GB2428071A

GB2428071A - Hydro electric power generating means

Info

Publication number: GB2428071A
Application number: GB0513903A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Stanley Le Flem Shepherd
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-07-06
Filing date: 2005-07-06
Publication date: 2007-01-17
Also published as: GB0513903D0

Abstract

Hydro electric power generating means includes a water driven turbine 1 which actuates an electric generator 2 located below the level of a water source. The head of water above the turbine is used to drive the turbine. The water exiting the turbine is received in waste tanks 10, 11, 12, 13. The water in the waste tanks is evacuated using compressed air and raised to above the level of the source water.

Description

HYDRO ELECTRIC POWER GENERATING MEANS

This invention relates to an hydro electric power generating means which can be operated in any source of water which is deep enough, for example a river, lake or the sea.

The invention takes advantage of the power of the head of water to drive a turbine located beneath it.

There are many hydro electric power generating means inventions and Patents but most of them rely upon a head of water above a turbine or turbines which is subsequently discharge as waste water. These are the type of constructions which are utilised in dams or various kinds. The present invention can however be employed in open water without the expensive requirement of dam walls.

According to the present invention a hydro electric power generating means includes a water driven turbine which actuates an electric generator for location below the water level of a source of water, utilising the head of water above the turbine to drive it, gathering the waste water from the turbine in a tank and providing tank scavenging means for returning said waste water to above the level of the source of water used to drive the turbine.

Thus the invention can be used in open water of any kind which has the required depth.

Preferably the tank scavenging means are driven directly or indirectly from the turbine or generator and thus making the apparatus independent of other power sources.

In a preferred embodiment the hydro electric power generating means comprises a structure at least part of which includes the water powered turbine which activates the electric generator, a water inlet duct extending from a water entry manifold to said turbine and two or more waste tanks to receive waste water from the turbine which can be selectively operated.

Thus with this construction one tank can be used to collect waste water from the turbine whilst the other is scavenged.

The scavenging means can comprise means for supplying a compressed gas or air to the waste tank or tanks to direct waste water therein to an exit or exits above the level of the source of water and in a convenient construction the scavenging means can include an air compressor. Thus the compressed air is used to scavenge the waste tanks and deposit the waste water back into the source of water, for example a river, lake or the sea.

In one embodiment of the invention the structure is substantially circular and has four or more waste tanks provided around its periphery.

Water ballast tanks can be included for positioning the structure in the source of water in which it is located, thus the tanks could be operated to locate the structure on the bed of the river, lake or sea or even to locate it in a floating depth.

Preferably the ballast tanks are carried in the structure below the waste tank or tanks.

Control means can be included for operating the turbine scavenging means and are carried in part of the structure which extends abov the source of water in which it is located.

Alternatively, the control means could be located in a chamber within the structure and even below the level of the source of water.

Means can also be included for controlling the operation of the turbine in accordance with variations in the height of the head of water above the turbine when the source of water is tidal and the structure is located in relation to the sea bed.

Such an arrangement could, of course, also be used in a tidal river.

The invention can be performed in various ways but one embodiment will nOW be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of an hydro electric power generating means structure according to the present invention; and Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view on the line Il-Il of Figur4e 1.

As shown in the drawings, a hydro electric power generating means, according to the present invention, comprises a vertically mounted water driven turbine 1 which actuates an electric generator 2 through appropriate drive gear including a differential gear box 3. The turbine I is housed in a suitable structure 4 which can be located beneath a source of water, the upper level of which is indicated by reference numeral 5. The head of water above the turbine 1 is used to drive it and the waste water is discharged through a manifold with outlets 6,7 8 and 9 into four waste tanks 10, 11, 12, 13. Tank scavenging means are provided for returning the waste water in the waste tanks 10, 11, 12, 13 to above the level 5 of the source of water used to drive the turbine 1.

Two water inlet ducts 15, 16 are provided which are indicated in broken lines in Figure 2 and which have entry ports 17, 18 which emerge from the side of the structure 4 below the level of the surface 5 of the source of water.

In order to scavenge the waste tanks 10, 11, 12 and 13 the scavenging means are provided in the form of an air compressor 19 which is suitably driven from either the differential gear box 3 or the generator 2 and which has control valves 20 which can be operated to direct compressed air through the pipes 25, 26, 27,28 which is discharged respectively into waste tanks 10, 11, 12 and 13. A further set of pipes (not shown in Figure 1) (29, 31 and 32) also open respectively into waste tanks 10, 11 and 13 and can be connected by a suitable valve gear to atmosphere above the structure.

A suitable valve gear is provided so that compressed air can be selectively injected into any of the required tanks and simultaneously the air exit pipes can be connected appropriately to allow air out of one or other of the other tanks as waste water is allowed to enter. Alternatively the compressor 19 can supply air to a chamber 30 beneath the turbine and the pipes 25, 26, 27 and 28 can merely consist of controllable valve ports to allow air selectively into the waste tanks.

Air is drawn into the structure through an air inlet duct 31 located near the upper part of the structure and the opening to atmosphere.

In order to scavenge the tanks waste water an exit duct 32 is provided in each waste tank with an entry 33 at its lower end. Thus, waste water can be discharged by applying compressed air above the level of the water (indicated by reference 34) in each tank and ejecting it through the exit pipes 32. The upper end of the pipes will carry suitable discharge arrangements to deploy the waste water back into the source of water.

The lower part of the structure has a water ballast chamber 35 which is provided with suitable control valves (not shown) to ballast the structure either on the bottom of the source of water, for example the bed of a river, lake or seabed or the ballast could be arranged so that the structure floated at a predetermined depth, suitable anchoring chains being provided.

The upper part of the structure 4 projects from above the water level 5 and has an upper railed platform 36.

This upper portion can hold a circular control room (indicated by reference numeral 37) in which the various controls for the apparatus can be provided.

In an alternative construction the control room could be lower down the structure and, indeed, beneath the water level 5.

Also provided in the control room are means for controlling the operation of the turbine in accordance with the variations in the height of the head of water above the turbine 1 and the water surface 5. If the structure is mounted on a sea bed or the bed of a tidal river the height of the water 5 will vary with the tide thus altering the height of the head of water above the turbine 1. The control means can thus be used to adjust the operation of the turbine in these circumstances. The operation could be automatically controlled by suitable apparatus which determines the water level 5 and alters the operation of the turbine appropriately.

The structure can be made in any convenient way, for example, it could be an open skeletal steel or concrete construction or it could be enclosed.

In operation the structure is located in a suitable source of water, for example on a sea bed, and the water is drawn into the turbine 1 through the ports 17 and 18 into the ducts 15 and 16 and, hence, to the turbine. Waste water from the turbine is initially delivered to one or other of the waste tanks 10, 11, 12 and 13 and as the tank approaches its full capacity the control gear is operated to direct the waste water to another tank, for example if tank 10 was filled initially then the second tank could be tank 12. The control gear also includes simple valves on the outlets 6,7,8,9. When the first tank, for example 10, has been filled and the second tank, for example tank 12, is filling the scavenge means are operated to force compressed air through the pipe 25 into the tank 10 to cause the water therein to discharge upwardly through the pipe 32. When all the water has been discharged, and before the tank 10 is re-used, the compressed air is allowed to escape through the appropriate exit pipe 29 thus readying the chamber for further use.

It will be appreciated that the entire operation could be operated by automatic equipment or, alternatively, it could be manually actuated from the control room 37.

The electrical power developed by the generator can be carried ashore by any convenient cable means.

In the construction shown in the drawings the overall height of the structure is 32.5 metres and the height from the bottom to the level of the platform is 30 metres.

The overall diameter at platform level is 18 metres and the overall diameter at the base is 30 metres. The distance between each of the triangular shaped waste tanks is 10 metres and the diameter of the turbine area is 7 metres. The dimensions, however, will depend upon the requirements and use of the construction The hydro electric power generating means, according to the present invention, can be used in any suitable level of water, either as a permanent source or power or temporary. The apparatus could be re-floated by pumping out the ballast chamber and towed to any suitable location before re-mooring.

Claims

Claims 1. Hydro electric power generating means which include a water

driven turbine which actuates an electric generator for location below the water level of a source of water, utilizing the head of water above the turbine to drive it, gathering the waste water from the turbine in a waste tank and providing tank scavenging means for returning said waste water to above the level of the source of water used to drive the turbine.
2. Hydro electric power generating means as claimed in claim 1 in which the tank scavenging means are driven directly or indirectly from said turbine or generator.
3. Hydro electric power generating means as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 which comprises a structure at least part of which includes the water powered turbine which actuates the electric generator, a water inlet duct extending from a water entry port to said turbine, and two or more waste tanks to receive waste water from the turbine which can be selectively operated.
4. Hydro electric power generating means as claimed in claims 1 to 3 in which said scavenging means comprises means for supplying a compressed gas or air to said waste tank or tanks to direct waste water therein to an exit or exits above the level of the source of water.
5. Hydro electric power generating means as claimed in claim 4 in which the scavenging means include an air compressor.
6. Hydro electric power generating means as claimed in claims 3 to 5 in which said structure is substantially circular and four or more waste tanks are provided spaced around its periphery.
7. Hydro electric power generating means as claimed in claims 3 to 6 including water ballast tanks for positioning the structure in the source of water in which it is located.
8. Hydro electric power generating means as claimed in claim 7 in which said ballast tanks are carried in the structure below the waste tank or tanks.
9. Hydro electric power generating means as claimed in claim 3 to including control means for operating the turbine and scavenging means are carried in part of the structure which extends above the source of water in which it is located.
10. Hydro electric power generating means as claimed in claims 1 to 9 including means for controlling the operation of the turbine in accordance with variations in the height of the head of water above the turbine, when the source of the water is tidal.
11. Hydro electric power generating means substantially as described herewith with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.