FR3036444A1 - HORIZONTAL ROTOR TYPE DARRIEUS ROTOR HYDROLIAN - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a tidal turbine having the particularity of being able to tilt 180 ° to economically immerse the blades, to be able to operate floating or casting, and to be installed without special means. The invention consists of a horizontal rotor Darrieus type (20) framed by two sealed chambers (30) containing the generatrices, all resting on a tubular structure (40) floated by floats (50 and 55) which can be filled with water. The procedures for filling and emptying the floats allow either to return the invention in the case of a floating use, or to lay it straight on the bottom. The invention is particularly intended to lower the cost of electricity produced in a maritime or river, simplifying installation and maintenance operations.

Description

1 Tilting hydrofoil with horizontal rotor type Darrieus. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to turbines with a Darrieus type rotor, that is to say machines whose blades rotate about an axis transverse to the liquid flow. More particularly, this invention relates to turbines type Darrieus horizontal axis, and provides specific solutions to the problem of installation and maintenance. State of the art The modern tidal turbine is a machine that converts the kinetic energy of a stream of water into mechanical energy and then generally into electrical energy. There are tidal turbines facing the current. These machines have a good performance, and can be equipped with a fairing for channeling the flow, which further improves performance. There are also machines operating with a Darrieus-type rotor, ie with blades rotating about an axis perpendicular to the liquid flow and thus successively showing all their faces to the current at each turn. Some of these machines are vertical axis, and others horizontal axis. The vertical axis has the advantage of being able to overcome the direction of the current, and to keep the electric generator out of the water. The length of the axis is limited by the depth. On the other hand, the horizontal machines may comprise several blade trains along the same shaft, which makes it possible to increase the power. On the other hand, this requires having the generator under water, which complicates the inspection and maintenance operations. The tidal turbines can be either floating or positioned on the bottom. Floating machines are simpler to install and benefit from a greater flow of current (the speed of the current decreases at the approach of the bottom), and are less prone to turbulence caused by the relief and underwater asperities. Their mobility allows to orient them exactly in the current. Their surface positioning hinders navigation and increases the risk of collision with ships. Underground machines have less of this risk, but their installation is more expensive because of the use of specific lifting means. The setting up is more delicate, and can be done only in period of small coefficient of tide, and most often, in the restricted window of the stall. A problem can become critical if it pushes to finish the installation when the current becomes strong.

Whether the machines are floating or laid, the operations to get the blades out of the water (for maintenance or cleaning) remain complex interventions, requiring special vessels or lifting equipment. In addition, the proposed machines are either floating or laid, and do not allow to exploit the choice of the benefits of both options.

The object of the present invention is to provide a rotor turbine with horizontal rotor Darrieus, which does not have the drawbacks of the prior art, and which in particular allows a quick and safe installation and the out of water blades can to be done easily and without special means.

Another particularity of the invention is that it can be used optionally as a floating or immersed marine turbine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the invention is to combine the advantages of the preceding systems while overcoming the main drawbacks.

To do this, the invention comprises the following elements: - A shaft rotating about a horizontal axis, - Blades mounted around this horizontal shaft to form a Darrieus-type rotor, Watertight caissons at each end of the preceding shaft and in which are the current generators and the associated equipment (electrical cabinet, brake, reducer, cooler ...), a metal structure made of hollow tubes and supporting the assembly, - floats perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the invention, - long and flexible floats placed parallel to the axis of the invention, A cable tie point at each end of the invention, Advantageously, the carrier structure is tight and full of air, so that it plays a role in the buoyancy of the invention. Advantageously, the floats perpendicular to the axis of the invention have a hydrodynamic profile so as to limit the drag and therefore the forces. Advantageously, these profiled floats also have a role of ballasts. They can be filled with water, or emptied of this water. Advantageously, the interior of the tubes of the structure communicates and the total cavity serves as a reserve of air under pressure which will be used to drive the water from the ballast tanks. This pressurized air will also be used to inflate the flexible tanks.

Advantageously, the attachment points of the cables are pivotable. Advantageously, each box is provided with a service tube with watertight doors allowing access to the interior, for the purpose of inspection and maintenance of the equipment.

Advantageously, the housing housing the generator also houses a splitter for controlling the amount of air sent or removed ballasts. Advantageously, the system for controlling the filling or emptying of the star or starboard ballasts makes it possible to reverse the invention by 180 ° in order to immerse the rotor in the water to produce energy, or to remove the rotor from the rotor. water for maintenance and cleaning operations. This type of switching is valid when the invention is used floating. Advantageously, the control system for filling or emptying the front and rear ballasts makes it possible to lay the invention on the bottom.

The features of the invention mentioned above, as well as others, will appear more clearly on reading the following description and associated figures.

FIG. 1 is a general front view of an exemplary tidal turbine according to the invention. Figure 2 is a general profile view of an example of a water turbine 25 according to the invention. Figure 3 is an enlarged front view of a sector of the invention. The multiplication of the sectors makes it possible to increase the power of the invention. Figure 4 shows the service tube and the watertight doors to enter the generator box.

Figures 5 to 8 show the steps of the reversal process of the invention when it is used floating. FIGS. 9 to 12 show the steps of the reverse inversion process in order to remove the blades and the generator of the water when the invention is used floating. - Figure 13 shows the immersion of the invention when the latter is used on the bottom. - Figure 14 details the air filling circuit ballasts.

10 Detailed Description. The description is based on the references of FIGS. 1 to 3.

The core of the tidal turbine 100 is a shaft 10 rotating about a horizontal axis, and on which are fixed sets of blades 20 to form a Darrieus type rotor. From Figure 2, there are 3 spaced blades offset by 120 ° per set. This is only an example, and the invention also covers a 4-blade configuration at 90 °, or any other number of regular angular offset blades.

Figure 1 shows that there are 4 sets of blades which align along the rotor. Again, this is an example. The invention also covers an alignment of a higher number of blade sets, or even less. The increase in the number of sets of blades makes it possible to increase the unit power of the invention. The blades have an incidence that can be fixed or variable.

Watertight boxes 30 are located on either side of the rotor. These sealed housings contain the current generator and all the equipment enabling it to function optimally (reducer, electrical cabinets, cooling system, brake, etc.) The shaft 10 and the boxes 30 are carried by a metal structure 40 made of 30 tubes whose cavities communicate with each other. The entire structure can withstand internal pressure and serves as a reserve of compressed air. The assembly is afloat by transverse floats, profiled 50. Flexible supple floats 55 are positioned on longitudinal braces. The floats 50 also have the function of ballasts. They can be filled with water, or emptied 5 of this water by injecting compressed air stored in the tubes of the structure 40. The filling circuit is detailed in FIG. 14. The filling / emptying control valves floats and the distribution system are located in the caissons.

Figure 4 details the service tube 60. Access in the service tube is through sealed doors 85, for inspection or maintenance of equipment therein. The position of the doors makes it possible to access in the upright or 180 ° inverted position of the invention. The mooring cables of the invention are attached to pivots 70 at each end of the invention. Electric power cables also pass through these pivots. The tidal turbine 100 is towed to its production site in a vertical position, with the rotor out of the water. If the choice is for floating operation, the rotor is immersed in water by reversing the invention by 180 °. The steps of this operation are as follows: FIGS. 5 to 8 serve as a support for this description: The starboard floats 50tr are progressively filled (FIG. 5). The structure begins to grow. The house becomes unstable and the structure capsizes. The 50tr 25 water-filled starboard floats pass under the 50ba boat floats (FIG. 6). The invention continues its turnaround, the 50tr starboard floats exceed the vertical under the bridges 50ba, and the whole reaches a position of equilibrium. Then air is injected into the fl oats 50tr 50tr to gradually drive the water (Figure 7). The invention then resumes its reversal movement. 3036444 7 - The 50tr starboard floats are completely emptied of their water and the reversal of 180 ° ends. The rotor is then in position to operate in the current and produce power (Figure 8).

To return the invention in the other direction and thus remove the rotor from the water, the steps to be followed are as follows FIGS. 9 to 12 serve as a support for this description: The watertight floats 50tr are filled with water ( Figure 9). The invention pivots, and reaches a position of equilibrium. The soft floats of starboard couplers 55tr are inflated with pressurized air. The invention switches to a new equilibrium position corresponding to the surface touch of the generator (Figure 10). - The 55ba flexible booster sinks are filled with water, and the 50tr dockers are drained (Figure 11). This creates an extra rollover torque that allows the rotor to come out of the water.

15 The reverse reversal is completed Figure 12. It remains only to completely drain the 50tr starboard floats and 55ba flexible booster pads. The other particularity of the invention is that it can be used either in flotation or on the bottom. In the latter case, the installation consists in gradually filling the floats 50 and deflating the flexible floats 55 from one side. The invention is inclined until its loaded side touches the bottom (Figure 13). The other floats 50 are in turn filled, while the soft floats 55 are all deflated one after another to the last. The invention is on the bottom. She is in production position. To exit the invention of the water, it is sufficient to resume the previous operations, but in the opposite direction, ie by purging the ballast and filling the air soft floats one after the other.

3036444 8 It should be noted that all these operations were performed quickly and simply by opening and closing valves. No lifting means are used. The invention is designed for this purpose, and that's what makes it special.

The invention is intended to lower the cost of producing energy produced from tidal or river currents by simplifying maintenance and installation.

Claims (4)

CLAIMS.1) Hydrolienne (100) comprising: a rotation shaft (10), blade trains (20) fixed on the shaft (10), all forming a Darrieus-type rotor, a watertight box (30) each end of the rotor, which contains a generator and all the equipment enabling it to function optimally (brake, gearbox, electrical cabinets, cooling equipment, etc.), transverse profiled floats (50) distributed regularly on each side of the rotor turbolines (100) and along its main axis, and having the function of ballasts, longitudinal flexible floats (55) regularly distributed on both sides of (100), a tubular waterproof structure (40) on which the rotor, the sealed boxes (30) and the floats (50, 55) are fixed. a circuit with valves and distributors for individually injecting compressed air into each of the floats (50) and (55), or emptying the air they contain for the purpose of overturning the tidal turbine (100) along its longitudinal axis, or to place the tidal turbine (100) on the bottom, A pivoting axis (70) at each end of the tidal turbine (100), on which is fixed a cable for fixing the invention, and through which also passes an electric cable. 2) Hydroelectric (100) according to claim (1) characterized in that the structure (40): 3036444 10 is composed of tubes whose inner cavities are communicating, also has the compressed air reserve function, in addition to its structural function. 5 3) Hydroelectric (100) according to claim (2) characterized in that the incidence of the blades (20) can be fixed or variable to produce the best performance. 4) Hydroelectric (100) according to claim (3) characterized in that a service tube (80) allows access by two watertight doors (85) inside each of the boxes (30), that these the latter are out of the water, or under water when the invention is in the inverted position. 15