KR102647409B1 - Air lubrication system and ship having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air lubrication system and a ship including the same, comprising a first charging portion provided on the bottom of a hull, and a second charging portion provided in a part of the hull other than the bottom and having a polarity opposite to the first charging portion. An electrode unit having a charging unit and a reference electrode provided on the hull; and a control unit that controls the electrode unit, wherein the control unit causes sea water adjacent to the ship bottom to be electrolyzed by the first charging unit to generate gas, and detects a potential difference between the hull through the reference electrode to The gas filling state of the bottom of the ship is estimated, and the first charging unit is controlled according to the estimated value.

Description

Air lubrication system and ship having the same}

The present invention relates to air lubrication systems and ships incorporating the same.

A ship is a means of transportation that sails the ocean carrying a large amount of minerals, crude oil, natural gas, or more than a thousand containers. It is made of steel and uses thrust generated through the rotation of a propeller while floating on the water surface due to buoyancy. Go through.

These ships generate thrust by driving engines or gas turbines. At this time, the engine uses oil fuel or gas fuel to move the piston, causing the crankshaft to rotate due to the reciprocating motion of the piston, and the shaft connected to the crankshaft rotates. On the other hand, a gas turbine burns oil fuel/gas fuel with compressed air and rotates the turbine blades through the temperature/pressure of the combustion air to generate power and transmit power to the propeller.

In this way, ships are gradually developing beyond the basic function of ensuring cargo transportation efficiency to improving operational efficiency to suppress environmental pollution and reduce energy consumption.

In accordance with this development process, research and development on technologies that can effectively reduce resistance during ship operation are continuously being conducted. In particular, technology to reduce resistance by applying an air layer to the bottom of the ship has been developed.

However, the existing air layer application technology has a problem in that the shape of the bottom of the ship has to be deformed in order to inject air, and operating efficiency cannot be sufficiently improved when considering the power consumed for air injection.

The present invention was created to solve the problems of the prior art as described above. The purpose of the present invention is to continuously supply gas to the bottom of the ship using electrolysis and to control the supply of gas using a reference electrode to provide optimal The purpose is to provide an air lubrication system that can ensure operating efficiency and a ship including the same.

An air lubrication system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a first charging portion provided on the bottom of a hull, a second charging portion provided in a part of the hull other than the bottom and having a polarity opposite to the first charging portion, and , an electrode unit having a reference electrode provided on the hull; and a control unit that controls the electrode unit, wherein the control unit causes sea water adjacent to the ship bottom to be electrolyzed by the first charging unit to generate gas, and detects a potential difference between the hull through the reference electrode to The gas filling state of the bottom of the ship is estimated, and the first charging unit is controlled according to the estimated value.

Specifically, the first charging unit is a positive charging unit, the second charging unit is a negative charging unit, and the negative charging unit and the reference electrode may be provided on the side of the hull.

Specifically, the anode charging unit may decompose seawater to generate oxygen gas to form a superhydrophobic surface on the bottom of the ship.

Specifically, it may further include an air injection unit that directly delivers air to the bottom of the ship.

Specifically, the air injection unit is provided upstream of the anode charging unit based on the seawater flow at the bottom of the ship, and the anode charging unit creates a gas layer that separates from the bottom of the ship through the air delivered by the air injection unit. It can be recovered.

Specifically, the control unit may estimate the gas filling state of the ship bottom by detecting a potential difference between the hull through the reference electrode, and control the air injection unit according to the estimated value.

A ship according to one aspect of the present invention has the air lubrication system.

The air lubrication system according to the present invention and the ship including the same have a cathode and anode on the hull, electrolyze seawater through this to generate gas at the bottom of the ship, thereby significantly reducing resistance, and considering the operating conditions, the supply amount of gas You can control power consumption to reduce power consumption.

1 is a block diagram of an air lubrication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a layout diagram of an air lubrication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a partial cross-sectional view of an air lubrication system according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a conceptual diagram of an air lubrication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is an image of the gas layer of an air lubrication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The objectives, specific advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this specification, when adding reference numbers to components in each drawing, it should be noted that identical components are given the same number as much as possible even if they are shown in different drawings. Additionally, in describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known technologies may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. For reference, the present invention includes not only the air lubrication system described below, but also ships on which the system is mounted/built.

At this time, a ship may be a general vessel such as a merchant ship/passenger ship that carries cargo or people from the origin to the destination, but it also includes all structures (ships, drill ships, offshore plants, etc.) that are capable of self-support while floating at sea. Let me know.

Figure 1 is a block diagram of an air lubrication system according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a layout diagram of an air lubrication system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 3 is an air lubrication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a partial cross-sectional view of the system.

Additionally, Figure 4 is a conceptual diagram of an air lubrication system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 5 is a gas layer image of an air lubrication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5 , the air lubrication system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an electrode unit 10, a power supply unit 20, and a control unit 30.

The electrode unit 10 generates gas on the bottom 3 of the ship body and reduces friction on the bottom 3. At this time, the electrode unit 10 can generate oxygen gas by electrolyzing seawater adjacent to the ship bottom 3 to form an oxygen layer on the ship bottom 3.

For reference, please note that in the present invention, gas, oxygen, air, etc. can be used interchangeably and are terms that can be used interchangeably. In addition, protrusions 4 may be provided on the bottom 3 to which this embodiment is applied, and oxygen gas is trapped in the grooves between the protrusions 4, thereby maintaining the oxygen layer without separating from the bottom 3, thereby reducing friction. The effect can be made to last.

At this time, the protrusion 4 may be provided in the longitudinal direction rather than in the width direction at the bottom 3 to reduce the generation of resistance, and thus oxygen gas can be suppressed from escaping from the ship's edge in the left and right directions.

However, the oxygen gas generated by the electrode unit 10 may be separated from the bottom of the ship (3) while moving along the stern direction according to the operation of the ship (2). In this case, new oxygen gas is released by the electrode unit (10). Since it can be continuously replenished, the grooves between the protrusions 4 can be continuously filled with an oxygen layer.

The electrode unit 10 includes a first charging unit 11 provided on the bottom 3 of the hull, and a second charging unit 12 provided in a part of the hull other than the bottom 3. The first charging unit 11 may be a positive charging unit 11 and the second charging unit 12 may be a negative charging unit 12 having a polarity opposite to that of the first charging unit 11.

In particular, the electrode unit 10 of this embodiment is formed by adding a negatively charged unit 12 to the side of the ship and installing a positively charged unit 11 on the ship bottom 3, with the positively charged unit 11 ) can be placed concentrated on the flat part of the bottom (3). In this case, the anode charging part 11 can form an oxygen layer in a certain pattern at the bottom 3, and thus the bottom 3 can be given a superhydrophobic surface with a controlled pattern, thereby achieving the effect of reducing friction. can be maximized.

In addition, among the cathode charging section 12 and the positive charging section 11, at least the positive charging section 11 submerged in seawater is provided in the form of a flat plate, so that even if the positive charging section 11 is added to the bottom of the ship 3, there is unnecessary resistance. This occurrence can be minimized. That is, the anode charging portion 11 may protrude minimally from the surface of the bottom 3 to form a form with almost no steps, or may be recessed into the surface of the bottom 3 and have no protrusions.

In addition, the anode charging portion 11 and the like are provided in the form of a closed plate without penetration to suppress unnecessary flow separation and to maximize the effect of reducing resistance due to friction reduction.

The electrode unit 10 implements electrolysis of the seawater of the ship bottom 3 through the anode charging unit 11 and the cathode charging unit 12, generating oxygen and providing a superhydrophobic surface to the ship bottom 3. In addition, a reference electrode 13 (reference electrode cell) can be used to control electrolysis.

The reference electrode 13 is provided on the hull, and, for example, may be provided on a part of the hull other than the bottom 3. That is, the reference electrode 13 is disposed at a position spaced apart from the anode charging unit 11 where electrolysis occurs.

By using this reference electrode 13 as a comparison group, this embodiment can detect the potential difference in the ship body. Since the potential difference becomes a value that can be used to estimate the degree of gas filling at the bottom (3), the present embodiment can efficiently control electrolysis through the potential difference confirmed from the reference electrode (13). This will be described in detail in the section on the control unit 30 below.

In the electrode unit 10, the cathode charging unit 12 and the reference electrode 13 may be provided on the side of the ship, etc., and as previously explained in the anode charging unit 11, the cathode charging unit 12, etc. may provide unnecessary resistance. In order to reduce the occurrence of , the protrusion on the side of the hull may be minimized or omitted. In addition, the position of the cathode charging part 12, etc. is sufficient as long as it is located outside the bottom of the ship 3 and is spaced apart from the anode charging part 11, so it is also possible to place it in a position other than the side of the hull.

For example, unlike the drawing, the negative charging part 12 may be placed on the transom at the stern, and in addition, the positions of the negative charging part 12 and the reference electrode 13 may be determined in various ways by considering variables such as air resistance. You can.

The power supply unit 20 supplies current to the electrode unit 10. The power supply unit 20 can supply current to the anode charging unit 11 and the cathode charging unit 12, which are configured to implement electrolysis, and the anode charging unit 11 includes a plurality of anode charging plates at the bottom 3. It may be configured as a bar, and the power supply unit 20 may also be provided in plural numbers.

The power supply unit 20 is provided to adjust the amount of current supplied to the anode charging unit 11, etc. by the control unit 30, which will be described later. That is, in this embodiment, the degree of electrolysis by the anode charging unit 11 can be adjusted based on the superhydrophobic surface state of the ship bottom 3 confirmed through the reference electrode 13.

The control unit 30 controls the electrode unit 10. For example, the control unit 30 goes beyond the basic function of electrolyzing seawater adjacent to the ship bottom 3 by the anode charging unit 11 to generate gas, and operates the electrode unit 10 through the reference electrode 13. Control the degree of electrolysis.

For example, the control unit 30 can detect the potential difference of the hull through the reference electrode 13, estimate the gas filling state (superhydrophobic surface state) of the bottom 3 based on the sensed potential difference, and use the electrode according to the estimated value. Unit 10 can be controlled.

That is, the control unit 30 can efficiently control power consumption so that an oxygen layer appropriate for the drag reduction effect is formed on the electrode unit 10, which forms a superhydrophobic surface using electrolysis.

Additionally, the control unit 30 may consider the operating status of the ship 2 as an additional variable. For example, the control unit 30 can optimize the degree of electrolysis by the electrode unit 10 by complexly considering ship speed, weather conditions, hull specifications, and the depth of the ship bottom 3 compared to sea level.

In addition, the control unit 30 can perform complex control of the electrode unit 10 and the air injection unit 40, which will be described later, which will be described below.

In this embodiment, by electrolyzing seawater on the bottom of the ship (3) using the electrode unit 10, an oxygen layer is formed on the bottom of the ship (3), thereby reducing frictional resistance during navigation. In addition, this embodiment may further include an air injection unit 40 that directly delivers air to the bottom 3.

The air injection unit 40 can compress air (or oxygen, etc.) using a compressor (not shown) and deliver it to the ship bottom 3. For this purpose, an opening (not shown) may be formed in the bottom 3, and the air injection unit 40 may be provided with a pipe (not shown) that delivers air to the opening.

As shown in FIG. 4, the air injection unit 40 may be provided upstream of the anode charging unit 11 based on the seawater flow (from bow to stern) at the bottom 3. That is, the air injection unit 40 may be provided at the bow, and the anode charging unit 11 may be provided at the center of the bottom 3.

In this case, in this embodiment, when air is delivered to the bottom (3) by the air injection unit 40, an air layer can be formed in the bottom (3), and during the operation of the ship (2), the air layer is formed in the bottom (3). In preparation for falling off from the surface, the anode charging portion 11 can restore the air layer.

In addition, at the bottom 3, the gas may exist from the point where air is injected by the air injection unit 40 to a certain point rearward of the point where the rearmost anode charging unit 11 is disposed. Through this, the present embodiment It is possible to sufficiently reduce the frictional resistance that occurs in the area from the bow to the center and the rear of the bottom (3).

Furthermore, this embodiment can additionally include an air injection unit 40 and the control unit 30 can control both the electrode unit 10 and the air injection unit 40 to reduce power consumption. That is, as described above, the control unit 30 can estimate the gas filling state of the ship bottom 3 by detecting the potential difference between the hull through the reference electrode 13, and the estimated value at this time (of course, other variables can also be considered). .), the control unit 30 can implement control of the air injection unit 40. Therefore, this embodiment can prevent excessive energy consumed by the compressor of the air injection unit 40, etc.

However, in this embodiment, operation by the electrode unit 10 can be implemented preferentially. For example, the control unit 30 first operates the electrode unit 10 to form a superhydrophobic surface on the bottom 3, and then, when the oxygen layer on the bottom 3 is removed due to changes in operating conditions, the air injection unit (40) can be used to supplement the gas layer at the bottom (3).

Of course, on the contrary, the control uses the air injection unit 40 first and the electrode unit 10 as a second priority, so that the electrode unit 10 is used as an auxiliary component to restore the separation of the air layer caused by the air injection unit 40. This is also possible, but in this embodiment, by using the electrode unit 10 first, the drag reduction effect can be achieved using a very low flow rate even when the air injection unit 40 is operated.

In this way, in this embodiment, the friction resistance is reduced by generating a superhydrophobic surface on the bottom 3 using the electrode unit 10, and the gas filling state of the bottom 3 is detected through the reference electrode 13. Accordingly, the operation of the electrode unit 10 can be controlled to reduce power consumption.

In addition to the embodiments described above, the present invention encompasses all embodiments resulting from a combination of the above embodiments and known technologies.

Although the present invention has been described in detail through specific examples, this is for the purpose of specifically explaining the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and can be understood by those skilled in the art within the technical spirit of the present invention. It would be clear that modifications and improvements are possible.

All simple modifications or changes of the present invention fall within the scope of the present invention, and the specific scope of protection of the present invention will be made clear by the appended claims.

1: Air lubrication system 2: Ship
3: Bottom 4: Protrusion
10: electrode portion 11: first charging portion, anode charging portion
12: second charging part, cathode charging part 13: reference electrode
20: power unit 30: control unit
40: Air injection part

Claims (7)

An electrode portion having a first charging portion provided on the bottom of the hull, a second charging portion provided in a part of the hull other than the bottom and having a polarity opposite to that of the first charging portion, and a reference electrode provided on the hull. ; and
It includes a control unit that controls the electrode unit,
The control unit,
Sea water adjacent to the bottom of the ship is electrolyzed by the first charging unit to generate gas,
Detecting the potential difference of the hull through the reference electrode, estimating the gas filling state of the ship bottom, and controlling the first charging unit according to the estimated value,
Further comprising an air injection unit that directly delivers air to the bottom of the ship,
The control unit,
When it is detected that the oxygen layer formed on the bottom of the ship by the electrode part is removed through the potential difference of the hull detected through the reference electrode, the air injection part is used to control the air injection unit to supplement the gas layer of the ship bottom. , air lubrication system. According to claim 1,
The first charging portion is a positive charging portion,
The second charging part is a cathode charging part,
The cathode charging unit and the reference electrode are provided on the side of the hull. The method of claim 2, wherein the anode charging unit is:
An air lubrication system that decomposes seawater to generate oxygen gas to form a superhydrophobic surface on the bottom of the ship. delete According to claim 1,
The air injection unit is provided upstream of the anode charging unit based on the seawater flow at the bottom of the ship,
An air lubrication system in which the positive charging unit restores a gas layer falling from the bottom of the ship through air delivered by the air injection unit. delete A vessel having the air lubrication system of any one of claims 1 to 3 and 5.

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