JP2022088982A - Water turbine-type flow rate control device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a water turbine-type flow rate control device that can accurately control a flow rate of fluid and can be miniaturized.SOLUTION: A water turbine-type flow rate control device includes: a runner 12 constituting a water turbine part of a Francis turbine 308; a rotation-orthogonal conversion mechanism 314 for freely rotatably supporting and moving the runner 12 in an axial direction; and a casing member 13 for causing fluid to flow into the runner 12 as a swirl flow from an outer peripheral side. The runner 12 is moved in the axial direction relative to the casing member 13 to thereby adjust a flow rate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a water turbine type flow rate control device that controls a fluid flow rate using a Francis water turbine.

In recent years, as a next-generation flow control device, there is a demand for a flow control device that can reduce the environmental load and promote the use of IOT. The reduction of the environmental load can be realized by performing private power generation using renewable energy such as hydropower in synchronization with the flow rate control. In order to promote IOT, it is important to make the power supply line and the input / output line for control completely wireless to improve the degree of freedom in installing the flow control device.

By the way, a general air-conditioning valve is used to "control the flow rate (of a fluid)", and in order to realize this, a configuration is adopted in which the opening area of a plug provided in the flow path is changed. There is. In this type of air conditioning valve, pressure loss occurs before and after the plug, and the energy is wasted as heat. Therefore, if the energy can be recovered, it can lead to a reduction in the environmental load.

As a device for generating electric power using hydraulic power, a Francis turbine used for generating electric power (power generation) in a hydroelectric power plant is known. The Francis turbine is a type of reaction turbine that acts on the water flowing inward. A conventional general Francis turbine has a spirally formed casing and a guide that works in cooperation with this casing to generate a swirling flow of water and allow water to flow tangentially to a runner that receives and rotates. It consists of a vane, a stay vane that regulates the direction of water flow, a runner that is the main body of the turbine, and a suction pipe that serves as an outlet for the water that flows out of the runner.

The guide vane is provided with a plurality of blades, and is configured so that the opening degree of the blades can be adjusted in order to perform efficient operation according to the amount of water used. This guide vane needs to be driven by synchronizing a plurality of blades, and it is difficult to completely shut off the water flow path as a flow control device.

Conventional Francis turbines whose water flow rate can be adjusted are described in, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. Patent Document 1 discloses a fixed guide vane turbine in which a movable guide vane and an opening / closing mechanism are excluded. This fixed guide vane turbine is equipped with a flow control valve at the inlet of the casing, and is configured to drain (bypass) the water sent to the runner to the outside.
The Francis turbine disclosed in Patent Document 2 is provided with a needle valve for varying the passage area at the water inlet of the casing.

Jitsukaihei 7-25274 Gazette Japanese Patent No. 4601313

In the Francis turbines disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, since the valve is provided in the upstream portion of the casing, the distance from the water inlet to the water outlet becomes long. Therefore, there is a problem that these flow-adjustable Francis turbines cannot be used in place of a flow control device that is restricted by the occupied space, for example, a flow control device of an air conditioning control system.

An object of the present invention is to provide a water turbine type flow rate control device capable of accurately controlling the flow rate of a fluid and reducing the size.

In order to achieve this object, the turbine type flow control device according to the present invention includes a runner constituting the turbine portion of the Francis turbine, a rotation-orthogonal transformation mechanism that rotatably supports the runner and moves the runner in the axial direction. A casing member is provided inside the runner to allow a fluid to flow in as a swirling flow from the outer peripheral side, and the flow rate is adjusted by the runner moving in the axial direction with respect to the casing member.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY In the water wheel type flow control device, the runner has a runner main body having blades and a cylindrical body protruding from the runner main body in one of the axial directions, and the casing member is the runner. The cylinder has a fluid outlet facing the outer peripheral portion of the runner body in a state of being driven by the rotation-orthogonal conversion mechanism and moved to the one in the axial direction, and the cylindrical body has the runner in the other in the axial direction. The fluid outlet is formed so as to be able to be closed by moving, and the runner is fully closed at a fully open position where the entire area of the fluid outlet faces the outer peripheral portion of the runner body and the fluid outlet is closed by the cylinder. You may move to and from the position.

According to the present invention, in the water wheel type flow control device, the casing member is connected to an inlet pipe into which a fluid flows, a suction pipe through which a fluid flowing out from the runner passes, and a bend at the downstream end of the suction pipe. An outlet pipe made of a pipe may be provided, and the outlet of the outlet pipe may be formed so that the inflow port of the inlet pipe and the center line coincide with each other.

In the present invention, in the water wheel type flow control device, the rotation-orthogonal conversion mechanism includes a motor that is a power source when driving the runner in the axial direction, and a flow control unit that controls the operation of the motor. A generator that generates electricity by rotating the runner may be provided, and the electric power generated by the generator may be supplied to the motor and the flow control unit to adjust the flow rate.

In the present invention, in the water wheel type flow control device, a power storage unit that stores the electric power generated by the generator as stored power, and the stored power stored in the power storage unit are stored in the motor and the flow rate control unit. It may be provided with a power supply unit to be supplied.

The present invention further comprises a data communication unit for receiving data from the outside including a target flow rate in the water wheel type flow control device, and the data communication unit wirelessly receives data from the outside and the power source. When the stored power stored in the storage unit is insufficient, the unit supplies power combined with the power supplied from the external power source to the motor and the flow control unit, and the stored power is surplus. In some cases, the surplus power is configured to be regenerated to a commercial power source as surplus power.
The supply of electric power from an external power source and the regeneration of the surplus electric power to a commercial power source may be performed wirelessly.

In the present invention, since the runner is substantially a valve body, the flow rate control is more accurate than the case where the flow rate is controlled by a plurality of vanes. Further, since a valve is not required on the fluid inlet side of the casing member, the length between the fluid inlet and outlet can be shortened.
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a water turbine type flow rate control device capable of accurately controlling the flow rate of the fluid and reducing the size.

FIG. 1 is an instrumentation diagram showing an embodiment of an air conditioning control system using a water turbine type flow rate control device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a main part of the first embodiment (embodiment 1) of the water turbine type flow rate control device. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the generator. FIG. 4 is a front view of the Francis turbine. FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the Francis turbine. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a Francis turbine. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a Francis turbine. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a Francis turbine. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the rotation-orthogonal transformation mechanism. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the rotation-orthogonal transformation mechanism. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the rotation-orthogonal transformation mechanism. FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a main part of the second embodiment (embodiment 2) of the water turbine type flow rate control device. FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a main part of a third embodiment (embodiment 3) of the water turbine type flow rate control device. FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a main part of the fourth embodiment (embodiment 4) of the water turbine type flow rate control device.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an instrumentation diagram showing an embodiment of an air conditioning control system using a water turbine type flow rate control device according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a controlled object space, 2 is an air conditioner (FCU) that supplies air in harmony to the controlled object space 1, 3 is a water wheel type flow control device according to the present invention, and 4 is an air conditioning control device (controller). ) 5 is an external power source provided for the water wheel type flow control device 3.

The air conditioner 2 includes a heat exchanger (cold / hot water coil) 2a and a fan 2b. The water turbine type flow rate control device 3 is provided in a hot / cold water supply passage (flow path) to the heat exchanger 2a of the air conditioner 2. In this example, the water turbine type flow rate control device 3 is provided in the return water pipe LR of the cold / hot water returned from the heat exchanger 2a of the air conditioner 2.

The heat exchanger 2a of the air conditioner 2 is a single coil type that exchanges heat as cold water during cooling with one coil and heat exchanges as hot water during heating, and a cold water coil with two coils during cooling. There is a double coil type that exchanges heat with a hot water coil during heating. In this example, it is assumed that the heat exchanger 2a is a single coil type.

The controlled object space 1 is provided with an indoor temperature sensor 8 that measures the temperature in the controlled object space 1 as an indoor temperature. The indoor temperature (measured value tpv of the indoor temperature) measured by the indoor temperature sensor 8 is sent to the controller 4.

The controller 4 calculates the set flow rate Qsp of the cold / hot water to the heat exchanger 2a of the air conditioner 2 as a control output in which the deviation between the measured value tpv of the room temperature and the set value tsp of the room temperature is zero, and this calculation is performed. The set flow rate Qsp is sent to the water turbine type flow rate control device 3.

[Waterwheel type flow rate control device: Embodiment 1]
FIG. 2 shows a configuration diagram of a main part of the first embodiment (embodiment 1) of the water turbine type flow rate control device 3. The water wheel type flow control device 3 (3A) of the first embodiment includes a data communication unit 301, a system control unit 302, a flow control unit 303, a generator control unit 304, an inverter 305, and a generator 306. A position sensor 307, a Francis water wheel 308, a power source unit 309, a commercial power source regeneration unit 310, a power storage unit 311, a water wheel position sensor 312, a motor 313, and a rotation-orthogonal conversion mechanism 314. It is connected by wire to the controller 4 and to the external power supply 5. Although the details of the Francis turbine 308 will be described later, the Francis turbine 308 is configured to be able to change the passage area (opening) of the passage through which the hot and cold water passes by being driven by the rotation-orthogonal transformation mechanism 314 using the motor 313 as a power source. There is.

The data communication unit 301 has a function of transmitting and receiving data to and from the controller 4, receives data such as set values from the controller 4, and transmits data such as the internal state of the water turbine type flow control device 3 to the controller 4. .. In the water turbine type flow rate control device 3 (3A) according to the first embodiment, if the following conditions (1) and (2) are satisfied, 4-20 mA input or 0-10 V is used instead of data communication. It may be an analog input such as an input.
Condition (1): The command from the controller 4 is only the set flow rate Qsp.
Condition (2): There is no data transmitted from the water turbine type flow rate control device 3 to the controller 4.

The system control unit 302 has a function of controlling the entire system of the water wheel type flow control device 3, inputs received data such as a set value from the data communication unit 301, and causes an internal state of the water wheel type flow control device 3 and the like. The transmission data is output to the data communication unit 301. Further, the set flow rate Qsp is taken out as a flow rate set value from the received data such as the set value from the data communication unit 301, and the taken out flow rate set value Qsp is output to the flow rate control unit 303.

The flow control unit 303 has an angular velocity value (current angular velocity of the Francis turbine 308) ω and a torque value (current torque of the generator 306) T from the generator control unit 304, and a turbine opening degree M from the turbine position sensor 312. The function to estimate the dimensionless flow rate and the dimensionless differential pressure, the function to estimate the actual flow rate Q and the actual differential pressure ΔP from the estimated dimensionless flow rate and the dimensionless differential pressure, and the estimated actual flow rate Q become the flow rate set value Qsp. A function to calculate the matching torque of the generator 306 and the opening degree of the Francis turbine 308 as the torque set value Tsp and the turbine opening setting value Msp according to the flow control law, and the motor 313 when the opening degree of the Francis turbine 308 is not changed. Has a function of rotating the turbine at the same rotation speed as the Francis turbine 308.

In controlling the flow rate of cold / hot water, the flow rate control unit 303 first adjusts the opening degree of the Francis turbine 308 so as to have the water turbine opening setting value Msp corresponding to the flow rate set value Qsp, and then the torque of the generator 306. It is configured to fine-tune the flow rate setting and perform servo control by control.
The flow control unit 303 inputs the flow rate set value Qsp from the system control unit 302, the angular speed value ω and the torque value T from the generator control unit 304, and the turbine opening degree M from the turbine position sensor 312, and calculates the torque setting. The value Tsp is output to the generator control unit 304, and the turbine opening setting value Msp is output to the motor 313.

The generator control unit 304 has a function of calculating a phase voltage target value to the inverter 305 by a torque control rule so that the torque of the generator 306 becomes a torque set value Tsp, and a rotor of the generator 306 detected by the position sensor 307. Ability to calculate the current angular velocity of the Francis water turbine 308 as the angular velocity value ω from the magnetic pole position of, the current phase voltage value and phase current value of the stator winding of the generator 306 from the inverter 305 to the current torque of the generator 306. Has a function of calculating the torque value T, the magnetic pole position detected by the position sensor 307, the phase voltage value and the phase current value from the inverter 305, and the torque set value Tsp from the flow control unit 303 are input, and the calculated angular velocity is calculated. The value ω and the torque value T are output to the flow control unit 303, and the calculated phase voltage target value is output to the inverter 305.

The inverter 305 has a function of inputting a phase voltage target value from the generator control unit 304 and outputting the phase voltage target value to the stator winding of the generator 306, and the power generated by the generator 306 is transferred to the power storage unit 311. It has a function of regeneration and operates by receiving a main power source from the power supply unit 309.

The generator 306 is a hollow type generator including a rotor 6 and a stator 7, as shown by extracting a main part thereof in FIG. The rotor 6 is composed of a ring 6a incorporating a permanent magnet and a ball spline nut 6b integrally provided inside the ring 6a. The ball spline nut 6b is penetrated by the ball screw spline shaft 9 of the rotation-orthogonal conversion mechanism 314 described later, rotates integrally with the ball screw spline shaft 9, and allows the ball screw spline shaft 9 to move in the axial direction. As described above, the ball screw spline shaft 9 is axially mounted.

As shown in FIG. 4, the ball screw spline shaft 9 is positioned on the same axis as the rotating shaft 11 of the Francis turbine 308, which will be described later, and is coupled to the rotating shaft 11 so as to rotate integrally with the rotating shaft 11. .. That is, the rotor 6 rotates integrally with the rotating shaft 11 while allowing the rotating shaft 11 of the Francis turbine 308, which will be described later, to move in the axial direction with respect to the rotor 6.

A coil (not shown) is wound around the stator 7, and the electric power generated by the rotation of the rotor 6 is taken out by using this coil as the stator winding. The position sensor 307 is attached to the stator 7 and detects the position of the magnetic pole of the permanent magnet incorporated in the ring 6a as the magnetic pole position of the rotor 6. In this example, a Hall IC is used as the position sensor 307. However, the position sensor 307 may be any position sensor such as an absolute encoder that can detect the magnetic pole position, in addition to the Hall IC.

The power supply unit 309 receives the electric power from the external power source 5 and the stored electric power stored in the electric storage unit 311 as inputs, and distributes them as the electric power used in the water turbine type flow rate control device 3A. In this example, the electric power to the inverter 305 is used as the main power source, and the electric power to the data communication unit 301, the system control unit 302, the flow rate control unit 303, the generator control unit 304, the motor 313, and the like is used as the power source for each control unit.

The power supply unit 309 distributes the combined power of the power from the external power source 5 and the stored power stored in the power storage unit 311, but preferentially distributes the stored power stored in the power storage unit 311. Here, when the stored power stored in the power storage unit 311 is insufficient, the power combined with the power supplied from the external power source 5 is distributed, and the stored power stored in the power storage unit 311 is surplus. The surplus power is regenerated to the commercial power supply (in this example, the external power supply 5) via the commercial power supply regeneration unit 310 as the surplus power.

The motor 313 is a power source for moving the runner 12 (see FIG. 4), which is a turbine portion of the Francis turbine 308, in the axial direction, and operates by inputting the turbine opening opening setting value Msp from the flow rate control unit 303.
The turbine position sensor 312 has a function of measuring the opening degree of the Francis turbine 308, and outputs the turbine opening degree M to the flow rate control unit. The turbine position sensor 312 according to this embodiment uses an encoder (not shown) provided in the motor 313 to obtain the turbine opening degree M.
In the first embodiment, an example in which an encoder is used for the water turbine position sensor 312 is shown, but the water turbine position sensor 312 may be any other position sensor such as a displacement sensor or an absolute encoder that can detect the position of the water turbine.

In this water wheel type flow control device 3A, the functions of each part such as the data communication unit 301, the system control unit 302, the flow control unit 303, the generator control unit 304, the inverter 305, the power supply unit 309, and the commercial power supply regeneration unit 310 are the processors. It is realized by hardware consisting of a storage device, a digital input / output circuit, an analog input / output circuit, a power electronics circuit, etc., and a program that realizes various functions in cooperation with these hardware.

(Explanation of Francis turbine)
As shown in FIG. 4, the Francis turbine 308 includes a casing member 13 drawn in the central portion of FIG. 4 and a runner 12 constituting the turbine portion of the Francis turbine 308. In this Francis turbine 308, the flow rate can be adjusted by moving the runner 12 in the axial direction with respect to the casing member 13.

In this embodiment, an example of using the Francis turbine 308 in the posture shown in FIG. 4 will be described. That is, in this Francis turbine 308, the axis of the runner 12 extends in the vertical direction, and cold / hot water is discharged downward from the runner 12. When indicating the direction in explaining each part of the Francis turbine 308, the right side of FIG. 4 is the right side of the Francis turbine 308, and the front side of the paper in FIG. 4 is the front side.

The casing member 13 is configured by combining a plurality of functional parts. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the plurality of functional components are provided in an inlet pipe 15 having an inflow port 14 into which hot and cold water flows, a casing main body 16 surrounding the runner 12, and a central portion of the casing main body 16. The outlet pipe 19 is composed of an annular fixed vane 17, a suction pipe 18 extending downward from the fixed vane 17, and a curved pipe connected to the lower end (downstream side end portion) of the suction pipe 18.

As shown in FIG. 4, the inlet pipe 15 extends to the right from the casing main body 16 described later. A flange 20 for connecting pipes is provided at the upstream end, which is the right end of the inlet pipe 15.
The casing main body 16 is spirally formed so as to surround the runner 12 from the upstream end welded to the downstream end of the inlet pipe 15. An annular hole 21 (see FIG. 6) that opens inward in the radial direction of the casing main body 16 is formed in the inner peripheral portion of the casing main body 16.

The fixed vanes 17 are formed in an annular shape and have a plurality of fixed wings 17a arranged in the circumferential direction. More specifically, the fixed vane 17 is composed of rings 17b, 17c located at both ends in the axial direction, and a plurality of fixed wings 17a bridged between these rings 17b, 17c. As shown in FIG. 7, the rings 17b and 17c are formed in a shape that fits into the opening end surface 21a of the hole 21 of the casing main body 16 so that cold and hot water does not leak from between the rings 17b and 17c. Is fixed to the opening end surface 21a.

The plurality of fixed wings 17a are arranged so as to be arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction of the rings 17b and 17c. These fixed wings 17a are for adjusting the flow direction of the cold / hot water, and are formed so that the flow direction of the cold / hot water flowing into the fixed vane 17 from the casing main body 16 is the tangential direction of the runner 12. The fluid outlet 22 (see FIG. 6) formed between the fixed blades 17a faces the outer peripheral portion of the runner 12, which will be described later. Therefore, when the cold / hot water passes through the fixed vane 17, it becomes a swirling flow from the fluid outlet 22 and flows into the inside of the runner 12.

As shown in FIG. 7, the suction pipe 18 includes a cylindrical portion 18a made of a cylindrical pipe connected to a ring 17b on the lower side of the fixed vane 17, and a throttle portion 18b extending downward from the lower end of the cylindrical portion 18a. It is composed of. The cylindrical portion 18a is positioned on the same axis as the rings 17b and 17c, and is fixed to the lower surface of the rings 17b and 17c so that cold and hot water does not leak. The inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 18a and the inner diameters of the rings 17b and 17c are the same. Therefore, the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 18a and the inner peripheral surfaces of the rings 17b and 17c are located on the same peripheral surface and are connected to each other so as not to cause a step.

The throttle portion 18b is formed so that its diameter gradually decreases toward the lower side. An outlet pipe 19 made of a bent pipe is connected to a downstream end portion which is the lower end of the throttle portion 18b.
The outlet pipe 19 is formed by bending the pipe material so as to have a predetermined shape. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the outlet pipe 19 according to this embodiment is formed in a J shape that bends below the suction pipe 18 and extends to the left of the Francis turbine 308. The downstream end of the outlet pipe 19 is formed by a straight pipe 19a extending in the horizontal direction (leftward). The straight pipe 19a is provided with a flange 23 for connecting pipes. The discharge port 19b (opening of the flange 23) at the downstream end of the outlet pipe 19 is formed so that the center line coincides with the inflow port 14 (opening of the flange 20) of the inlet pipe 15. Therefore, the flange 23 provided in the outlet pipe 19 and the flange 20 of the inlet pipe 15 are at the same position in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 4, and are in front of and behind the Francis turbine 308 as shown in FIG. It is positioned at the same position in the direction.

As shown in FIG. 6, the runner 12 of the Francis turbine 308 includes a runner main body 24 including a plurality of blades 12a, a cylindrical body 25 protruding upward from the runner main body 24 in the axial direction, and a rotating shaft 11. It is provided and is configured to be movable in the vertical direction in the fixed vane 17. The vertical movement of the runner 12 is performed by a rotation-orthogonal transformation mechanism 314 (see FIG. 4) connected to the rotation axis 11 of the runner 12. A description of the rotation-orthogonal transformation mechanism 314 will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 7, the runner main body 24 is connected to a substantially bell-shaped crown 26 that is convex downward, a plurality of blades 12a provided around the crown 26, and a lower end portion of each blade 12a. It is equipped with an annular shroud 27. The upper end portion 26a of the crown 26 is formed in a disk shape. The upper end portion 26a of the crown 26 and the shroud 27 are formed so as to have the same outer diameter and to be located on the same axis. This outer diameter is the outer diameter at which the crown 26 and the shroud 27 are slidably fitted to the inner peripheral portions of the rings 17b and 17c of the fixed vane 17 described above.

The blade 12a is configured in the same manner as a blade used in a general Francis turbine. That is, the plurality of blades 12a are arranged so as to be arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction of the crown 26 and to extend radially when viewed from the axial direction of the runner main body 24. The cold / hot water flowing into the runner main body 24 from the fixed vane 17 hits the blade 12a and is changed in the direction of flow, and is discharged downward through between the crown 26 and the shroud 27.

The cylindrical body 25 is an upper end portion 26a of the crown 26, is integrally formed on the outer peripheral portion, and is positioned on the same axis as the crown 26. The outer diameter of the cylinder 25 is the same as the outer diameter of the crown 26. Therefore, the outer peripheral surface of the crown 26 and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 25 are located on the same peripheral surface and are connected to each other without causing a step. The axial length of the cylindrical body 25 is such that it corresponds to the vertical length of the fixed vane 17. The vertical length of the cylindrical portion 18a of the suction pipe 18 described above is also a length corresponding to the vertical length of the fixed vane 17.

The rotating shaft 11 is an upper end portion 26a of the crown 26, is integrally formed at the axial center portion, and is positioned on the same axis as the crown 26. A ball screw spline shaft 9 of a rotation-orthogonal transformation mechanism 314, which will be described later, is coupled to the upper end of the rotation shaft 11.
The runner 12 is driven in the vertical direction by the rotation-orthogonal transformation mechanism 314 to have a fully open position at the top as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 (A) and a fully open position as shown in FIG. 8 (C). Move to and from the lowest fully closed position. By positioning the runner 12 in the fully open position shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 (A), the entire area of the fluid outlet 22 of the fixed vane 17 faces the entire outer peripheral portion of the runner body 24, and the passage area of the passage through which cold / hot water passes. Is the maximum.

When the runner 12 is positioned at the fully closed position shown in FIG. 8C, the fluid outlet 22 of the fixed vane 17 is blocked by the cylindrical body 25, and the passage area of the passage through which the hot and cold water passes becomes zero. Therefore, the Francis turbine 308 constitutes a valve in which the opening degree becomes 100% when the runner 12 moves to the fully open position and the opening degree becomes 0% when the runner 12 moves to the fully closed position. become. The above-mentioned turbine opening degree means the opening degree of the valve including the Francis turbine 308. By locating the runner 12 in the center between the fully open position and the fully closed position, the turbine opening becomes 50% as shown in FIG. 8 (B).

(Explanation of rotation-orthogonal transformation mechanism)
The rotation-orthogonal transformation mechanism 314 has a function of rotatably supporting the runner 12 and moving it in the axial direction.
As shown in FIG. 4, the rotation-orthogonal conversion mechanism 314 according to this embodiment includes a ball screw spline shaft 9 coupled to the rotation shaft 11 of the runner 12 so as to rotate integrally, and the ball screw spline shaft 9. It is composed of a ball screw nut 31 screwed to the upper end portion.

The ball screw spline shaft 9 has a spline groove 32 extending linearly in the axial direction and a spiral groove (not shown) extending spirally, and is rotatable and rotatable via a bearing (not shown) on the support plate 33. It is supported so that it can move freely in the vertical direction. Therefore, the runner 12 is rotatably and vertically movablely supported by the support plate 33 via the ball screw spline shaft 9.
The support plate 33 is connected to the casing member 13 via a connecting member (not shown).

The generator 306 described above is arranged between the support plate 33 and the runner 12 with the ball screw spline shaft 9 penetrating. Since the rotor 6 of the generator 306 rotates integrally with the ball spline nut 6b mounted on the ball screw spline shaft 9, it always rotates integrally with the runner 12 of the Francis turbine 308.
The stator 7 of the generator 306 is fixed to the support plate 33.

The ball screw nut 31 rotates with respect to the ball screw spline shaft 9 to apply an axial thrust to the ball screw spline shaft 9. The ball screw nut 31 is rotatably supported by a holder (not shown) fixed to the support plate 33 in a state where the movement in the vertical direction with respect to the support plate 33 is restricted. Therefore, for example, the ball screw nut 31 rotates in the screwing direction to raise the ball screw spline shaft 9, and the ball screw nut 31 rotates in the direction opposite to the above to lower the ball screw spline shaft 9.

The ball screw nut 31 rotates by transmitting the power of the motor 313 via the belt type transmission mechanism 34.
The belt-type transmission mechanism 34 includes a first pulley 35 that rotates integrally with the ball screw nut 31, and a second pulley 37 that is connected to the first pulley 35 via a belt 36. The outer diameter of the first pulley 35 and the outer diameter of the second pulley 37 are the same. The rotating shaft 38 of the motor 313 is coupled to the second pulley 37 so as to rotate integrally. The rotary shaft 38 extends upward from the motor 313 located below the support plate 33 through the support plate 33, and is rotatably supported by the support plate 33 via a bearing (not shown). ..

The motor 313 has an encoder constituting the detection unit of the water turbine position sensor 312 described above, and is fixed to the support plate 33. The operation of the motor 313 is controlled by the flow rate control unit 303 described above.
The flow control unit 303 controls the operation of the motor 313 so that the ball screw nut 31 rotates in the same direction as the ball screw spline shaft 9 at the same rotation speed when the water wheel opening degree is not changed. Further, the flow control unit 303 controls the operation of the motor 313 so that the rotation speed of the ball screw nut 31 changes with respect to the rotation speed of the ball screw spline shaft 9 when the opening degree of the water turbine is increased or decreased.

Since the outer diameters of the first pulley 35 and the second pulley 37 of the belt type transmission mechanism 34 are the same, the rotating shaft 38 of the motor 313 rotates at the same rotation speed as the ball screw nut 31. Therefore, the position (waterwheel opening degree) in the axial direction of the ball screw spline shaft 9 can be converted from the rotation position of the rotation shaft 11 of the motor 313 detected by the encoder. The water turbine position sensor 312 sends data including the rotation position of the rotation shaft 11 of the motor 313 to the flow rate control unit 303 as the water turbine opening degree M.

(Explanation of operation of water turbine type flow control device)
Next, the characteristic operation of the turbine type flow rate control device 3A will be described. When the set flow rate Qsp of the cold / hot water from the controller 4 changes, that is, when the set flow rate Qsp of the cold / hot water changes due to the load fluctuation of the hot / cold water supply destination, the water wheel type flow rate control device 3A data the changed set flow rate Qsp. Received by the communication unit 301, the data communication unit 301 sends the received set flow rate Qsp to the system control unit 302.

The system control unit 302 takes out the set flow rate Qsp as the flow rate set value Qsp and sends it to the flow rate control unit 303. The flow control unit 303 has an angular velocity value (current angular velocity of the Francis turbine 308) ω and a torque value (current torque of the generator 306) T from the generator control unit 304, and a turbine opening degree M from the turbine position sensor 312. The dimensionless flow rate and the dimensionless differential pressure are estimated from the above, and the actual flow rate Q and the actual differential pressure ΔP are estimated from the estimated dimensionless flow rate and the dimensionless differential pressure. Then, the torque set value Tsp and the turbine opening setting value Msp are calculated so that the estimated actual flow rate Q matches the flow rate set value Qsp, and the torque set value Tsp is sent to the generator control unit 304 and the turbine opening setting value. Msp is sent to the motor 313.

The generator control unit 304 receives the torque set value Tsp from the flow control unit 303, calculates a phase voltage target value such that the torque of the generator 306 becomes the torque set value Tsp, and sends it to the inverter 305. The inverter 305 receives the phase voltage target value from the generator control unit 304 and outputs the phase voltage target value to the stator winding of the generator 306. As a result, the torque of the generator 306 is adjusted to the torque set value Tsp, and the actual flow rate of the cold / hot water flowing through the pipeline is adjusted to the flow rate set value Qsp.

The motor 313 receives the turbine opening setting value Msp from the flow rate control unit 303, and increases or decreases the angular velocity of the rotating shaft 38 with respect to the angular velocity of the generator 306. As the angular speed of the rotating shaft 38 of the motor 313 changes with respect to the angular speed of the generator 306 in this way, an axial thrust is applied from the ball screw nut 31 to the ball screw spline shaft 9, and the runner 12 is attached to the casing member 13. On the other hand, the position of the runner 21 is set to the water wheel opening setting value Msp by ascending or descending.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the runner 12 of the Francis turbine 308 substantially becomes a valve body, the flow rate control is performed more accurately than in the case where the flow rate is controlled by a plurality of rotary vanes. be able to.
Further, since a valve is not required on the fluid inlet side of the casing member 13, the length between the inlet and the outlet of the cold / hot water can be shortened.
Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a water turbine type flow rate control device capable of accurately controlling the flow rate of the fluid and reducing the size. In this embodiment, since the flow rate can be finely adjusted by using the rotational torque of the generator 306, the flow rate of the cold / hot water can be controlled more accurately.

Further, in the present embodiment, the electric power generated by the generator 306 is stored in the power storage unit 311 and sent to the power supply unit 309 as the stored electric power, and is used in each part in the water turbine type flow control device 3A. As a result, when controlling the actual flow rate, a part of the energy discarded as heat is recovered as electric energy and reused in the water turbine type flow rate control device 3A. Further, in the present embodiment, when the stored electric power stored in the electricity storage unit 311 is surplus, the surplus electric power is regenerated to the commercial power source as the surplus electric power. The surplus electricity in the above will also be effectively used. For example, if surplus power is supplied to other devices such as sensors and controllers, it is possible to contribute to energy saving in a comprehensive manner.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since both the flow rate control and the power generation functions can be realized by the "power generation device" consisting of the Francis turbine 308 and the generator 306, the size of the current flow control valve is a water turbine type. It is possible to configure a flow rate control device, and it is possible to save energy by replacing the existing flow rate control valve with a water turbine type flow rate control device.

Further, in the present embodiment, the actual flow rate of cold / hot water flowing through the pipeline is calculated from the current angular velocity value ω of the Francis turbine 308, the current torque value T of the generator 306, and the turbine opening M of the Francis turbine 308. Since it is estimated and the turbine opening and the torque of the generator 306 are controlled so that the estimated actual flow rate matches the flow rate set value Qsp, it is possible to eliminate expensive sensors such as pressure sensors and flow rate sensors. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the cost increase.

(Modification example of rotation-orthogonal transformation mechanism)
The rotation-orthogonal transformation mechanism can be configured as shown in FIGS. 9 to 11. In these figures, the same or equivalent members as those described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.
The motor 313 of the rotation-orthogonal transformation mechanism 41 shown in FIG. 9 is composed of a hollow motor and is coaxially arranged at the upper end of the ball screw spline shaft 9. A ball screw nut 31 is provided below the motor 313 so as to be driven by the motor 313.

In the rotation-orthogonal transformation mechanism 42 shown in FIG. 10, a generator 306 is connected to the rotation shaft 11 of the runner 12 via an orthogonal transformation type magnetic gear mechanism 43. The orthogonal transformation type magnetic gear mechanism 43 is composed of a drive-side magnetic gear 44 that rotates integrally with the rotary shaft 11 and a driven-side magnetic gear 46 provided on the driven shaft 45 that is orthogonal to the rotary shaft 11. .. A generator 306 is coaxially provided on the driven shaft 45. The rotation of the drive-side magnetic gear 44 is transmitted to the driven-side magnetic gear 46 by magnetic force, and is transmitted to the generator 306 via the driven shaft 45.

A linear actuator 48 is connected to the upper end of the rotating shaft 11 via a coupling 47 that transmits displacement in the axial direction without transmitting rotation. The linear actuator 48 drives the coupling 47 in the axial direction. When the linear actuator 48 pushes or pulls the rotary shaft 11 via the coupling 47, the water turbine opening degree changes. At this time, the drive-side magnetic gear 44 maintains the function of transmitting rotation by magnetic force only by changing the position in the vertical direction without contacting the driven-side magnetic gear 46.

In the rotation-orthogonal conversion mechanism 51 shown in FIG. 11, a generator 306 is connected to the rotation shaft 11 of the runner 12 via a parallel conversion type magnetic gear mechanism 52. The parallel conversion type magnetic gear mechanism 52 is composed of a drive-side magnetic gear 53 that rotates integrally with the rotation shaft 11 and a driven-side magnetic gear 55 provided on the driven shaft 54 parallel to the rotating shaft 11. A generator 306 is coaxially provided at the upper end of the driven shaft 54. The rotation of the drive-side magnetic gear 53 is transmitted to the driven-side magnetic gear 55 by magnetic force, and is transmitted to the generator 306 via the driven shaft 54.
Similar to the example shown in FIG. 10, a linear actuator 48 is connected to the upper end of the rotating shaft 11 via a coupling 47 that transmits displacement in the axial direction without transmitting rotation.
When the rotary shaft 11 is driven by the linear actuator 48 and moves in the axial direction, the drive side magnetic gear 53 transmits rotation by magnetic force only by changing the vertical position without contacting the driven side magnetic gear 55. The function to do is maintained.

[Waterwheel type flow rate control device: Embodiment 2]
In the water turbine type flow rate control device 3A of the first embodiment, the connection with the controller 4 is made by wire, but the connection with the controller 4 may be made wirelessly. FIG. 12 shows the configuration of the main part of the water turbine type flow rate control device 3 (3B) which is wirelessly connected to the controller 4 as the second embodiment.

In FIG. 12, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2 indicate the same or equivalent components as those described with reference to FIG. 2, and the description thereof will be omitted. In this water turbine type flow control device 3B, a wireless data communication unit 315 is provided in place of the data communication unit 301 so that data can be transmitted / received wirelessly to / from the controller 4 through the antenna 316.

[Waterwheel type flow rate control device: Embodiment 3]
In the water turbine type flow rate control device 3A of the first embodiment, the connection with the external power supply 5 is made by wire, but the connection with the external power supply 5 may be made wirelessly. FIG. 13 shows the configuration of the main part of the water turbine type flow rate control device 3 (3C) which is wirelessly connected to the external power supply 5 as the third embodiment.

In FIG. 13, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2 indicate the same or equivalent components as those described with reference to FIG. 2, and the description thereof will be omitted. In this water turbine type flow control device 3C, a wireless power transmission / reception unit 317 is provided in place of the commercial power supply regeneration unit 310 so that the power from the external power supply 5 is wirelessly received through the antenna 318 and sent to the power supply unit 309. The surplus power from the unit 309 is wirelessly regenerated to the commercial power source (in this example, the external power source 5) through the antenna 318. In the water turbine type flow rate control device 3C according to the third embodiment, when the following conditions (1) and (2) are satisfied, 4-20 mA input, 0-10 V input, etc. are used instead of data communication. It may be an analog input.
Condition (1): The command from the controller 4 is only the set flow rate Qsp.
Condition (2): There is no data transmitted from the water turbine type flow rate control device 3 to the controller 4.

[Waterwheel type flow rate control device: Embodiment 4]
In the water turbine type flow rate control device 3A of the first embodiment, both the connection with the controller 4 and the connection with the external power supply 5 are made to be connected by wire, but the connection with the controller 4 and the connection with the external power supply 5 are made. Both may be connected wirelessly. FIG. 14 shows the configuration of the main part of the water turbine type flow rate control device 3 (3D) in which both the connection with the controller 4 and the connection with the external power supply 5 are wirelessly connected as the fourth embodiment.

In FIG. 14, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2 indicate the same or equivalent components as those described with reference to FIG. 2, and the description thereof will be omitted. In this water turbine type flow control device 3D, a wireless data communication unit 315 is provided in place of the data communication unit 301 so that data can be transmitted and received wirelessly to and from the controller 4 through the antenna 319. Further, a wireless power transmission / reception unit 317 is provided in place of the commercial power supply regeneration unit 310 so that the power from the external power supply 5 is wirelessly received through the antenna 319 and sent to the power supply unit 309, and the surplus power from the power supply unit 309 is transmitted. It is wirelessly regenerated to a commercial power source (external power source 5 in this example) through the antenna 319.

In this turbine type flow rate control device 3D, both the connection with the controller 4 and the connection with the external power supply 5 are wirelessly connected, so that all the wiring to the water turbine type flow rate control device 3D can be eliminated. There is. This makes it wireless, such as eliminating wiring materials, contributing to improved workability / maintainability, eliminating individual wiring man-hours, reducing work man-hours in harsh environments, and reducing work man-hours for additional instrumentation of existing buildings. Can be expected to contribute to the reduction of environmental load.

It should be noted that what can be wirelessly connected to the external power source 5 is a hybrid type in which the water turbine type flow control device 3D uses the electric power from the external power source 5 and the electric power generated by the generator 306. As a result, the amount of power supplied from the external power source 5 can be reduced.

In the conventional flow control valve (valve using a valve body), it is conceivable to make it completely wireless by using a battery, but it was judged to be difficult because it is not possible to drive the flow control valve with a battery for a long period of time. .. In other words, it is necessary to solve various problems such as low power consumption of control circuits and communication circuits, low cycle of communication frequency, and high density power of batteries. It was difficult.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, by adopting a hybrid type of electric power from the outside and electric power generated internally, it is possible to realize completely wireless flow control valve, which has been difficult until now. It can be said that it is an epoch-making device that has been made and has never been seen before. In the present invention, since the valve body is not used, it is called a water turbine type flow rate control device instead of a flow rate control valve. Further, in the present invention, if the power generated internally can cover all of its own operation, it is possible to eliminate the supply of power from the outside to the water turbine type flow control device and realize complete wireless operation. Become.

Although the above-described embodiment has been described as an example used for the air conditioning control system, it is needless to say that the embodiment is not limited to the air conditioning control system and can be applied to various flow rate control applications. Further, the water turbine type flow rate control device 3 according to the present invention can be applied to general industrial equipment, and can be expanded and applied to replacement from a large valve in the water supply / drainage infrastructure of a factory.

The Francis turbine 308 used in the above-described embodiment is configured so that the turbine opening degree decreases as the runner 12 descends. However, the Francis turbine 308 according to the present invention is not limited to such a limitation, and can be configured so that the opening degree of the turbine decreases as the runner 12 rises. Further, the posture when using the Francis turbine 308 is not limited to the posture in which the runner 12 moves in the vertical direction, and may be the posture in which the runner 12 moves in the horizontal direction.

In the above-described embodiment, an example of using a Francis turbine 308 attached to a straight portion of a pipe by flanges 20 and 23 is shown. However, when the pipe connecting the Francis turbine 308 is a so-called angle type and is bent at a right angle, it can be attached to the angle type pipe by forming the outlet pipe 19 so as to extend directly below the suction pipe 18. In this case, the power generation efficiency of the Francis turbine 308 is maximized.
By changing the shape of the outlet pipe 19 in this way, the direction in which the fluid outlet is directed can be changed, and the direction in which the pipe extends can be set to an arbitrary direction, so that the degree of freedom of the pipe is increased.

Further, since the water turbine type flow rate control device 3 according to the present invention can be completely wireless by operating with the electric power generated by itself, it can be used even in a place without a power source. Therefore, for example, the water turbine type flow rate control device of the present invention can be provided in a pipeline for supplying water from an agricultural canal to a field. In this case, the amount of water supplied to the fields can be controlled by remote control.

In the above-described embodiment, a water turbine type flow rate control device for controlling the flow rate of cold / hot water for air conditioning has been described. However, the fluid that controls the flow rate is not limited to a liquid such as cold / hot water, and may be a gas such as a gas.

[Extension of Embodiment]
Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the structure and details of the present invention within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

3 (3A to 3D ... water wheel type flow control device, 12 ... runner, 12a ... blade, 13 ... casing member, 14 ... inlet, 15 ... inlet pipe, 18 ... suction pipe, 19 ... outlet pipe, 19b ... discharge port, 22 ... Fluid outlet, 24 ... Runner body, 25 ... Cylindrical body, 303 ... Flow control unit, 306 ... Generator, 308 ... Francis turbine, 309 ... Power supply unit, 311 ... Power storage unit, 313 ... Motor, 314, 41, 42 , 51 ... Rotation-Orthogonal conversion mechanism, 315 ... Wireless data communication unit.

Claims (6)

With the runners that make up the turbine part of the Francis turbine,
A rotation-orthogonal transformation mechanism that rotatably supports the runner and moves it in the axial direction,
A casing member is provided inside the runner to allow a fluid to flow in as a swirling flow from the outer peripheral side.
A water turbine type flow rate control device, characterized in that the flow rate is adjusted by moving the runner in the axial direction with respect to the casing member. In the water turbine type flow rate control device according to claim 1,
The runner has a runner main body having blades and a cylindrical body protruding from the runner main body in one of the axial directions.
The casing member has a fluid outlet facing the outer peripheral portion of the runner body in a state where the runner is driven by the rotation-orthogonal transformation mechanism and moved to the one side in the axial direction.
The cylindrical body is formed so that the fluid outlet can be closed by the runner moving to the other side in the axial direction.
The runner is a water turbine type, characterized in that the entire area of the fluid outlet moves between a fully open position facing the outer peripheral portion of the runner body and a fully closed position where the fluid outlet is closed by the cylinder. Flow control device. In the water turbine type flow rate control device according to claim 1 or 2.
The casing member is
The inlet pipe from which the fluid flows in and
A suction pipe that allows the fluid flowing out of the runner to pass through,
It is provided with an outlet pipe made of a curved pipe connected to the downstream end of the suction pipe.
A water turbine type flow control device characterized in that the discharge port at the downstream end of the outlet pipe is formed so that the inflow port of the inlet pipe and the center line coincide with each other. In the water turbine type flow rate control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The rotation-orthogonal transformation mechanism
A motor that serves as a power source for driving the runner in the axial direction,
A flow rate control unit that controls the operation of the motor,
It is equipped with a generator that generates electricity by rotating the runner.
A water turbine type flow rate control device, wherein the electric power generated by the generator is supplied to the motor and the flow rate control unit to adjust the flow rate. In the water turbine type flow rate control device according to claim 4.
moreover,
A storage unit that stores the power generated by the generator as stored power, and
A water turbine type flow rate control device including a motor and a power supply unit that supplies the stored electric power stored in the power storage unit to the motor and the flow rate control unit. In the water turbine type flow rate control device according to claim 5.
moreover,
Equipped with a data communication unit that receives data from the outside including the target flow rate
The data communication unit wirelessly receives data from the outside and receives data from the outside.
When the stored power stored in the storage unit is insufficient, the power supply unit supplies power combined with the power supplied from the external power source to the motor and the flow control unit, and the stored power is supplied. If there is a surplus, the surplus power is configured to be regenerated to a commercial power source as surplus power.
A water turbine type flow rate control device characterized in that the supply of electric power from an external power source and the regeneration of the surplus electric power to a commercial power source are performed wirelessly, respectively.

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