JP2014051940A - Power generator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power generator of which generating efficiency can be easily improved.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a power generator 1 for generating power by rotating a rotor 11 with water W flowing at a pipeline 2. A water stop valve 20 that becomes an opened state when a flow rate of the water W is more than a first prescribed value and becomes a closed state when the flow rate of the water W is less than the first prescribed value is installed at a more upstream side of the rotor 11 at the pipeline 2. The water stop valve 20 is provided with a holding part 24 for storing the water W in the upstream side of the water stop valve 20 when the flow rate is less than the first prescribed value and keeping the closed state until the stored amount becomes more than a prescribed amount P1 or the flow rate becomes more than a second prescribed value.

Description

  The present invention relates to a power generation apparatus that generates power using rainwater flowing in a rain gutter or drainage of a watering device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a device that generates electricity by rotating a water wheel by rainwater from a rain gutter or drainage from a kitchen or a washstand. However, in such an apparatus, the use of the rainwater described above causes, for example, a flow rate that can be generated by a water turbine and a flow rate that is smaller than this flow rate and cannot be generated. The flow rate is difficult to stabilize. In addition, when the flow rate is small, water may not be introduced into the water wheel due to water flowing down along the inner surface of the pipe.

  Therefore, for example, in the power generation device of Patent Document 1, a storage unit that temporarily stores rainwater and drainage, a pipe that is connected downstream of the storage unit via a water stop valve, and a power generation device that is provided in the pipe Water turbine. And in this electric power generating apparatus, when the storage amount of a storage part exceeds a fixed quantity, it makes it easy to introduce the collective quantity of water to a water turbine by opening a drain valve. As a result, the power generation device disclosed in Patent Document 1 substantially eliminates the influence of flow rate variations and facilitates stable power generation by the water turbine.

JP-A-8-237997

  By the way, in the power generation device of Patent Document 1, when a large amount of rainwater is supplied to the storage unit, for example, in rainy weather, a stop valve is opened each time a certain amount of water is stored in the storage unit, and the stored water is discharged. Then, the water stop valve is closed, and this closed state is maintained until a certain amount of water is accumulated. In other words, in the conventional power generation device, even when water is supplied in such a flow rate that it can be directly flowed to the rotor to generate power, the water is temporarily stored until it reaches a certain amount, and then the stored water is made to flow again. It is generating electricity. For this reason, in the conventional electric power generating apparatus, there exists a problem that the said flow volume which is the energy which can be generated is not utilized for electric power generation. In addition, when a detection unit for detecting the amount of stored water is used, or when an electromagnetic valve is used as a water stop valve, etc., electricity is required for the operation of these members. There is a problem that efficiency decreases.

  Therefore, in view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to propose a power generation device that easily improves power generation efficiency.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention is a power generation device that generates power by rotating a rotor with water flowing through a pipe, and enters an open state when the flow rate of the water is equal to or higher than a first predetermined value. A water stop valve that is closed when it is less than a first predetermined value is provided upstream of the rotor of the pipe, and the water stop valve supplies the water when it is less than the first predetermined value. It is characterized by comprising a holding part that is stored upstream of the water stop valve and holds the closed state until the water storage amount becomes a predetermined amount or more or the flow rate becomes a second predetermined value or more. To do.

  Moreover, it is preferable as this invention that the said piping is provided in the downstream side of a rain gutter or the waste_water | drain side of watering equipment.

  Further, as the present invention, the water stop valve is magnetically attached to the pipe as the valve body that closes the pipe, the urging portion that elastically urges the valve body toward the closed state, and the holding portion. It is preferable to include a magnetic body that holds the valve body in a closed state.

  According to the present invention, the rotor can be rotated with water having a flow rate equal to or higher than the first and second predetermined values or with water accumulated more than a predetermined amount. For this reason, this invention can make it easy to reduce the loss of electric power generation compared with the case where it always distribute | circulates to a rotor without always storing a predetermined amount irrespective of flow volume. As a result, the present invention can easily improve the power generation efficiency.

Sectional drawing of a power generator is shown, (a) is a water stop valve closed state, (b) is a water stop valve open state. (A) is sectional drawing when a flow volume is more than a 1st predetermined value, (b) is sectional drawing when a flow volume becomes less than a 1st predetermined value from the state of Fig.2 (a). A sectional view when the flow rate is less than the first predetermined value is shown, (a) is the initial stage of water storage, (d) is the water storage period, (c) is immediately after the water storage amount reaches the predetermined amount, (D) is immediately after the stored water flows down.

  The present invention will be described based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the power generation device 1 according to the present embodiment has a downstream flow such as a hail that is a downstream side of a rain gutter and a drain pipe that is a drain side of a watering device such as a sink or a washbasin. Provided on the road.

  The power generation apparatus 1 performs power generation by rotating the rotor 11 with the pipe 2 functioning as a part of the downstream flow path, the water stop valve 20 provided in the middle of the pipe 2, and the water W flowing through the pipe 2. And a power generation unit 10. For this reason, the electric power generating apparatus 1 is generating electric power using the water W which flows through this downstream flow path.

  The pipe 2 includes a connection portion 7 in which the water stop valve 20 is disposed, a first portion 3 upstream of the connection portion 7 (water stop valve 20), and a second downstream of the connection portion 7 (water stop valve 20). Part 4. Then, in the pipe 2, water W flows from the upper side toward the lower side. In other words, the first part 3 is arranged above the second part 4, and the lower part (lower end part) of the first part 3 is connected to the upper part (upper end part) of the second part 4. Hereinafter, the direction in which the water W flows is referred to as a flow direction F, which is a reference direction. And let the state seen in the flow direction F be planar view.

  The first portion 3 and the second portion 4 have a substantially uniform inner dimension, and the first portion 3 and the second portion 4 have substantially the same inner dimension. And the 1st site | part 3 and the 2nd site | part 4 have an axial direction located substantially parallel to the flow direction F, and the axial center of a pipe | tube is located so that planar view overlaps. In other words, the 1st site | part 3 and the 2nd site | part 4 are arrange | positioned along with the upper and lower sides substantially coaxially. Furthermore, the rotor 11 of the power generation unit 10 is provided in the second part 4.

  The power generation unit 10 includes a rotor 11 that rotates with water W flowing through the pipe 2, a conversion unit (not shown) that converts the rotational energy of the rotor 11 into electricity, and a power storage unit that stores electricity converted by the conversion unit ( (Not shown).

  The rotor 11 is, for example, a water wheel having a rotation axis substantially orthogonal to the flow direction F. Then, the rotor 11 is rotated around the axis of rotation (see the rotation direction T3 in FIGS. 2 and 3) by the water W flowing in the flow direction F. The said conversion part is a dynamo, an alternator, etc., for example, and converts the rotational driving force of the rotor 11 into electric power. The power storage unit is electrically connected to the conversion unit. The power storage unit is supplied with the electric power converted by the conversion unit, and stores the electric power.

  The power generation unit 10 may not include the power storage unit. And the electric power generating apparatus 1 may supply the electric power obtained by the electric power generation part 10 to an external electric power consumption part (not shown). The power consuming unit is preferably a device that consumes less power (that can be operated with less power) such as a lighting fixture using a light emitting diode.

  Further, the pipe 2 is provided with an expansion portion 5 between the first portion 3 and the second portion 4. The extended portion 5 is formed by a protruding portion 6 that protrudes outward from the downstream end of the first portion 3 and a connection portion 7 that connects the outer peripheral end of the protruding portion 6 to the upstream end of the second portion 4.

  The protrusion 6 has a plate shape. And the protrusion part 6 has a plate surface positioned substantially orthogonal to the flow direction F. The upstream end of the connecting portion 7 is connected to the outer peripheral end of the protruding portion 6. For this reason, the upstream end of the connecting portion 7 is connected to the first portion 3 via the protruding portion 6.

  The connection part 7 has a tubular shape. And the connection part 7 has an inclined inner surface, and the inner dimension of the cylinder becomes narrower toward the downstream side. The downstream end of the connection portion 7 is substantially the same size as the upstream end of the second part 4, and is connected to the upstream end of the second part 4.

  The water stop valve 20 is disposed in the extended portion 5. In other words, the expansion part 5 is an arrangement part for the water stop valve 20 in the pipe 2. The water stop valve 20 holds the valve body 21 in a state in which the valve body 21 that closes the pipe 2, the urging portion 22 that biases the valve body 21 in the direction to close the pipe 2, and the pipe 2 is closed. Part 24.

  The valve body 21 is formed in a plate shape. The valve body 21 is disposed on the downstream side of the protruding portion 6. Then, in a state where the plate surface of the valve body 21 is arranged substantially parallel to the lower surface of the protruding portion 6, the dimension of the valve body 21 in plan view is larger than the inner dimension of the first portion 3 and is approximately the same as the protruding portion 6. Or it is a little small.

  For this reason, the valve body 21 can block | close the downstream end of the 1st site | part 3 by contact | abutting a plate surface to the plate surface of the protrusion part 6. FIG. In other words, the valve body 21 is in the closed state by contacting the protruding portion 6. Accordingly, the water stop valve 20 is in a closed state in which the pipe 2 is stopped. Furthermore, the valve body 21 can open | release the downstream end of the 1st site | part 3 from the said obstruct | occluded state by separating a plate surface from the plate surface of the protrusion part 6. FIG. Thereby, the water stop valve 20 will be in the open state which enables the piping 2 to pass water.

  Further, the valve body 21 is provided with a pivot portion 23 at one end (first end) of the outer periphery of the plate. The valve body 21 is pivotally supported by the extension portion 5 via the pivot portion 23. For this reason, the valve body 21 is rotatable within the extension portion 5 by the pivot portion 23. And the pivot part 23 has a rotating shaft in the direction substantially orthogonal to the flow direction F, and the valve body 21 rotates around this rotating shaft (refer to the rotating directions T1 and T2 in FIG. 3). To do. Accordingly, the valve body 21 can switch between a closed position where the downstream end of the first part 3 is closed and an open position where the downstream end of the first part 3 is opened. In other words, the water shut-off valve 20 is switched between the closed state and the open state by rotating the valve body 21 via the pivot portion 23.

  The urging portion 22 elastically urges the valve body 21 in the direction of rotation toward the closed position (see the rotation direction T2 in FIGS. 2 and 3). For example, the urging portion 22 is an elastic body such as a spring. It is formed with. The urging unit 22 is provided on the pivotal support unit 23. For this reason, the pivot part 23 is, for example, a so-called spring hinge in which a spring is provided between two butterfly pieces. And the pivot part 23 which has the urging | biasing part 22 is the state which urged | biased the valve body 21 in the closed side, and supports the valve body 21 to the piping 2 (expansion part 5) rotatably.

  The holding part 24 is formed of a magnetic material, for example, a magnet. And the holding | maintenance part 24 is provided in the one end (2nd end) side on the opposite side to the 1st end which provided the pivotal support part 23 of the outer periphery of the valve body 21 in planar view. The holding part 24 is magnetically attached to the held part 25 provided in the extension part 5 in the closed state.

  The held portion 25 is provided on the protruding portion 6. The held portion 25 is positioned so as to substantially overlap the holding portion 24 of the valve body 20 in the closed state in plan view. And the to-be-held part 25 is formed with the magnetic body, for example, is a magnet. Furthermore, the held portion 25 is magnetically attached to the held portion 25 in the closed state. Thereby, the water stop valve 20 can hold | maintain the said closed state. In other words, the water stop valve 20 can hold | maintain the valve body 21 in the said obstruction | occlusion position because the holding | maintenance part 24 magnetically adheres to the to-be-held part 25. FIG.

  Further, when the water stop valve 20 is held in the closed state and the flow rate of the water W is supplied at a first predetermined value or more, as shown in FIG. It is burned. When the water W is supplied at a flow rate equal to or higher than the first predetermined value in the state in which the holding is released, the water stop valve 20 resists the urging force of the urging unit 22 and the valve body 21. Rotates toward the open position. In other words, the water stop valve 20 is switched from the closed state to the open state when water W is supplied at a flow rate greater than or equal to the first predetermined value.

  As described above, in the power generation device 1, when the water W is supplied at a flow rate equal to or higher than the first predetermined value, the water W flows from the first part 3 to the second part 4. In the power generation device 1, the water W that has flowed into the second part 4 rotates the rotor 11. In other words, the power generation device 1 generates power by the rotor 11 by supplying water W at a flow rate equal to or higher than the first predetermined value.

  Furthermore, in the open state, the water stop valve 20 has a flow rate of the water W that is less than the first predetermined value. For example, the water pressure is weaker than the urging force of the urging unit 22 (the urging force is superior to the water pressure). Then, the urging portion 22 rotates the valve body 21 toward the closed position. And the water stop valve 20 is hold | maintained in the said closed state by the holding | maintenance part 24, if the valve body 21 is located in the said obstruction | occlusion position. In other words, the water stop valve 20 operates to switch to the closed state when the flow rate of the water W becomes less than the first predetermined value.

  The first predetermined value is, for example, a flow rate that causes the rotor 11 to generate a rotational driving force that can be converted by the conversion unit into an amount of power that can be stored by the power storage unit. In other words, the first predetermined value is a flow rate at which power can be generated to such an extent that power can be stored in the power storage unit even if energy is consumed due to conversion loss or the like in the conversion unit. For this reason, the power generation device 1 allows the power storage unit to store power even when energy is consumed due to a conversion loss or the like in the conversion unit by flowing the water W at the flow rate of the first predetermined value. It can generate electricity.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the power generation device 1 can temporarily store water W in the lower portion of the first portion 3 with the valve body 21 as a bottom in the closed state. Then, when the water W stored in the lower portion of the first portion 3 reaches a predetermined amount P1 or more, the power generation device 1 is released from the holding by the holding unit 24.

  Here, the predetermined amount P1 is a water storage amount that can generate power by the rotor 11 by, for example, opening the lower end of the first portion 3 to flow down.

  For this reason, the water stop valve 20 is in a state where water W of a predetermined amount P1 or more is supplied toward the second portion 4 by releasing the holding, and resists the urging force of the urging portion 22. The valve body 21 rotates toward the open position. In other words, the water stop valve 20 is switched from the closed state to the open state by storing the water W of the predetermined amount P1 or more in the lower part of the first portion 3. Accordingly, the power generation device 1 can perform power generation to the extent that power can be stored in the power storage unit even when the energy is consumed due to conversion loss or the like in the conversion unit.

  Further, when the power generation device 1 stores the water in the closed state, when the flow rate of the water W becomes equal to or higher than the second predetermined value, even if the water storage amount is less than the predetermined amount P1, FIG. As shown, the water stop valve 20 is switched to the open state. In this case, the power generation apparatus 1 can perform power generation by rotating the rotor 11 with the water W having a flow rate equal to or greater than the second predetermined value or the stored water W.

  Here, the second predetermined value is, for example, a flow rate at which the water stop valve 20 is switched to the open state when the water is stored. The second predetermined value varies depending on the amount of stored water, but is a slightly lower flow rate than the first predetermined value or a flow rate substantially equal to the first predetermined value. Furthermore, the power generation device 1 rotates the rotational driving force so that the total of the water W and the amount of water stored at the second predetermined flow rate can be converted by the conversion unit into an amount of power that can be stored in the power storage unit. It is the amount of water generated in the child 11.

  Thus, since the water stop valve 20 will be in the said open state when the flow volume of the water W is more than the said 1st predetermined value, the electric power generating apparatus 1 uses the energy of the water W in this flow volume effectively. Can generate electricity. Thereby, the power generation device 1 can easily improve the power generation efficiency.

  Further, since the power generation device 1 stores the water W upstream of the water stop valve 20 when the power generation device 1 is less than the first predetermined value, the second portion 4 of the water W having a flow rate less than the first predetermined value. The inflow to can be suppressed. In other words, the power generation device 1 can suppress water flow in a state where it is difficult to generate power by temporarily storing the water W less than the first predetermined value in the first portion 3. As a result, the power generation device 1 can suppress a decrease in power generation efficiency associated with water flow in a state where it is difficult to generate power compared to the case where water is constantly passed.

  The power generation device 1 performs power generation by effectively using the energy of the stored water W in order to switch to the open state when the amount of water stored in the first portion 3 is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount P1. Can do. As a result, the power generation device 1 can easily improve the power generation efficiency by the stored water W as compared with the case where water is constantly passed.

  Furthermore, the power generation device 1 switches to the open state when the flow rate becomes equal to or higher than the second predetermined value at the time of storing the water. Therefore, the power generation device 1 generates power by effectively using the energy of the water W at the flow rate. It can be carried out. For this reason, when the water W having a flow rate equal to or greater than the second predetermined value flows into the first portion 3 when the water is stored, the power generation device 1 stores the water W at this flow rate (regardless of the flow rate, The energy loss of the water W can be easily reduced as compared with the case where the fixed amount P1 is stored. Accordingly, the power generation device 1 can easily improve the power generation efficiency as compared with the case where the predetermined amount P1 is always stored regardless of the flow rate.

  Furthermore, the power generation device 1 is provided with the urging portion 22 that urges the valve body 21 toward the closed state. The urging force can easily switch to the closed state. And since the urging | biasing part 22 was formed with the elastic body, the electric power generating apparatus 1 can be switched to the said closed state, without providing a drive means, a detection part, a control part, etc. in the urging | biasing part 22. FIG. can do. As a result, the power generation device 1 can easily form the urging unit 22, and it is not necessary to include an electric member such as a control unit, and the electric power generated by the electric member is consumed. The reduction in power generation efficiency can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, since the power generation device 1 is formed with the holding unit 24 made of a magnetic material that is magnetically attached to the expansion unit 5, even if the holding unit 24 is not provided with a driving unit, a flow rate or a water storage amount detection unit, a control unit, or the like, The first and second predetermined values and the predetermined amount P1 can be operated (such as opening / closing switching of the water stop valve 20). Accordingly, the power generation device 1 can easily form the opening / closing switching of the holding unit 24 and the water stop valve 20 and the like, and it is not necessary to include an electric member, and the electric power generated by the electric member is consumed. It is possible to suppress a decrease in power generation efficiency due to being performed.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment described above, and appropriate design changes can be made within the intended scope of the present invention. For example, the downstream channel is not limited to the one in which the water W flows substantially vertically as in this example. Specifically, the downstream channel flows in a direction inclined from the vertical direction, the upstream side from the water stop valve 20 is different from the inclined direction in the downstream side from the water stop valve 20, or the upstream For example, only one of the side and the downstream side may flow in an inclined direction. Further, for example, the urging portion 22 is not limited to the one provided on the pivot portion 23, and the inclined surface (inner surface) of the expansion portion 5 and the lower surface of the valve body 21 (the plate surface facing the second portion 4 side in the closed state). ) And the like may be provided. Further, for example, the power generation device 1 may include a detection unit that detects a flow rate and a water storage amount. In this case, the holding unit 24 may release the holding according to the detection result of the detection unit. For example, the holding unit 24 may include a drive unit that adjusts the rotation of the valve body 21 via the pivotal support unit 23 to perform opening / closing switching, holding, and the like of the valve body 21.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Power generator 2 Piping 3 1st part 4 2nd part 10 Electric power generation part 11 Rotor 20 Water stop valve 21 Valve body 22 Energizing part 23 Pivoting part 24 Holding part 25 Held part W Water F Flow direction P1 Predetermined amount

Claims (3)

A power generator that generates electricity by rotating a rotor with water flowing through a pipe,
A water stop valve that opens when the flow rate of the water is equal to or higher than a first predetermined value and closes when the flow rate is lower than the first predetermined value is provided upstream of the rotor of the pipe;
The water stop valve stores the water upstream of the water stop valve when the water stop valve is less than the first predetermined value, and the water storage amount becomes a predetermined amount or more, or the flow rate exceeds the second predetermined value. A power generation device comprising a holding portion that holds a closed state until it becomes.   The power generator according to claim 1, wherein the pipe is provided on a downstream side of a rain gutter or on a drain side of a watering device. The water stop valve includes a valve body that closes the pipe, a biasing portion that elastically biases the valve body toward a closed state, and a magnet that is magnetically attached to the pipe as the holding portion to close the valve body. The power generation device according to claim 1, further comprising a magnetic body that maintains the state.

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