GB2521679A

GB2521679A - A boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2521679A
Application number: GB1323168.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Georgie Dillon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-12-31
Filing date: 2013-12-31
Publication date: 2015-07-01
Also published as: GB201323168D0

Abstract

An electricity generation assembly 3 comprises an elongate conduit 5 mounted on the hull of a boat, ship or other vessel. The elongate conduit 5 comprises a submerged water inlet 9 at one end and a water outlet 13 at the other end of the conduit, aft of, and spaced apart from, the inlet 9. One or more turbines 17 are housed in the conduit 5 for driving a generator 19 and producing electricity as the boat moves through the water. There may be a number of conduits mounted side by side, or above each other (figures 4, 5). The electricity may be used for propulsion, electrical systems or to charge batteries. The conduit 5 may be arranged within the hull, or may be mounted outside the hull, especially if retrofitted to an existing boat.

Description

"A boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly"

Introduction

This invention relates to a boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly.

Throughout this specification, the word "boat" has been used and it will be understood that this is to include both sail and motor powered boats and will include, but is not limited solely to, ships, tugs, ferries, cruisers, cruise liners, tankers, oil tankers, cargo ships, pleasure cruisers, speed boats, motor launches, fishing vessels, warships, aircraft carriers, submarines and the like, mono-hulls and multi-hulls. It is envisaged that the invention will be particularly suited to those vessels with substantial tonnage or more specifically displacement, for example, weighing more than one tonne and preferably tens or hundreds of tonnes, that will provide significant momentum to the boat once moving.

There is a common desire amongst boat operators to reduce the running costs of their boats. One of the largest contributors to the overall running costs of a boat is fuel. Most motor powered boats use diesel fuel to power their propellers and electrical systems and many sail boats have diesel engines to operate their electrical systems or for motoring when it is desirable or necessary to do so. Therefore, it is advantageous to reduce the amount of fuel used on board these boats in order to reduce the running costs of the boat. Furthermore, it is advantageous to reduce the amount of fuel used from an environmental aspect also.

Various devices and schemes have been proposed to reduce the running costs of boats generally. For example, it is relatively common to see miniature wind turbines on small cruising craft that are used to recharge batteries from which the boats electricity supply can run. This is a useful alternative to running the boats diesel engine. However, these miniature wind turbines are usually only efficient when operating at high speeds and do not generate sufficient electricity when there is little or no true wind. In cases of no true wind, the boats motion wind will be the only wind experienced by the miniature wind turbines and in cases of little true wind, it is conceivable that the apparent wind experienced by the wind turbine will be less than the relatively light true wind (for example, when the boat is travelling away from the true wind direction). Accordingly, these are not entirely suitable. Furthermore, although these miniature wind turbines are sometimes sufficient for small cruising boats, the amount of electricity generated would be insufficient for larger craft such as a cargo ship where the electricity requirement is far greater. Other solutions have concentrated on more efficient boat design, such as bulbous bows on large vessels and/or more efficient engines.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a boat that overcomes at least some of the problems with the prior art. More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a boat with reduced fuel consumption requirements. Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a boat with a reliable alternative method of generating electricity rather than taking the electricity directly from the diesel engines or relying on a miniature wind turbine. It is further still an object of the present invention to provide a boat that offers a useful alternative to the known offerings.

Statements of Invention

According to the invention there is provided a boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly, the electricity generation assembly comprising an elongate conduit mounted on the hull of the boat, the elongate conduit comprising a submerged water inlet at one end of the conduit, a water outlet at the other end of the conduit aft of and spaced apart from the water inlet, a turbine housed in the conduit and located intermediate the water inlet and the water outlet, and a generator in electrical communication with the turbine for converting the mechanical energy of the turbine into electrical energy.

By having such a boat, the turbine will be operated as the boat moves through the water and the rotation of the turbine will be converted into electrical energy. The momentum of the boat is used to power the turbine. It is believed that the power generated by the electricity generation assembly will be significantly greater than the power generated by the miniature wind turbines known in the art. Furthermore, the supply of electricity is not dependent on wind and the power generated will be available when the boat is moving through the water.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly in which there are provided a plurality of turbines housed in the elongate conduit spaced apart from each other along the length of the conduit. By providing multiple turbines, the amount of electricity generated can be increased also to meet the boats requirements.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly in which there are provided a plurality of elongate conduits mounted on the hull of the boat, each conduit having a submerged water inlet at one end of the conduit, a water outlet at the other end of the conduit aft of and spaced apart from the water inlet, a turbine housed in the conduit and located intermediate the water inlet and the water outlet of that conduit, and a generator in electrical communication with the turbine for converting the mechanical energy of the turbine into electrical energy. It is envisaged that the turbines may operate more effectively if they are arranged in parallel rather than in arranged in series. Furthermore, by having several conduits, the amount of electricity generated can be increased to meet the boats requirements.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly in which the plurality of conduits are spaced apart abeam of each other across the hull. By having the conduits spread out across the width of the boat, it is believed that the water entering into the water inlet will be less turbulent leading to a more efficient turbine.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly in which there is provided a grate located across the water inlet. By placing a grate across the water inlet, it is possible to prevent ingress of debris, seaweed, fish, jellyfish and other types of marine life into the conduit where they may cause damage to the turbine.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly in which there is provided a grate located across the water outlet.

Again, the grate will prevent ingress of many different types of foreign objects other than water into the conduit.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly in which there is provided a blade internal the conduit mounted across the conduit and upstream of the turbine. It is envisaged that if foreign objects should gain ently into the conduit, the likelihood of damage to the turbine will be reduced if a blade is provided upstream of the turbine as the blade may cut though seaweed and the like.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly in which there is provided a removable cover for the water inlet.

This is also seen as useful as the flow of water through the conduit can be prevented when it is desirable to do so, such as when the boat is moving at slow speeds and/or when it is necessary to carry out maintenance on the conduit or the turbine.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly in which there is provided a removable cover for the water outlet.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly in which the conduit is located internal the hull of the boat and in which the inlet and the outlet are in communication with the exterior of the hull. This is seen as the preferred embodiment of the present invention. By having the conduit inside the hull, the conduit will be readily accessible and it will be possible to service the conduit and the turbines from within the hull.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly in which there is provided an inspection hatch mounted on the conduit adjacent the turbine.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly in which the generator feeds a power unit for a propulsion unit of the boat. This is seen as a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention.

the power generated by the turbines will be routed back into the propulsion system of the boat. It is envisaged that this will thereby reduce the diesel fuel consumption of the boat.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly in which the generator feeds a power unit for an electricity supply of the boat. As an alternative to the power supply, the arrangement described is seen as a useful source of electricity for the boat and will reduce the need for drawing electricity generated by the diesel (or other) engines.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly in which the generator feeds a rechargeable battery pack.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly in which there is provided a valve mounted in the conduit.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly in which the water inlet is located adjacent the bow of the boat. By placing the water inlet adjacent the bow of the boat, the water can be gathered efficiently into the conduit.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly in which water outlet is located adjacent the stern of the boat. B y having the water outlet adjacent the stern, it is conceivable that the expelled water will help propel the boat along to a limited degree.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly as claimed in any preceding claim in which the turbine is bidirectional and the water inlet may operate as the water outlet and the water outlet may operate as the water inlet when the boat is travelling in reverse.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a electricity generation assembly for retrofitting to a hull of a boat comprising an elongate conduit for mounting on the hull of the boat, the elongate conduit comprising a submersible water inlet at one end of the conduit, a water outlet at the other end of the conduit spaced apart from the water inlet, a turbine housed in the conduit and located intermediate the water inlet and the water outlet, and a generator in electrical communication with the turbine for converting the mechanical energy of the turbine into electrical energy.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The invention will now be more clearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Figure 1 is a diagrammatic, pad cross sectional side view of a boat fitted with an electricity generation assembly according to the invention; Figure 2 is a front view of the boat of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic, pad cross sectional side view of a boat fitted with an alternative construction of electricity generation assembly according to the invention; Figure 4 is a diagrammatic, pad cross sectional side view of a boat fitted with an alternative construction of electricity generation assembly according to the invention; Figure 5 is bottom plan, part cross sectional view of the boat of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a front view of an electricity generation assembly used for fitting in the hull of a boat; and Figure 7 is a side view of an electricity generation assembly used for fitting in the hull of a boat.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a boat, indicated generally by the reference numeral 1, comprising an electricity generation assembly 3. The electricity generation assembly 3 comprises an elongate conduit 5 mounted on the hull 7 of the boat. The elongate conduit 5 comprises a submerged water inlet 9 at one end of the conduit 5 adjacent the bow 11 of the boat and a water outlet 13 at the other end of the conduit 5, aft of and spaced apart from the water inlet 9, adjacent the stern 15 of the boat 1. A turbine 17 is housed in the conduit 5 and is located intermediate the water inlet 9 and the water outlet 13. A generator 19 is provided which is in electrical communication with the turbine and is operable for converting the mechanical energy of the turbine 17 into electrical energy for use in the boat.

Referring to Figure 2, there is shown a front view in which it can be seen that the inlet 9 is offset to one side. This may be to accommodate a bulbous bow fitting and to position the inlet in a position where it is guaranteed to get a flow of water entering into the conduitS.

In use, as the boat travels through the water (in the direction left to right as illustrated), water will enter into the conduit 5 through the inlet 9 and from there the water will gush through the conduit until it comes into contact with the tuibine 17. As the water impacts on the turbine, the turbine will turn and an alternator (not shown), a component of the generator 19, can be used to convert the mechanical energy into electrical energy. This electrical energy is then routed for use elsewhere on the boat. For example, the electrical energy can be fed back into the propulsion system of the boat to power the boat through the water thereby reducing fuel consumption. Alternatively, the electricity generated by the turbine 17 can be used to provide the electricity supply to the boat. The electricity can be stored temporarily in rechargeable batteries (not shown) for subsequent use.

Referring to Figure 3, there is shown an alternative embodiment of boat, indicated generally by the reference numeral 31, filled with an electricity generation assembly 33 according to the invention, where like parts have been given the same reference numeral as before. In the embodiment shown, there are provided a plurality of turbines 17(a), 17(b) and 17(c) located spaced apart from each other along the length of the conduit 5. In other words, the turbines 17(a), 17(b) and 17(c) are arranged in series with respect to each other in the conduit. Each of the turbines 17(a), 17(b) and 17(c) is connected to the generator 19 and is used to generate electricity for the boat.

Alternatively, the turbines 17(a), 17(b) and 17(c) could each be provided with a dedicated generator 19.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5, there is shown an alternative embodiment of boat, indicated generally by the reference numeral 41, fitted with an electricity generation assembly 43 according to the invention, where like parts have been given the same reference numeral as before. In the embodiment shown, there are provided a plurality of S conduits, in this case, six conduits, 5(a)-5(f) inclusive. Three of the conduits 5(a), 5(b) and 5(c) are located on the starboard side of the boat/vessel 41 whereas the other three conduits 5(d), 5(e) and 5(f) are located on the port side of the vessel 41. In other words, the conduits 5(a)-5(f) inclusive are arranged in parallel with respect to each other spaced apart, spread abeam of the vessel 41.

In the embodiment shown, four of the conduits, 5(b), 5(c), 5(d) and 5(e) have a single turbine 17 located therein whereas the other two conduits, 5(a) and 5(f) both have three turbines, 17(a), 17(b) and 17(c) arranged in series in the conduit. This is not limiting and is for illustrative purposes only, if desired, each conduit could have only a single turbine 17 or one or more of the conduits could have multiple turbines located therein. Each of the turbines 17, 17(a), 17(b) and 17(c) is connected to the generator 19 and if desired, more generators could be provided for connection to one or more of the turbines.

Referring to Figure 6, there is shown a front view of the conduit 5 having a turbine 17 mounted therein. The turbine 17 comprises a plurality of blades 61. As will be appreciated in the art, when water passes over the blades 61, this will cause the turbine 17 to rotate.

Referring to Figure 7, there is shown a perspective view of the conduitS having a turbine 17 with blades 61 located therein. The flow of water through the conduit is illustrated by arrows "A" in the drawing. Water passes in through the water inlet 9, travels along the conduit before impacting on the blades 61 which in turn cause the turbine to rotate. The rotational movement, effectively mechanical energy, is transformed into electrical energy for use in the boat. The water, after passing over the blades 61 will then exit from the conduit 5 through the water outlet 13.

Various modifications and additional features could be provided without departing from the spirit of the present invention or scope of the claims. For example, an inspection hatch may be provided in the conduitS adjacent the turbine 17. Similarly, blades may be provided in the conduit 5 to cut any foreign objects that pass into the conduit before they reach the turbine. The water inlet and or the water outlet may be provided with one of or both of a grate and a removable cover. Again, these will prevent ingress of many foreign objects and will facilitate maintenance respectively.

In the embodiment shown, the water inlet 9 is located adjacent the bow 11 of the boat and the water outlet 13 is located adjacent the stern 15 of the boat. This is not essential but it is believed to be preferred. A number of conduits could be provided in a line with respect to each other, from bow to stern, and separated from each other in a fore and aft direction as well as or instead of the embodiment where a plurality of conduits are provided side by side arranged in parallel (for example as shown in Figures 4 and 5). As a further alternative construction, the water inlet may be along the side of the boat and the water outlet may be near the stern or also along the side, further aft than the water inlet. It is envisaged that various different configurations and various different types of turbine can be used to good effect and the invention is not limited solely to the embodiments shown in detail in the drawings.

If desired, the turbine may be a bi-directional turbine and each of the inlet and the outlet may operate as the other of the inlet and the outlet when the boat is moving in reverse.

Preferably, the conduit will be located in the interior of the boat where it will be readily accessible however if desired, the electricity generating assembly conduit 5 may be mounted on the exterior of the hull. This may be easier for retrofitting to existing boats.

In the embodiments shown in the drawings, the boat 1, 31, 41 is a tanker however as stated above, this is not intended to be limiting and the present invention may be applied to good effect on other constructions of boat as well as the tanker.

In this specification the terms "comprise, comprises, comprised and comprising" and the terms "include, includes, included and including" are all deemed totally interchangeable and should be afforded the widest possible interpretation.

The invention is in no limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described but may be varied in both construction and detail within the scope of the claims. -10-