oscillatory system or main humorous mould.

Importantly, make this chamber many reasons be arranged by fundamental mode work.The first, fundamental mode can make wave bigger than other mould.

The second, do forr a short time by the chamber that the chamber of fundamental mode work can be done by other die worker.For example, the diameter of the chamber of high in due order die worker's work is big approximately 3 times than the diameter of the chamber of pressing fundamental mode work.

The 3rd, the chamber of pressing fundamental mode work changes more insensitive ， And than a chamber of doing by higher die worker to the condition of ripple, and the motion amplitude of the ripple of wider scope is strengthened.For example, a design value difference that can adapt to wavelength L by the fundamental mode working room reaches 30% variation, still the ripple in the inlet chamber can be strengthened simultaneously.Yet the chamber that high in due order die worker does under the identical situation of L, if when not weakening ripple in the inlet chamber, only adapts to and is about 15% deviation.The 4th, when pressing fundamental mode work, the wave amplitude in the chamber is more even.During by higher mode work, at synchronization, crest and trough all can appear in the chamber.And press fundamental mode when work, in arbitrary definite moment, in general, the wave height in the chamber is uniformly, that is to say that at any one time, any point is higher than, is equal to or less than still water on the section of chamber.

The energy ， And that chamber 10 will obtain wave converts the around the movement of wave to and moves up and down, thereby the buoyancy aid 14 in the chamber is moved up and down.The size of chamber is so to determine, promptly the equivalent diameter of chamber is from 0.15L/pi to L/pi, and L enters into length between the crest of chamber by opening 18, and the equivalent diameter D of chamber is determined by following formula:

D＝（4A/pi）1/2

A in the formula is the horizontal slice area of chamber.When needs are stipulated the size of chamber and buoyancy aid, need with reference to the size on water line.For example, if the horizontal slice of a Room long-pending be that then A and D determine on water line with the variable height of chamber.

L depends on the depth of water at place, place, chamber, and enters wave period.L can be determined by following formula.

（2pi/T） ²＝（2gpi/L）tanh（2pih/L）

In the formula, T=wave period;

The mean depth at place, h=device 9 places;

The g=gravity constant;

pi＝3.14159。

The chamber need be according to the condition design of different ripples.According to the investigation result of on a certain particular location situation of ripple being done, can determine wavelength range in this place, so just can select the equivalent diameter of chamber.

In general, when the depth of water of device 9 sites increased, the diameter of chamber also will increase.Equally, when strengthening wave period, the diameter of chamber also strengthens.

Typically situation is, be from 5 to 20 seconds wave period, and the depth of water of position, chamber is from about 25 to 60 feet.Certainly wish that the depth of water in the chamber is constant.So, preferably make chamber bank off sea be at least 50 feet.

The equivalent diameter of chamber is less than 20 to 100 feet, more preferably greater than 20 feet, from about 40 to about 70 feet comparatively suitable, like this, under the situation situation that great changes have taken place of ripple, wave amplitude is had greatly increased by fundamental mode work.

Concerning a cylindrical chamber, the diameter of chamber preferably from about 0.2L/pi to about 0.6L/pi.

Concerning a horizontal slice was the chamber of rectangle, preferably making opening was to about 0.7L/pi from about 0.15L/pi to the distance of its opposite walls.In Fig. 4, this distance is represented with size x.

The chamber can have Any shape, can be circle, rectangle (comprising square), ellipse or polygonal.Preferably the chamber of making has enough height, and its height should be greater than the maximum amplitude of wave in the chamber.The wall 12 of chamber 10 can be made by any material that is suitable for, as steel or reinforced concrete.

As shown in Figure 2, locular wall preferably directly is positioned on the sea bed 26.If there is not firm bottom surface; Increasing to wave amplitude is extremely disadvantageous.Another kind method is, as shown in Figure 5, the chamber can lean on 28 on pillar on sea bed 26, and this will help to prevent that sand from flowing in the chambers from opening 18.A top cover and base plate can be equipped with in the chamber, but for economy, preferably all do not want.

Opening 18 is generally a vertical groove, and it stretches along the whole height of locular wall 12.According to design, opening 18 can be from the top 28 be stretched over the intermediate portion to the bottom 30 of chamber 10.Equally, opening also can be stretched over the intermediate portion from the direction of bottom 30 to top 28 of chamber.Also can be designed to, the top of opening is below the Mean draught line.The benefit that opening is only expanded to the intermediate portion of locular wall 12 is to protect buoyancy aid and pump 16 to avoid the impact of billow.

As Fig. 3 and shown in Figure 5, the device that can change openings of sizes can be housed.From scheme shown in Figure 3, the inboard ， And that a dodge gate 32 is installed on the chamber can press the direction shown in the arrow 34 along opening 18 slips.At stormy weather, perhaps when the device in the chamber need be repaired, opening 18 can partly or entirely be shut with door 32.

From scheme shown in Figure 5, door 36 can move along the direction shown in the arrow 38, and the bottom part of opening 18 is shut.Also have, second door 40 can so that can close the top of upper shed 18 at least, if be ready, can entirely close upper shed along the slip that is directed downwards shown in the arrow 42.

At the waterline place, the girth that the width of opening is approximately had family 1/36 to about 1/3, generally get about 1/18 to about 2/9 of chamber girth more.So concerning a tubular chamber, opening is expanded approximately from 10 ° to 120 °, more is from about 20 ° to about 80 °.So according to the situation of morning and evening tides and wave, the size of opening 18 is changeable, opening 18 also is variable according to water surface elevation and the definite mounting point of wave motion.

In the chamber a plurality of openings can be arranged, opening also can have any one shape, as long as this shape can make the wave in the chamber increase effectively.Preferably making the surface of position of opening is parallel with crest to the wave ， And that advances haply.

Buoyancy aid can have different shape, includes prismaticly, and as cube, length or short cylinder, the latter is as " pancake " shape, the ellipsoid bodily form, as spheroid.Because be subjected to the protection of chamber or wall 12, buoyancy aid will be not fragile.So when design and configuration buoyancy aid, emphasis should be placed on and can obtain on maximum the output energy and minimizing cost.

Buoyancy aid preferably is " pancake " or base shape, i.e. a brachmorphy cylindrical body, the diameter that also is buoyancy aid be much larger than its height, in general, big thousand times at least, preferably big at least 6 times.Preferably, the area of all buoyancy aids is half of chamber area at least on water line.

Buoyancy aid preferably is neutral buoyancy, and promptly buoyancy aid has only about half of buoyancy aid density, and wherein half volume of buoyancy aid is positioned on the water surface, and second half volume of buoyancy aid then is positioned under the water surface.Consequently, act on the power on the electricity generating device, in the stroke up and down of buoyancy aid, approximately equate.Have, if buoyancy aid is very light, its major part is positioned on the water surface again, and perhaps buoyancy aid is very close, and its major part is positioned under water, will cause unfavorable wave-contouring motion.In order to utilize the wave motion generating maximumly, importantly make closely wave-contouring motion of buoyancy aid.

Ripple body 14 can be by anticorrosion material, and for example stainless steel, illiteracy Nellie alloy or reinforced glass fiber are made.It can be solid also can be hollow.If hollow, then wherein can have air or other gas, perhaps some liquid, as seawater, or some solids, as sand or concrete.

As shown in Figure 3, in a chamber 10 a plurality of buoyancy aids 14 can be arranged.

Adopt numerous, known be used for floating motion convert to other can, for example Dian system can convert the kinetic energy of buoyancy aid 14 to useful energy.Among these systems, usefully as U. S. Patent NO.3,487,228 and 3,515,889 hydraulic systems of being addressed, buoyancy aid wherein is connected with a reciprocating pump, and reciprocating pump is connected with an oil hydraulic motor again, this motor driven one generator.Other system can be consulted U. S. Patent NO.138, and 474,430,790,599,756,616,615 and 4,281,257.

Fig. 1,2 and scheme shown in Figure 8 in, pump 16 is a reciprocating pump, piston 40 is done back and forth in cylinder barrel 42 and is moved up and down.This pump is equipped with an inlet valve 44 and a water discharging valve 46 all sending water in the stroke up and down in the upper part of piston 40, in the bottom of piston 40, an inlet valve 48 and a water discharging valve 50 are housed equally.These 4 44,46,48 and 50 all is one-way valve, as same safety check.

One vertical piston bar 52 couples together buoyancy aid 14 and piston 40.When buoyancy aid 14 fell to the unrestrained paddy between two waves from the top of a wave, connecting rod 52 was about to piston 40 and pulls down.This just forces water to be discharged from beneath drain valve 50, and the inlet valve 44 by the top is drawn into water in the cylinder barrel 42 simultaneously.Then, when buoyancy aid 14 when unrestrained paddy moves to the summit of wave, piston 40 promptly is pushed to the top.This will make water pass through the top drain valve 46 discharge outside cylinder barrel 42, simultaneously, by beneath inlet valve 48, with the water inspiration in cylinder barrel.

Liquid enters into by conduit 60 among the cylinder barrel 42, and conduit 60 has an arm 62 that is communicated with last inlet valve and an arm 64 that is communicated with following inlet valve 48.Liquid will be by the conduit 68 pumpings electric installation of setting out, among oil hydraulic motor 67.Conduit 68 has a last arm 70 that is communicated with last water discharging valve 46 and a lower branch line 72 that is communicated with following drain valve 50.Motor 67 is used to drive generator 73.As feel needs, a storage device 75 that is used to store pumping liquid can be installed.It can be when the wave situation be not suitable for or when repairing facility use.

Liquid can be seawater, fresh water, also can be oil.Hydraulic system can be a low pressure, or high pressure.

Preferably buoyancy aid so is placed in the chamber, promptly it is concentric with the chamber, or the distance of leaving mouthful from rear wall more closely.The amplification that mouthful 18 nearlyer positions can more effectively utilize chamber 10 is left in these positions.

Adopting another advantage of resonant chamber 10 is that locular wall 12 can be used for supporting the device that the kinetic energy of buoyancy aid 14 is converted to available energy.For example, as depicted in figs. 1 and 2, pump 16 can support with many poles 80.Pole 80 is that 10 madial wall 12 stretches inwards along warp-wise from the chamber.

As shown in Figure 6 and Figure 7, can adopt a plurality of Wave energy electric generators 9 to combine.In scheme shown in Figure 6, have 3 electricity generating devices 9, the rear wall of each device is the part of a breakwater 90.Can utilize existing breakwater, also can be specially for this reason Wave energy electric generator build a breakwater.Therefore, Wave energy electric generator 9 can not only be produced available energy, and whole system also helps to protect the shore line facility.

In scheme shown in Figure 7, device 9 is positioned at the end of jetty 92.Jetty 92 is vertical with shore line 94.Device 9 whole various places are parallel with the shore line, also are equipped with a walk 96 above.This walk 96 can be used as an auxiliary jetty.System shown in Figure 7 not only can seawave power generation, and has for the visit and the possibility of rowing the boat.

The power generation system of native system has tangible advantage.Owing to adopted resonant chamber, thereby might make buoyancy aid and pump have bigger electric energy output.Also have, locular wall 12 can protect buoyancy aid and other members to avoid the impact of wave.Have, structure is very simple again, does not also require the member that device has hinge arms and other is shaky, also complicated simultaneously that moving up and down of buoyancy aid 14 is converted to available energy.

Done a test in the ratio of 1:40.Resonant chamber is a cylindrical body, and diameter is 1/2 foot of 1-1/, has one 60 ° opening, puts into one foot dark water.Come wave to have 1～3 second cycle.Buoyancy aid is a cylindrical body, 9.6 inches diameter, 3/2 inch thickness.It is to be made by wood veneer, ship and foamed polystyrene TM, and half one is under water.This test of being undertaken by reduce in scale is pairing to be one to have the resonant chamber of 60 ft diams, has 60 ° of openings, is positioned in 40 feet dark water, and wave period is 6～18 seconds.Pairing buoyancy aid diameter is 32 feet, and 5 feet thick.

When not loading, resulting magnification factor is 2～3.5.In other words, the amplitude of buoyancy aid is greater than 2～3.5 times of the wave amplitudes of rushing in the resonant chamber.Resonant chamber is pressed fundamental mode work.

Although the present invention has carried out quite detailed explanation to selected some scheme, other kinds scheme also is possible. For example, according to the character of wave, in some cases, this chamber also can protect buoyancy aid and other devices to avoid the impact of wave. Also have this chamber on water line, can have various transverse shapes, such as triangle, hexagon and ellipse. This chamber can tapered or anti-taper. Opening on the locular wall can be arch to strengthen its intensity. Locular wall can have different thickness with the water pressure ， And saving construction material of varying strength around the anti-chamber of being subjected to. In addition, the chamber can bunchiness, uses common wall to strengthen intensity. The structure of bunchiness chamber can form other kinds purposes, can consist of a man-made island such as them. Resonant chamber can be installed in the place ahead of opening some expansion walls to draw the wave that pours that is used for generating in. Drawing angle in can select between 0 ° and 90 °, and each length of drawing wall in is 1～8 times of resonant chamber radius preferably. The end of resonant chamber, can be from opening part, and the place is downward-sloping from rear wall. So the essence of accompanying claims and Fan Wei And are not limited only to aforesaid several scheme of choosing.

Claims

1, at the marine device that includes a resonant chamber, fundamental mode work is pressed in this chamber, and an outer wall is arranged, one opening that can enter wave is arranged on it, the equivalent diameter of this chamber is 0.15L/pi～L/pi, and wherein L has a buoyancy aid at least for enter into the wave length of chamber by opening in this chamber.

2, include in the device that generates electricity by wave motion:

A), the resonant chamber that is in water, at least 50 feet of offshores, there is an outer wall this chamber, and an opening that can make the water turnover is arranged on it, the equivalent diameter in the chamber on water line is at least 30 English chi And less than 100 feet;

B), a buoyancy aid by the chamber outer wall protection is arranged in this chamber, but wave motion and moving up and down in this buoyancy aid respective chamber/chambers;

C), the operation of electricity generating device and buoyancy aid interlock, can convert the kinetic energy of buoyancy aid to available energy.

3, include in the device that generates electricity by wave motion:

A), a resonant chamber that is in water, there is an outer wall this chamber, have on it one can for the turnover chamber opening, this chamber can be strengthened ocean wave motion by fundamental mode, thereby make wave amplitude in the chamber greater than the wave wave amplitude in the inlet chamber, the size of chamber is so to determine that promptly the equivalent diameter of chamber is 0.15L/pi～L/pi, and L is the length between crest in the inlet chamber herein:

B), a buoyancy aid is arranged in the chamber, it can move up and down with the wave motion in the chamber;

4, the opening size that meets on the device of claim 1～3 is 1/18～2/9 of a chamber girth.

5, the device that meets claim 1～3, the part wall of chamber can be made of a breakwater.

6, the device that meets claim 1～3 can be equipped with the device that changes A/F.

7, the device that meets claim 1～3 if its opening is taken advantage of straight expansion, can be equipped with the device that can change open height.

8, the device that meets claim 1～3, the equivalent diameter of its resonant chamber is about 40～70 feet at the water line place.

9, the device that meets claim 1～3, buoyancy aid area at the water line place be at least the water line place the resonant chamber area 1/4th.

10, the device that meets claim 1～3, its resonant chamber can strengthen the wave wave amplitude by factor 2 at least.