JP2012107550A - Small hydraulic power generator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small hydraulic power generator capable of generating electricity by small hydraulic power with a low head and at a small flow rate and being applicable in a wide range of fields with high efficiency.SOLUTION: In the small hydraulic power generator, a plurality of plate materials is attached in a row along the circumferential direction to an endless chain belt forming a circling endless track. In addition, a part of the movement passage of the plate materials is formed into a cylindrical body surrounding the plate materials so as to be movable. Furthermore, an introduction pipe for introducing a drive fluid into a space formed of the plate material entering the cylindrical body and the wall surface of the plate material is connected to the cylindrical body. A power is then obtained via a rotational shaft disposed inside the circling caterpillar.

Description

  The present invention relates to a small hydroelectric power generation apparatus that can generate electric power with small hydraulic power having a small drop or flow rate.

  A large amount of spring water is generated in many places in the tunnel, and it may be stored in a water tank for use as a water source for disaster prevention in the event of a tunnel fire, but the occurrence of a tunnel fire is extremely rare, Normally, water overflows from the water tank. Therefore, effective use of the tunnel spring water overflowing from this water tank is desired, and as one of its utilization methods, it can be used for power generation. However, even if the tunnel springs overflowing from the reservoir are used, an effective head can be obtained only for the height of the reservoir, and the head and flow rate are poor compared to the profitable level of existing hydroelectric power generation facilities. There is.

  On the other hand, methods for generating power in small and medium-sized rivers with small heads, flow rates, and flow velocities have been studied for some time. For example, a river-head type waterway power generator suitable for small and medium-sized rivers is disclosed in JP-A-56-6074. It is disclosed in the gazette.

  This river-head waterway power generator uses an endless belt structure with a bucket to efficiently obtain rotational force from small hydropower, but uses an endless belt structure (a structure that uses an endless chain belt) for power generation. The technique itself for use is widely known, and various other techniques have been proposed. As such a technique, there is a power generator disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 50-136541, a simple hydraulic power generator disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 26-12000, and the like.

JP-A-56-6074 JP 50-136541 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 26-12000

  In a conventional structure using an endless belt structure for power generation, a structure provided with a bucket is generally employed as a technique for bringing water into the endless chain belt. However, in the structure provided with this bucket, it cannot reach the bucket unless the water to be introduced is strong, and conversely, if it is too strong, it will spill out from the bucket, causing loss, and there is a problem in the applicable range and efficiency. It was.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a small hydraulic power generation apparatus that can generate electric power with small hydraulic power with a small head and flow rate, has a wide range of applications, and is efficient.

  In the small hydraulic power generation device according to the present invention, a plurality of plate members are attached to the endless chain belt forming a circular endless track along the circular direction. Moreover, a part of the movement path | route of the said board | plate material is formed with the cylinder which encloses the said board | plate material in the state which can move freely. Furthermore, an introduction pipe that guides the driving fluid to a space formed by the plate member that has entered the cylinder and the wall surface of the cylinder is connected to the cylinder. And motive power is obtained through the rotating shaft arrange | positioned inside the said circular endless track.

  A plurality of the introduction pipes may be arranged side by side along the moving direction of the plate member in the cylindrical body.

  In the cylinder, the drive fluid discharge pipe may be connected downstream from the installation position of the introduction pipe along the moving direction of the plate member.

  A buffer container capable of holding the water surface at a higher position than the position at which the plate member serving as the top plate in the space of the cylindrical body through which the outlet of the introduction pipe communicates is highest when the space is formed, It may be provided on the upstream side of the pipe.

  In the small hydroelectric generator according to the present invention, a plurality of plate members arranged side by side along the circumferential direction of the circular endless track formed by the endless chain band, and a cylindrical body that forms part of the movement path of the plate material are formed. The space to be used functions as a bucket in the conventional small hydroelectric generator. That is, when a driving fluid (water or the like) is introduced into a space formed by the plate member that has entered the cylinder and the wall surface of the cylinder, the endless chain band performs an endless circular orbit by its mass. At this time, since the force due to the mass of the driving fluid is applied to the endless chain band via the plate material, the cylinder can be fixed at a desired position without moving. Therefore, by connecting an introduction pipe for guiding the driving fluid to the cylinder, a continuous flow path from the driving fluid supply side to the cylinder can be formed. Further, water having a small drop and a low flow rate and having no momentum in the flow can be guided into the cylinder through this flow path. In addition, the space through which water is guided is surrounded by the plate material that has entered the cylinder and the wall surface of the cylinder, so that it does not spill over. Therefore, power can be generated with small hydraulic power with a small head and flow rate, and the applicable range is wide and efficient.

  In addition, the introduction pipe can be connected to an existing pipe or water channel. In this case, water flowing through the water channel can be used as a driving fluid, and the existing infrastructure can be effectively used. Specifically, for example, rainwater and sewage that are connected to sewage pipes such as buildings and factories and sewage pipes such as high-rise buildings and flow through these pipes can be used as a driving fluid. Also in this point, it can be said that the small hydroelectric generator according to the present invention has a wide range of applications.

  Furthermore, since the space formed by the plate member that moves inside the cylinder and the wall surface of the cylinder disappears outside the cylinder, it is not affected even when solids are mixed into the driving fluid. Therefore, it is possible to use a driving fluid containing solid matter such as muddy water, and in this respect as well, it can be said that the small hydroelectric generator according to the present invention has a wide range of application.

  When the driving fluid is water, the gravity of water acts on the plate material, but the driving fluid may be a gas such as air and the buoyancy may be used. In that case, the buoyancy of the gas can be applied to the plate material by submerging most of the infinite chain band and the cylinder and introducing the gas into the cylinder. At this time, since the gas introduced into the cylinder does not leak from the wall surface of the cylinder, most of the buoyancy can be applied to the plate material. As described above, the small hydroelectric generator according to the present invention can efficiently use the buoyancy of a gas such as air if the amount of water is sufficient to submerge the whole. Moreover, it becomes efficient.

  Since the space formed by the plate member that moves in the cylinder and the wall surface of the cylinder moves in the cylinder, the entire wall surface of the cylinder forms a space for filling the drive fluid at any timing. . Therefore, the introduction pipe guides the driving fluid into the cylinder even if it is connected to any position in the cylinder. That is, there is no restriction | limiting in the position which connects an inlet tube with a cylinder, It can adjust suitably. Therefore, it is possible to connect a plurality of introduction pipes. Further, by arranging a plurality of introduction pipes side by side along the moving direction of the plate member in the cylindrical body, it is possible to apply even when the driving fluid is obtained from a plurality of height positions.

  The water filled in the space formed by the plate material and the wall surface of the cylinder body spills from the edge of the plate material and falls at the same time as the plate material forming the bottom surface comes out of the cylinder body. The dropped water may be received by a collection container or the like, but there may be a problem such as generation of a loud sound or damage to a member due to the impact of the dropped water. On the other hand, if a drive fluid discharge pipe is connected to the downstream side of the cylinder and discharged from the cylinder through the discharge pipe, the problem due to the impact of the drop can be eliminated, and many people use it. It can also be used in facilities, for example, in high-rise buildings, and the application range can be further expanded.

  In addition, the amount of water fluctuates extremely by providing a buffer container on the upstream side of the introduction pipe that can hold the water surface at a higher position than the highest position at the outlet where the introduction pipe communicates with the space of the cylindrical body. Even in this case, the amount of water introduced into the cylinder can be kept constant, and the operation of the infinite chain band can be stabilized. In other words, the present invention can be applied to an environment where the amount of water varies greatly.

It is a front view of the power extraction structure part in the Example of the small hydroelectric generator which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure which fixes a board | plate material to an infinite chain strip. It is a front sectional view showing the inside of a buffer container and a cylinder when the amount of supplied water is in a steady state. It is a front sectional view showing the inside of a buffer container and a cylinder when the amount of supplied water is in an excessive state. It is a front sectional view which shows the inside of the cylinder in the other Example of the small hydroelectric generator which concerns on this invention. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the flow volume and the electric power generation amount in the Example of the small hydroelectric generator which concerns on this invention. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the flow volume and power generation efficiency in the Example of the small hydroelectric generator which concerns on this invention.

An embodiment of a small hydroelectric generator according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
This small hydraulic power generation device obtains power for power generation from a power take-off structure having an endless chain 1 that forms a circular endless track. The power is, for example, arranged inside the circular endless orbit formed by the endless chain 1 and is connected to the rotating shaft 3 of the rotating plate 2 that rotates in conjunction with the endless chain 1 via a gear structure. It can be obtained by connecting the rotating shaft. However, since a technique for obtaining power via the rotating shaft 3 arranged inside the circular endless track is known, the description thereof is omitted in this embodiment.

  The endless chain 1 is attached to the outer periphery of a pair of rotating plates 2 and 2 that are rotatably attached to desired positions. A surface where the endless chain 1 contacts the rotating plates 2 and 2 (hereinafter referred to as the inner surface of the endless chain 1), and a surface where the rotating plates 2 and 2 contact the endless band 1 (hereinafter referred to as the rotating plate 2). Each surface of the peripheral surface has a shape that fits to each other, and the rotating plates 2 and 2 rotate (the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1) as the endless chain 1 moves. ing.

  In the endless chain 1, a plurality of plate members 4 are arranged side by side along the circumferential direction. The structure for fixing the plate material 4 to the endless chain 1 is not limited, but it is preferable that the endless chain 1 penetrates the plate 4 as shown in FIG. In this case, as a cylinder 5 described later that forms a part of the path of the plate member 4, a simple shape can be used. A groove that fits with a part of the plate member 4 protruding from the inner peripheral surface of the endless chain 1 is formed on the peripheral surface of the rotating plate 2. That is, the protruding portion of the plate material 4 from the inner peripheral surface of the endless chain band 1 is used for fitting and coupling the endless chain band 1 and the rotating plate 2. When the plate member 4 is inclined by a load, a reinforcing member that contacts the endless chain 1 and transmits the force may be introduced below the plate member 4.

  The plate member 4 moves integrally with the endless chain 1 in accordance with the revolving operation of the endless chain 1, but a part of the moving path is formed by the cylinder 5. The cylindrical body 5 has a cross-sectional shape substantially equal to the planar shape of the plate material 4, and is arranged in a state where its axis coincides with the track of the center point of the plate material 4. The cross-sectional shape of the cylindrical body 5 is slightly larger than the planar shape of the plate member 4, and a minute gap is formed between the inner surface of the cylindrical member 5 and the peripheral surface of the plate member 4 that has entered the cylindrical member 5. Will be formed. Therefore, the plate member 4 that has entered the cylindrical body 5 is in a state of being freely movable in the axial direction of the cylindrical body 5 without hitting the inner surface of the cylindrical body 5. Note that a sheet body 11 is attached to the surface of the plate member 4 to prevent a drive fluid 7 described later from leaking from a gap between the inner surface of the cylinder 5 and the peripheral surface of the plate member 4. The planar shape of the sheet body 11 is larger than the planar shape of the plate material 4, but is formed of a flexible resin material, and when the plate material 4 enters the cylindrical body 5, the cylindrical body is formed. 5 is bent and deformed in a direction opposite to the traveling direction of the plate 4 while being in contact with the inner surface of the plate 5, so that the movement of the plate 4 is not hindered. In FIG. 1, the sheet body 11 is omitted for convenience of illustration.

  Even when the endless chain 1 is stationary, the cylindrical body 5 is in a state in which a plurality of plate members 4 are disposed therein. At this time, when the space 6 formed by the plate member 4 disposed inside the cylinder 5 and the wall surface of the cylinder 5 is filled with a driving fluid (water) 7 for operating the endless chain 1, A force due to the mass of the driving fluid 7 is applied to the endless chain 1 via the plate material, and an operation of drawing a circular orbit of the endless chain 1 is started. In FIG. 1, the driving fluid 7 is abstractly indicated by a white arrow indicating a flowing direction for convenience of explanation.

  When the plate member 4 forming the bottom plate of the space 6 filled with the drive fluid at the start of operation moves downward, the drive fluid 7 is also applied to another space 6 in which the plate member 4 entering the cylinder 5 subsequently forms the bottom plate. When the filling of the driving fluid 7 is repeated in the same manner, the infinite chain band 1 continues the operation of drawing a circular orbit. Power can be obtained through the rotating shaft 3.

  The driving fluid 7 filling the space 6 formed by the plate material 4 that sequentially enters the cylinder 5 and the wall surface of the cylinder 5 is guided through an introduction pipe 8 connected to the cylinder 5. . The upstream side of the introduction pipe 8 is connected to a supply source of a driving fluid 7 (not shown), and a continuous flow path from the supply side of the driving fluid 7 to the cylinder 5 is formed. Therefore, even if the driving fluid 7 is a tunnel spring having no momentum in a head or a flow having a small flow rate, the driving fluid 7 can be guided to the space 6 in the cylinder 5 through this flow path. If the introduction pipe 8 is connected to an existing water channel, the water flowing through the water channel can be used as the driving fluid 7, and the existing infrastructure can be effectively used. For example, rainwater and sewage flowing through these pipes may be used as the driving fluid 7 by connecting to a sewage pipe such as a building or factory or a sewage pipe such as a high-rise building. Further, since the space 6 formed by the plate member 4 that moves in the cylindrical body 5 and the wall surface of the cylindrical body 5 disappears outside the cylindrical body 5, even when solid matter is mixed in the driving fluid 7, It will not be affected. Therefore, the driving fluid 7 may include a solid material, and for example, muddy water may be used as the driving fluid 7.

  A buffer container 9 is provided on the upstream side of the introduction pipe 8. The ceiling of the buffer container 9 is disposed at a position higher than the opening through which the plate 4 of the cylindrical body 5 enters. And as shown in FIG. 4, it has the structure where the water surface can be hold | maintained in the position H higher than the highest position L in the inlet which the introduction pipe 8 communicates with the space 6 of the cylinder 5. As shown in FIG. Therefore, even when the amount of the driving fluid 7 introduced into the cylinder 5 is kept constant and the supply amount of the driving fluid 7 fluctuates extremely, the operation of the infinite chain 1 can be stabilized.

  Further, a discharge pipe 10 is connected to the downstream side of the cylindrical body 5, and the driving fluid 7 in the space 6 in which the plate member 4 coming out of the cylindrical body 5 forms a bottom plate is discharged from the cylindrical body 5 through the discharge pipe 10. ing. Therefore, the driving fluid 7 falls from the edge of the plate 4 at the same time that the plate 4 that forms the bottom surface comes out of the cylinder 5, and the occurrence of problems due to the impact is prevented. Therefore, it can be used in facilities that many people use, for example, in high-rise buildings.

  The planar shape of the plate member 4 and the cross-sectional shape of the cylinder 5 are circular, but can be appropriately changed to a shape suitable for the installation location. Therefore, it can be applied to a place with a small installation area. Further, even when the cylinder 5 is arranged inclined from the vertical line, the force due to the mass of the driving fluid 7 acts on the plate member 4, so that installation along an inclined surface is also possible.

  Since the space 6 filled with the driving fluid 7 moves in the cylinder 5, the position where the introduction pipe 8 is connected to the cylinder 5 is not limited and can be adjusted as appropriate. A plurality of introduction pipes 8 may be connected. FIG. 5 shows a cylindrical body in which a plurality of introduction pipes are connected. In FIG. 5, substantially the same parts as those in the embodiment shown in FIGS.

  Two introduction pipes 8 a and 8 b are arranged side by side along the moving direction of the plate member 4 in the cylindrical body 5. Then, the drive fluid 7 is added to the space 6 through the next introduction tube 8b in a state where the amount of the drive fluid 7 is small only by the first introduction tube 8a, and a sufficient amount is filled. In this way, by connecting a plurality of introduction pipes, the present invention can be applied even when the driving fluid 7 is obtained from a plurality of height positions.

  In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, when gas, such as air, is supplied into the cylinder 5 from the drain pipe 10, when the whole lower side from the rotary plate 2 arrange | positioned at the upper side is submerged, the buoyancy of the gas will be a board | plate material. 4 is performed, and the infinite chain strip 1 is rotated in the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. At this time, the gas introduced into the cylinder 5 remains in the space 6 without leaking from the wall surface of the cylinder 5. Therefore, most of the buoyancy can be applied to the plate material 4. And it becomes possible to obtain motive power efficiently from the rotating shaft of the upper rotating plate 2.

A small hydroelectric generator with the following shape was manufactured and its performance experiment was performed.
<Apparatus configuration>
Inner diameter of cylinder: 150 mm
Effective head: 1.81m
Board spacing: 127mm
Rotating plate diameter: 226mm
The rotating plate supported a load by a bearing and connected to a generator (100 W, permanent magnet type axial outer rotor type, coreless structure) via a five-times speed increaser, and the generator generated power. Water was used as the driving fluid. In addition, although not shown in FIG. 1, in order to prevent scattering of water when a board | plate material raises, the raising path | route of the board | plate material was also formed with the cylinder. Moreover, in order to prevent scattering of water in the vicinity of the rotating plate, the rotating plate is covered with a box.
<Experimental conditions>
While increasing the flow rate from 0 to 180 [L / min] (0 to 0.003 [m ³ / s]) every 20 [L / min], the generated electricity is converted into direct current by a diode bridge, and a resistance of 144Ω The amount of power generation was calculated from the voltage between the resistors.

  The infinite chain band started to operate from about 15 [L / min], and the rotation stabilized at 20 [L / min], and the rotation speed increased as the flow rate increased. The relationship between the flow rate and the power generation amount is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the amount of power generation increases as the flow rate increases, and reaches 30 W at 180 [L / min]. The power generation efficiency obtained by dividing the power generation amount at this time by the energy held by water is 58%. The power generation efficiency at each flow rate is as shown in FIG.

The power generation efficiency obtained in this example is lower than that of ordinary small hydroelectric generators (Belton water turbine, cross-flow water turbine, etc.), which is due to the small flow rate and effective head. . For example, regarding the flow rate, the applied flow rate in normal small hydroelectric power generation is 0.03 to ³ [m ³ / s], whereas the flow rate in this embodiment is 10% of the minimum flow rate in normal small hydroelectric power generation. It is less than 1 / min. When the flow rate or effective head is small, the generated torque is small, the ratio of friction loss in the speed increaser or the generator is increased, and the power generation efficiency of the entire apparatus is lowered. Therefore, in order to make an appropriate comparison with an ordinary small hydroelectric generator, the turbine efficiency is used in the following study.

The turbine efficiency indicates how much of the energy of water can be converted into rotational energy. The following relationship is established between the power generation efficiency and the turbine efficiency in consideration of the loss due to the bearings and the speed increaser (speed increaser loss) and the loss when the work is converted into electricity (generator loss).
(Power generation efficiency) = (Water turbine efficiency) x (Speed increaser efficiency) x (Generator efficiency)
The efficiency of the generator and the speed increaser is generally known widely, and when a known value is adopted for them, the power generation efficiency is 0.58. The turbine efficiency of this embodiment is 0.81 to 0.88. It becomes. However, the speed increaser efficiency was 0.88 to 0.90, and the generator efficiency was 0.75 to 0.80.

  Therefore, it was confirmed that the turbine efficiency of this example was 80% or more. Considering that the turbine efficiency of a normal small hydroelectric generator is 75 to 90%, it can be seen that the turbine efficiency of this embodiment is excellent. Note that the small hydroelectric generator of the present invention uses a gravity type turbine, and the effective head = total head. However, in the reaction type turbine such as the Francis type, the effective head = total head−loss head (pipe friction resistance). Etc.). Therefore, when considering the total head, it can be said that the efficiency of the small hydroelectric generator of the present invention may be higher. In this embodiment, the interval (127 mm) between the plate members is about 7% of the effective head (1.81 m), but the turbine efficiency can be further improved by shortening this interval. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Endless strip 2 Rotating plate 3 Rotating shaft 4 Plate material 5 Cylinder body 6 Space 7 Drive fluid 8 Introducing pipe 9 Buffer container 10 Discharge pipe 11 Sheet body

Claims (4)

  A plurality of plate members are arranged side by side in a circumferential direction in an endless chain band forming a circular endless track, and a part of a movement path of the plate member is formed by a cylinder surrounding the plate member in a movable state, An introduction pipe that guides the driving fluid to a space formed by the plate member that has entered the cylindrical body and the wall surface of the cylindrical body is connected to the cylindrical body via a rotating shaft that is disposed inside the circular endless track. A small hydroelectric generator characterized by   The small hydroelectric generator according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the introduction pipes are arranged side by side along the moving direction of the plate member in the cylindrical body.   3. The small hydroelectric generator according to claim 1, wherein a discharge pipe for the driving fluid is connected to a downstream side along a moving direction of the plate member from the attachment position of the introduction pipe in the cylindrical body. The buffer container which can hold | maintain a water surface in a still higher position rather than the highest position in the inlet which the said introductory pipe | tube connects to the space of the said cylinder is provided in the upstream of the said introductory pipe. 3. The small hydroelectric power generator according to 3.

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