JP5048882B1 - Running water power generator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a running water power generation apparatus that is easy to move, can be easily increased in size, has a simple structure, and is less susceptible to failure or functional deterioration.
A floating body 11 has a bullet shape and is configured to be rotatable about a center line passing through the tip with the tip directed upstream of running water. A plurality of water receiving plates 12 are attached along the outer periphery of the floating body 11 so that the floating body 11 receives flowing water and the floating body 11 rotates below the surface of the flowing water. A rotating shaft 14 is provided on the floating body 11 along the rotation center line of the floating body 11 so as to be rotatable independently of the floating body 11. A weight member 15 is fixed to the rotating shaft 14 so that the rotating shaft 14 does not rotate with the rotation of the floating body 11. The generator 17 is provided in the floating body 11 so as to generate power by the rotation of the rotating shaft 14 with respect to the floating body 11.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a running water power generation apparatus using running water such as ocean currents and tidal currents.

  As a conventional method of generating electricity using running water such as ocean currents and tidal currents, a tidal current power generation device that rotates a water turbine or the like by tidal currents and extracts power from the rotation (for example, see Patent Document 1 or 2), There is a shaft that is attached to the rotating body that rotates independently of the rotating body, and the shaft is fixed to the outside of the rotating body so that the shaft does not rotate with the rotation of the rotating body. There is a fluid power generation apparatus configured to generate electric power with a generator provided inside a rotating body using rotation of a shaft member with respect to the rotating body (see, for example, Patent Documents 3 to 5).

JP 2010-180873 A JP 2010-31793 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-225075 JP 2004-176635 A JP-A-63-75365

  In the tidal current power generation devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, it is necessary to arrange a support body and a power generation device for supporting a water turbine or the like in running water or in the vicinity thereof. Further, in the power generation devices described in Patent Documents 3 to 5, it is necessary to arrange a fixing portion for fixing the shaft member of the rotating body in the running water or in the vicinity thereof. For this reason, once the apparatus is installed, there is a problem that it is difficult to move the apparatus. In addition, when the water turbine or the rotating body is enlarged in order to increase the power generation efficiency, it is necessary to enlarge the support body and the fixed portion accordingly, and there is a problem that it is difficult to increase the size. In addition, there is a problem in that attached organisms such as shellfish adhere to the rotating shaft of the water wheel or the rotating body, and the failure or functional deterioration due to the attached organisms is likely to occur.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such a problem, and has an object to provide a flowing water power generation device that is easy to move, can be easily enlarged, has a simple structure, and has few failures and functional deterioration. It is said.

A flowing water power generation apparatus according to the present invention is a flowing water power generation apparatus that generates electric power using flowing water, and includes a floating body and an outer periphery of the floating body so that the floating body receives the flowing water and rotates below the surface of the flowing water. A rotating shaft provided on the floating body along the rotation center line of the floating body, and the rotational shaft being rotated along with the rotation of the floating body. A weight member fixed to the rotating shaft so as not to rotate, and a generator provided on the floating body so as to generate electric power by rotating together with the floating body with respect to the rotating shaft .

The flowing water power generation apparatus according to the present invention can rotate the floating body below the surface of the flowing water when the plurality of water receiving plates receive the flowing water. At this time, the rotating shaft is provided on the floating body along the rotation center line of the floating body so as to be rotatable independently of the floating body, and the weight member is fixed to the rotating shaft. The rotating shaft does not rotate with the rotation of the floating body. For this reason, electric power can be generated with the generator provided in the floating body using the rotation of the floating body with respect to the rotating shaft .

  In the flowing water power generation apparatus according to the present invention, there is no large-scale member for fixing or supporting the floating body outside the floating body. For this reason, movement is easy and it can move to the place where a flow is fast, and can generate electric power efficiently. In addition, it is easy to increase the size. By increasing the size, it is possible to increase the power generation efficiency, and it is possible to make it difficult to break even if a drifting object collides. The flowing water power generation apparatus according to the present invention has a simple structure, and the floating body and the water receiving plates that come into contact with the fluid rotate relatively slowly in the flowing water. And functional degradation can be reduced.

  In the flowing water power generation device according to the present invention, each water receiving plate is attached to the floating body with its position and angle adjusted so that the floating body does not rotate and rotate below the flowing water but rotates below the surface of the flowing water. It is preferable. By rotating the floating body under the surface of the flowing water, the rotation efficiency of the floating body can be increased and the power generation efficiency can be increased. The weight member may have any configuration as long as the rotation shaft can be prevented from rotating together with the floating body, and may be composed of, for example, a tank filled with seawater. Further, it may be attached at a predetermined distance or more away from the rotating shaft.

  A running water power generation apparatus according to the present invention includes mooring means for mooring the floating body in running water, the mooring means including an anchor, a first mooring line having one end connected to the anchor, and the first mooring. A connecting member connected to the other end of the cable, and a second mooring cable having one end connected to the connecting member and the other end connected to the floating body, and the connecting member moored the floating body The floating body is rotatable about the rotation center line below the surface of the flowing water, and is detachably attached at a position where the rotation center line of the floating body intersects the outer surface, and the second mooring line is It is preferable that when the connecting member is removed from the floating body, each water receiving plate is connected to the outer surface of the floating body so as to be substantially parallel to the fluid flow.

  When this mooring means is provided, it is possible to generate electricity by rotating the floating body by attaching the connecting member to the floating body. Further, by removing the connecting member from the floating body, each water receiving plate becomes substantially parallel to the flow of the fluid, so that the rotation of the floating body can be stopped. At this time, resistance due to running water is reduced and the force applied to the anchor is also reduced, so that the floating body can be floated on the running water. Thereby, it can approach or board a floating body, and can perform maintenance etc. easily.

  Moreover, the flowing water power generation device according to the present invention may have a buoyancy adjustment tank capable of storing or draining seawater inside the floating body. In this case, when the floating body is rotated, seawater is put into the buoyancy adjustment tank, and the seawater is drained from the buoyancy adjustment tank during maintenance, so that the floating body can be easily submerged or floated.

  The flowing water power generator according to the present invention preferably includes a gear that is disposed between the rotating shaft and the generator and drives the generator by increasing the number of rotations of the rotating shaft with respect to the floating body. In this case, even if the rotation of the floating body is slow, the number of rotations can be increased by the gear to drive the generator, and efficient power generation can be performed.

  In the flowing water power generation apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the floating body has a bullet shape and is configured to be rotatable around a center line passing through the tip with the tip directed toward the upstream side of the flowing water. In this case, since all the force of the flowing water hitting each water receiving plate can be used for the rotation of the floating body, the rotation efficiency can be increased and the power generation efficiency can be increased. Moreover, since the floating body has a bullet shape, the water flow on the side surface of the floating body can be accelerated. Since the floating body can be rotated using this accelerated water flow, the power generation efficiency can be further increased.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a running water power generation apparatus that is easy to move and that can be easily increased in size, that has a simple structure, and that is less susceptible to failure and functional degradation.

It is a perspective view which shows the use condition of the flowing water power generator of embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the inside of the floating body of the flowing water power generator shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the connection state of a connection member and a fixing member of the flowing water power generator shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 3 show a running water power generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the flowing water power generation apparatus 10 is configured to generate electricity using flowing water having a substantially constant flow velocity such as a sea current or a tidal current, and includes a floating body 11 and a plurality of water receiving plates 12. The mooring means 13, the rotating shaft 14, the weight member 15, the gear 16, the generator 17, and the buoyancy adjustment tank 18 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the floating body 11 has a long and narrow bullet shape with a pointed tip, and has a space inside. As shown in FIG. 2, the floating body 11 has a pair of partition walls 21 provided in the interior space so as to be parallel to each other so as to be perpendicular to the length direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, each water receiving plate 12 is formed of a scale-shaped plate body having a curved shape with a smooth edge. Each of the water receiving plates 12 is attached along the outer periphery of the floating body 11 so as to protrude from the outer surface of the floating body 11 at equiangular intervals around the center line passing through the tip of the floating body 11. In addition, each water receiving plate 12 is perpendicular to the outer surface of the floating body 11, and the left and right attachment positions to the floating body 11 are shifted in the same direction along the longitudinal direction of the floating body 11. It is attached inclined to the direction. Thereby, the floating body 11 and each water receiving plate 12 have a screw shape that rotates around a center line passing through the tip of the floating body 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the mooring means 13 includes an anchor 22, a first mooring line 23, a second mooring line 24, a connecting member 25, a fixing member 26, and a wire 27. The first mooring line 23 has one end connected to the anchor 22 and the other end connected to the connection member 25. The second mooring line 24 has one end connected to the connection member 25 and the other end connected to the outer surface of the floating body 11. The position of the outer surface of the floating body 11 to which the second mooring line 24 is connected is a position near the base portion of each water receiving plate 12. As shown in FIG. 3A, the connection member 25 has a hollow cylindrical shape inside, and has a rotary attachment 25a attached to one end face so as to be rotatable around a center line. Further, the connecting member 25 has a connecting body 25c that protrudes from the other end face and has a hook-like portion 25b at the tip. In the connecting body 25c, the cross-sectional shape of the flange portion 25b at the tip is an elliptical shape. As for the connection member 25, the 1st mooring line 23 is attached to the rotation fixture 25a.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the fixing member 26 is provided at the tip of the floating body 11, a connection hole 26 a for inserting the connection body 25 c, and 1 provided inside the connection hole 26 a. A pair of rotary fasteners 26b, a winch 26c provided at the innermost part of the coupling hole 26a, a motor 26d for rotationally driving the winch 26c, a gear 26e for interlocking the winch 26c and each rotary fastener 26b, It has an electromagnetic brake 26f provided in each rotary fastener 26b, and a connection sensor 26g provided between the rotary fastener 26b and the winch 26c inside the connection hole 26a. The connection hole 26a has a circular shape in the vicinity of the opening, and is formed so as to gradually form an elliptical shape that matches the shape of the flange-shaped portion 25b of the connection body 25c. Each rotary fastener 26b is biased toward the center line of the connection hole 26a by a spring at the end on the back side of the connection hole 26a, so that the interval between the ends can be changed. The wire 27 is longer than the second mooring cable 24, one end is attached to the tip of the hook-like portion 25b of the connecting body 25c, and the other end is wound around and fixed to the winch 26c.

  The mooring means 13 operates as follows. That is, when the wire 27 is wound up by the winch 26c, the connection body 25c of the connection member 25 is drawn into the connection hole 26a. At this time, the hook-shaped portion 25b of the connecting body 25c pushes and widens the end of each rotary fastener 26b, and further enters the back of the connecting hole 26a. When the hook-like portion 25b passes through the end portions of the respective rotary fasteners 26b, the interval between the end portions is narrowed by the spring and is caught by the hook-like portion 25b. As a result, the connecting body 25c does not come out of the connecting hole 26a and is fixed. When the tip of the hook-like portion 25b of the connecting body 25c contacts the connection sensor 26g, the motor 26d of the winch 26c stops. Thus, the connecting member 25 is connected to the fixing member 26 and fixed. In addition, when connecting in running water, it is good to pull the floating body 11 with a tugboat etc. so that it may not lose to a water flow, loosen the 1st mooring line 23 and the 2nd mooring line 24, and to wind up the wire 27 with the winch 26c.

  When the connecting member 25 is removed from the fixing member 26, first, the motor 26d is rotated in the direction opposite to the direction in which the winch 26c is wound, and at the same time, the electromagnetic brake 26f is operated to fix the gear 26e and each rotary fastener 26b. To do. Thereby, each rotation fastener 26b rotates in the direction which expands the space | interval of the edge part of each rotation fastener 26b with rotation of the winch 26c via the gear 26e. Thereby, the hook-shaped part 25b of the connection body 25c comes off, and the connection body 25c can be pulled out from the connection hole 26a. When the tip of the connecting member 25 is pulled out from the connecting hole 26a, the motor 26d of the winch 26c stops, the electromagnetic brake 26f is released, and each rotary fastener 26b returns to its original position by the biasing force of the spring. At this time, since the winch 26c can freely rotate even when the motor 26d is stopped, the wire 27 can be pulled out to the end by flowing the floating body 11 with running water.

  The mooring means 13 can moor the floating body 11 in flowing water by sinking the anchor 22 to the seabed or the like. When the connecting member 25 is fixed to the fixing member 26 and the floating body 11 is moored by the mooring means 13, the flowing water power generation apparatus 10 allows each water receiving plate 12 to flow the flowing water with the tip of the floating body 11 facing the upstream side of the flowing water. To receive. Further, the floating body 11 sinks below the surface of the flowing water due to the momentum of the water flow, and the floating body 11 is configured to rotate below the surface of the flowing water around the center line passing through the tip. At this time, as the floating body 11 rotates, the rotary attachment 25a to which the first mooring line 23 is attached rotates, so that the first mooring line 23 is not twisted. Moreover, when the connecting member 25 is pulled out from the fixed member 26 and removed from the floating body 11, the flowing water power generation apparatus 10 rotates around the connection position between the second mooring cable 24 and the floating body 11, and each water receiving plate 12 is configured to be substantially parallel to the fluid flow. At this time, since the wire 27 is longer than the second mooring line 24, the floating body 11 is not subjected to the force from the wire 27 and is pulled and moored by the second mooring line 24.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the rotating shaft 14 is spanned between the partition walls 21 inside the floating body 11. The rotation shaft 14 is provided on the rotation center line of the floating body 11 so as to be rotatable around the center axis. The rotating shaft 14 is configured to rotate independently of the floating body 11.

  The weight member 15 is made of a tank filled with seawater or an iron material, and is fixed to the rotating shaft 14 so as to be rotatable together with the rotating shaft 14. The weight member 15 is fixed away from the rotating shaft 14 by a predetermined distance. The weight member 15 is fixed to the rotating shaft 14 so that the rotating shaft 14 does not rotate with the rotation of the floating body 11 due to its weight.

The gear 16 has a large-diameter spur gear 16a fixed to the end of the rotary shaft 14 on the distal end side of the floating body 11 and a small-diameter spur gear 16b meshed with the large-diameter spur gear 16a so as to be rotatable together with the rotary shaft 14. is doing. The generator 17 is provided such that it can be driven by the rotation of the small-diameter spur gear 16 b and is attached to the partition wall 21 on the distal end side of the floating body 11. The generator 17 is configured to generate power by rotating together with the floating body 11 with respect to the rotating shaft 14 via the gear 16. The gear 16 drives the generator 17 by increasing the rotational speed of the rotary shaft 14 with respect to the floating body 11.

  As shown to Fig.3 (a), the generator 17 has the 1st power transmission cable 17a and the 2nd power transmission cable 17b for sending the generated electricity. One end of the first power transmission cable 17 a is connected to an external power supply destination of the running water power generation apparatus 10, and the other end is connected to the rotation fixture 25 a of the connection member 25, and extends into the connection member 25. One end of the second power transmission cable 17 b is connected to the connection member 25 and extends into the connection member 25, and the other end extends from the connection position between the second mooring cable 24 and the outer surface of the floating body 11 into the floating body 11. And connected to the generator 17. The second power transmission cable 17 b is provided along the second mooring line 24 outside the floating body 11. The first power transmission cable 17a and the second power transmission cable 17b are electrically connected via the brush 17c inside the connection member 25 so that the electrical connection is maintained even when the floating body 11 rotates. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the buoyancy adjusting tank 18 is provided in a space behind the floating body 11 separated by a partition wall 21 on the rear side of the floating body 11. The buoyancy adjustment tank 18 is configured to be able to store and drain seawater.

Next, the operation will be described.
The flowing water power generation apparatus 10 can rotate the floating body 11 below the surface of the flowing water when the plurality of water receiving plates 12 receive the flowing water in a state where the connection member 25 is attached to the fixing member 26. At this time, the rotation shaft 14 is provided on the rotation center line of the floating body 11 so as to be rotatable independently of the floating body 11, and the weight member 15 is fixed to the rotation shaft 14. Thus, the rotating shaft 14 does not rotate with the rotation of the floating body 11. For this reason, power can be generated by the generator 17 provided on the floating body 11 by utilizing the rotation of the floating body 11 with respect to the rotating shaft 14 . Moreover, since the floating body 11 is rotated under the surface of running water, the rotational efficiency of the floating body 11 can be increased and the power generation efficiency can be increased. Even if the rotation of the floating body 11 is slow, the number of rotations can be increased by the gear 16 to drive the generator 17, and more efficient power generation can be performed.

  When the generator 17 is driven, the rotating shaft 14 tends to rotate in the rotation direction of the floating body 11 together with the rotation of the floating body 11 due to the torque as a reaction. At this time, the weight member 15 rises with the rotation of the rotating shaft 14, and the rotation of the floating body 11 in the rotation direction is performed at a position where the torque due to the gravity balances with the torque that rotates the rotating shaft 14 in the rotation direction of the floating body 11. The rotation of the shaft 14 stops. For this reason, the rotating shaft 14 rotates independently of the floating body 11 in a state where the weight member 15 stays at a position raised from the rotating shaft 14 instead of just below the rotating shaft 14, and power generation can be performed.

  Since the floating body 11 can rotate around the center line passing through the tip of the floating body 11 with the tip of the floating body 11 facing the upstream side of the flowing water, all the forces of the flowing water hitting each water receiving plate 12 are floated. 11 rotations. For this reason, rotation efficiency can be raised and electric power generation efficiency can be raised. Further, since the floating body 11 has a bullet shape, the water flow on the side surface of the floating body 11 can be accelerated. Since the floating body 11 can be rotated using this accelerated water flow, the power generation efficiency can be further increased.

  The flowing water power generation apparatus 10 does not have a large-scale member for fixing or supporting the floating body 11 outside the floating body 11. For this reason, movement is easy and it can move to the place where a flow is fast, and can generate electric power efficiently. In addition, it is easy to increase the size. By increasing the size, it is possible to increase the power generation efficiency, and it is possible to make it difficult to break even if a drifting object collides. The flowing water power generation apparatus 10 has a simple structure, and the floating body 11 and the water receiving plates 12 that are in contact with the fluid rotate relatively slowly in the flowing water. Therefore, even if attached organisms such as shellfish are attached, Functional degradation can be reduced.

  The flowing water power generation apparatus 10 can stop the rotation of the floating body 11 because the water receiving plates 12 are substantially parallel to the fluid flow by removing the connection member 25 from the fixing member 26. At this time, resistance due to running water is reduced and the force applied to the anchor 22 is also reduced, so that the floating body 11 can be floated on the running water. Thereby, it can approach or board the floating body 11, and a maintenance etc. can be performed easily.

  The running water power generation apparatus 10 not only attaches / detaches the connecting member 25 to / from the fixing member 26, but also stores seawater in the buoyancy adjustment tank 18 when the floating body 11 rotates, and supplies seawater from the buoyancy adjustment tank 18 during maintenance. By draining, the floating body 11 can be easily submerged or floated.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Flowing water power generation apparatus 11 Floating body 21 Bulkhead 12 Water receiving plate 13 Mooring means 22 Anchor 23 First mooring cable 24 Second mooring cable 25 Connection member 25a Rotating fixture 25b Hook-shaped part 25c Connection body 26 Fixing member 26a Connection hole 26b Rotation stop Tool 26c Winch 26d Motor 26e Gear 26f Electromagnetic brake 26g Connection sensor 27 Wire 14 Rotating shaft 15 Weight member 16 Gear 17 Generator 17a First power transmission cable 17b Second power transmission cable 17c Brush 18 Buoyancy adjustment tank

Claims (4)

A running water power generation device that generates electricity using running water,
With a floating body,
A plurality of water receiving plates attached along the outer periphery of the floating body so that the floating body rotates under the surface of the flowing water in response to the flowing water;
A rotating shaft provided on the floating body along a rotation center line of the floating body, so as to be rotatable independently of the floating body;
A weight member fixed to the rotating shaft so that the rotating shaft does not rotate with the rotation of the floating body;
A generator provided on the floating body to generate electricity by rotating together with the floating body with respect to the rotating shaft ;
A running water power generation apparatus comprising:
Mooring means for mooring the floating body in running water;
The mooring means includes an anchor, a first mooring line having one end connected to the anchor, a connecting member connected to the other end of the first mooring line, one end connected to the connecting member, and the other end A second mooring line connected to the floating body;
The connection member is detachably attached to a position where the rotation center line of the floating body intersects the outer surface so that the floating body can rotate under the surface of the flowing water around the rotation center line when the floating body is moored. And
The second mooring line is connected to the outer surface of the floating body so that each water receiving plate is substantially parallel to the flow of the fluid when the connecting member is removed from the floating body. The running water power generator according to claim 1.   The running water power generation according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a gear disposed between the rotating shaft and the generator to drive the generator by increasing the number of rotations of the rotating shaft with respect to the floating body. apparatus. 4. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the floating body has a bullet shape and is configured to be rotatable about a center line passing through the tip with the tip directed upstream of the flowing water. The running water power generator according to the item.

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