JP2012251499A - Propeller structure for tidal current power generator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a propeller structure for a tidal current power generation device capable of obtaining a stable power generation amount, by stabilizing rotational acceleration of an output shaft.SOLUTION: This propeller structure 3 for a tidal current power generation device comprises: an output shaft 7 connected to a power generator 5 of the tidal current power generation device 1; and m rotors 9 fixed to the output shaft 7. Each of the m rotors 9 includes n vane parts 11 radially extending from the output shaft 7 and equiangularly fixed to the output shaft 7. Each of the n vane parts 11 includes a blade 13 receiving a tidal current, a support shaft 15 extending in a direction perpendicular to the output shaft 7 and rotatably supporting the blade 13, and a regulation shaft 17 regulating the rotation of the blade 13 while the blade 13 is rotated and a surface of the blade 13 becomes parallel to the output shaft 7. In the m rotors 9, all of the vane parts 11 of the m rotors 9 are arranged at intervals of 360/(mn) degrees about an axis of the shaft relative to the adjacent vane parts 11 when viewed from above.

Description

  The present invention relates to a propeller structure for a tidal current generator.

  Conventionally, what was described in patent document 1 as a propeller structure for tidal power generators for generating power using tidal energy is known.

JP 2010-180873 A

  Patent Document 1 describes a propeller structure including a rotor in which an opening / closing rotary blade is formed by two blades that are rotatably connected to each other, and four open / close rotary blades are arranged around the shaft at intervals of 90 degrees. Has been. Patent Document 1 describes that the output torque by the propeller structure is increased by providing a plurality of such rotors.

  However, in the propeller structure of Patent Document 1, since the positional relationship of the blades in each rotor is not considered, for example, when the propeller structure is viewed along the axial direction of the output shaft, the blades of all the rotors overlap. In the case where the positional relations are different, the overlapping blades simultaneously receive a power flow and increase the rotational acceleration of the output shaft. On the other hand, at a position where the angle between adjacent blades bisected is perpendicular to the tidal current, all blades receive the tidal current, so the rotational acceleration of the output shaft cannot be increased. . As described above, the propeller structure described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the rotational acceleration of the output shaft cannot be stabilized, and as a result, the amount of power generated by the tidal current power generator cannot be stabilized.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a propeller structure for a tidal current power generation device that can obtain a stable power generation amount by stabilizing the rotational acceleration of an output shaft. For the purpose.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention includes, in a propeller structure for a tidal current power generation device, an output shaft connected to a power generator of the tidal current power generation device, and m rotors fixed to the output shaft. Each of the m rotors extends radially about the output shaft and has n wings that are equiangular with each other and secured to the output shaft so that each wing receives a tidal current. Blade, a support shaft that extends in a direction orthogonal to the output shaft and supports the blade in a rotatable manner, and the blade rotates in a state where the blade rotates and the surface of the blade is parallel to the output shaft. When the rotor is viewed from above, all the blades of the m rotors are arranged around the shaft axis with an interval of 360 / (mn) degrees with respect to the adjacent blades. Wherein we are.

  According to the present invention configured as described above, all the propellers in the propeller structure including the blades rotatably supported with respect to the support shaft orthogonal to the output shaft are arranged at equal angular intervals around the output shaft. Can be arranged. By arranging all the propellers at equal angular intervals in this way, the angular acceleration during rotation of the propeller structure that rotates in response to the power flow can always be kept substantially constant.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the restricting member includes a restricting shaft that extends in parallel with the support shaft at a predetermined interval and contacts the blade in parallel with the output shaft to restrict the rotation of the blade.
According to the present invention configured as described above, the rotation range of the blade relative to the support shaft can be limited with a simple structure.

In the present invention, preferably, the restriction shaft is fixed to the output shaft below the support shaft, the upper end vicinity of the blade is rotatably supported by the support shaft, and the lower end vicinity of the blade is restricted. It comes in contact with the shaft.
According to the present invention configured as described above, the blade rotated to the horizontal state upon receiving the tidal current can be returned to a state parallel to the output shaft using gravity with a simple structure.

In the present invention, it is preferable to further include a buffer member provided at a location where the regulating shaft and the blade are in contact with each other.
According to the present invention configured as described above, the shock between the blade and the regulating shaft can be reduced by the buffer member.

  As described above, according to the present invention, in the propeller structure for a tidal current power generator, the rotational acceleration of the output shaft can be stabilized, and thereby the power generation amount of the tidal current power generator can be stabilized.

It is a side view of the trolley which carried the tidal current power generator provided with the propeller structure by the embodiment of the present invention. It is a bottom view of a trolley carrying a tidal current power generation device provided with a propeller structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an elevational view of a propeller structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of the propeller structure by embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the propeller by embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the rotor of the propeller structure by embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows the angular velocity of the propeller structure in the water which flows with the flow velocity of 0.5 m / s by the Example of this invention. It is a graph which shows the angular acceleration of the propeller structure in the water which flows with the flow velocity of 0.5 m / s by the Example of this invention. 4 is a graph showing the angular velocity of a propeller structure in water flowing at a flow rate of 1.0 m / s according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a graph which shows the angular acceleration of the propeller structure in the water which flows with the flow velocity of 1.0 m / s by the Example of this invention. 4 is a graph showing the angular velocity of a propeller structure in water flowing at a flow rate of 1.5 m / s according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a graph which shows the angular acceleration of the propeller structure in the water which flows at the flow velocity of 1.5 m / s by the Example of this invention. 4 is a graph showing the angular velocity of a propeller structure in water flowing at a flow rate of 2.0 m / s according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a graph which shows the angular acceleration of the propeller structure in the water which flows at the flow velocity of 2.0 m / s by the Example of this invention.

  Hereinafter, a propeller structure for a tidal current power generator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of a trolley on which a tidal current power generation apparatus having a propeller structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted, and FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the trolley of FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tidal current power generation device 1 includes a plurality of propeller structures 3 and a plurality of generators 5, and transmits the energy obtained by each propeller structure 3 to the generators 5. It is designed to generate power. The generator 5 on the trolley is connected to a land-based substation facility via a transmission line (not shown). The tidal power generator 1 rotates the propeller structure 3 by the tidal current at sea, and converts the energy into electric power in the generator 5.

  A plurality of propeller structures 3 are mounted on the trolley, and each propeller structure 3 has the same structure. Six propeller structures 3 are arranged at equal intervals on both sides of the carriage.

  FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the propeller structure 3, and FIG. 4 is a top view of the propeller structure 3. The propeller structure 3 includes an output shaft 7 connected to the generator 5 and a plurality of rotors 9 fixed to the output shaft 7. The upper end of the output shaft 7 extending in the vertical direction is fixed to a bearing having a rotor of the generator 5, and the energy of the rotor 9 that rotates due to the tidal current is transmitted to the generator 5 as a rotational force. . The plurality of rotors 9 overlap each other along the axial direction of the output shaft 7.

The rotor 9 has a plurality of wing parts 11 extending radially from the output shaft 7 in the direction orthogonal to the output shaft 7. A plurality of wing portions 11 provided in one rotor 9 are fixed to the output shaft 7 at equal angular intervals. In this embodiment, one rotor 9 is provided with four blade portions 11, and each blade portion 11 in one rotor 9 is 90 degrees from the adjacent blade portion 11 in the circumferential direction of the output shaft 7. It is fixed to the output shaft 7 at a remote position. As will be described later, the rotor 9 rotates in response to the power flow, and the diameter of the circle formed by the locus when the rotor 9 rotates around the output shaft is, for example, about 7200 mm to 7300 mm. The
In this embodiment, it is assumed that the propeller structure 3 includes four rotors 9. However, in the propeller structure according to the present invention, the number of rotors (m: m> 1) can be appropriately changed. Further, it is assumed that four blades 11 are provided in one rotor 9, but in the propeller structure according to the present invention, the number of blades (n: n> 1) provided in one rotor is four. It is not limited to.

  The four wing portions 11 provided in the rotor 9 all have the same structure, and each wing portion 11 supports a blade 13 for receiving a tidal current and the blade 13 with respect to the output shaft 7. Support shaft 15. One end of the support shaft 15 is fixed to the output shaft 7, and extends so as to be orthogonal to the output shaft 7. The blade 13 is supported on the other end side of the support shaft 15 so as to be rotatable with respect to the support shaft 15. Further, the wing part 11 has a regulating shaft 17 for regulating the rotation of the blade 13. The restriction shaft 17 extends from the output shaft 7 in parallel to the support shaft 15 and orthogonal to the output shaft 7. The restriction shaft 17 is fixed to the output shaft 7 below the support shaft 15. In addition, a plurality of rib members 19 are passed between the support shaft 15 and the restriction shaft 17, whereby a ladder-shaped frame 21 is formed by the support shaft 15, the restriction shaft 17, and the rib member 19. ing.

  The blade 13 is composed of a rectangular plate-like member having a height of about 610 mm and a length of about 2400 mm, for example. When the rectangular surface has a predetermined angle with respect to the tidal current, the blade 13 receives the tidal current and generates energy from the tidal current. The power is transmitted to the output shaft 7 through the support shaft 15. Further, considering that the tidal current received by the surface of the blade 13 creates a moment to rotate the output shaft 7, the tip of the blade 13 and the tip of the support shaft 15 (and the regulation shaft 17) are aligned and output. It is preferable to increase the moment applied to the shaft 7.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the wing portion. A ring member 23 having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the support shaft 15 is provided around the support shaft 15. The ring member 23 is fixed near the upper end of the blade 13. Further, a buffer member 25 is provided on the side of the regulation shaft 17 that contacts the blade 13 so that the vicinity of the lower end of the blade 13 is in contact. Such a blade 13 is arranged on the upstream side of the rotation of the propeller structure 3 with respect to the frame 21. The blade 13 rotates around the support shaft 15 via the ring member 23. When the surface of the blade 13 is substantially vertical (in a state parallel to the output shaft), the lower end of the blade 13 is rotated. Comes into contact with the buffer member 25, so that the blade 13 does not further rotate around the support shaft 15.

  The propeller structure 3 according to the present embodiment has four rotors 9 each having the four wing parts 11 described above. The rotors 9 are fixed to each other with a predetermined angle around the axis of the output shaft 7. Therefore, when the propeller structure 3 is viewed from above, a total of sixteen blade portions 11 extend radially around the output shaft 7 as shown in FIG. The angle between the adjacent blade portions 11 when viewed from above is determined by 360 / (number of rotors × number of blade portions for each rotor). Therefore, in the propeller structure 3 in which each of the four rotors 9 has the four blade portions 11, the angle between the adjacent blade portions 11 is set to 22.5 degrees when viewed from above. . This angle adjustment is performed by shifting the rotors 9 adjacent to each other vertically by 22.5 degrees when fixing the rotor 9 to the output shaft 7.

  Next, the operation of the propeller structure according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 shows a top view of one rotor 9 of the propeller structure 3. In the figure, a straight arrow A indicates the flow direction of the tide, and a curved arrow B indicates the rotation direction of the propeller structure 3. In the following, for convenience of explanation, the four wing parts 11 are respectively arranged from the upstream side in the rotation direction of the propeller structure 3 with the first wing part 11a, the second wing part 11b, the third wing part 11c, and the fourth wing part. This will be described as the wing part 11d. In the figure, the surfaces of the blades 13 of the first wing part 11a and the third wing part 11c extend in a direction perpendicular to the tidal current, and the blades 13 of the second wing part 11b and the fourth wing part 11d are tidal currents. It extends substantially parallel to.

  In the state shown in the figure, the blade 13 of the first wing part 11a is located on the upstream side of the tidal current with respect to the frame 21, so that when the tidal current is received on the surface of the blade 13, the blade 13 moves to the frame 21. A moment that rotates the output shaft 7 by the force of the tidal current is generated. At this time, since the blade 13 of the second wing portion 11b extends in a direction substantially parallel to the tidal current, it is not affected by the tidal current. At this time, since the blade 13 of the third wing portion 11c is located downstream of the tidal current with respect to the frame 21, when the tidal current is received by the blade 13, the blade 13 rotates around the support shaft 17. , Almost horizontal. Thereby, the tidal current flows downstream through the opening of the frame 21 without hitting the blade 13.

  Thus, in one propeller structure 3, the blade 13 is located upstream of the tidal current with respect to the frame 21 and extends in a direction orthogonal to the tidal current, as in the first wing part 11a described above. Energy for rotating the output shaft 7 is generated by the wing portions 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d. And in one propeller structure 3, as shown in FIG. 6, the blade 13 of one wing part 11 is located upstream of the tidal current with respect to the frame 21, and extends in a direction orthogonal to the tidal current. In this case, it is considered that the energy transmitted to the output shaft 7 is maximized. Then, as described above, when the plurality of rotors 9 are formed and the propeller structure 3 is viewed from the top, all the blade parts 11 of all the rotors 9 have the axis of the output shaft 7 with respect to the adjacent blade parts 11. By arranging them at an interval of 360 / (mn) around, the blades 13 of the blades 11 of any of the rotors 9 are located upstream of the tidal current with respect to the frame 21 and are perpendicular to the tidal current. An extended state can be created continuously. As a result, it is possible to maintain a relatively large amount of energy transmitted to the output shaft 7.

  Examples of the present invention will be described in detail below. In the following, when the propeller structure including four rotors each having four blades having a width of 2438 mm and a height of 610 mm is placed in water flowing at a predetermined flow velocity, the angular velocity and angular acceleration of the propeller structure are shown. The measured result is shown. The angular velocity was measured by photographing the propeller structure from the water and analyzing this image over time.

  FIG. 7 is a graph showing the angular velocity of the propeller structure in water flowing at a flow rate of 0.5 m / s, and FIG. 8 is a graph showing the angular acceleration of the propeller structure under the conditions. FIG. 9 is a graph showing the angular velocity of the propeller structure in water flowing at a flow rate of 1.0 m / s, and FIG. 10 is a graph showing the angular acceleration of the propeller structure under the conditions. FIG. 11 is a graph showing the angular velocity of the propeller structure in water flowing at a flow rate of 1.5 m / s, and FIG. 12 is a graph showing the angular acceleration of the propeller structure under the conditions. FIG. 13 is a graph showing the angular velocity of the propeller structure in water flowing at a flow rate of 2.0 m / s, and FIG. 14 is a graph showing the angular acceleration of the propeller structure under the conditions.

  As shown in these figures, it can be seen that the increase or decrease in the angular acceleration of the propeller structure is very small at any flow rate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tidal current power generator 3 Propeller structure 5 Generator 7 Output shaft 9 Rotor 11 Wing | blade part 13 Blade 15 Support shaft 17 Restriction shaft 25 Buffer member

Claims (4)

In the propeller structure for tidal current power generators,
An output shaft connected to the generator of the tidal current generator;
M rotors fixed to the output shaft,
each of the m rotors has n wings extending radially about the output shaft and fixed to the output shaft at equal angles to each other;
Each of the wings includes a blade adapted to receive a tidal current, a support shaft extending in a direction orthogonal to the output shaft and configured to rotatably support the blade, and the blade rotating to A regulating member that regulates the rotation of the blade in a state where the surface of the blade is parallel to the output shaft,
The rotor has a propeller structure in which when viewed from above, all the blades of the m rotors are arranged with an interval of 360 / (mn) degrees around the axis of the shaft with respect to adjacent blades. .   2. The control member according to claim 1, wherein the control member includes a control shaft that extends in parallel with the support shaft at a predetermined interval and controls the rotation of the blade by contacting the blade in a state parallel to the output shaft. Propeller structure for tidal current power generation equipment.   The restriction shaft is fixed to the output shaft below the support shaft, the upper end vicinity of the blade is rotatably supported by the support shaft, and the lower end vicinity of the blade is supported by the restriction shaft. The propeller structure for a tidal current power generator according to claim 2, wherein the propeller structure is in contact with each other.   The propeller structure for a tidal current power generator according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising a buffer member provided at a location where the restriction shaft and the blade are in contact with each other.

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