JPS6344949B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a wave energy primary conversion device for converting energy possessed by waves into rotational energy in order to operate a generator in wave height power generation equipment.

One form of power generation that uses natural phenomena in the ocean as an energy source is so-called wave height power generation.
The wave height power generation equipment includes a primary conversion device that converts wave energy, which is an energy source, into rotational energy, and a secondary conversion device that converts the rotational energy into electrical energy.

Conventionally, a primary conversion device includes an embankment in which a turbine is disposed, a container supported by the embankment so that its open end is located below the still water surface and forming an air chamber above the still water surface, and an air chamber. When waves enter the vessel from the open end of the bottom of the vessel, the water level rises or falls within the vessel according to wave fluctuations, and this causes air to flow into the ventilation pipe. Air within the air chamber is compressed or expanded to create a flow, and the air flow at this time drives a turbine.

By the way, the primary conversion device has a significant wave height of 1 to
Normally, its performance is set to suit waves of 3 m, but the durability and safety of the primary converter when waves with large energy exceeding the above-mentioned significant wave height act on the primary converter. Not sexual enough.

In other words, during storms such as typhoons and storms, it is not uncommon for large waves to exceed 10 meters in height, and when such large waves act on the primary conversion device, the water level within the container will rise significantly. With the abnormally high pressure in the air chamber, a high-speed air flow exceeding the allowable load capacity of the turbine is generated, and when the seawater lifts up the container, it acts to collapse the primary conversion device including the embankment body. moreover,
Seawater enters the turbine together with the flowing air.

In order to avoid the negative phenomenon that acts on the primary conversion device as described above, it is conceivable to block the passage of the ventilation pipe and discharge the air in the air chamber to the outside when a large wave attacks. However, in this case, although it is possible to avoid overload operation of the turbine and the inflow of seawater into the turbine, the destructive force of rising seawater acting on the container and the embankment supporting it can be avoided. cannot be reduced. Therefore, the safety of the primary conversion device cannot be ensured.

In fact, the energy contained in large waves is enormous,
This cannot be ignored.

The present invention aims to alleviate the influence of large waves that suddenly occur during abnormal weather or during normal times on the primary energy conversion device in wave height power generation equipment, and to ensure the durability and safety of the primary conversion device.

In the present invention, a drain pipe is installed inside a container that forms an air chamber supported by an embankment, and one end of the drain pipe is opened below the still water surface, and the other end is opened to the atmosphere at a critical water level position set above the still water surface. It is characterized in that it is installed so that the water level within the container exceeds the limit water level, and is provided with a blocking means that operates to prevent the flow of air in the ventilation pipe arranged between the air chamber and the turbine. do.

According to the invention, when the water level in the vessel rises under the influence of large waves and rises above the critical water level, that is, the water level set according to the load capacity of the turbine, the passage of the ventilation pipe is closed. Air flow between the air chamber and the turbine is stopped. At this time, the air in the air chamber is in a compressed state and the air pressure is greater than atmospheric pressure, so seawater flows out of the container through the drain pipe, lowering the water level in the container and the pressure inside the air chamber. . Also, even if the water level rises far beyond the critical water level,
The air pressure increases accordingly, and the amount of seawater flowing from the drain pipe also increases, making it possible to lower the air pressure. Furthermore, since seawater does not hit the top of the vessel, the forces that would act to damage or collapse the primary converter, including the embankment body, are significantly reduced, increasing its safety and preventing seawater from entering the turbine. can be prevented.

The features of the invention will become clearer from the following description of the illustrated embodiments.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a primary energy conversion device 10 for converting energy possessed by waves into rotational energy includes an embankment body 12 and an embankment body 1.
A container 14 with one end open supported by
a turbine (not shown) in a machine room 16 disposed on top of the engine.

The embankment body 12 is made of a caisson, for example, and can be constructed as a jetty extending from the coast toward the sea, and the upper part where the machine room 16 is arranged is above the still water surface 1.
It is installed as shown above.

The container 14 supported by the embankment body 12 is arranged on the sea side along the embankment body 12 and perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation. The container 14 has an open end 14a at its lower end.
It is formed of a reinforced concrete structure having a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and is arranged so that the open end 14a is located below the still water surface 18. As a result, an air chamber 20 defined by the static water surface 18 and the inner surface of the container 14 is formed in the container 14, and waves can enter from the open end 14a.

The container 14 forming the air chamber 20 can be configured integrally with the embankment body 12 instead of being separate from the embankment body 12 as in the illustrated example, and can be provided inside the embankment body 12 instead of outside. However, in the latter case, it is necessary to provide an opening in the sea-side wall of the embankment body for the incidence of waves and a space inside for the air chamber, so it is necessary to have sufficient structural strength. It is necessary to take care to ensure that the

A nozzle (not shown) is provided at the top of the vessel 14, through which a ventilation pipe 22 is arranged, which communicates with the air chamber 20 and is connected to the turbine. When a wave enters the container 14, the water level rises or falls in the container 14 according to the behavior of the wave. At this time, the air in the air chamber 20 is compressed or expanded, and at the same time the air is It flows through the ventilation pipe 22, which causes the turbine to operate. The turbine uses a so-called Wells turbine that can rotate in both forward and reverse directions. A generator (not shown) connected to the turbine is preferably installed within the machine room 16 in order to minimize loss in power transmission.

Inside the container 14, there is also a primary conversion device 10 that uses wave heights that suddenly occur during storms or normal times.
A plurality of drain pipes 24 are arranged to avoid inoperability, reduction in durability, or destruction of the
As shown in FIG. 3, a passage blocking means 26 for the ventilation pipe 22 is provided which is interlocked with the drainage operation from the drain pipe 24.

The drain pipe 24 is arranged so that its lower end 24a is open to the water below the still water surface 18, and its upper end 24b is opened to the atmosphere through the container 14.

In general, the height of waves fluctuates from moment to moment, and the difference in wave height is very large throughout the year.The optimal wave height for steady wave power generation is said to be a significant wave height of 1 to 3 meters, and the output of the turbine is The upper and lower limits of are determined based on the height of the waves of interest.

The height of the upper end 24b of the drain pipe 24, more specifically, the lower part of the inner surface of the upper end 24b is at the same height as the limit water level set corresponding to the upper limit of the output of the turbine. The open surface of the upper end portion 24b is oriented in a direction other than upward in order to prevent seawater from flowing in from the open surface when a large wave hits. Further, the lower end 24a of the drain pipe 24 is desirably located above the height of the open end 14a of the container 14 from the viewpoint of power generation efficiency. Open end 1 of container 14
When the distance between the drain pipe 4a and the seabed, that is, the gate height is relatively small, the drain pipe 24 may be arranged so that the lower end 24a is below the open end 14a.

Note that when the lower end portion 24a opens at a position above the still water surface 18, from the lower water level surface 18a below the still water surface 18 to the upper water level surface 18b above the still water surface 18.
When the water level rises towards the water level, air escapes from the drain pipe 24, making it impossible to drive the turbine or significantly reducing its efficiency.

As shown in FIG. 3, the passage blocking means 26 includes a float 26a disposed in the container 14, a valve 26b rotatably supported with the same shape as the cross section of the ventilation pipe 22, and the float 26a and the valve. 26b, and a guide member 26d for the float 26a, which is arranged so that the inner bottom surface is at the limit water level position.

The link mechanism 26c, as shown in FIG. The rod 30 is rotatably connected with a pin. Further, the guide member 26d is made of a semi-cylindrical body with a bottom, and is located below the valve 26b.
The float 26a is fixed in contact with the upper and side portions of the inner wall, and the upper and side portions of the wall and the inner surface of the bottomed semi-cylindrical body define a moving space for the float 26a. A hole 34 and a hole 36 are bored in the bottom and side of the bottomed semi-cylindrical body, respectively, and when the upper water level surface 18b rises above the limit water level in the container 14, seawater enters through the hole 34. The float 26a is pushed up, and the air in the space above the float 26a is removed from the hole 3.
6 into the air chamber 20, and the link mechanism 26
Rotate valve 26b via c. This results in
Valve 26b closes the passage of ventilation pipe 22.

A restraining plate 38 having a hole through which the arm 28 is inserted is fixed near the bottom of the hole 36 .

Next, when the ability of the wave energy primary conversion device 10 is set to correspond to waves with a significant wave height of 1 to 3 m, the primary conversion device 10 has a maximum wave height of 8 m.
That is, the energy of a wave with a significant wave height of 4.5 m can be converted into rotational energy. Therefore, the critical water level surface in the container 14 described above is the upper water level surface 18b in the container 14 when the wave with the maximum wave height of 8 m is incident. However, the lower limit of the maximum wave height in this case is 1 m.

The air circulation condition through the ventilation pipe 22 and the drainage condition from the drain pipe 24 when the capacity of the primary conversion device 10 is set as described above will be explained with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7.

First, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, in the case of waves with a maximum wave height of 1 to 8 m, the upper water level surface 18b in the container 14 does not rise to the above-mentioned limit water level, and the water surface rises upward according to the incident wave. By varying between the water level surface 18b position and the lower water level surface 18a position, the air in the air chamber 20 is compressed or expanded and flows through the ventilation pipe 22, causing the turbine to alternately rotate in both forward and reverse directions. Further, there is no drainage from the drain pipe 24 to the outside of the container 14.

In the case of waves with a maximum wave height of 8 m, the upper water level surface 18b rises above the limit water level as shown in Fig. 6 A, B. In the case of waves with a maximum wave height exceeding 8 m, as shown in Fig. 7 A, B. Therefore, water is drained from the inside of the container 14 to the outside of the container 14 via the drain pipe 24, and at the same time, as the float 26a rises, the valve 26b rotates to narrow the air flow path, and finally the passage of the ventilation pipe 22 is closed. It is completely shut off and the flow of air between the air chamber 20 and the turbine stops.

In the situations shown in FIG. 7A and B, the air chamber 2
Since the inside of the container 14 becomes a closed space or a state close to this, the indoor pressure increases and the pressure difference from the atmospheric pressure increases, and water is drained from the inside of the container 14 to the outside by a so-called siphon effect, causing the upper water level surface 18b to rise. The water level can be returned below the critical water level in a short time, and the operation of the primary conversion device 10 can be restarted.
In addition, since the air chamber 20 is in a high pressure state,
There is no force acting on the embankment body 12 and the vessel 14 that would cause the upper water level surface 18b to reach the upper surface within the vessel 14 and damage or collapse the primary conversion device 10. Furthermore, since it is possible to prevent overload operation in which the water limit exceeds the maximum load capacity of the turbine and to prevent seawater from entering the turbine, durability of the turbine can be ensured.

According to the present invention, even under the influence of sudden large waves that occur during storms or during normal times, the performance of wave energy primary conversion devices in wave height power generation equipment can be maintained without impairing the durability and safety. can do.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a primary conversion device according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a partial longitudinal sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a partial longitudinal sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1, and FIG. The partial perspective view of the means, FIGS. 5A and 5B, corresponds in partial longitudinal section to FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively, showing the operating situation of the primary converter when the upper water level is below the critical water level. The top view and Figures 6A and 6B are partial longitudinal sections corresponding to Figures 2 and 3, respectively, showing the operating status of the primary conversion device when the upper water level surface reaches the same plane as the limit water level surface. The plan view and FIGS. 7A and 7B are partial longitudinal sections corresponding to FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively, showing the operating situation of the primary conversion device when the upper water level is above the critical water level. It is a diagram. 10: Wave energy primary conversion device, 12: Embankment body,
14: Container, 16: Machine room, 18: Still water surface, 2
0: Air chamber, 22: Ventilation pipe, 24: Drain pipe, 2
6: Passage blocking means, 26a: Float, 26b: Valve,
26c: Link mechanism, 26d: Bottomed semi-cylindrical body.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An embankment body in which a turbine is disposed, a container supported by the embankment body so that its open end is submerged below the still water surface and forming an air chamber above the still water surface, and the turbine. and a ventilation pipe disposed between the air chamber and the air chamber;
a drain pipe with both ends open disposed within the container, one end of which is below the still water surface and the other end of which is open to the atmosphere at a critical water level position set above the still water surface; and the container. and means for blocking the passage of said ventilation pipe when the water level exceeds said critical water level in said wave energy primary conversion device. 2. The blocking means connects a float disposed in the container so as to be movable above the limit water level position, a valve disposed in the ventilation pipe, and the valve and the float to prevent vertical movement of the float. 2. The wave energy primary conversion device according to claim 1, further comprising a link mechanism for converting the wave energy into an opening/closing motion of the valve.