GB2069061A - Wave energy conversion apparatus - Google Patents

Wave energy conversion apparatus Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2069061A
GB2069061A GB7943066A GB7943066A GB2069061A GB 2069061 A GB2069061 A GB 2069061A GB 7943066 A GB7943066 A GB 7943066A GB 7943066 A GB7943066 A GB 7943066A GB 2069061 A GB2069061 A GB 2069061A
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GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
water column
wave
turbine
vessel
chamber
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
GB7943066A
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GB2069061B (en
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UK Secretary of State for Defence
Original Assignee
UK Secretary of State for Defence
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by UK Secretary of State for Defence filed Critical UK Secretary of State for Defence
Priority to GB7943066A priority Critical patent/GB2069061B/en
Publication of GB2069061A publication Critical patent/GB2069061A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2069061B publication Critical patent/GB2069061B/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F03B—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS
    • F03B13/00—Adaptations of machines or engines for special use; Combinations of machines or engines with driving or driven apparatus; Power stations or aggregates
    • F03B13/12—Adaptations of machines or engines for special use; Combinations of machines or engines with driving or driven apparatus; Power stations or aggregates characterised by using wave or tide energy
    • F03B13/14—Adaptations of machines or engines for special use; Combinations of machines or engines with driving or driven apparatus; Power stations or aggregates characterised by using wave or tide energy using wave energy
    • F03B13/141—Adaptations of machines or engines for special use; Combinations of machines or engines with driving or driven apparatus; Power stations or aggregates characterised by using wave or tide energy using wave energy with a static energy collector
    • F03B13/142—Adaptations of machines or engines for special use; Combinations of machines or engines with driving or driven apparatus; Power stations or aggregates characterised by using wave or tide energy using wave energy with a static energy collector which creates an oscillating water column
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
    • F05B—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
    • F05B2240/00—Components
    • F05B2240/20—Rotors
    • F05B2240/30—Characteristics of rotor blades, i.e. of any element transforming dynamic fluid energy to or from rotational energy and being attached to a rotor
    • F05B2240/31—Characteristics of rotor blades, i.e. of any element transforming dynamic fluid energy to or from rotational energy and being attached to a rotor of changeable form or shape
    • F05B2240/311—Characteristics of rotor blades, i.e. of any element transforming dynamic fluid energy to or from rotational energy and being attached to a rotor of changeable form or shape flexible or elastic
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
    • F05B—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
    • F05B2240/00—Components
    • F05B2240/90—Mounting on supporting structures or systems
    • F05B2240/93—Mounting on supporting structures or systems on a structure floating on a liquid surface
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/30—Energy from the sea, e.g. using wave energy or salinity gradient

Abstract

An oscillating water column wave energy converter has a recirculatory gas system including a resilient chamber 12 having a non- return valve 11 allowing gas to enter therein from a water column vessel 10, one or more turbines downstream of the resilient chamber and upstream of an exhaust chamber 15 which surrounds the resilient chamber, and a non-return valve 16 allowing gas to pass from the exhaust chamber to the water column vessel. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in oscillating water column wave energy converters The present invention relates to oscillating water column wave energy converters.
In this type of wave energy converter a resonant standing wave is set up in a closed vessel and the energy in the wave is used to force gas (almost invariably air) to drive one or more turbines. Usually one or more turbines are driven in each of two modes, one mode with a rising wave expelling gas from the vessel and another mode with a falling wave drawing gas into the vessel. The driving force to each turbine is therefore intermittent and the power output from the converter is fluctuating. This complicates the design of the converter and leads to increased expense and reduced efficiency.
According to the present invention an oscillating water column wave energy converter includes a recirculatory gas system having a resilient chamber surrounded by an exhaust chamber, a non return valve leading from a water column vessel to the resilient chamber and a nonreturn valve leading from the exhaust chamber to the water column vessel.
One or more gas driven turbines each has an intake from the resilient chamber and an exhaust leading into the exhaust chamber.
The resilient chamber can conveniently be in the form of a large rubber tube.
It will be appreciated that with this arrangement the gas flow to the turbine or turbines is smoother. The number of non-return valves required is reduced compared with the number, four, required by conventional arrangements, and the number of turbines can be reduced, if required, to one.
By the use of a constant pressure supply valve at the inlet to the or each turbine, and by correct matching of energy output to wave power the converter can be made to supply energy at a constant rate.
In a preferred form of the invention the water column vessel is shaped to take advantage of the preferred direction of motion of particles in a standing wave. In a wave travelling from left to right the particles move clockwise in a circle.
When the wave travels right to left, the particles move anti-clockwise. In a standing wave, produced by equal waves travelling in opposite directions, the two circular motions combine to produce a linear motion. The linear motion at a node is horizontal, at an antinode it is vertical, and at intermediate points the angle relative to the horizontal is 0 = 27r where x is the distance from the node and A the wavelength. The streamlines of particles in a standing wave therefore satisfy the equation dy/dx = -tan 0 = -tan (27De/A), where y is the vertical co-ordinate, and integrating the shape of the streamline is y = =(A/27r) In cos (27rx/A).
The walls of the water column vessel are therefore defined by these streamlines to give peak conversion efficiency.
One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, of which Figure 1 is an elevation, in section, of part of an oscillating water column wave energy converter.
Figure 2 is a plan, in section along line Il-Il of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an elevation, in section, of an oscillating water column.
An oscillating water column vessel 10 (of which the top portion only is shown in Figure 1) has a non-return valve 11 allowing air to pass into a resilient chamber in the form of a rubber tube 1 2. The rubber tube 12 has an outlet 13 (Figure 2) which acts as the inlet to a gas driven turbine, indicated schematically at 14. The turbine 14 exhausts into an exhaust chamber 1 5 which surrounds the rubber tube 1 2 and which exhausts through a non-return valve 1 6 into the water column vessel 10.
In operation, as a wave rises up the water column vessel 10 it forces air through the nonreturn valve 11 into the rubber tube 12 causing the tube to expand, as indicated by the dotted line 1 2a in Figure 1. Air passes through the turbine 14 into the exhaust chamber 1 5, and then, as water falls in the water column vessel 10, through the non-return valve 16 back into the water column vessel 10.
It will be realised that the pressure in rubber tube 12 will always be higher than that in the exhaust chamber 1 5. This results in a smoothing of the air flow through the turbine 14 compared with the flow through a turbine in a conventional system. By matching the energy off-take from the turbine 14 to the wave energy conditions at a particular time, and positioning a constant pressure supply valve in the outlet 13 the supply of air to the turbine 14 can be made continuous and at constant pressure. The turbine 14 will then run at constant speed and will produce energy at a constant level.
A preferred shape of water column vessel 10 is iilustrated in Figure 3 which shows the streamlines, such as those shown at 20, in a standing wave having a node 21 and an antinode 22. The vessel 10 has walls 23 which follow the contours of streamlines 20, so minimising losses and maximising efficiency.
1. An oscillating water column wave energy converter including a recirculatory gas system having a resilient chamber surrounded by an exhaust chamber, a non-return valve leading from a water column vessel to the resilient chamber and a non-return valve leading from the exhaust chamber to the water column vessel.
2. A wave energy converter as claimed in claim 1 wherein the resilient chamber is in the form of a large rubber tube.
3. A wave energy converter as claimed in claim
**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (6)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Improvements in oscillating water column wave energy converters The present invention relates to oscillating water column wave energy converters. In this type of wave energy converter a resonant standing wave is set up in a closed vessel and the energy in the wave is used to force gas (almost invariably air) to drive one or more turbines. Usually one or more turbines are driven in each of two modes, one mode with a rising wave expelling gas from the vessel and another mode with a falling wave drawing gas into the vessel. The driving force to each turbine is therefore intermittent and the power output from the converter is fluctuating. This complicates the design of the converter and leads to increased expense and reduced efficiency. According to the present invention an oscillating water column wave energy converter includes a recirculatory gas system having a resilient chamber surrounded by an exhaust chamber, a non return valve leading from a water column vessel to the resilient chamber and a nonreturn valve leading from the exhaust chamber to the water column vessel. One or more gas driven turbines each has an intake from the resilient chamber and an exhaust leading into the exhaust chamber. The resilient chamber can conveniently be in the form of a large rubber tube. It will be appreciated that with this arrangement the gas flow to the turbine or turbines is smoother. The number of non-return valves required is reduced compared with the number, four, required by conventional arrangements, and the number of turbines can be reduced, if required, to one. By the use of a constant pressure supply valve at the inlet to the or each turbine, and by correct matching of energy output to wave power the converter can be made to supply energy at a constant rate. In a preferred form of the invention the water column vessel is shaped to take advantage of the preferred direction of motion of particles in a standing wave. In a wave travelling from left to right the particles move clockwise in a circle. When the wave travels right to left, the particles move anti-clockwise. In a standing wave, produced by equal waves travelling in opposite directions, the two circular motions combine to produce a linear motion. The linear motion at a node is horizontal, at an antinode it is vertical, and at intermediate points the angle relative to the horizontal is 0 = 27r where x is the distance from the node and A the wavelength. The streamlines of particles in a standing wave therefore satisfy the equation dy/dx = -tan 0 = -tan (27De/A), where y is the vertical co-ordinate, and integrating the shape of the streamline is y = =(A/27r) In cos (27rx/A). The walls of the water column vessel are therefore defined by these streamlines to give peak conversion efficiency. One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, of which Figure 1 is an elevation, in section, of part of an oscillating water column wave energy converter. Figure 2 is a plan, in section along line Il-Il of Figure 1. Figure 3 is an elevation, in section, of an oscillating water column. An oscillating water column vessel 10 (of which the top portion only is shown in Figure 1) has a non-return valve 11 allowing air to pass into a resilient chamber in the form of a rubber tube 1 2. The rubber tube 12 has an outlet 13 (Figure 2) which acts as the inlet to a gas driven turbine, indicated schematically at 14. The turbine 14 exhausts into an exhaust chamber 1 5 which surrounds the rubber tube 1 2 and which exhausts through a non-return valve 1 6 into the water column vessel 10. In operation, as a wave rises up the water column vessel 10 it forces air through the nonreturn valve 11 into the rubber tube 12 causing the tube to expand, as indicated by the dotted line 1 2a in Figure 1. Air passes through the turbine 14 into the exhaust chamber 1 5, and then, as water falls in the water column vessel 10, through the non-return valve 16 back into the water column vessel 10. It will be realised that the pressure in rubber tube 12 will always be higher than that in the exhaust chamber 1 5. This results in a smoothing of the air flow through the turbine 14 compared with the flow through a turbine in a conventional system. By matching the energy off-take from the turbine 14 to the wave energy conditions at a particular time, and positioning a constant pressure supply valve in the outlet 13 the supply of air to the turbine 14 can be made continuous and at constant pressure. The turbine 14 will then run at constant speed and will produce energy at a constant level. A preferred shape of water column vessel 10 is iilustrated in Figure 3 which shows the streamlines, such as those shown at 20, in a standing wave having a node 21 and an antinode 22. The vessel 10 has walls 23 which follow the contours of streamlines 20, so minimising losses and maximising efficiency. CLAIMS
1. An oscillating water column wave energy converter including a recirculatory gas system having a resilient chamber surrounded by an exhaust chamber, a non-return valve leading from a water column vessel to the resilient chamber and a non-return valve leading from the exhaust chamber to the water column vessel.
2. A wave energy converter as claimed in claim 1 wherein the resilient chamber is in the form of a large rubber tube.
3. A wave energy converter as claimed in claim 1 or in claim 2 including at least one gas driven turbine having an intake from the resilient chamber and an exhaust leading into the exhaust chamber.
4. A wave energy converter as claimed in claim 3 wherein flow into the intake of the or each turbine is controlled by a constant pressure valve.
5. A wave energy converter as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the water column vessel has walls contoured according to the streamlines of particles in a standing wave.
6. A wave energy converter substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
GB7943066A 1979-12-13 1979-12-13 Wave energy conversion apparatus Expired GB2069061B (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB7943066A GB2069061B (en) 1979-12-13 1979-12-13 Wave energy conversion apparatus

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB7943066A GB2069061B (en) 1979-12-13 1979-12-13 Wave energy conversion apparatus

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB2069061A true GB2069061A (en) 1981-08-19
GB2069061B GB2069061B (en) 1983-04-07

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Family Applications (1)

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Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2143284A (en) * 1983-06-11 1985-02-06 Anthony Michael Peatfield Energy conversion apparatus
GB2245031A (en) * 1990-06-11 1991-12-18 Denis Joseph Rowan Wave power resonance generator
WO2006011817A1 (en) * 2004-07-29 2006-02-02 Ronald Murloe Winsloe Modular near-shore wave-powered energy collection system
WO2008001057A1 (en) 2006-06-27 2008-01-03 Innova Limited Apparatus for converting wave motin into mechanical energy
AU2013205176B2 (en) * 2012-04-10 2016-12-08 Gregory A.M. Brown Apparatuses, systems, and methods for extraction and/or storage of energy from moving fluids

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2143284A (en) * 1983-06-11 1985-02-06 Anthony Michael Peatfield Energy conversion apparatus
GB2245031A (en) * 1990-06-11 1991-12-18 Denis Joseph Rowan Wave power resonance generator
WO2006011817A1 (en) * 2004-07-29 2006-02-02 Ronald Murloe Winsloe Modular near-shore wave-powered energy collection system
US7554216B2 (en) 2004-07-29 2009-06-30 Wave Power South Limited Modular near-shore wave-powered energy collection system
AU2005267676B2 (en) * 2004-07-29 2010-07-29 Wave Power South Limited Modular near-shore wave-powered energy collection system
WO2008001057A1 (en) 2006-06-27 2008-01-03 Innova Limited Apparatus for converting wave motin into mechanical energy
AU2013205176B2 (en) * 2012-04-10 2016-12-08 Gregory A.M. Brown Apparatuses, systems, and methods for extraction and/or storage of energy from moving fluids

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2069061B (en) 1983-04-07

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PCNP Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee