JP7159888B2 - floating system - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to floating systems.

As a structure moored to an anchor placed on the seabed, for example, there is a semi-submersible raft for wind power generation (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This raft is used connected to a mooring line that is connected to an anchor.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-521597

In floating systems with floating bodies that float in or on water connected to the bottom of the water via mooring lines, the mooring lines need to be lengthened when anchors are placed in deep water. When the mooring cable is long, the range in which the floating body can move becomes larger than when the mooring cable is short. An object of the present disclosure is to provide a floating system capable of limiting the range in which a floating body can move.

The floating system of the present disclosure includes a plurality of lower mooring ropes each connected to a plurality of fixed parts arranged at different positions on the water bottom, and a first floating body that is moored by the plurality of lower mooring ropes and can float in the water. , an upper mooring rope connected to the first floating body, and a second floating body moored by the upper mooring rope and capable of floating in or on the water.

In this floating system, since the first floating body is connected to the plurality of lower mooring lines, the range over which the first floating body can move is limited. Since the second floating body is connected to the first floating body via the upper mooring rope, the length of the mooring rope connected to the second floating body is shortened compared to the case where the mooring rope is connected to the bottom of the water. be able to. Therefore, the range in which the second floating body can move can be restricted.

Further, the floating system may include a turbine that can rotate by receiving water flow, and a generator that generates power using the rotational driving force of the turbine, and the turbine and generator may be provided on the second floating body. In this floating system, the range of movement of the second floating body provided with the turbine and generator can be suppressed. In this floating body system, the water flow is received to rotate the turbine, and the rotational driving force of the turbine can be used to generate power.

In addition, the plurality of fixed parts includes a first fixed part, a second fixed part, and a third fixed part arranged at positions forming the vertices of the triangle, and the plurality of lower mooring cables are connected to the first fixed part. A first lower mooring line, a second lower mooring line connected to the second anchorage, and a third lower mooring line connected to the third anchorage may be included. The first floating body is connected via three lower mooring cables to the first fixed part, the second fixed part, and the third fixed part arranged at the positions forming the vertices of the triangle. is limited in its range of movement.

Also, the floating system may comprise a plurality of floating body units. The floating body unit may include a plurality of anchorages, a plurality of lower mooring lines, a first floating body, an upper mooring line, and a second floating body. The fixed part may be shared by a plurality of floating body units. The lower mooring lines of a plurality of floating body units may be connected to a common fixed portion. In other words, the lower mooring cables of a plurality of units are connected to one fixed part. As a result, the number of fixing parts installed on the bottom of the water can be reduced by sharing the fixing parts. Therefore, it is possible to arrange a plurality of floating body units while suppressing the number of fixed portions to be installed. Further, by sharing the fixing portion, a plurality of floating body units can be arranged close to each other, and the number of the plurality of floating body units installed in a predetermined area can be increased.

The floating system may also include a power transmission cable connected to the second floating body, the power transmission cable being connected to the first floating body. Thereby, the power transmission cable extending downward from the second floating body can be connected to the first floating body floating between the bottom of the water and the second floating body. By connecting the power transmission cable to the first floating body, the movement range of the power transmission cable can be suppressed.

In addition, the floating system includes a first turbine rotatable by receiving the water flow, a first generator generating power using the rotational driving force of the first turbine, a second turbine rotatable by receiving the water flow, a second and a second generator that generates power using the rotational driving force of the turbine. The first turbine and the first generator may be provided on the first floating body, and the second turbine and the second generator may be provided on the second floating body. Thereby, the first floating body and the second floating body arranged at different depths can be provided with a turbine and a generator, respectively. In this floating body system, it is possible to generate electricity by receiving water flows of different depths and rotating the first turbine and the second turbine. Moreover, in this floating body system, since a plurality of turbines and generators can be arranged in the water depth direction, it is possible to increase the number of installed floating bodies capable of generating power in a predetermined area.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a floating system capable of suppressing the movable range of the first floating body and suppressing the movable range of the second floating body.

1 is a side view showing a water current power generator according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the water current generator shown in FIG. 1; Fig. 10 is a side view showing a water current power generation system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is a plan view of the water current generator shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 11 is a side view showing a water current power generation device according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure;

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, a water current power generation device (floating water current power generation device, floating system) 1 floats a power generation floating body 2 in water, and rotates a turbine 3 provided on the power generation floating body 2 by a water flow FW. , a device that generates power by rotating the turbine 3 . For example, the water current power generation device 1 is installed in the ocean and used to generate power using ocean currents. The power generation floating body 2 is moored to a plurality of anchors 5 via a plurality of mooring cables 4 . The power generation floating body 2 may be configured by connecting two left and right power generation pods with a beam. The beams are provided by, for example, horizontally arranging rectangular plates. In this embodiment, the upstream side of the water flow FW is defined as the front side, and the downstream side of the water flow FW is defined as the rear side. Also, in each figure, three orthogonal directions are indicated by arrows as the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction. The X direction and Y direction are, for example, horizontal directions. The X direction is, for example, the direction along the water flow FW. The Y direction is, for example, the direction that crosses the water flow FW. The Z direction is, for example, the vertical direction.

The anchor 5 is a structure for holding the power generation floating body 2 so that it is not swept away by the water flow FW, and is made of concrete or metal, for example. The anchor 5 may be a sinker that maintains its position by the weight of a heavy structure, or may be of a type that maintains its position by using a supporting force such as a ground anchor.

The plurality of anchors 5 may include a first anchor (first fixing part) 6 , a second anchor (second fixing part) 7 and a third anchor (third fixing part) 8 . As shown in FIG. 2, these first anchor 6, second anchor 7, and third anchor 8 are arranged at positions forming vertices C1, C2, and C3 of an imaginary triangle A, for example. The distances between the plurality of anchors 5 may be the same or different. A plurality of anchors 5 are arranged at different positions on the bottom B of the water.

The multiple mooring lines 4 include multiple lower mooring lines 9 and upper mooring lines 10 . The plurality of lower mooring lines 9 may include a first lower mooring line 11 , a second lower mooring line 12 and a third lower mooring line 13 . A first lower mooring line 11 is connected to the first anchor 6 . A second lower mooring line 12 is connected to the second anchor 7 . A third lower mooring line 13 is connected to the third anchor 8 . The specifications (length, material, diameter, etc.) of the first lower mooring rope 11, the second lower mooring rope 12, and the third lower mooring rope 13 can be the same.

The water current power generation device 1 includes an intermediate floating body (first floating body) 14 that is moored by a plurality of lower mooring cables 9 and can float in water. The intermediate floating body 14 may be a pressure vessel that can float in water. A first lower mooring rope 11, a second lower mooring rope 12, and a third lower mooring rope 13 are connected to the intermediate floating body 14, respectively. The first lower mooring rope 11 , the second lower mooring rope 12 , and the third lower mooring rope 13 may be connected to different positions on the intermediate floating body 14 . In the state where the water current power generation device 1 is used, the tension acting on the first lower mooring rope 11, the second lower mooring rope 12, and the third lower mooring rope 13 can be, for example, substantially the same.

One end of the upper mooring line 10 is connected to the intermediate floating body 14 . The other end of the upper mooring cable 10 is connected to the power generation floating body 2 . The power generation floating body 2 is moored by an upper mooring cable 10 and can float in water. The power generation floating body 2 is connected to a first anchor 6, a second anchor 7, a third 3 anchored against anchors 8;

The power generation floating body 2 includes a main body 15 and a turbine 3 . The main body 15 of the power generation floating body 2 includes a pressure vessel in which the generator 16 is mounted. The turbine 3 is provided on the rear side of the body 15 . The turbine 3 comprises blades 3a and a hub 3b. The blades 3a are blade members that receive the water flow FW and generate rotational force, and are provided in plurality on the outer periphery of the hub 3b in the radial direction. The turbine 3 may have two blades 3a or three blades 3a. The hub 3b is rotatable around an axis extending in the front-rear direction of the power generation floating body 2. As shown in FIG. The hub 3b is attached to, for example, the rotating shaft 17 of the generator 16 and rotates together with the rotating shaft 17. As shown in FIG.

The generator 16 is a device that converts the kinetic energy of the rotation of the turbine 3 into electrical energy, and receives the rotational driving force of the turbine 3 to generate power. A power conditioner may be connected to the generator 16 . The generator 16 outputs generated power to the power conditioner. The power conditioner can adjust the power generated by the generator 16 and control the power generation operation. Adjustment of the generated power is performed by converting the generated power, which is AC power, into DC power, and then converting the DC power into AC power so as to obtain a desired frequency. A high-voltage power receiving unit may be connected to the power conditioner. The high-voltage power receiving unit transforms AC power output from the power conditioner.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1 , the water current generator 1 is provided with a power transmission cable 18 for transmitting power generated by the generator 16 . 2, illustration of the power transmission cable 18 is omitted. The power transmission cable 18 hangs down from the power generation floating body 2 and is anchored to the intermediate floating body 14 underwater. For example, it may be connected to a connector provided on the intermediate floating body 14 . The power transmission cable 18 may hang down from the intermediate floating body 14, reach the vicinity of the water bottom B, and may be arranged along the water bottom B. The power transmission cable 18 is connected to, for example, a ground power system.

Next, the action of the water current generator 1 will be described. While the power generation floating body 2 floats in the water, the turbine 3 receives the water flow FW and rotates. The generator 16 generates power using the rotational driving force of the turbine 3 . The power generated by the generator 16 can be transmitted via the power transmission cable 18 and consumed on the ground side.

In the water current power generation device 1, the intermediate floating body 14 is connected to the first lower mooring rope 11, the second lower mooring rope 12, and the third lower mooring rope 13, so the movable range of the intermediate floating body 14 is restricted. The power generation floating body 2 is connected to an intermediate floating body 14 via an upper mooring cable 10 . The length of the mooring rope (upper mooring rope 10) connected to the power generation floating body 2 is compared with the length of the mooring rope connected to the anchor on the bottom of the water B without passing through the intermediate floating body 14. can be shortened. In other words, the length of the upper mooring line 10 from the intermediate floating body 14 to the power generating floating body 2 is shorter than the length of the mooring line from the water bottom B to the power generating floating body 2 . Therefore, the range in which the power generation floating body 2 can move can be restricted. In the water current power generation device 1, the movable range of the intermediate floating body 14 is restricted, and the upper mooring cable 10 connected to the power generation floating body 2 can be shortened, so the movable range of the power generation floating body 2 is restricted.

In the water current power generation device 1, since the movable range of the power generation floating body 2 is limited, for example, the safe distance from the other adjacent water current power generation device 1 can be shortened compared to the conventional one. A safe distance is a distance at which there is no possibility of contact between the power generation floating body 2 in a plurality of water current power generation devices 1 . With such a water current power generation device 1, the area required for installation can be reduced, so a plurality of water current power generation devices 1 can be arranged at high density.

In the water current power generation device 1, the first anchor 6, the second anchor 7, and the third anchor 8 are not arranged on the same straight line in plan view. The first lower mooring rope 11, the second lower mooring rope 12, and the third lower mooring rope 13 extend from the intermediate floating body 14 in three different directions. Since the intermediate floating body 14 is thus restrained by the mooring cables extending in three directions, the range in which the intermediate floating body 14 can move is limited.

In addition, in the water current power generation device 1, since the power transmission cable 18 extending from the power generation floating body 2 is connected to the intermediate floating body 14, it is possible to limit the movement range of the power transmission cable 18 underwater. Since the movement range of the intermediate floating body 14 is restricted in the water current power generation device 1, the movement range of the power transmission cable connected to the intermediate floating body 14 is also restricted. As a result, the power transmission cable 18 is prevented from moving away from the intermediate floating body 14 over a wide range.

In addition, the intermediate floating body 14 may be provided with a buoyancy adjusting device. The buoyancy adjustment device may include tanks, pipes, pumps, etc. provided in the intermediate floating body 14 . By injecting seawater from the outside of the intermediate floating body 14, the buoyancy of the intermediate floating body 14 is reduced, and by draining the seawater stored in the tank to the outside, the buoyancy of the intermediate floating body 14 is increased. good too. Thereby, the tension acting on the plurality of lower mooring cables 9 may be adjusted by adjusting the buoyancy acting on the intermediate floating body 14 .

Next, a water current power generation system (floating system) 21 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. The water current power generation system 21 includes a plurality of water current power generation devices (floating units) 1A and 1B. The water current power generation devices 1A and 1B have the same configuration as the water current power generation device 1 of the first embodiment. In the explanation of the second embodiment, the same explanation as in the first embodiment is omitted.

The water current power generation device 1A includes a power generation floating body (second floating body) 2A, a mooring rope 4A, an anchor 5A, and an intermediate floating body 14A. A turbine 3A is provided at the rear of the power generation floating body 2A. The power generation floating body 2A is equipped with a generator 16A that generates power using the rotational driving force of the turbine 3A. The mooring rope 4A includes a plurality of lower mooring ropes 9A and upper mooring ropes 10A. One end of the upper mooring cable 10A is connected to the intermediate floating body 14A, and the other end of the upper mooring cable 10A is connected to the power generation floating body 2A. The power generation floating body 2A is moored to the intermediate floating body 14A via the upper mooring cable 10A.

The multiple lower mooring ropes 9A include a first lower mooring rope 11A, a second lower mooring rope 12A, and a third lower mooring rope 13A. Also, the plurality of anchors 5</b>A includes an anchor (first fixing part) 22 , an anchor (second fixing part) 23 , and an anchor (third fixing part) 24 . The anchors 22, 23, 24 are arranged at the vertices of a triangle in plan view. The first lower mooring line 11A is connected to the anchor 22, the second lower mooring line 12A is connected to the anchor 23, and the third lower mooring line 13A is connected to the anchor 24. The intermediate floating body 14A is connected to the first lower mooring rope 11A, the second lower mooring rope 12A, and the third lower mooring rope 13A, and is moored to the anchors 22, 23, and 24.

The water current power generation device 1B includes a power generation floating body (second floating body) 2B, a mooring rope 4B, an anchor 5B, and an intermediate floating body 14B. A turbine 3B is provided at the rear of the power generation floating body 2B. The power generation floating body 2B is equipped with a generator 16B that generates power using the rotational driving force of the turbine 3B. The mooring cable 4B includes a plurality of lower mooring cables 9B and upper mooring cables 10B. One end of the upper mooring cable 10B is connected to the intermediate floating body 14B, and the other end of the upper mooring cable 10B is connected to the power generation floating body 2B. The power generation floating body 2B is moored to the intermediate floating body 14B via the upper mooring cable 10B.

The plurality of lower mooring ropes 9B include a first lower mooring rope 11B, a second lower mooring rope 12B, and a third lower mooring rope 13B. Also, the plurality of anchors 5B includes an anchor (first fixing portion) 23, an anchor (second fixing portion) 24, and an anchor (third fixing portion) 25. As shown in FIG. The anchors 23, 24, 25 are arranged at the vertices of a triangle in plan view. The first lower mooring line 11 B is connected to the anchor 23 , the second lower mooring line 12 B is connected to the anchor 24 and the third lower mooring line 13 B is connected to the anchor 25 . The intermediate floating body 14B is connected to the first lower mooring rope 11B, the second lower mooring rope 12B and the third lower mooring rope 13B and moored to the anchors 23, 24 and 25.

Here, the anchors 23 and 24 are shared by the plurality of water current generators 1A and 1B. The anchor 23 is connected to the second lower mooring rope 12A of the water current power generator 1A and to the first lower mooring rope 11B of the water current power generator 1B. The anchor 24 is connected to the third lower mooring rope 13A of the water current power generator 1A and to the second lower mooring rope 12B of the water current power generator 1B. Anchors 23 and 24 are used in both water current generators 1A and 1B.

In the water current power generation system 21 of this embodiment, the lower mooring cables 9A, 9B of the plurality of water current power generation devices 1A, 1B are connected to common anchors 23, 24 . By sharing the anchors 23 and 24 in this manner, the number of anchors 5A and 5B installed on the bottom B can be reduced. Therefore, a plurality of water current generators 1A and 1B can be arranged while reducing the number of anchors 5A and 5B to be installed. In the case shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, four anchors 22-25 can be installed to moor two intermediate floating bodies 14A, 14B. Further, by sharing the anchors 23, 24, the plurality of water current power generation devices 1A, 1B can be arranged close to each other, and the number of water current power generation devices 1A, 1B installed in a predetermined area can be increased. If three anchors are installed in one water current generator, the installation cost of the anchors increases and the installation area also increases.

Next, a water current generator (floating system) 31 according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. A water current power generation device 31 of the third embodiment is different from the water current power generation device 1 of the first embodiment in that a power generation floating body 32 is provided instead of the intermediate floating body 14 . In addition, in the description of the third embodiment, the same description as that of the first embodiment will be omitted.

The water current power generation device 31 includes a power generation floating body 32 that is a first floating body and a power generation floating body 2 that is a second floating body. The power generation floating body 32 is moored to a plurality of anchors 5 via a plurality of lower mooring cables 9 . The power generation floating body 2 is moored to the power generation floating body 32 via the upper mooring ropes 10 .

The power generation floating body 32 is provided with a turbine (first turbine) 33 and a generator (first generator) 36 . The turbine 33 is arranged on the rear side of the main body 35 of the power generation floating body 32 . A generator 36 is mounted on the main body 35 . Turbine 33 rotates in response to water flow. Rotational driving force of the turbine 33 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 37 of the generator 36 . The generator 36 generates power using the rotational driving force of the turbine 33 .

The power generation floating body 2 is provided with a turbine (second turbine) 3 and a generator (second generator) 16 . The generator 16 generates power using the rotational driving force of the turbine 3 .

According to this water current power generation device 31, the power generation floating bodies 2 and 32 are connected by the upper mooring ropes 10 and arranged at different depths. Thereby, the turbines 3 and 33 can be rotated by receiving water streams of different depths. In addition, in this water current power generation device 31, since a plurality of power generation floating bodies 2, 32 can be arranged in the water depth direction, it is possible to increase the number of power generation floating bodies 2, 32 installed in a predetermined area.

The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications such as those described below are possible without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

In the above embodiment, the power generating floating body 2 on which the generator 16 is mounted is the second floating body, but the second floating body may not be mounted with the generator. For example, the second floating body may be a buoy or a floating body carrying other observation equipment.

Moreover, in the water current power generation system 21 shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of intermediate floating bodies 14A and 14B may float at the same depth or may float at different depths. Moreover, in the water current power generation system 21, the plurality of power generation floating bodies 2A and 2B may float at the same depth or may float at different depths.

Also, the number of the plurality of lower mooring cables connected to the second floating body is not limited to three, and may be two or four or more.

1 Water current generator (floating system)
1A, 1B water current generator (floating unit)
2, 2A, 2B Floating body for power generation (second floating body)
3 turbine (second turbine)
3A, 3B Turbine 4, 4A, 4B Mooring cable 5, 5A, 5B Anchor (fixed part)
6 1st anchor (1st fixed part)
7 Second anchor (second fixed part)
8 Third anchor (third fixing part)
9, 9A, 9B lower mooring ropes 10, 10A, 10B upper mooring ropes 11, 11A, 11B first lower mooring ropes 12, 12A, 12B second lower mooring ropes 13, 13A, 13B third lower mooring ropes 14, 14A, 14B intermediate floating body (first floating body)
16 generator (second generator)
16A, 16B Generator 18 Transmission cable 21 Water current power generation system (floating system)
22 anchor (first fixed part)
23 anchor (second fixing part, first fixing part)
24 Anchor (third fixing part, second fixing part)
25 Anchor (third fixing part)
31 water current generator (floating system)
32 Floating body for power generation (first floating body)
33 turbine (first turbine)
36 generator (first generator)
A Virtual triangle B Water bottom C1, C2, C3 Vertex of triangle FW Water flow

Claims (4)

3 first fixing parts, 3 first lower mooring ropes respectively connected to the 3 first fixing parts, moored by the 3 first lower mooring ropes and floatable in water a first floating body unit including a first floating body, a first upper mooring line connected to the first floating body, and a second floating body moored by the first upper mooring line and capable of floating in or on the water;
Three second fixing parts, three second lower mooring ropes respectively connected to the three second fixing parts, moored by the three second lower mooring ropes and floatable in water a second floating body unit including a third floating body, a second upper mooring line connected to the third floating body, and a fourth floating body moored by the second upper mooring line and capable of floating in or on the water;
The three first fixing parts are arranged at different positions on the bottom of the water and at positions forming vertices of a triangle,
The three second fixing parts are arranged at different positions on the bottom of the water and at positions forming vertices of a triangle,
The floating system , wherein two of the three first fixed parts are shared with two of the three second fixed parts . The first floating body unit is
a turbine rotatable by receiving water flow;
a generator that generates power using the rotational driving force of the turbine ,
The floating system according to claim 1, wherein the turbine and the generator are provided on the second floating body. The first floating body unit is
including a power transmission cable connected to the second floating body,
The floating system according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the power transmission cable is connected to the first floating body. The first floating body unit is
a first turbine rotatable in response to water flow;
a first generator that generates power using the rotational driving force of the first turbine;
a second turbine rotatable in response to water flow;
a second generator that generates power using the rotational driving force of the second turbine ,
The first turbine and the first generator are provided on the first floating body,
The floating system according to claim 1 or 3 , wherein the second turbine and the second generator are provided on the second floating body.

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