JP4982827B2 - Tidal current and ocean current power generation equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus capable of generating power via an impeller by using a horizontal water flow generated as a tidal current or a sea current in a strait or the like, and in particular, two devices arranged in a skewer type (tandem type). The present invention relates to a tidal current / sea current power generation device that can efficiently generate power using an impeller (water turbine).

Conventionally, there has been proposed a tidal current / sea current power generation device that can convert tidal current / sea current energy into electric energy by using a plurality of water turbines installed in front and back in the sea and a generator attached to each turbine. Yes.
By the way, in the conventional tidal current / ocean current power generation apparatus as described above, since a generator is provided for each water turbine, there is a problem that the equipment cost increases.
Further, in order to adjust the direction of the water turbine relative to the tidal current / current, as the direction of the tidal current / sea current changes, it has been proposed to provide the water turbine in a movable floating body. This requires a great deal of cost.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-068638

  The present invention makes it possible to cope with a situation in which the direction of the flow in the sea changes in the opposite direction while providing a power generation facility at a fixed position using a water area that generates a strong flow in the sea in a strait and the like, and In consideration of the difference in rotational speed between a pair of front and rear turbines arranged to operate a single generator, the tidal current enables efficient, low-cost and safe power generation・ Provide an ocean current power generator.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a tidal current / sea current power generation device according to the present invention includes a columnar casing that is erected on the sea floor in a sea that generates a horizontal flow and extends above the sea surface. A horizontal shaft system disposed horizontally in the direction of the flow is provided therein, and the first operating shaft protruding through the casing to the upstream side of the flow in the horizontal shaft system is driven to rotate by the flow. And a second operating shaft protruding through the casing to the downstream side of the flow in the horizontal axis system, and in the same direction as the rotation direction of the first impeller by the flow. A second impeller that is rotationally driven, and is erected so as to be rotationally driven by the first operating shaft and the second operating shaft via a differential gear device, and passes through the inside of the casing and above the sea level. A vertical rotary shaft extending to the upper chamber of the casing, is characterized in that a generator is connected to the upper end of the vertical rotation shaft operating in the upper chamber is provided.

  In the tidal current / ocean current power generation device according to the present invention, a first forward / reverse switching mechanism and a second forward / reverse switching mechanism capable of changing the rotation direction are interposed on the first operating shaft and the second operating shaft, respectively. It is characterized by being.

  Further, in the tidal current / ocean current power generation device according to the present invention, a turntable is interposed in a portion below the horizontal axis system in the columnar casing, and the turntable is disposed outside the casing above the turntable. A steering plate for directing the one-blade wheel toward the upstream side of the flow is mounted.

  In addition, the tidal current / ocean current power generation device of the present invention is characterized in that a battery for storing the power generated by the generator is replaceably provided in the upper chamber.

  Further, in the tidal current / ocean current power generation device of the present invention, an upper shielding plate and a lower shielding plate for covering the upper and lower sides of the first impeller and the second impeller, respectively, are both outer peripheral portions of the casing. It is characterized by being attached to.

In the tidal current / ocean current power generation facility of the present invention described above, in the horizontal axis system oriented in the direction of the flow of the sea inside the columnar casing standing on the seabed, the casing penetrates to the upstream side of the flow. The first operating shaft that protrudes is provided with a first impeller that is rotationally driven by a flow in the sea, and the second operating shaft that protrudes through the casing downstream of the flow also has a first impeller caused by the flow in the sea. A second impeller that is rotationally driven in the same direction as the rotation direction of the first impeller is provided. Even if the rotation speeds of the first impeller and the second impeller are different, the first impeller Since the operating shaft and the second operating shaft transmit rotational torque to the vertical rotating shaft via the differential gear device, the rotating operation of the vertical rotating shaft is not hindered, and smooth rotation of the vertical rotating shaft is prevented. Expected to work.
Therefore, the power generation action of the generator connected to the upper end portion of the vertical rotation shaft is appropriately performed without any trouble.

  Thus, in the present apparatus, the first impeller and the second impeller are arranged in the front and rear in the direction of the flow in the sea, so that the apparatus is compared with the case where each impeller is arranged on the left and right. As a whole, the width can be narrowed, and even in a narrow sea area such as a strait, an efficient power generation operation can be performed while reducing the influence on the navigation of the ship as much as possible.

  In addition, since the columnar casing extends to above the sea level, visibility is improved for a ship navigating in the vicinity, and the generator is provided in the casing upper chamber above the sea level of the casing. As a result, an advantage of facilitating maintenance of the generator can be obtained.

  Furthermore, a first forward / reverse switching mechanism capable of converting the rotation direction to the opposite direction in preparation for the case where the flow direction of the tidal current or the ocean current changes in the opposite direction on the first operation shaft and the second operation shaft, respectively. When the second forward / reverse switching mechanism is provided, an efficient power generation operation is performed in response to a change in which the direction of the tide or ocean current is reversed.

  Further, in the columnar casing, a turntable is interposed in a portion below the horizontal axis system, and the first impeller is disposed on the upstream side of the flow above the turntable above the turntable. If the rudder plate is attached, the first and second forward / reverse switching mechanisms are not required, and the first impeller and the second impeller are always directed to the upstream side of the tidal current and the ocean current. As a result, an efficient power generation operation is performed.

  A battery for storing the electric power generated by the generator is provided in the upper chamber of the casing so as to be replaceable. When the battery has sufficiently stored electric power, the battery can be replaced by replacing the battery. The collection of the fully charged battery can be easily performed by a ship berthing to the upper chamber.

  Further, when an upper shielding plate and a lower shielding plate for covering the upper and lower sides of the first impeller and the second impeller are mounted on the outer periphery of the casing, the first impeller is provided. And the influence of the waves on the second impeller is avoided by the upper shielding plate, so that the bottom shielding plate can prevent the seabed sand or sludge from being rolled up by the first impeller and the second impeller.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a tidal current / sea current power generation device as one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a differential gear device in the device of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing an example of the switching mechanism, and FIG. 4 is an elevational view showing a modification of a part of the apparatus of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a columnar casing 3 is provided in the sea where a horizontal flow W as a tidal current or an ocean current is generated in a strait or the like, and stands up from a foundation structure 1 a on the seabed 1 and extends above the sea surface 2. In the casing 3, a horizontal shaft system 4 disposed horizontally so as to be directed in the direction of the flow W in the sea below the sea surface 2 is supported by a bearing (not shown). Is provided.

In the horizontal axis system 4, the first impeller 6 that is rotationally driven by the flow W is mounted on the first operating shaft 5 that protrudes through the casing 3 in a watertight manner upstream of the underwater flow W. .
In addition, the second operating shaft 7 that protrudes through the casing 3 in a watertight manner downstream of the flow W in the horizontal shaft system 4 is also rotated by the flow W in the same direction as the first impeller 6. Car 8 is installed.

  An upper shielding plate M and a lower shielding plate N for covering the upper and lower sides of the first impeller 6 and the second impeller 8 are fixed to the outer peripheral portion of the casing 3.

  Further, a vertical rotating shaft 10 erected so as to be rotationally driven by the first operating shaft 5 and the second operating shaft 7 via a differential gear device 9 (see FIG. 2) passes through the inside of the casing 3, and is a clutch mechanism. It extends upward via 10a. In this way, the vertical rotation shaft 10 extends to the inside of the upper chamber 3a of the casing 3 above the sea level 2.

  The upper end portion of the vertical rotating shaft 10 is connected to transmit the rotational force to the horizontal main shaft 12a of the generator 12 in the upper chamber 3a via the bevel gear mechanism 11, and the electric power generated by the generator 12 is The battery 14 is configured to be stored in the battery 14 installed in the upper chamber 3a via the switchboard 13.

  Currents and tides generated in the strait may be completely reversed, so when this device is installed in such a sea area, it depends on the direction of the current detected by a sensor (not shown). The first forward / reverse switching mechanism 15 that operates in this manner is interposed on the first operating shaft 5, and the second forward / reverse switching mechanism 16 that operates on the second operating shaft 7 based on the detection information from the sensor is interposed. Be dressed.

  As the forward / reverse switching mechanisms 15 and 16, for example, a mechanism that operates by switching clutches E and F as shown in FIG. In other words, when the input shaft P rotates forward according to the direction of the tidal current and ocean current, the clutch E is closed and the clutch F is opened, so that the gear shafts A and D are directly connected and the output shaft Q is also rotated in the same direction. When the input shaft P is reversely rotated, the clutch E is opened and the clutch F is closed, so that the output shaft Q can be kept rotating in the forward rotation direction via the gear shafts A, B, C, and D.

  In this way, the direction of the rotational force from the impellers 6 and 8 input to the differential gear unit 9 shown in FIG. 1 is always the same, and the difference in rotational speed between the impellers 6 and 8 is the difference. Absorbed by the moving gear unit 9, the rotation of the vertical rotating shaft 10 is always smoothly performed in the same direction.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, a submarine electric wire 17 for transmitting the electric power generated by the generator 12 to an on-site power receiving facility is connected to the switchboard 13 and the upper chamber 3a has a vessel that navigates nearby. In order to give a warning, an illumination lamp 18 and an automatic wireless communication facility 19 are provided.

In the tidal current / ocean current power generation apparatus of the above-described embodiment, in the horizontal axis system 4 oriented in the direction of the underwater flow W inside the columnar casing 3 erected on the seabed 1, the casing is formed upstream of the flow W. The first operating shaft 5 that protrudes through 3 is provided with a first impeller 6 that is rotationally driven by the underwater flow W, and the second operating shaft that protrudes through the casing 3 downstream of the flow W 7 is also provided with a second impeller 8 that is rotationally driven in the same direction as the rotation direction of the first impeller 6 by the underwater flow W. Each of the first impeller 6 and the second impeller 8 is provided. Even if the rotational speeds are different from each other, the first operating shaft 5 and the second operating shaft 7 transmit the rotational torque to the vertical rotating shaft 10 via the differential gear device 9, so that the rotating operation of the vertical rotating shaft 10 is performed. Therefore, smooth rotation operation of the vertical rotation shaft 10 is expected.
Therefore, the power generation action of the generator 12 connected to the upper end portion of the vertical rotating shaft 10 is appropriately performed without any trouble.

  In this way, in the present apparatus, the first impeller 6 and the second impeller 8 are disposed in the front and rear in the direction of the underwater flow W, whereby the respective impellers 6 and 8 are disposed on the left and right. Compared to the case, the width of the entire device can be narrowed, and even in a narrow sea area such as a strait, it is possible to perform an efficient power generation operation while reducing the influence on navigation of the ship as much as possible. become.

  In addition, since the columnar casing 3 extends to above the sea surface 2, visibility is improved for a ship navigating in the vicinity, and a generator 12 is installed in the casing upper chamber 3 a above the sea surface 2 of the casing 3. By being provided, there is also an advantage that maintenance of the generator 12 is facilitated.

  Furthermore, in preparation for the case where the direction of the tidal current or the ocean current flow W changes in the reverse direction on the first operating shaft 5 and the second operating shaft 7, a first forward / reverse switching mechanism capable of converting the rotational direction to the reverse direction. Since the 15 and the second forward / reverse switching mechanism 16 are provided, an efficient power generation operation can be performed appropriately in response to a change in which the direction of the tidal current or ocean current is reversed.

  A battery 14 for storing electric power generated by the generator 12 is provided in the upper chamber 3a of the casing 3 so as to be replaceable, so that when the battery 14 has sufficiently stored electric power, By exchanging 14, the fully charged battery 14 can be easily collected by a ship berthing to the upper chamber 3 a.

  Note that the transmission of the power may be performed to a land facility through the submarine electric wire 17.

  Further, since the upper shielding plate M and the lower shielding plate N for covering the upper and lower sides of the first impeller 6 and the second impeller 8 are mounted on the outer peripheral portion of the casing 3, the first impeller is provided. The influence of the waves on the 6th and 2nd impellers 8 is avoided by the upper shielding plate M, and the lower shielding plate N can prevent the seabed sand or sludge from being rolled up by the first impeller 6 and the second impeller 8. .

  In the modification shown in FIG. 4, in the above-described columnar casing 3, the turntable 20 is interposed in a portion below the horizontal axis system 4, and above the turntable 20, On the outside, a steering plate 21 for directing the first impeller 6 and the second impeller 8 to the upstream side of the ocean current / tidal current is mounted.

  In such a modification, since each impeller 6 and 8 is always directed to the upstream side of the ocean current / tidal current, neither the first forward / reverse switching mechanism 15 nor the second forward / reverse switching mechanism 16 is required. The first impeller 6 and the second impeller 8 are always directed to the upstream side of the tidal current and the ocean current, and an efficient power generation operation is performed.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the tidal current and ocean current power generation apparatus as one Example of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the differential gear apparatus in the apparatus of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the forward / reverse switching mechanism in the apparatus of FIG. FIG. 6 is an elevational view showing a partial modification of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Seabed 1a Foundation structure 2 Sea surface 3 Casing 3a Upper chamber 4 Horizontal axis system 5 1st operation shaft 6 1st impeller 7 2nd operation shaft 8 2nd impeller 9 Differential gear apparatus
10 Vertical rotation axis
11 Bevel gear mechanism
12 Generator
12a Generator spindle
13 Switchboard
14 battery
15 First forward / reverse switching mechanism
16 Second forward / reverse switching mechanism
17 Submarine cable
18 Lighting
19 Automatic wireless communication equipment
20 Turntable
21 Rudder plates A, B, C, D Gear shaft E, F Clutch P Input shaft Q Output shaft M Upper shielding plate N Lower shielding plate W Flow in the sea

Claims (5)

  A horizontal casing system is provided that has a columnar casing standing on the bottom of the sea in the sea where a horizontal flow is generated and extending above the sea level, and is horizontally arranged to face the direction of the flow inside the casing below the sea surface. A first working shaft that projects through the casing to the upstream side of the flow in the horizontal axis system, and includes a first impeller that is rotationally driven by the flow, and the flow of the flow in the horizontal axis system. The second operating shaft protruding through the casing downstream is provided with a second impeller that is driven to rotate in the same direction as the first impeller by the flow, and the first operating shaft and A vertical rotating shaft that stands up so as to be rotationally driven by a second operating shaft via a differential gear device and extends through the inside of the casing to the upper chamber of the casing above the sea surface; Wherein the connected to the upper end portion of the straight rotational shaft and the generator to operate at the upper chamber is provided, tidal-ocean current power generation system.   The first forward-reverse switching mechanism and the second forward-reverse switching mechanism that can change the rotation direction are interposed in the first operating shaft and the second operating shaft, respectively. Tidal current and ocean current power generation equipment.   In the columnar casing, a turntable is interposed in a portion below the horizontal axis system, and the first impeller is directed to the upstream side of the flow above the turntable and above the turntable. A tidal current / sea current power generation device according to claim 1, wherein a rudder plate is attached.   The tidal current / sea current according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a battery for storing electric power generated by the generator is replaceably provided in the upper chamber. Power generation device.   An upper shielding plate and a lower shielding plate for covering the upper and lower sides of the first impeller and the second impeller, respectively, are mounted on the outer peripheral portion of the casing. Item 5. The tidal current / ocean current power generation device according to any one of items 1 to 4.

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