JP2022161420A - Hydraulic power generation system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a hydraulic power generation system which may achieve reduction of an amount of electric power to be used needed for driving a pump.SOLUTION: A hydraulic power generation system 1 includes: a water storage tank 10 in which water is stored; a conduit tube 20 in which the water discharged from the water storage tank 10 flows down; power generators 30a to 30e each of which has a water turbine, is disposed in the conduit tube 20, and generates electric power by flow of the water flowing in the conduit tube 20; a power supply device 80 which is connected to the power generators 30a to 30e and charged with the electric power from the power generators 30a to 30e; relay tanks 40a to 40c in which the water discharged from the conduit tube 20 is stored; pumps 50 to 52 each of which has an impeller and pumps up the water in the relay tanks 40a to 40c; and condensate pipes 70a to 70c where the water goes through from the relay tanks 40a to 40c to the water storage tank 10. Rotary shafts of the impellers of the pumps 50 to 52 are connected to rotary shafts of the water turbines of the power generators 30a, 30c, 30e.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to hydroelectric power generation systems.

Hydraulic power generation systems generally generate electricity by rotating a water wheel with the energy of water falling from a high place and transmitting the axial rotation force of the water wheel to a generator. In recent years, in addition to electric power facilities, small-scale hydroelectric power generation systems have been proposed that use rainwater as well as running water flowing through waterways such as water pipes installed in buildings, water supply pipes in factories, and drainage pipes. .

For example, as in Patent Literatures 1 and 2, hydroelectric power generation systems have been proposed in which a plurality of power generators are arranged in a water conduit to further increase the amount of power generated. In Patent Documents 1 to 3, the dropped water is not reused.

Furthermore, as in Patent Documents 4 and 5, a hydroelectric power generation system that pumps up the water that has flowed down the water pipe and causes it to flow down the water pipe again, reuses the water, and efficiently generates power. It is

JP 2011-058406 A Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-118960 Japanese Patent No. 6418623 JP 2018-074985 A Japanese Patent No. 6016007

In the hydraulic power generation systems of Patent Documents 4 and 5, the power required to drive the pump is covered by the power generated by rotating the water wheel using the falling water energy, so from the viewpoint of effective use of the generated power. There is room for improvement in

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic power generation system capable of reducing the amount of electric power used to drive the pumps.

A hydroelectric power generation system according to the present invention includes:
a water tank in which water is stored;
a water conduit through which water discharged from the water tank flows down;
a power generation device having a water wheel, disposed in the water conduit and generating power by a water flow flowing through the water conduit;
a power supply device connected to the power generator and charged with power from the power generator;
a relay tank for storing water discharged from the water conduit;
a pump that has an impeller and pumps up the water in the relay tank;
a condensate pipe through which water passes from the relay tank to the water storage tank,
The rotating shaft of the impeller of the pump is connected to the rotating shaft of the water wheel of the power generator,
It is characterized by

Moreover, a plurality of power generators may be arranged in the water conduit.

Further, the plurality of relay tanks,
a condensate pipe connecting the plurality of relay tanks;
a plurality of pumps for pumping water in each of the relay tanks,
The rotating shaft of the impeller of each of the pumps may be connected to the rotating shaft of the water wheel of the adjacent power generator.

Further, when a certain amount of water is stored in the water tank, the water may be discharged intermittently.

Further, the water tank is equipped with a water level sensor and a solenoid valve,
When the water level sensor detects that a certain amount of water is stored in the water tank, the electromagnetic valve may be opened to discharge the water in the water tank.

The water tank comprises a float and a float valve connected to the float via a connecting member,
The float may float as the water level of the water stored in the water tank rises, and the float pulls up the float valve via the connection member, thereby discharging the water in the water tank.

Further, an upstream end of the water conduit formed in an inverted U shape is arranged inside the water tank,
The water in the water tank may be discharged when the water level of the water stored in the water tank exceeds the top of the inverted U shape of the water conduit.

Further, when water is not flowing down the water conduit, the electric power stored in the power supply device may be used to drive the power generation device and drive the pump to pump up water.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the hydroelectric power generation system which can reduce the consumption of the electric power which drive of a pump requires can be provided.

1 is a configuration diagram of a hydroelectric power generation system according to a first embodiment; FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A' in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B' in FIG. 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining operation|movement of the hydraulic power generation system which concerns on a 1st form. It is a figure explaining operation|movement of the hydraulic power generation system which concerns on a 1st form. It is a figure explaining operation|movement of the hydraulic power generation system which concerns on a 1st form. It is a figure explaining operation|movement of the hydraulic power generation system which concerns on a 1st form. It is a block diagram of the hydraulic power generation system which concerns on a 2nd form. It is a figure explaining the drainage mechanism of the water tank in a 2nd form. It is a figure explaining the drainage mechanism of the water tank in a 2nd form. It is a lineblock diagram of a hydraulic power generation system concerning a 3rd form. It is a figure explaining the drainage mechanism of the water tank in a 3rd form. It is a figure explaining the drainage mechanism of the water tank in a 3rd form.

(first form)
A hydroelectric power generation system according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the hydroelectric power generation system 1 includes a water tank 10, an electromagnetic valve 11, a water level sensor 12, a water conduit 20, power generators 30a to 30e, relay tanks 40a to 40c, pumps 50 to 52, connecting members 60a to 60c, condensate pipes 70a to 70c, a power supply 80, and a control device 90.

The water tank 10 is a tank in which water is stored. The water tank 10 and the water conduit 20 are connected via an electromagnetic valve 11 . A water level sensor 12 is installed in the water tank 10 to detect the water level of the water to be stored.

The water conduit 20 is a channel through which water discharged from the water tank 10 flows down. The upstream side of the water conduit 20 is arranged vertically from the water tank 10, and the downstream side is bent in a J shape. The water flowing down the conduit pipe 20 is discharged to the relay tank 40c.

Five power generators 30a to 30e are installed in the vertical portion of the water pipe 20 at intervals. The power generators 30a to 30e use the falling energy of the water flowing through the conduit 20 to generate power. The power generators 30a to 30e are electrically connected to the power supply device 80, respectively.

The power generators 30a to 30e include a casing 31, a water wheel 32, bearings 35, and a power generator 36, as shown in FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B). A casing 31 is fixed to the water conduit 20 , and a water wheel 32 is rotatably supported inside the casing 31 by a bearing 35 . The water wheel 32 has a plurality of blades 34 mounted on a rotating shaft 33 . A part of the wall of the water conduit 20 is removed, and the blades 34 protrude into the water conduit 20 at this location, and are configured to efficiently catch the water flow in the water conduit 20 to rotate the water wheel 32. It is

The power generation unit 36 converts the rotational force of the water turbine 32 into electric power. The power generation unit 36 may have a configuration capable of converting the rotational force of the water turbine 32 into electric power, and may include, for example, a configuration including a rotor having a permanent magnet and a stator having a coil.

The relay tanks 40a to 40c temporarily store the water discharged from the water pipe 20. As shown in FIG. Here, three relay tanks 40a to 40c are arranged. The relay tank 40c directly receives the water discharged from the downstream end of the conduit 20 and stores the water.

The relay tank 40c and the relay tank 40b are connected via a pump 52 and a condensate pipe 70c. Also, the relay tank 40b and the relay tank 40a are connected via a pump 51 and a condensate pipe 70b. Also, the relay tank 40a is connected to the water tank 10 via a pump 50 and a condensate pipe 70a.

The pumps 50 to 52 are pumps for pumping water stored in the relay tanks 40a to 40c, respectively. The pumps 50 to 52 have impellers having rotating shafts and blades (not shown). The pumps 50 to 52 may be in a form capable of imparting energy to water by rotation of the impeller and pumping the water. Centrifugal pumps such as centrifugal pumps and turbine pumps; A pump etc. are mentioned. The pumps 50-52 have the same performance.

The rotating shafts of the impellers of the pumps 50 to 52 are connected to the rotating shafts 33 of the water wheels 32 of the adjacent power generators 30a, 30c, and 30e by connecting members 60a to 60c. When the water wheel 32 rotates, the impellers of the pumps 50 to 52 also rotate.

The power supply device 80 mainly includes a charging circuit and a chargeable/dischargeable storage battery, and charges the storage battery with electric power generated by the plurality of power generation devices 30a to 30e. The power supply device 80 may be configured to output power to various external power devices driven by electric power, such as an electric device, an electric heating device, and a light source device (not shown). Further, the electric power charged in the storage battery may be output to the power generators 30a, 30c, and 30e to drive the power generators 30a, 30c, and 30e, thereby driving the pumps 50 to 52. .

The control device 90 controls the solenoid valve 11, the water level sensor 12, and the power supply device 80, as will be described later.

Next, operation of the hydraulic power generation system 1 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 3, when the water level sensor 12 detects that a certain amount of water has accumulated in the water tank 10, the electromagnetic valve 11 is opened by a command from the control device 90. FIG. When the solenoid valve 11 is opened, the water in the water tank 10 is discharged and flows down the conduit 20 as shown in FIG. Also, the solenoid valve 11 is controlled by the controller 90 so as to close when a certain amount of water is discharged. For example, after a certain period of time has passed since the solenoid valve 11 was opened, the control device 90 controls the solenoid valve 11 to close, or a flow sensor is installed separately, and the solenoid valve 11 is closed when a certain amount of water flows according to the flow sensor. The form to do is mentioned.

The water discharged from the water tank 10 flows through the water conduit 20, and this water flow rotates the water turbines 32 of the power generators 30a to 30e installed in the water conduit 20, and the power generation unit 36 generates electricity. The electric power generated by the power generation unit 36 is charged to the power supply device 80 .

Since the connecting members 60a, 60b, 60c connected to the rotating shaft 33 of the water wheel 32 of the power generators 30a, 30c, 30e rotate, the impellers of the pumps 50-52 also rotate. As a result, the pump 52 is activated, and the water discharged from the water conduit 20 to the relay tank 40c is pumped up to the relay tank 40b via the condensate pipe 70c. Further, the pump 51 is operated, and the water in the relay tank 40b is pumped into the relay tank 40a as light oil in the condensate pipe 70b. Further, the pump 50 is operated, and the water in the relay tank 40a is pumped up to the water tank 10 via the condensate pipe 70a.

After a certain amount of water is discharged from the water tank 10, as shown in FIG. 5, the electromagnetic valve 11 is closed and the flow of water through the conduit 20 is stopped. As a result, the generators 30a-30e are stopped, and the pumps 50-52 are also stopped.

After that, part of the electric power stored in the power supply device 80 is used to return the water to the water tank 10 . Power is supplied from the power supply device 80 to the power generators 30a, 30c, and 30e by a command from the control device 90, the power generators 30a, 30c, and 30e and the pumps 50 to 52 are operated again, and water is returned to the water tank 10. be done.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the water is returned to the water tank 10 and the water level sensor 12 detects that a certain amount of water has accumulated in the water tank 10, a command from the control device 90 causes the power generators 30a, 30c, and 30e to The power supply to is stopped, the electromagnetic valve 11 is opened again, and the same cycle as described above is repeated.

In the hydraulic power generation system 1 according to the present embodiment, the force of the water flowing down the water conduit 20 is used to rotate the water turbine 32 to generate power, and the rotation of the water turbine 32 is used to operate the pumps 50 to 52. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of power generated for driving the pumps 50-52.

In addition to the power from the power generators 30a to 30e, power generated from a solar power generation system or a wind power generation system may be used as charging power for the power supply device 80. FIG. Further, the power supply device 80 may be directly connected to a commercial power supply, or may be configured to charge a storage battery using economical power such as late-night power and drive the pumps 50 to 52 with the storage battery. By adopting such a configuration, the pumps 50 to 52 can be driven without using the generated electric power when water is not flowing through the water conduit 20 .

Further, the power generators 30a, 30c, 30e and the pumps 50 to 52 may not be operated while water is not flowing through the water conduit 20. FIG. For example, the water tank 10 may have a form in which rainwater is directly received and stored, or a form in which water flows in from a separately installed rainwater reservoir. In this case, when the water level sensor 12 detects that the water level in the water storage tank 10 has increased due to rainwater and that a certain amount of water has accumulated, the electromagnetic valve 11 opens to allow water to flow from the water storage tank 10 to the water conduit 20 and generate a power generator 30a. 30e are operated to generate electricity, and pumps 50 to 52 are operated to pump up water. When a certain amount of water is discharged from the water storage tank 10 and the solenoid valve 11 is closed, the operation of the power generators 30a to 30e and the pumps 50 to 52 is stopped, and a certain amount of water is accumulated again in the water storage tank 10 by pumping and rainwater. cycle is repeated.

In this case, the amount of water discharged from the water tank 10 through the water conduit 20 exceeds the amount of water pumped by the operation of the pumps 50 to 52, and may temporarily exceed the water storage capacity of the water tank 40c. For this reason, it is preferable that the relay tank 40c, which directly receives the water discharged from the water conduit 20, is provided with a drainage channel 41 so as not to exceed the water storage capacity. The installation height of the drainage channel 41 is preferably lower than the downstream end of the water conduit 20 in order to maintain the momentum of the water flowing through the water conduit 20 .

In the above description, a configuration including five power generators 30a to 30e and three pumps 50 to 52 has been described. good too.

(Second form)
A hydroelectric power generation system according to the second embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the hydroelectric power generation system 2 according to the second embodiment includes a water tank 10, a water conduit 20, power generators 30a to 30e, relay tanks 40a to 40c, pumps 50 to 52, connecting members 60a to 60c, It has condensate pipes 70a to 70c, a power supply device 80, and a control device 90.

The water tank 10 includes a float 13, an arm 14, a float valve 15, and a connecting member 16, as shown in FIG. The float 13 is hollow and configured to float on water. One end of the arm 14 is connected to the float 13 and the other end is rotatably connected to the side wall of the water tank 10 . The float 13 and float valve 15 are connected via a connecting member 16 .

Float valve 15 is greater than the density of water and sinks in water to close the drain. A recess is formed in the lower portion of the float valve 15 . A guide ring 19 is fixed to the side of the float valve 15 and is configured to be vertically movable along a guide rod 17 installed in the water tank 10 . The guide ring 19 is configured so as not to come off from the guide rod 17 by a stopper 18 of the guide rod 17 . Also, the connection member 16 connecting the float 13 and the float valve 15 is a string-like body that can be easily bent.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the amount of water in the water tank 10 is low, the float 13 is lowered and the connection member 16 is slackened. Therefore, the water in the water tank 10 is not discharged.

When the water in the water tank 10 increases and a certain amount of water is stored, the floating float 13 pulls the float valve 15 through the connecting member 15 as shown in FIG. As a result, the float valve 15 is pulled up, the drain port is opened, and the water in the water tank 10 flows down the water conduit 20 .

Around the outlet of the water tank 10, a flow of water is generated that is drawn toward the outlet, and an upward flow created by the flow that is drawn toward the outlet is generated directly above the outlet. Since the float valve 15 has a recess formed in its lower portion, it is likely to receive this upward flow, and the float valve 15 is restrained from descending. Therefore, the float valve 15 is prevented from immediately closing the drain port. As the drainage progresses and the water level in the water tank 10 decreases and the upward flow weakens, the float valve 15 sinks and closes the drain port. As a result, a certain amount of water in the water tank 10 is discharged.

The hydraulic power generation system 2 according to the second embodiment does not have a water level sensor set in the water tank 10 like the hydraulic power generation system 1 according to the first embodiment described above, and the float valve 15 is opened and closed to discharge and stop the water in the water tank 10, which is different from the hydraulic power generation system 1. Since other configurations are the same as those of the hydroelectric power generation system 1, description thereof will be omitted.

(Third form)
A hydroelectric power generation system according to the third embodiment will be described. Hydraulic power generation system 3 according to the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. It has condensate pipes 70a to 70c, a power supply device 80, and a control device 90.

In the hydraulic power generation system 3, as shown in FIG. 11, the upstream side of the water conduit 20 is formed in an inverted U shape. The upstream end of the water conduit 20 is arranged inside the water tank 10 so as to face downward.

Water is stored in the water storage tank 10, and as shown in FIG. 12, when the water level exceeds the top of the inverted U-shaped water conduit 20, the water in the water storage tank 10 is discharged by the siphon principle and is introduced. It flows down the water pipe 20 . As a result, the power generators 30a to 30e are driven.

When the water level in the water tank 10 falls below the upstream end of the conduit 20, water discharge from the water tank 10 stops. Then, when the water level of the water stored in the water tank 10 again exceeds the top of the inverted U-shaped water conduit 20, the water is drained.

The hydraulic power generation system 1 according to the third embodiment does not have a water level sensor set in the water tank 10 like the hydraulic power generation system 1 of the first embodiment described above, and the principle of siphoning according to the water amount in the water tank 10 It is different from the hydraulic power generation system 1 in that the water in the water tank 10 is discharged and stopped at . Since other configurations are the same as those of the hydroelectric power generation system 1, description thereof will be omitted.

1 Hydraulic Power System 2 Hydraulic Power System 3 Hydraulic Power System 10 Water Tank 11 Solenoid Valve 12 Water Level Sensor 13 Float 14 Arm 15 Float Valve 16 Connection Member 17 Guide Rod 18 Stopper 19 Guide Ring 20 Water Conduit 30a to 30e Power Generator 31 Casing 32 Water turbine 33 Rotating shaft 34 Blades 35 Bearing 36 Power generation unit 40a-40c Relay tank 41 Drainage channel 50-52 Pump 60a-60c Connection member 70a-70c Condensate pipe 80 Power supply device 90 Control device

Claims (8)

a water tank in which water is stored;
a water conduit through which water discharged from the water tank flows down;
a power generation device having a water wheel, disposed in the water conduit and generating power by a water flow flowing through the water conduit;
a power supply device connected to the power generator and charged with power from the power generator;
a relay tank for storing water discharged from the water conduit;
a pump that has an impeller and pumps up the water in the relay tank;
a condensate pipe through which water passes from the relay tank to the water storage tank,
The rotating shaft of the impeller of the pump is connected to the rotating shaft of the water wheel of the power generator,
A hydroelectric power generation system characterized by: A plurality of the power generators are arranged in the water conduit,
The hydroelectric power generation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: a plurality of relay tanks;
a condensate pipe connecting the plurality of relay tanks;
a plurality of pumps for pumping water in each of the relay tanks,
The rotary shaft of the impeller of each of the pumps is connected to the rotary shaft of the water wheel of the adjacent power plant.
3. The hydroelectric power generation system according to claim 2, characterized in that: When a certain amount of water is stored in the water tank, the water is intermittently discharged.
4. The hydroelectric power generation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The water tank is equipped with a water level sensor and a solenoid valve,
When the water level sensor detects that a certain amount of water has been stored in the water tank, the electromagnetic valve opens and the water in the water tank is discharged.
5. The hydroelectric power generation system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The water tank comprises a float and a float valve connected to the float via a connecting member,
As the water level of the water stored in the water tank rises, the float rises, and the float pulls up the float valve via the connection member, whereby the water in the water tank is discharged.
5. The hydroelectric power generation system according to claim 4, characterized in that: An upstream end of the water conduit formed in an inverted U shape is arranged inside the water tank,
When the water level of the water stored in the water tank exceeds the top of the inverted U shape of the water conduit, the water in the water tank is discharged.
5. The hydroelectric power generation system according to claim 4, characterized in that: When water is not flowing down the water conduit, the electric power stored in the power supply device drives the power generation device, and the pump is driven to pump water.
The hydroelectric power generation system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that:

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