JP7514061B2 - Hydroelectric generating equipment - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to hydroelectric power generation equipment that is installed in waterways such as agricultural irrigation channels, water supply and sewerage systems, industrial waterways, and small rivers.

A hydroelectric power generation device is a system that uses the kinetic energy of flowing water to generate electricity. Smaller hydroelectric power generation devices are installed in waterways for agricultural use, etc. (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). The hydroelectric power generation device in Patent Document 1 has a frame member upstream of the water turbine, and a wall above the upstream opening of the frame member to concentrate the water flow, allowing sufficient electricity to be generated even with a weak water flow. Furthermore, the water flow can be further concentrated by narrowing the opening area from the upstream opening to the downstream opening of the frame member located upstream of the water turbine.

Patent Document 2 makes it possible to generate electricity efficiently with a relatively small water flow by increasing the flow velocity using a water flow acceleration section installed at the water inlet opening. As with Patent Document 1, the flow rate is increased by gradually narrowing the casing from the water inlet opening to just before the power generation section using the water turbine.

JP 2014-152645 A Japanese Patent No. 4022244

In Patent Document 1, the rotating area of the propeller blades is set to be equal to or smaller than the area of the downstream opening of the frame member, thereby efficiently receiving the water flow and increasing power generation efficiency. The downstream opening of the frame member is larger than the rotating area of the propeller blades, making it easy for the frame member to become large. As the frame member becomes larger, the force that the frame member receives from the water flow increases, and the installation costs of the frame member increase. Also, if there is not enough water in the waterway, power generation efficiency cannot be sufficiently increased.

In Patent Document 2, two water turbines are required to utilize the flow velocity at the fastest point (i.e. the center of the waterway), which means the device tends to be large and expensive. If the device becomes large, it becomes difficult to use it in narrow flow paths.

This invention aims to solve the above problems and provide a hydroelectric power generation device that can be easily transported, assembled, and installed regardless of the size of the waterway.

The hydroelectric power generation device of this invention is a hydroelectric power generation device that includes a vane wheel that converts hydraulic power into rotational power, a generator that generates electricity by the rotation of the vane wheel, and a water collection device that is installed upstream of the vane wheel and collects water from a waterway into the vane wheel. The water collection device has a water collection plate unit that increases the speed of the water in the waterway and guides it to the vane wheel, and a water collection plate guide that positions the water collection plate unit a predetermined distance upstream of the vane wheel. The water collection plate unit is divided into multiple water collection plates on a plane formed by the water flow direction and the vertical direction, and these divided water collection plates are inserted into the waterway along the water collection plate guide.

With this configuration, the water collecting plate unit is divided into multiple water collecting plates on a plane formed by the direction of the flow of water and the vertical direction. This makes it possible to easily transport, assemble, and install the water collecting plate without having to adjust its size to the waterway width even if the waterway width becomes large.

In this invention, the water collection plate guide may be installed so that the water collection plate is inclined in the direction of the water flow relative to the vertical direction. With this configuration, the water collection plate is angled in the direction of the flowing water from the vertical direction. This applies a force to the water flow that presses the water collection plate against the bottom of the waterway, stabilizing the installation of the water collection plate.

In this invention, a cylindrical guide hole may be provided on the rear surface of the water collecting plate guide, which is downstream in the water flow direction. With this configuration, even if the distance between the water collecting plate and the impeller increases, the speed of the water passing between the water collecting plates can be maintained and efficiently used to rotate the impeller.

According to the hydroelectric power generation device of this invention, the water collecting plate unit is divided into multiple water collecting plates on a plane formed by the direction of the flowing water and the vertical direction, so even if the waterway width becomes large, there is no need to adjust the size of the water collecting plate to the waterway width, and transportation, assembly, and installation can be easily performed.

1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a hydroelectric power generation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is installed in a waterway. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the hydroelectric power generation device of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the hydroelectric generating device installed in a waterway wider than that shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 is a front view showing the hydroelectric power generating device of FIG. 3 . 13A to 13C are front views showing the installation of a water collecting plate in a water collecting plate guide of the hydroelectric power generation device. FIG. 11 is a front view showing a state in which a hydroelectric power generation device according to a second embodiment of the present invention is installed in a waterway. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the hydroelectric power generating device.

First Embodiment
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
<Overall configuration of hydroelectric power generation equipment>
As shown in Fig. 1, this hydroelectric power generation device 1 is installed in a waterway 2, and generates power by rotating a blade wheel caused by the water flow. The waterway 2 is an agricultural waterway, an industrial waterway, a small river, etc., and in the example shown in the figure, the waterway wall is composed of a bottom wall 2a and both side walls 2b, 2b made of concrete or the like. This hydroelectric power generation device 1 has a hydroelectric power generation module 4 and a fixing part 6 that fixes this hydroelectric power generation module 4 to the waterway 2.

<About the hydroelectric power generation module>
The hydroelectric power generation module 4 includes an impeller 8 shown in FIG. 2 and a generator 10 that generates power by the rotation of the impeller 8. That is, the impeller 8 and the generator 10 are fixed to the waterway 2 via a fixed part 6. The generator 10 is, for example, a permanent magnet synchronous type. The generator 10 is housed in a case 11, which is fixed to the fixed part 6. The impeller 8 is usually provided in a state where it is submerged in the flowing water of the waterway 2, and converts hydraulic power into rotational power. The impeller 8 is a propeller type with a rotation axis O1 parallel to the flow direction of the water in the waterway 2. The impeller 8 has a plurality of blades 8a (five in the illustrated example) that are arranged in a circumferential direction around the rotation axis O1 and extend radially. The front of the impeller 8 faces the upstream side of the water flow, and a gear box 12 (FIG. 7) is attached to the back.

The rotating shaft (not shown) of the impeller 8 is rotatably supported by a bearing (not shown) in the gear box 12. The rotation of the impeller 8 is accelerated by a gear train (not shown) such as a bevel gear in the gear box 12. The output shaft of the gear box is connected to the input shaft (not shown) of the generator 10 via a transmission shaft (not shown) in a support 14 that extends vertically.

<About fixing parts>
As shown in Fig. 1, the fixed component 6 has a pair of fixtures 16, 16, a pair of horizontal supports 18, 18, and a generator stand 20. The pair of fixtures 16, 16 are fixed to the side wall 2b of the waterway 2 from near the upper end to the upper end. The pair of fixtures 16, 16 are provided facing each other in the width direction of the waterway 2. Each fixture 16 is, for example, an angle with an L-shaped cross section. However, the fixtures 16 are not limited to this. The fixtures 16 are fixed to the side wall 2b of the waterway 2 by bolts, for example.

The horizontal support members 18 are rod-shaped members supported by a pair of fasteners 16, 16, and are arranged in pairs side by side in the front-to-rear direction, which is the water flow direction A1. That is, each horizontal support member 18 is suspended between the upper ends of both side walls 2b of the waterway 2 by a pair of fasteners 9, 9. Here, the upstream side of the water flow direction A1 is the front side, and the downstream side of the water flow direction A1 is the rear side. In this embodiment, the horizontal support member 18 is a square pipe with a square cross-sectional shape. However, the horizontal support member 18 is not limited to a square pipe. The horizontal support member 18 is fixed to the fasteners 16 by, for example, bolts.

A generator stand 20 is fixed near the middle of each horizontal support 18 in the longitudinal direction (width direction of the waterway 2). The generator 10 is supported on this generator stand 20. In other words, the generator 10 is supported at its front and rear by each horizontal support 18, 18. In this embodiment, the generator stand 20 is bolted to the horizontal support 18, and the generator 10 is detachably attached to the generator stand 20 by bolts (not shown). However, the method of attaching the generator 10 and the generator stand 20 is not limited to this.

<About the water collection device>
The hydroelectric power generation device 1 is equipped with a water collecting device 22 installed upstream of the impeller 8. The water collecting device 22 collects water flowing through the waterway 2 into the impeller 8. The water collecting device 22 has a water collecting plate unit 23 having a plurality of water collecting plates 24 that increase the speed of the water in the waterway 2 and guide it to the impeller 8, and a water collecting plate guide 26 that installs the water collecting plate unit 23 in the waterway 2.

<About the water collection plate>
The water collecting plate unit 23 is divided by a plane P formed by the water flow direction A1 and the vertical direction, and each divided water collecting plate 24 is inserted into the waterway 2 along the water collecting plate guide 26. The water collecting plate 24 is a rectangular plate member made of, for example, steel, resin, wood, concrete, etc. Each water collecting plate 24 is a common member having the same width and height dimensions. However, the dimensions of each water collecting plate 24 may be different. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, two water collecting plates 24 are arranged in the width direction of the waterway 2 from each side wall 2b, 2b of the waterway 2. In other words, a total of four water collecting plates 24 are provided.

A water passage 25 is formed between the two inner water collecting plates 24, 24. The water collecting plates 24, 24 are installed so that the water passing through the water passage 25 between the water collecting plates 24, 24 passes around the impeller 8. In other words, the water collecting plate 24 blocks the water passage 2 and collects the water in the water passage 2 in the water passage 25. In this way, the water collecting plate 24 narrows the flow path cross section of the flowing water to the area of the water passage 25, so the flow rate of the water passing through the impeller 8 increases. This improves the power generation efficiency.

The water passage 25 is set to a size that allows the entire impeller 8 to be seen when viewed from the front, that is, when viewed from the upstream side of the water flow direction A1. In this embodiment, the width dimension of the water passage 25 is approximately the same as the width dimension of the impeller 8, and the height dimension of the water passage 25 is approximately the same as the height of the water passage 2.

<About the Water Collection Board Guide>
The water collecting plate guide 26 is disposed on the upstream side of the waterway 2 with respect to the impeller 8. The water collecting plate guide 26 in this embodiment has a plurality of guide members 28 extending in a substantially vertical direction, and each guide member 28 is supported by the front (upstream) horizontal support member 18. The guide members 28 are made of, for example, sheet metal, and in this embodiment, are detachably attached to the horizontal support member 18 by bolt connections. However, the material and support structure of the guide members 28 are not limited to this.

In this embodiment, the guide member 28 of the water collecting plate guide 26 is installed so that the water collecting plate 24 is inclined in the water flow direction A1 with respect to the vertical direction. In detail, the water collecting plate 24 extends at an incline toward the downstream side of the water flow direction A1 with respect to the vertical direction. The inclination angle θ (FIG. 7) is 5 to 60 degrees, preferably 10 to 45 degrees, more preferably 10 to 30 degrees from the vertical direction, and is about 15 degrees in the illustrated example. An opening 27 is formed at the top of each water collecting plate 24. When the amount of water is large, the opening 27 guides a portion of the water to the downstream side of the water collecting plate 24. In this embodiment, one rectangular opening 27 is provided in each water collecting plate 24. However, the number and shape of the openings 27 are not limited to this. Also, the opening 27 may be omitted.

A pair of guide members 28 are installed on both sides of each water collecting plate 24, and guide the water collecting plate 24 to be movable in the vertical direction. In other words, a pair of guide members 28, 28 form a water collecting plate storage space 28a in which one water collecting plate 24 is installed. In this embodiment, the guide member 28 between adjacent water collecting plates 24, 24 guides one side of the two water collecting plates 24, 24 with one guide member 28. In detail, three guide members 28 are arranged at equal intervals from each side wall 2b, 2b to the inside in the width direction of the water channel 2, and two water collecting plates 24 are inserted into two water collecting plate storage spaces 28a formed by the three guide members 28.

As mentioned above, both side edges of each water collecting plate 24 are guided by the guide members 28, 28 of the water collecting plate guide 26 so that they can move up and down. In the installed state, the water collecting plate 24 is stored in the water collecting plate storage space 28a between the guide members 28, 28, and the guide members 28, 28 restrict the movement of the water collecting plate 24 in the width direction.

Figures 3 and 4 show an example in which the water collecting device 22 of this embodiment is applied to a waterway 2 whose waterway width W is wider than that of the waterway 2 in Figures 1 and 2. In the example of Figures 3 and 4, three water collecting plates 24 are arranged in the width direction of the waterway 2 from each side wall 2b, 2b of the waterway 2. In other words, a total of six water collecting plates 24 are provided. In detail, four guide members 28 are arranged at equal intervals from each side wall 2b, 2b on the inside in the width direction of the waterway 2, and three water collecting plates 24 are inserted into three water collecting plate storage spaces 28a formed by the four guide members 28.

In this way, even if the water channel width W changes, it can be accommodated by changing the number of water collection plates 24, so there is no need to change the size of each water collection plate 24. This makes it easy to transport, assemble, and install the water collection plates 24.

<Procedure for installing the water collection device in the waterway>
5, a procedure for installing the water collecting device 22 of this embodiment in the waterway 2 will be described. First, the impeller 8, the generator 10 and the water collecting plate guide 26 are installed in the waterway 2 via the fixing parts 6.

5(a) to 5(c), one water collecting plate 24 is installed from above in the waterway 2 using a crane or the like. Specifically, the water collecting plate 24 is inserted into the water collecting plate storage space 28a from above while both side edges of the water collecting plate 24 are guided by the guide members 28, 28 of the water collecting plate guide 26. The other water collecting plates 24 are installed in the waterway 2 using the same procedure.

In this way, according to this embodiment, the water collection plates 24 can be installed one by one. In addition, by installing the narrow water collection plates 24 so that they are aligned with the water collection plate guides 26, the water collection plates 24 can be easily installed even while water is flowing.

<Action and effect>
According to the hydroelectric power generation device 1 shown in Fig. 1, water that has passed through the water passage 25 of the water collecting plate 24 is collected by the impeller 8, causing the impeller 8 to rotate. This rotation of the impeller 8 causes the generator 10 to generate power. At this time, the water collecting plate 24 narrows the flow path cross section of the flowing water to the area of the water passage 25, so the flow rate of the water passing through the impeller 8 increases. This makes it possible to improve the power generation efficiency.

According to the above configuration, the water collection plate unit 23 is divided into multiple water collection plates 24 by a plane P formed by the water flow direction A1 and the vertical direction. This makes it possible to easily transport, assemble, and install the unit, without the need to adjust the size of the water collection plate 24 to the water channel width even if the water channel width W becomes large.

The water collection plate guide 26 is also installed so that the water collection plate 24 is inclined in the water flow direction A1 with respect to the vertical direction. This causes the water collection plate 24 to be angled in the direction of the flowing water from the vertical direction. Therefore, the water flow applies a force that presses the water collection plate 24 against the bottom of the water channel 2, stabilizing the installation of the water collection plate 24.

Second Embodiment
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. In the second embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, a water passage hole 30 is formed in the water collecting plate 24.

The water collecting plate 24 blocks the water channel 2 and collects the flowing water in the water channel 2 into the water passage hole 30. In other words, the water collecting plate 24 narrows the flow path cross section of the flowing water to the area of the water passage hole 30, so the flow rate of the water passing through the impeller 8 increases. This improves the power generation efficiency.

The water passage hole 30 in this embodiment is a through hole made of a round hole, and its diameter is the same as or larger than the diameter of the impeller 8. In addition, the water passage hole 30 is formed at a position concentric with the rotation axis O1 of the impeller 8 when the water collection plate 24 is installed in the waterway 2. In other words, when the impeller 8 and the water collection plate 24 are installed in the waterway 2, the water passage hole 30 of the water collection plate 24 is located at the same depth position and the same widthwise position relative to the impeller 8.

In this embodiment, multiple water collecting plates 24 (six in this example) are arranged across the entire width of the waterway 2, and water passage holes 30 are formed in the multiple water collecting plates 24. In detail, each water collecting plate 24 has an upper half plate 24a and a lower half plate 24b, and a notch is formed in the lower edge of the upper half plate 24a and the upper edge of the lower half plate 24b. When the water collecting plates 24 are installed, these notches form the water passage holes 30. In this embodiment, when installing each water collecting plate 24 in the waterway 2, the lower half plate 24b is installed first, followed by the upper half plate 24a.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, a guide hole 32 is provided on the rear surface of the water collecting plate guide 26, which is downstream in the water flow direction A1. In this embodiment, the guide hole 32 is formed by a cylindrical pipe 36. The guide hole 32 is joined to the water collecting plate guide 26 by welding, for example. However, the method of fixing the guide hole 32 is not limited to this.

The guide hole 32 is disposed between the water passage hole 30 and the impeller 8, and guides water that has passed through the water passage hole 30 to the impeller 8. The diameter of the guide hole 32 is set to be approximately the same as the diameters of the impeller 8 and the water passage hole 30. The guide hole 32 is also provided at a position that is concentric with the rotation axis O1 of the impeller 8 when the water collection plate 24 is installed in the waterway 2. In other words, when the impeller 8 and the water collection plate 24 are installed in the waterway 2, the guide hole 32 is located at the same depth position and the same widthwise position relative to the impeller 8.

In this embodiment, multiple reinforcing members 34 are bridged between the fixed member 6 and the water collection plate guide 26. The reinforcing members 34 are, for example, rod-shaped plate materials, with their upper ends connected to the fixed member 6 and their lower ends connected to the lower part of the water collection plate guide 26. The reinforcing members 34 are connected to the fixed member 6 and to the water collection plate guide 26 by bolt connections, for example. However, the method of connecting the reinforcing members 34 is not limited to this. By reinforcing with the reinforcing members 34, the support of the water collection plate guide 26 is stable even when the guide hole 32 is provided in the water collection plate guide 26.

<Action and effect>
According to the hydroelectric power generation device 1 in Fig. 6, water that has passed through the water holes 30 of the water collecting plate 24 is collected by the impeller 8, causing the impeller 8 to rotate. This rotation of the impeller 8 causes the generator 10 to generate power. At this time, the water collecting plate 24 narrows the flow path cross section of the flowing water to the area of the water holes 30, so the flow rate of the water passing through the impeller 8 increases. This makes it possible to improve power generation efficiency.

As with the first embodiment, the second embodiment also allows the water collecting plate 24 to be easily installed in the waterway 2. Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, a guide hole 34 is provided on the rear surface of the water collecting plate guide 26. As a result, even if the distance between the water collecting plate 24 and the impeller 8 increases, the guide hole 34 maintains the speed of the water passing between the water collecting plate 24. Therefore, the water flow with increased speed can be used to rotate the impeller 8.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various additions, modifications, or deletions are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the water collection plate guide 26 is installed so that the water collection plate 24 is inclined in the water flow direction relative to the vertical direction, but the water collection plate guide 26 may be installed so that the water collection plate 24 extends vertically. Also, the diameter of the water passage hole 30 may be smaller than the diameter of the impeller 8. Therefore, such things are also included in the scope of the present invention.

Reference Signs List 1 Hydroelectric power generating device 2 Waterway 8 Impeller 10 Generator 22 Water collecting device 23 Water collecting plate unit 24 Water collecting plate 26 Water collecting plate guide 32 Guide hole

Claims (3)

A hydroelectric power generation device including: a blade wheel that converts hydraulic power into rotational power; a generator that generates electricity by the rotation of the blade wheel; and a water collecting device that is installed upstream of the blade wheel and collects water from a waterway into the blade wheel,
The water collecting device includes a water collecting plate unit that accelerates the water in the waterway and guides it to the impeller, and a water collecting plate guide that positions the water collecting plate unit a predetermined distance upstream of the impeller in the waterway,
The water collecting plate unit is divided into a plurality of water collecting plates on a plane formed by the water flow direction and the vertical direction, and the divided water collecting plates are inserted into the water channel along the water collecting plate guide,
A plurality of the water collecting plates are arranged in the width direction of the water channel from each side wall of the water channel,
The impeller and the generator are supported by horizontal support members suspended across the upper ends of both side walls of the waterway,
The water collecting plate guide has a plurality of guide members extending in a direction including a vertical component,
A hydroelectric generating device, wherein the guide member is supported by the horizontal support member. 2. The hydroelectric power generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the water collecting plate guide is disposed so that the water collecting plate is inclined with respect to the vertical direction in the direction of water flow. 3. The hydroelectric generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cylindrical guide hole is provided in a rear surface of said water collecting plate guide, said rear surface being on the downstream side in the direction of water flow.

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