JP2011214424A - Solar thermoacoustic electric generating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a solar thermoacoustic electric generating apparatus that utilizes solar heat as its heat source when generating electricity using a thermoacoustic phenomenon.SOLUTION: The thermoacoustic electric generating apparatus includes a gas cylinder 1 having both ends closed in an axial direction, where gas is filled therein, a heat accumulating part 4 arranged inside one end side in the axial direction of the gas cylinder 1 and formed with a plurality of narrow flow paths along the axial direction, a high-temperature heat exchanger 5 contacting one end of the heat accumulating part 4 and for heating the gas inside the narrow flow paths, a low-temperature heat exchanger 6 contacting the other end of the heat accumulating part 4 and for cooling the gas inside the narrow flow paths, and a transducer 11 provided on the other end side of the gas cylinder 1 and for converting acoustic energy generated by self-excited vibration which is caused based on a temperature gradient in the axial direction which is generated inside the heat accumulating part 4, to electric energy. The apparatus also includes a solar heat collecting device 8 for collecting solar heat, a solar heat receiving device 7 for receiving the solar heat collected by the solar heat collecting device 8 and supplying the received solar heat to the high-temperature heat exchanger 5.

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermoacoustic power generation device that generates power using a thermoacoustic phenomenon.

  A heat storage section (stack) that forms a plurality of narrow flow paths extending in the axial direction of the pipe is provided in a tube filled with gas, and a temperature difference is generated between both sides of the heat storage section in the axial direction to create a temperature gradient. A thermoacoustic phenomenon in which a self-excited vibration of gas is generated to generate a sound wave is known, and a thermoacoustic power generation apparatus that converts the generated sound wave energy into electric energy is known.

  Patent Document 1 proposes an apparatus for generating electric power by recovering exhaust heat of an internal combustion engine using such a thermoacoustic phenomenon. The device of Patent Document 1 includes a resonance tube connected to an exhaust gas purification catalytic converter of an internal combustion engine, a stack provided at one end of the resonance tube, and a sound / electrical converter provided at the other end of the resonance tube. It has. A gas is sealed inside the resonance tube. In the apparatus of Patent Document 1, one end of the stack in the resonance tube is heated by heat generated from the catalytic converter, and a temperature gradient is applied between both ends of the stack, thereby generating self-excited vibration in the gas in the stack and generating sound waves. Generated and sonic energy is converted to electrical energy by a sound / electrical converter.

JP 2002-122020 A

  However, the thermoacoustic power generation device of Patent Document 1 collects exhaust heat from an internal combustion engine to generate power, and has recently generated thermoacoustic power generation using natural energy that has been required from the viewpoint of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The technology to be performed has not been developed yet.

  In view of such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a solar thermal thermoacoustic power generation apparatus that uses solar heat as a heat source when generating power using a thermoacoustic phenomenon.

  The solar thermal thermoacoustic power generation device according to the present invention includes an air column tube in which both ends in the axial direction are closed and gas is enclosed therein, and one end side in the axial direction of the air column tube. A heat storage section in which a plurality of narrow flow paths are formed, a high-temperature heat exchanger that is in contact with one end of the heat storage section and heats the gas in the narrow flow path, and a gas in the narrow flow path that is in contact with the other end of the heat storage section The acoustic energy generated by the self-excited vibration generated based on the temperature gradient in the axial direction generated in the gas in the heat storage unit provided on the other end side of the air column tube and the low-temperature heat exchanger for cooling A transducer for conversion.

  In such a thermoacoustic power generator, in the present invention, a solar heat collector that collects solar heat, and a solar heat receiver that receives solar heat collected by the solar heat collector and supplies the received solar heat to a high-temperature heat exchanger. It is characterized by having.

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, one end of the heat storage unit is heated on the heat exchange surface of the high-temperature heat exchanger by the solar heat collected by the solar heat collector, and the other end of the heat storage unit becomes the low-temperature heat exchanger. It is cooled by the supplied low-temperature cold heat. Due to heating at one end of the heat storage unit and cooling at the other end, a temperature gradient in the axial direction is generated in the gas in the heat storage unit, and self-excited vibration of the gas is generated due to this temperature gradient. Acoustic energy is converted into electrical energy by a transducer, and electricity is generated. In the present invention, electric power is generated by effectively using solar heat, which is natural energy, as a high-temperature heat source supplied to the high-temperature heat exchanger.

  In the present invention, as described above, thermoacoustic power generation is performed using solar heat as a heat source. Therefore, power generation using natural energy can be effectively performed, and the carbon dioxide emission can be reduced.

It is a schematic block diagram of the apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings.

  The solar thermal thermoacoustic power generation device of the present embodiment includes an air column tube 1 having a circular cross section with both axial ends closed. As seen in FIG. 1, the air column tube 1 has a tapered portion at an axially intermediate portion, and the other end side is enlarged in diameter with respect to one end side (left end side in the drawing). A rare gas such as air, nitrogen, or helium is sealed in the air column tube 1 as a working gas.

  A sound wave generating unit 2 is formed on one end side of the air column tube 1 and a resonance unit 3 is formed on the other end side.

  The sound wave generating unit 2 includes a heat storage unit (stack) 4 disposed in the air column tube 1 on one end side, and a high-temperature heat exchanger provided at one end side position of the heat storage unit 4 on the outer periphery of the air column tube 1. 5 and a low-temperature heat exchanger 6 provided on the other end side of the heat storage unit 4 on the outer periphery of the air column tube 1.

  The heat storage unit 4 is formed of a member having a plurality of narrow flow paths extending in parallel to the axial direction of the air column tube 1, and is configured, for example, by laminating many stainless steel plates with small gaps. . The narrow channel formed by such a small gap penetrates in the axial direction.

  The high-temperature heat exchanger 5 is configured to receive heat from the outside and transfer this heat to one end of the heat storage unit 4 by heat exchange via the tube wall of the air column tube 1. . The solar heat receiving device 7 described below connected to the high temperature heat exchanger 5 supplies heat to the high temperature heat exchanger 5 from the outside.

  The solar heat receiving device 7 is connected to a solar heat collecting device 8 that collects solar heat, receives solar heat collected by the solar heat collecting device, and supplies the heat to the high temperature heat exchanger 5, Even if heat is directly supplied to the high-temperature heat exchanger 5, the solar heat receiving device 7 may heat the heat medium and indirectly supply heat via the heat medium.

  The solar heat collecting device 8 is configured to collect solar heat, and includes, for example, a plurality of reflecting mirrors and a converging reflecting mirror having a parabolic cross section for converging reflected sunlight. Sunlight reflected by a plurality of reflecting mirrors is collected by a converging reflecting mirror, and solar heat is efficiently utilized by irradiating the converged sunlight on a heat receiving portion of a solar heat receiving device.

  On the other hand, when the solar heat receiving device 7 indirectly heats the heat storage unit 4, the solar heat receiving device 7 has a heat receiving unit for circulating the heat medium therein, and heats the heat medium by solar heat from the solar heat collecting device 8. It is supposed to be. The heated heat medium is sent to the high-temperature heat exchanger 5 to heat the high-temperature side end that is one end side of the heat storage unit 4. The surface of the solar heat receiving device 7 is covered with transparent glass, transparent quartz or the like, and heat loss due to convective heat transfer can be suppressed by evacuating the space between the transparent glass and the heat receiving portion. In addition, the surface of the heat receiving portion is coated with black paint or has an uneven mirror surface structure, so that the radiation heat transfer loss can be suppressed, and the amount of heat received from the solar heat collecting device 8 is maximized. And minimizing heat loss.

  Thus, the solar heat receiving device 7 is connected to the high-temperature heat exchanger 5 in a form suitable for using the solar heat received from the solar heat collecting device 8 in the high-temperature heat exchanger 5. As described above, the heat exchange surface of the high-temperature heat exchanger 5 may be indirectly heated by the solar heat receiving device 7 through the heat medium as described above, or the solar heat heat reception without using the heat medium. It may be heated directly by the device 7. When the heat exchange surface of the high temperature heat exchanger 5 is directly heated by the solar heat receiving device 7, the heating part of the solar heat receiving device 7 and the heat exchange surface of the high temperature heat exchanger 5 are made of a copper member or silver having high heat conductivity. It is preferable that they are thermally connected by members. Further, the heat exchange surface of the high-temperature heat exchanger 5 may be directly heated by the solar heat collector 8. When the solar heat collected by the solar heat collector 8 is directly applied to the heat exchange surface of the high-temperature heat exchanger 5, the surface of the heat receiving portion of the heat exchange surface is covered with transparent glass, transparent quartz, etc. It is preferable to be able to transmit.

  On the other hand, the low-temperature heat exchanger 6 is supplied with a low-temperature cold heat source from the outside and cools the other end of the heat storage unit 4. In this embodiment, for example, by supplying cooling water, a low-temperature cold heat source can be easily supplied to the low-temperature heat exchanger 6. A solar thermal thermoacoustic generator is installed in a waste treatment furnace facility that incinerates or gasifies and melts waste, and as a low-temperature cold heat source to be supplied to a low-temperature heat exchanger, a combustion-supporting gas supplied to the waste treatment furnace, The feed water supplied to the boiler that recovers waste heat from the exhaust gas from the waste treatment furnace can be used. By doing so, since these fluids are heated by heat exchange in the low-temperature heat exchanger, the amount of steam used for heating these fluids in a conventional waste treatment furnace facility is reduced. It is possible to increase the amount of steam supplied to the power generation turbine.

  The resonance part 3 provided on the other end side in the axial direction with respect to the sound wave generation part 2 includes a pipe part 9 having the same diameter as the air column tube 1 in the sound wave generation part 2, and a taper part from the pipe part 9. And a transducer 11 provided on the end wall of the closed end 10. The transducer 11 has a function of converting acoustic energy into electrical energy.

  The transducer 11 receives a sound wave, converts the sound wave into mechanical vibration, and converts the mechanical vibration into electric energy. Specifically, the transducer 11 includes a combination unit of a vibration piston and a linear generator, a vibration plate, It can be realized as a combination unit of piezo conversion elements, and further as a magnetic induction generator. The output of the transducer is supplied to an electric load such as a battery or an electric device via the control means.

  In this embodiment having such a configuration, power is generated in the following manner.

  (1) When the one end part which is the high temperature side end part of the heat storage part 4 is heated by the high temperature heat exchanger 5 which has received solar heat, and the other end part which is the low temperature side end part is cooled by the low temperature heat exchanger 6, A large temperature gradient is formed in the axial direction of the heat storage unit 4 between both ends of the heat storage unit 4.

  (2) Due to the temperature gradient, the working gas in the narrow flow path of the heat storage unit 4 undergoes a local pressure change in the axial direction, and spontaneously vibrates in the axial direction (self-excited vibration) to generate sound waves. appear.

  (3) This sound wave reciprocates in the resonance unit 3 via the working gas. A phenomenon in which sound waves are generated by such heat energy is known as a thermoacoustic phenomenon.

  (4) When the frequency of this sound wave and the natural frequency of the resonance part 3 coincide with each other, a standing wave is generated in the resonance part 3, and this standing wave causes the vibration part of the transducer 11 provided at the closed end 10 to Excitation is performed, the vibration is converted into electric energy, and electric power is generated. The electric power generated by this power generation is supplied to the electric load via the control means.

  In the solar thermal thermoacoustic power generation device of the present invention, the natural frequency of the resonance part of the air column tube may change while being minute due to deformation due to thermal expansion, aging, etc. The power generation efficiency may decrease due to the bias, but as a countermeasure, a mechanism that can finely adjust the length of the resonance part of the air column tube to adjust the natural frequency, that is, like a trombone of an instrument It is more preferable to provide a mechanism capable of continuously adjusting the natural frequency in a stepless manner.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air column tube 4 Heat storage part 5 High temperature heat exchanger 6 Low temperature heat exchanger 7 Solar heat receiving device 8 Solar heat collecting device 11 Transducer

Claims (1)

An air column tube in which both ends in the axial direction are closed and gas is sealed inside;
A heat storage unit disposed inside the one end portion in the axial direction of the air column tube and having a plurality of narrow flow paths formed in the axial direction;
A high-temperature heat exchanger that contacts one end of the heat storage unit and heats the gas in the narrow flow path;
A low-temperature heat exchanger that contacts the other end of the heat storage unit and cools the gas in the narrow flow path;
A thermoacoustic provided with a transducer that is provided on the other end of the air column tube and converts acoustic energy generated by self-excited vibration caused by the temperature gradient in the axial direction generated in the gas in the heat storage section into electric energy. In the power generator,
A solar heat collector for collecting solar heat;
A solar heat receiving device that receives solar heat collected by the solar heat collecting device and supplies the received solar heat to a high-temperature heat exchanger;
A solar thermal thermoacoustic generator characterized by comprising:

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