RU2791929C2 - Antifouling system with inductive energy transmission for use in protection of surface from biofouling - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: mechanical engineering.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to antifouling systems having inductive systems for energy transmission to supply energy to a load of this antifouling system. The antifouling system for reduction and/or prevention of object fouling, when is its operated, contains a set of antifouling devices (26) to provide supply of antifouling radiation to at least part of the specified object and/or at least part of the antifouling system. The antifouling system additionally contains an energy transmission system containing inductive energy emitter (10) containing at least one inductive emitter element (12); and a set of inductive energy receivers (24), each of which contains at least one inductive receiver element. The inductive energy emitter and the specified set of inductive energy receivers are intended for installation on the object in a fixed configuration relatively to each other to provide, thus, a possibility of inductive connection between each of the specified at least one inductive receiver element and the specified at least one inductive emitter element in such a way that energy can be transmitted in an inductive way, when the energy transmission system is operated. The specified set of antifouling devices (26) are made with the possibility of actuation, using transmitted energy of at least one of the specified set of inductive energy receivers, when the system is operated.

EFFECT: obtainment of an antifouling system.

15 cl, 10 dwg

Description

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The present invention relates to anti-fouling systems having inductive power transfer systems for supplying power to the load of the anti-fouling system. The present invention further relates to an object subject to fouling while in service and having such an anti-fouling system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Biofouling or biofouling is the accumulation of microorganisms, plants, algae and/or animals on surfaces and in particular on those surfaces that are exposed to a humid or aquatic environment such as a sea, lake or river. Diversity among biofouling organisms is highly extensive and extends far beyond the attachment of barnacles and algae. According to some estimates, more than 1,700 species, containing over 4,000 organisms, are responsible for biofouling. Biofouling is divided into microfouling, which includes biofilm formation and bacterial adhesion, and macrofouling, which is the attachment of larger organisms. Due to the specific chemistry and biology that determines what prevents organisms from settling, these organisms are also classified as hard fouling or soft fouling types.

Calcareous (solid) fouling organisms include barnacles, bryozoans, mollusks, polychaetes and other tube worms, as well as striped mussels. Examples of non-calcareous (soft) fouling organisms are algae, hydroid polyps and biofilm slime. These organisms together form a fouling community.

в день, с помощью эффективного способа противообрастания возможна значительная экономия. Следовательно, хорошо известна проблема противообрастания, то есть процесса удаления обрастания или предупреждения его образования.In some cases, biofouling creates significant problems, such as those listed below. Machinery stops working, water intakes become clogged, and ship hulls suffer from increased drag and thus increased fuel consumption. It is estimated that an increase in fuel consumption of up to 40% can be attributed to biofouling. Since oil tankers or container ships can consume up to 200,000

per day, significant savings are possible with an effective anti-fouling method. Therefore, the problem of antifouling, ie the process of removing or preventing fouling, is well known.

Biodispersants can be used to control biofouling in manufacturing processes. In less controlled environments, organisms are killed or repelled by coatings using biocides, heat treatments, or energy pulses. Non-toxic mechanical strategies to prevent organisms from attaching include choosing a material or coating with a slippery surface, or creating nanoscale surface topologies similar to shark and dolphin skin that only have points of weak attachment.

WO 2014/188347 discloses a biofouling prevention system in which the entire surface, or a substantial part of it, to be kept free from fouling (for example, the hull of a ship) is covered with a layer emitting germicidal light radiation, in particular UV radiation. Thus, it is known to use a method based on light radiation, in particular using ultraviolet (UV) radiation to reduce or prevent fouling. It is well known that with sufficient levels of UV radiation, most microorganisms die, become inactive or unable to reproduce. This effect is mainly due to the total dose of UV radiation. The usual dose to kill 90% of certain microorganisms is 10 mWh per square metre. A particularly effective type of light radiation in this regard is UV-C radiation (ultraviolet C spectrum), whose wavelengths are approximately in the range from 100 to 280 nm. WO 2014/188347 uses low power UV LEDs to provide the necessary UV radiation. As a rule, LEDs can be placed in small packages and consume less power than other types of light sources. LEDs can be made to emit (UV) radiation at various desired wavelengths and their performance, primarily output power, can be highly controlled. Using existing UV LEDs, a suitable dose of germicidal radiation can be easily achieved.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

In the known system, it is necessary to deliver energy to light sources located in the layer deposited on the ship. This is problematic in the sense that this system must be designed in such a way that it can be applied to a large surface of an irregularly shaped object (for example, the hull of a ship), as well as the ability to work in conditions where it is at least partially immersed in water, which creates a potential risk of electric shock as well as corrosion problems.

Therefore, there is a need for an improved electrically powered anti-fouling system.

The object of the present invention is to at least partially anticipate the need mentioned above.

The inventors have realized that the aforementioned conditions under which such a system is to be applied and operated require a number of design considerations to cope with such conditions. A single cell system with protected galvanic power supply will be preferred. But such a system in reality will be difficult to design and install on a large facility.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, an anti-fouling system is provided as defined by the present claims.

The inventors have found that a modular anti-fouling system comprising a plurality of anti-fouling panels to cover the surface area of an object will at least partially solve the above problem. In particular, this will make it possible to cover a large surface of an object (eg the hull of a ship) by applying anti-fouling panels to different areas of such a surface. This will not only make the installation of such a system easier, but will also make the system more flexible in terms of the shape (eg curved) and the dimensions of the surfaces that can be coated. In order to make such a system work reliably, a power supply strategy has been chosen based in part on wireless power transmission with a power transmission system as defined in the present claims. To power a plurality of inductive power receivers with such a power transmission system, a central inductive power emitter can be used. Thus, each panel may have one such receiver and thus may be supplied with energy by means of a central inductive energy emitter. This provides an efficient way to deliver energy to a load (a plurality of anti-fouling devices) that travels over a large area. In particular, to cover a large area, an array of at least one and preferably more power delivery transmitters can be formed, each of which is associated with a plurality of power receiving panels. Inductive power receivers and transmitter(s) can be encased in a panel such that they are protected from environmental conditions (eg water). Thus, problems relating to corrosion can be reduced while energy can be transferred as required. In addition, a central power supply from an energy source (for example, ship generators or batteries, or the like) to an inductive energy emitter (emitters) can be installed above the waterline of this object in such a way that galvanic connections can be used for this purpose without introducing , for example, problems related to corrosion, while power transmission below the waterline can occur wirelessly. The use of wireless power transmission using inductive elements such as inductors not only simplifies the watertight arrangement by encapsulating without any openings to the environment, but also simplifies the application of this anti-fouling system. Ultimately, this inductive design to some extent tolerates slight differences in the alignment of the transmitter and receiver elements over the generally irregular shape of the object, which would otherwise lead to differences in power transfer.

With such a power transmission system for providing anti-fouling radiation, anti-fouling devices to be actuated can be supplied with energy. During use of the anti-fouling system, such actuation need not be continuous. The actuation may be intermittent. In some embodiments, all of the transmitted energy is used for such actuation. In other embodiments, only a portion of this energy is used to drive the anti-fouling devices. Thus, in such cases more power may be transmitted than is needed to actuate the anti-fouling devices. Therefore, other devices such as sensors and communication devices can be powered using this excess energy. In variations of these embodiments, energy can be used to discretely actuate the anti-fouling devices, i.e., for one period of time while they are not actuated (or at a low power level) for a different period of time than specified. one period of time. During such a period of non-activation, power transmission may be stopped or it may be used to power other devices such as sensors and systems for data transmission. This can be convenient, for example, when not enough power is being transmitted to drive all power-requiring devices at the same time.

Preferably, the anti-fouling devices of the anti-fouling system comprise UV radiation sources, and in particular contain UV-C radiation sources. In such cases, these UV or UV-C radiation sources provide anti-fouling radiation.

The anti-fouling system is a modular system made up of inductive power emitters and inductive power receivers physically separated from each other, in which a plurality of receivers can supply power through a single emitter.

In an embodiment, the anti-fouling system comprises: a first panel (power supply panel) including an inductive energy emitter and a plurality of second panels (anti-fouling panels) separated from the first panel, each second panel comprising at least one of said plurality of inductive receivers energy and at least one of the specified set of anti-fouling devices. Anti-fouling panels can cover a larger area than energy supply panels. In particular, each anti-fouling panel distributes the energy received from the power supply panels to the anti-fouling devices located in that anti-fouling panel. These devices, when there is more than one, are preferably distributed over the area of the anti-fouling panel.

Each of said plurality of second panels preferably includes one or more waterproof materials that encase any of said plurality of inductive power receivers and any of said plurality of anti-fouling devices present in that particular second panel. Such encapsulation serves to protect said plurality of inductive power receivers and said plurality of anti-fouling devices from at least liquid water. The protection entails at least partial, but preferably complete, isolation from surrounding water, such as sea water. This can reduce corrosion and short circuit related problems of receivers and anti-fouling devices when the system is operated in aquatic environments since they are all electrical devices susceptible to such damage. One example of waterproof materials contains silicone polymers. Other examples contain fluoroethylene polymers (FEP). Encapsulation can take many forms, one of which includes devices embedded in at least one of these materials. The material may be one single type of material, but may also be a composite material in mixed form, or in layered form, or both. Thus, it can be a system of layers, for example containing silicone polymers or FEP polymer. These devices can then be incorporated into the silicone resins while the FEP resin serves as an additional overlay on top of the silicone resin.

In an embodiment of the anti-fouling system, each of said one or more inductive emitter elements comprises or consists of energy emitter inductors, and each of said one or more inductive receiver elements comprises or consists of energy receiver inductors, wherein said inductive power emitter and inductive power receivers are designed in such a way that each of said one or more inductors of the power receiver at least partially overlaps with at least one of said one or more inductors of the power emitter when the system is installed at the facility. Inductors can serve as efficient power transfer elements providing an internal (closed) cross-sectional area in which the magnetic field flux to be used for inductive coupling is concentrated. The inductor may have one or more turns, such as, for example, more than 2, more than 3, more than 5 turns. The transmitter inductor may have fewer or more turns than the receiver inductor. The inductor (emitter and/or receiver) may have a core for additional magnetic flux concentration, but this is not required in itself. The transmitter inductor and the receiver inductor may have the same cross-sectional area or different cross-sectional area. For example, the transmitter inductor may have a larger cross-sectional area than the receiver inductor. It is advantageous, for example, when several receiver inductors are needed to extract energy from the same transmitter inductor.

In an embodiment, each of said plurality of inductive energy receivers is configured such that said at least one energy emitter element of the corresponding inductive energy receiver element at least partially overlaps with said at least one energy emitter element when the system is installed at the facility, each from the specified set of second panels contains one or more edge sections, in which at least one of its elements of the energy receiver is located. This overlap is advantageous for optimizing the inductive coupling. Preferably, any emitting or receiving elements are inductors, as disclosed herein above or below. In case there are second panels containing inductive power receivers, each of said plurality of second panels contains one or more edge sections (22) in which at least one power receiver element is located. Each of these secondary panels, for example, is designed to be installed above an inductive energy emitter. An inductive energy emitter, for example, is designed to be installed above the surface of an object, and panels with inductive energy receivers cover the inductive energy emitter. Thus, energy receiver elements, for example in the form of inductors, occupy a relatively small area of the panels, and in order for the whole system to remain thin, the overlap area of the panels with parts of inductive power transmitters must be small. In addition, the area occupied by inductive power transmitters, for example when they are part of the primary panel, can be kept small compared to the area covered by the secondary panels.

An inductive energy transmitter for electrical connection with said at least an energy emitter element may comprise an energy supply line and an energy return line. A pair consisting of a power supply line and a power return line may be referred to as a power transmission line. An inductive power emitter can be designed with a low impedance AC transmission line resulting in low losses. Such a line is called a partially or fully balanced transmission line. To this end, the power supply line and the power return line can run next to each other at a predetermined constant distance, with an insulator located between the lines. They can be located next to each other in a single layer multi-wire track or one above the other in a multi-wire layer structure. The latter can provide almost complete balancing of the power transmission line.

In an advantageous embodiment of the anti-fouling system, said at least one inductive emitter element comprises a plurality of inductive emitter elements, each of which is electrically connected in parallel configuration to a power supply line and to an energy return line and is arranged in series with respect to each other inductive emitter elements within said inductive emitter. energy, and each of the specified set of inductive elements of the emitter is made with the possibility of inductive coupling with at least one of the specified at least one inductive element of the receiver of one of the specified set of inductive energy receivers. In addition, the transmitter and receiver elements are preferably inductors as described above or below herein. Each inductive power receiver may be inductively coupled to at least one and preferably one of said power emitter elements of the inductive power emitter.

Consistent arrangement means that the elements are distributed in space side by side with respect to each other in such a way that there is at least some non-overlapping part. It is a method of delivering current to each element of the power receiver in an efficient manner such that the elements of the power receiver can be located near optimal alignment to cover a large area of the object. Such a system can be powered by voltage. Using radiator elements in series (which would mean having the same current at all points) would make it more difficult to maintain the full voltage within a safe voltage limit, such as 50 volts rms.

The inductive power transmitter may have an energy supply line extending from one end of the inductive power transmitter to said at least one inductive transmitter element and an energy return line extending from said at least one inductive transmitter element to said one end of the inductive power transmitter, wherein the energy supply line and the energy return line are located on one side of said at least one inductive emitter element. Thus, for each of the plurality of inductive radiator elements, a power supply line and a power return line are located on the same side of such an inductive power radiator. Preferably, these lines run on the same side of said plurality of inductive power transmitters. Thus, the magnetic fields generated at the location of the inductive element of the radiator by the power supply line and the energy return line (and these fields have different strengths along the length of these lines as a result of the current draining of the inductors located in series due to the parallel electrical configuration) at least partially or essentially are compensated in such a way that a more uniform magnetic field strength is achieved when passing from one inductive element of the emitter to another inside the inductive energy emitter.

In another arrangement of the anti-fouling system, the inductive energy emitter comprises at least one inductive emitter element for inductively coupling with a plurality of energy receiver elements, wherein said plurality of energy receiver elements consists of said at least one energy receiver element of at least two of said plurality inductive energy receivers. Preferably, the inductive power transmitter comprises one inductive transmitter element for communicating with each and every one of the power receiver elements of said plurality of inductive power receivers. Thus, for inductive coupling with a set of inductive energy receivers, one element of the energy emitter is used. Thus, the implementation of the inductive connection and the transfer of energy that occurs through it to each inductive power receiver can be the same or close to the same.

In an embodiment of the anti-fouling system, the inductive power emitter comprises a power supply line and a power return line, and each of said at least one inductive emitter element comprises a power supply line section and a power return line section. Now there are no actual inductors, but just sections of said lines that are placed close to each other to provide a net field between them that can be used to inductively couple the power receiver element. This is a simpler design.

In an embodiment of the anti-fouling system, this system further comprises an additional one of said inductive energy emitter and at least one connecting element, wherein the power supply line of the inductive energy emitter is connected to the energy return line of the additional inductive energy emitter through this connecting element. In such an arrangement, the system comprises a set of inductive power emitters, each of which is associated with a respective set of inductive power receivers. Each of the inductive energy transmitters contains an energy supply line and an energy return line, and the energy supply line of one of the indicated inductive energy emitters is connected to the energy return line of an additional one of the inductive energy transmitters.

In this design, individual inductive power transmitters do not have a closed power transmission line. Instead, they define one half of one energy emitter inductor and one half of the other energy emitter inductor. Here again there is one inductor of the energy emitter, which runs along the entire length of this strip.

Then, preferably, between the second ends of, for example, adjacent inductive energy emitters, connecting elements are provided for connecting the power supply line of one transmitter to the power return line of the adjacent transmitter on one side and for connecting the power return line of said one transmitter to the power supply line of the adjacent band on the other side.

The inductive energy emitter may comprise a ferrite material, for example in the form of a layer or sheet, located under the inductive elements of the emitter, hence between the surface of the object and these elements when the system is installed on the object. Thus, the efficiency of the system can be maintained, for example, close to 50% even when the surface on which the system is to be installed is electrically conductive, as is the case with the metal hull of a ship. To prevent eddy currents through the conductive layer that defines the surface, a ferrite material is placed between the surface of, for example, a ship's hull and the primary windings of an inductive transformer. Such a ferrite material can be dispensed with when the surface is made of a non-conductive material such as wood or plastic.

A coating or painting material may be provided for application to the surface, so that the system is designed to be installed over a layer of this coating or painting material, said coating or painting material having a relative magnetic permeability (μr) greater than 20, such as greater than 100, such as greater than 200. Thus, preferably, the coating or painting material is located between the system and the surface.

The purpose of this is to prevent or attenuate the presence of eddy currents in the enclosure which will lead to losses. The higher the specified value, the better the performance. This improves the coupling factor, for example, even if a polyester or aluminum housing is used.

A relatively high permeability, for example, can also lead to a high dielectric constant.

This provides an alternative way to reduce eddy currents in the metal case (causing losses) and may also eliminate the need for ferrite material. The coating or painting material, for example, has embedded ferromagnetic particles.

Inductive power receivers, for example, have a thickness of less than 5 mm, such as less than 4 mm, such as less than 3 mm. This thickness typically contains the printed circuit board (PCB).

The thickness of the secondary panels including the inductive power receivers may be less than 2 cm, such as less than 1.5 cm or even less than 1 cm. They may include a jacketing material as described herein above.

Said plurality of anti-fouling devices, for example, comprise one or more light sources for providing anti-fouling light as described herein above. Thus, the inductive power transmission system may be part of a light-based anti-fouling system to be applied to a surface. The light sources may be part of a light source arrangement, for example, comprising an array of UV-C LEDs for emitting UV radiation at a wavelength of 270 nm to 280 nm.

The anti-fouling system may comprise an energy source for delivering energy to the inductive energy emitter. The power source, for example, contains a resonant circuit with a resonant frequency of 50 kHz-1 MHz, such as 50 kHz-200 kHz, such as 60 kHz-90 kHz.

The inductive power receivers and the inductive power transmitters may be housed in respective first and second panels, each of which includes a silicone material having a protective function and optionally also an optical function, such as channeling light radiation.

The second panel may have many shapes such as triangular and rectangular. Their area may be 0.5 m ² or more. Preferably, their area is 2.5 m ² or more. The sides of such panels may have dimensions (length and width) of more than 0.1 or 0.2 meters, preferably more than 0.5 meters. Not all sides of a panel, or different panels, if there are more of them in the system, need to be the same size.

The shapes and areas or dimensions (length, width) of the first panel may be any as long as they are suitable for use in an anti-fouling system to allow the surface to be protected or even coated. These shapes and sizes can be selected according to the shape and size of the surface on which they are to be applied. Since the surface is preferably the surface of one of the marine objects such as a vessel, a ship, etc., such surfaces are generally quite large, ie larger or much larger than 1 m ² .

The first panel, and hence the inductive power transmitter, may be of any shape, but is preferably elongated and more preferably also rectangular. Preferably, its length is greater than 0.2 meters or greater than 0.5 meters. More preferably, the length is greater than 1 meter. The width of the first panel can be any as long as it can accommodate its electrical components. Its width may be 0.1 meters or more, such as 0.5 meters or more.

The system, as described above in this document, is intended to be installed on a site that is subject to fouling under normal operating conditions. In general, this means that the system will also be at least partially affected by such conditions.

Thus, in a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an object exposed to fouling conditions during normal operation and comprising an anti-fouling system as described herein above, in which an inductive power emitter and said plurality of inductive power receivers are installed on the object in a fixed configuration with respect to each other. to a friend to enable inductive coupling. The fixed configuration means that during the operation of the object, parts of the system do not move. This does not mean that they cannot be removed from the object, which, for example, may occur during the repair or replacement of parts of the system. Fastening can be carried out in many ways, such as, for example, fastening with screws, clips or any type of gluing.

Each of said plurality of anti-fouling devices preferably includes a UV source for providing UV radiation as anti-fouling radiation. UV radiation works at the level of the DNA of microorganisms, and thus, a system based on such sources can work with a wide variety of antifouling.

In an embodiment of the object, the anti-fouling system comprises

- a first panel including an inductive energy emitter (10) and

- a plurality of second panels separated from the first panel, each second panel comprising at least one of said plurality of inductive energy receivers (20) and at least one of said plurality of anti-fouling devices,

wherein the first panel and said plurality of second panels are mounted on the object such that different panels from said plurality of second panels are at least partially mounted on different areas of the object. The modularity of the system makes it possible to cover the area of the object on which the system is installed, so that to cover a large area, the first and second panels are fixed one by one on the object, while a plurality of second panels can be efficiently supplied with energy by the first panel. Preferably, the first panels are of an elongate shape so that to form a pattern such as herringbone laying, the second panels extend laterally of this elongate shape in the lengthwise direction.

In an embodiment, the object is intended to be partially or completely submerged in water during normal use, wherein each of said plurality of second panels includes one or more water resistant materials that encapsulate any of said plurality of inductive power receivers and any of said plurality of anti-fouling devices present in this particular second panel, to protect them from water. Preferably, the object is an object that, during operation, is exposed to water and, in particular, sea water. Such facilities include, for example, structures such as locks, oil platforms, pumping stations or buoys, and vessels such as ships. A marine object is any object as described herein above or below, such as, for example, a vessel or ship. Preferably, the object is a ship. In all cases, the system is installed on the outer surface of the object in such a way that at least inductive energy receivers (or second panels of which they are part) are installed on this surface. Preferably, inductive energy emitters (or first panels of which they are part) are also mounted on the outer surface.

In an embodiment, the object has a waterline and a portion of the first panel is positioned such that it remains above the waterline when the object is in service, so that a power source can be connected to the inductive power transmitter to supply power to the inductive power transmitter via a galvanic connection located above the waterline. The energy source may be configured to supply energy to the inductive energy emitter through a galvanic connection located above the waterline of the marine object. An inductive power emitter, preferably in the form of a strip as discussed above, can extend above the waterline so that galvanic contact can be made with the power source at an out-of-water location and the system can be completely enclosed and encapsulated below the waterline when it comes to concerns the supply of energy to the load.

Thus, the object contains a surface, and an anti-fouling system is installed on top of this surface.

The object may have a coating material as above applied to its surface and between its surface and the anti-fouling system. This will be advantageous for an object made of conductive materials close to the surface, such as metal hulled ships or other structures as mentioned above having metal parts near the surface on which the system is mounted.

The present invention also provides a method for installing an anti-fouling system on an object, as disclosed in relation to the object. Any of the features of the anti-fouling system and/or object can be used to determine such an installation method. For example, an installation method may be provided in which at least a part of the system, and in particular the inductive energy emitter, is installed above the object's waterline. In an embodiment, a ferrite material and/or a coating material with a dielectric constant greater than 20 may be applied between the object and at least the inductive power transmitter.

These and other aspects of the present invention will be apparent from the embodiments described below and will be explained with reference to them.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention and in order to show more clearly how it can be carried out, reference will be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying schematic drawings in which:

in fig. 1 shows an anti-fouling system in accordance with the present invention applied to a vessel to protect its surface in contact with water, i.e. the surface of the hull;

in fig. 2 shows a section (made in a horizontal plane) of the system of FIG. 1 through inductive energy emitters, panels and parts of the ship's surface;

in fig. 3 shows inductor arrangements in more detail;

in fig. 4 shows an example of a panel construction;

in fig. 5 shows one possible electrical configuration of the primary and power receiver inductors;

in fig. 6 shows a first way of arranging power emitter inductors and a power transmission line in an inductive power emitter;

in fig. 7 shows a second way of arranging the power emitter inductors and the power transmission line in an inductive power emitter;

in fig. 8 shows a third way of placing a power emitter inductor using a power supply line and a power return line in an inductive power emitter;

in fig. 9 shows a method of arranging a power return line of one inductive power radiator and a power supply line of another inductive power radiator so that they together form an inductive radiator element; And

in fig. 10 shows an arrangement in which panels of an inductive power emitter and an inductive power receiver are provided over a layer of high permeability paint.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the drawings, examples of the anti-fouling system as defined by the present claims will be described.

It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating exemplary embodiments of devices, systems and methods, are for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. These and other features, aspects and advantages of the devices, systems and methods of the present invention will become better understood from the following description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the drawings are only schematic and are not drawn to scale. It should also be understood that throughout the drawings, the same reference signs are used to refer to the same or similar parts.

In FIG. 1 shows such an anti-fouling system installed on a ship 1 facility. This system is designed to protect the facility from fouling while the ship is in service. This means that the system is designed to at least partially reduce fouling compared to a vessel without such a system. In this case, the surface is the outer surface of parts of the ship's hull, which below the waterline 30 of the ship can be submerged in water during operation, thereby subject to fouling.

In general, the waterline is the line where the surface of an object, such as the hull of a ship, touches the surface of the water when the object is in normal use.

The anti-fouling system comprises a set (many) of first panels 10, each of which includes (or in the simplest embodiment is) an inductive energy emitter. The first panels (and hence the inductive power transmitters) in this case have an elongated rectangular shape in which the length is greater than the width. They are installed above the surface in such a way that their direction along the length is a non-zero angle relative to the waterline 30 of the ship. In FIG. 1, this angle is approximately 90 degrees such that the first panels extend vertically along the height of the vessel. They are distributed in space along the direction along the length (parallel to the ship's waterline) of the ship.

Inductive energy emitters and thus also panels include energy transmission lines such as energy supply lines and energy return lines. They extend at least partially from one of the distal ends of the panels to the other distal ends of the panels. At the upper distal ends of the panels 10, which in this case are located above the waterline 30, power transmission lines are connected to one or more electrical power sources (not shown). Such sources may be generators of any type or batteries, etc.

Each of the energy emitters contains one or more sets of inductive emitter elements, with which it is possible to transmit electrical energy through electromagnetic induction. In this case, such inductive elements of the emitter are made in the form of inductors of the energy emitter, each of which has from 1 to 5 turns. However, other inductors may also be used.

In general, it is understood that the transmitter inductive elements and the receiver inductive elements comprise any conductive element capable of carrying an alternating current in such a manner as to create a magnetic field or trap a magnetic field through which energy can be transferred. The coupling between two wires can be increased by wrapping such conductors around inductors and placing them close together on a common axis so that the magnetic field of one inductor passes through the other inductor. Coupling can also be increased by using a magnetic core of ferromagnetic material like iron or ferrite placed in these inductors, which increases the magnetic flux. The two inductors may be physically placed in the same unit, as in the primary and secondary windings of a transformer, or may be separated. The set of primary windings may have one or more turns of wire. In this document, the set of primary windings is referred to as the energy emitter inductor. Thus, an inductive power emitter includes one or more power emitter inductors.

The anti-fouling system also includes a set (multiple) second panels 20, which may be referred to as anti-fouling panels. They are installed above the surface with a distribution in space in such a way that each covers a different area of the surface of the ship's hull. In this case, all of them are installed below the waterline 30, but, in addition, some of them can be installed above the waterline, taking into account the waves that occur during the operation of the object. In this case, the panels 20 have an elongated rectangular shape, with the length direction running parallel to the waterline and the width direction running perpendicular thereto. They are mounted on a surface in such a way that different panels cover at least partially different areas of this surface. In this case, they do not overlap each other at all. They have a first surface of the panel facing the vessel, with which they are attached to the surface of the vessel, and an opposite second surface of the panel, facing the water.

Each of the second panels includes at least one inductive power receiver for receiving power from the one or more first panels 10 with which they are associated. Each of the panels 20 includes a plurality of UV radiation sources for providing anti-fouling radiation by actuating them with energy received by said one or more inductive power receivers and transmitted by one or more inductive power emitters with which the panel 20 is connected. The anti-fouling radiation in this example is directed at least to the surface of the panel facing the water, so that on this surface, which is subject to fouling during operation of the vessel, this fouling can be reduced or prevented. The light sources are located in the arrangement of light sources in such a way that they are distributed in space over the area of the panel 20 covering part of the surface of the vessel. With such an anti-fouling system, the surface of the ship is essentially at least partially composed of the surfaces of the panels 20. Since the latter are protected from fouling, the surface of the ship's hull is also indirectly protected. It should be noted that these panels and sources can be designed such that anti-fouling radiation can also enter the surface of the vessel, for example by exiting the panels 20 at their surfaces facing the surface of the ship's hull. Thus, the light emission is provided such that, to reduce or prevent fouling, the surface of the vessel on which the panel is applied and/or the surface of the second panel subject to fouling (because it is now the surface of the panel that is exposed to water) is illuminated.

Further details on how such an anti-fouling panel 20 can be constructed and how light sources can be used to provide anti-fouling radiation are known in the prior art and, for example, are described in WO 2014/188347. This document discloses methods and systems for the prevention of biofouling, in which the entire surface or a significant part of it, which should be kept free from fouling (for example, the hull of a ship), is covered with a panel having a layer that emits germicidal light radiation, in particular UV radiation, such as UV-C radiation. It is well known that with sufficient levels of UV radiation, most microorganisms die, become inactive or unable to reproduce. Thus, light sources can be configured to provide ultraviolet (UV) anti-fouling radiation. UV radiation is that part of the electromagnetic light radiation, which is limited to the lower far wavelength of the visible spectrum and the X-ray range. By definition, the spectral range of UV radiation is 100 nm-400 nm and is invisible to the human eye. According to the CIE classification, the UV spectrum is divided into three ranges:

UV-A (longwave) 315nm-400nm;

UV-B (medium wave) 280 nm-315 nm;

UV-C (shortwave) 100 nm-280 nm.

Various light sources for generating UV radiation are known, such as low pressure mercury discharge lamps, medium pressure mercury discharge lamps and dielectric barrier discharge lamps. A preferred option, as suggested in WO 2014/188347, for example, is low cost, low power UV LEDs. As a rule, LEDs can be placed in small packages and consume less power than other types of light sources. LEDs can be made to emit (UV) radiation at various desired wavelengths, and their performance, primarily output power, can be highly controlled. Using existing UV LEDs, a suitable dose of germicidal radiation can be easily achieved.

Each of the inductive power receiver panels 20 includes one or more inductive power receiver elements for receiving power from the inductors of the inductive power emitters. In this case, such inductive elements of the receiver are made in the form of inductors of the energy receiver, each of which has, for example, from 1 to 5 turns.

These power receiver inductors are located in the panels 20 in such a way that they are aligned with one or more of the power emitter inductors of one or more of the first panels in such a way that energy can be transferred inductively between them. Thus, the inductor of the power emitter can be considered as one side of the transformer, while the aligned inductor of the power receiver forms the other side of this transformer. Or, in other words, a pair of aligned primary inductors and power receiver inductors can form a transformer for power transmission.

The system according to Fig. 1 is advantageous in that it provides a modular system including one or more panels 10 and a plurality of (anti-fouling) panels 20 with which a ship's surface can be covered in a variety of ship surface shapes and sizes. At the same time, efficient and reliable wireless power transmission from the quasi-central power supply panel to the plurality of anti-fouling panels associated with such power supply panel can be ensured. The power supply system and device retains or enables a modular structure and at the same time prevents or reduces the effects of corrosion and subsequent possible short circuit due to open electrical connections between panels. Modularity also provides the required reliability of the system, since each panel 20 is powered in parallel with the power supply panel. In addition, the design and arrangement of the system allows the power panels 10 to pass above the waterline so that the quasi-central power panels 10 can be connected to the power source through high-current galvanic connections located above the waterline.

In the example shown, the surface 18 of the vessel is substantially completely covered with anti-fouling panels at least below the waterline. The anti-fouling panels do not overlap, but if required, adjacent panels can overlap. In this case, the panels are installed on the surface in such a way that no water can be present between these panels and the surface of the vessel. For this purpose, they are glued with a waterproof adhesive to the surface. Thus, surface 18 is directly protected by the panels, while the fouling surface of the panels is now protected by the anti-fouling radiation directed at that surface. Thus, the anti-fouling radiation provided by the panels helps to prevent the formation of fouling organisms on the surface of the panels subject to fouling. This should still be understood as forming a system to protect the surface of the hull from biofouling (in the sense that without an anti-fouling system, the surface of the hull would suffer from biofouling). Alternatively or additionally, panels can be used which are installed in such a way that water can reach the surface of the vessel between this surface and the panel. In such cases, the panels may be configured to provide anti-fouling radiation also to the surface of the vessel and the surface of the panel facing the surface of the vessel.

As will be understood from the description below, there may be a plurality of inductors connected to the power transmission line. Many configurations of combined power emitter inductors and power receiver inductors can be used, each with specific advantages. For example, there may be one power emitter inductor per panel, or multiple power emitter inductors per panel. In each case, each panel may have one or more power receiver inductors to be aligned with power emitter inductors available at their location adjacent to panel 10.

In FIG. 2 shows a section taken in a horizontal plane through part of the hull 16 of the vessel and part of the system, including two of the first panels 10 and two of the second panels 20. The hull surface 18 is the surface to be protected from fouling, and for this purpose on this surfaces, the first panels 10 and the second panels 20 are installed. As stated above, this means that the surfaces 23 of the panels 20 have now become an anti-fouling surface. Here we ignore the water located between the system and the surface, since in this example the panels 20 are attached to the surface in a substantially waterproof manner.

Each of the first panels 10 has an inductive energy emitter 10 which in turn comprises at least one energy emitter inductor 12 whose coils extend in a plane vertical to the plane of the drawing. The energy transmission lines of the inductive energy emitters located in the panels 10 to which the inductors 12 of the energy emitter are connected are not shown in this drawing, but in this case they will run vertically to the plane of the drawing.

Each of the panels 20 includes an inductive power receiver 20 which in turn contains a power receiver inductor, the turns of which also extend in a plane vertical to the plane of the drawing. The inductors of the energy receiver are located in the edge sections 22 of the panels 20, and the first and second panels are mounted on the surface in such a way that the edge sections 22 of the second parts 20 overlap with the second parts 10 so that the inductors 12 of the energy emitter overlap with the inductors 24 of the energy receiver . This can provide good inductive power transfer between the first inductor and the power receiver inductor, and hence between the transmitter and the power receiver.

In this case, as measured from the surface of the vessel, the panels 20 overlap the panels 10 in the edge portions. It can also be the other way around.

Each of the panels 20 has one or more light sources arranged in a light source arrangement 26 that is positioned to direct anti-fouling light to at least the surfaces 23. The energy transmitted wirelessly by the panels 10 is used by the panels 20 to power energy sources of light radiation located in layouts 26.

In the current example, the ship's hull is made of steel, in which eddy currents can occur at the locations of the inductors during power transmission. Such eddy currents can reduce the efficiency of power transfer. To reduce or prevent this loss of efficiency, the second panels 10 have a ferrite material in the form of a ferrite sheet 14 placed between the power emitter inductor and the metal of the ship's hull 16. The ferrite material reduces or even prevents eddy currents in the metal of the ship's hull 16, thereby improving the power transfer efficiency. Materials with a high dielectric constant can also be used for this purpose. It should be understood that when eddy currents do not occur to a significant extent, then such ferrite material or other solutions are not necessary. For example, when the housing is made of a non-conductive material such as wood or plastic.

The power emitter inductors may be formed on or in a printed circuit board (PCB), which in turn may be part of the inductive power emitter and/or power transmission lines. Similarly, inductive coils of the power transmitter can be formed on or in the PCB of the inductive power receiver. The arrangement of the light sources can also be formed on the PCB, which can be separated from the PCB of the power receiver inductors or can be the same. For simplicity of the shown design, these PPs are not shown in the drawings. Thus, the PCBs are also parts of the corresponding panels.

This may be one shared flexible PCB located in the panel and, for example, having inductors and light sources, as well as other parts of the electronic power supply circuit, located in the panel. Such flexible panels are designed to conform to the contour of the surface on which they are installed. On the contrary, they can be separate PCBs located in the panel, and electrical connections between them.

PCB wiring diagrams are convenient, but do not necessarily need to be used by themselves. Other methods of making electrical circuits may also be used.

Parts of the panel layouts can be made using PCB, while other parts can be made using different methods. For example, the arrangement of light sources may be formed as a wire mesh structure instead of a PCB having distributed light sources. This reduces the area of the PCB, since the PCB is only needed for the inductors of the power receiver. In additional variants, all panel circuits are made without PP using other technologies.

The energy emitter inductors of the inductive energy emitters 10 during operation of the system, for example, may be supplied with AC power (sine wave) at a frequency of 100 kHz-150 kHz. In order to compensate for the capacitive leakage current into the housing 16 in the position of the power transmission lines, they (and hence the inductive power emitter) can be additionally provided with a capacitor to implement a low-pass filter. This is, for example, of interest when high efficiency switched amplifiers are used to generate AC power. In this case, a low-pass filter is used to filter out the residual high-frequency harmonics of the amplifier.

To generate AC power, an alternative is to use a resonant circuit. For example, each power transmission line (inductive power emitter) may include a resonant circuit based on a capacitive resonant circuit whose resonant frequency is in the range of 60 kHz-90 kHz.

Typically, the operating frequency (resonant or drive) may be in the range of 50 kHz-1 MHz, such as 50 kHz-200 kHz, such as 60 kHz-90 kHz.

In FIG. 3 shows exemplary panel arrangements and overlaps.

In the example in FIG. 2 shows panels 10 overlapping an associated panel 10 at one side edge. In FIG. 3, panels 20 overlap panels 10 at both side edges, and each panel 10 has a pair of energy emitter inductors 12a and 12b, for example, arranged along their length adjacent horizontally (the length is vertical with respect to the plane of the drawing). One inductor of the pair, eg 12a, is dedicated to powering the second panel 20 on one side, and the other inductor of the pair, eg 12b, is dedicated to powering the second panel 20 on the other side. Thus, each panel 20 is supplied with energy from two sides and thus from two different first panels. This principle can be extended to more than two sides when instead of a set of first panels running more or less parallel, a grid of first panels is used. This can provide the system with a lot of redundancy against damage to the first panels 10 or the second panels 20.

All of the energy emitter inductors of the first panels 10 may have the same phase, which contributes to the electrical redundancy of the system. The light source arrangements 26 can be fully functional in the event that the power transmission line in the inductive power emitter of the first panel is damaged. In this respect, inductive power emitters and power transmission lines can be configured to deliver electrical power at twice the normal level.

Thus, there may be one inductor assembly (ie, a power emitter inductor and a power receiver inductor) per panel (FIG. 2) or two inductor assemblies per panel (FIG. 3). There may also be more than two such nodes located on additional sides of the panels (not shown).

The first panel and the second panels of the anti-fouling system comprise a sheath material for protecting the parts, and in particular the electrical parts of the system, involved in supplying power to the system. In other words, all parts of the system that are normally exposed to water when the system is in operation are encapsulated in this way. Thus, in the example described above, the panel includes an encapsulation such that the electrical circuits responsible for receiving power and driving the light sources are contained within the enclosure. In this case, encapsulation is provided for all electrical parts containing, for example, inductors, electrically conductive lines and printed circuit boards. Perhaps an exception would be the touch device located on the panel, or at least those parts of the touch device that need galvanic contact with water in order to enable the touch function. Preferably, however, the system employs sensors that operate on a sensor principle that does not require a galvanic electrical contact (eg, capacitive or otherwise). Such encapsulation prevents water from reaching these electrical parts of the power supply and drive circuits of the system, or at least reduces it. The encapsulation may be in the form of a material into which all the electrical components are embedded. This material may be referred to as a waterproof material having at least reduced water penetration characteristics. Thus, the panel may be referred to as a waterproof panel. Suitable materials for this purpose will be described below, but one of these types is based on silicone polymers.

The system panels 10 also contain a sheath material for encasing an inductive power emitter including inductors, power lines, and PCB or other. However, a galvanic connector may be present for connection to the power source, which must be outside the panel 10. Such a connector or connection is preferably located at the location of such a panel 10, which is placed on a part of the surface that is not submerged in water during operation of the vessel, thus, for example, above the waterline.

With such an encapsulated modular system to provide power from the strip to the panel and vice versa (if required) or there are no galvanic contacts between the panels. Therefore, although the encapsulation may reduce or prevent corrosion, energy may be conveniently supplied to the various watertight portions of this modular system. At the same time, the modularity of the system is maintained to provide an advantageous installation for effective coverage of surface areas to be protected, such as the hull of a ship.

As shown, for example, in FIG. 1, the anti-fouling system has a plurality of first panels 10 and panels 20 for covering the surface of a vessel. For example, more than 2, more than 5, more than 10, more than 20, and even more than 50 panels 20 may be present associated with the first panel 10 inductive energy emitter. of which is connected to one first panel 10 to supply energy through this panel. However, in the example of FIG. 1 shows a plurality of first panels 10 and a plurality of second panels 20 associated with each of the plurality of first panels 10.

Thanks to such a modular system, the application of this system to the surface can be facilitated or made more convenient in relation to a system with a single element. Irregular surfaces or surfaces with non-planar shapes, such as curved surfaces (which may be the case for a ship's hull) can also be coated more easily. In this regard, the freedom to align the transformer inductors (alignment of the primary inductor and the power receiver inductor) will be advantageous. However, it should be noted that such freedom is only needed during the application of the system to a surface or object, since after that it will have to remain in a fixed position or configuration (except in cases of repair). The number of second panels 20 per first panel 10 and/or the number of panels 10 and 29 per surface area can be selected as described based on, on the one hand, the shape, area and dimensions of the panels and, on the other hand, on the basis of areas and surface dimensions, to be covered. With such a system, a flexible design option for an anti-fouling system can be implemented.

In the example shown, the first panels 10 and thus the inductive energy emitters 10 and the energy transmission lines contained therein extend in a substantially vertical orientation along the ship's side. Second panels 20 are arranged sequentially in the lengthwise direction of such first panel 10 and extend substantially laterally with respect to this lengthwise direction. However, any suitable arrangement of the panels is possible. The first panels may be arranged parallel to each other, but this need not be the case. They may form an angle of less than 90 degrees with the ship's waterline. They can even be parallel to the ship's waterline. They do not have to be straight, but may have one or more bends or curves. This may be advantageous for application to surfaces that are not substantially planar. In such a case, the panels may also be shaped to suit the purpose of covering substantially non-planar surfaces. The panels 10, for example, may cover welds and/or other surface irregularities in the hull of the vessel. In all cases, it may be advantageous to have a first panel extending above the waterline to allow contact with the main source of power, such as ship's generators located in a non-submersible area, when the ship is in service.

In FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of an example construction of a second panel 20 having a plurality of light sources 40, which in this example are side emitting UV-C LEDs, in which the light emits primarily from the side of that LED and runs more or less parallel to the surface 52 Other configurations may also work. The light sources 40 are encapsulated and in this case, although not necessary in themselves, embedded in the optical medium or material 42 to direct at least a portion of the light 44 emitted from the light sources 40 by total internal reflection. through this optical medium or material. The light is directed to at least the surface 52 of the panels exposed to water, but may also be directed to other surfaces or parts, such as the surface opposite surface 52. This medium or material may be, and preferably is, the same as the waterproof the encapsulation material mentioned above. Suitable materials will also be described below.

Optical structures 46 are provided to disrupt total internal reflection and scatter of light and then direct scattered light 48 from optical medium 42 to its target, which is the area where biofouling is present. By themselves, these optical structures are not mandatory.

The biofouling organism on the surface 52 will directly receive the scattered light 48 prior to its entry into the water, such that the light may cause an anti-fouling effect by disrupting important biochemical growth mechanisms of these organisms, as described in the art. UV-C radiation has been found to be effective in this regard.

The optical medium is relatively thin, so that the panel can be considered as a two-dimensional structure, the thickness of which is, for example, less than 3 cm, or preferably less than 2 cm, or even less than 1 cm. Optical structures 46 for scattering light radiation can be distributed in one or more parts of the material of the optical medium, possibly throughout, and the light output may be generally uniform or otherwise localized.

To provide optical and structural characteristics such as wear and/or impact resistance, internal scattering centers with different structural properties can be combined. Suitable diffusers comprise opaque objects, but highly translucent objects can also be used, such as small air bubbles, glass and/or quartz; the requirement is only that the change in refractive index occurs for the wavelength(s) used.

The principle of channeling light radiation and scattering light radiation over a surface is well known and widely used in various fields. Here, this principle is applied to UV radiation for anti-fouling purposes.

To maintain conditions of total internal reflection, the refractive index of the material channeling light radiation must be higher than that of the environment. However, the use of (partially) reflective coatings on a light channeling material and/or the use of the reflective properties of a surface to be protected, such as a ship's hull, can itself also be used to create conditions for directing light radiation through an optical medium.

In the example above, the panels form a new surface above the surface to be protected (the surface of the object, which in this case is the outer surface of the ship's hull), and light is directed outward from the surface to be protected. However, an alternative is to position the panel at a distance above the surface to be protected and to direct the light emission back towards that surface. A combination of these two methods is also possible, in that the panels can direct their emitted light onto their opposite surfaces, one of which will face the water and one of which will face the surface of the hull.

A small air gap can then be provided between the panel light source arrangement and the surface to be protected. UV radiation can travel better in air with less absorption than in an optical medium, even if this optical medium is designed as a light channeling material.

Because most materials have (very) limited UV transmittance, care must be taken when designing the optical medium. As a result, in order to minimize the distance that light must travel through the optical medium, relatively small spacing of low power LEDs can be chosen.

In one example, the optical medium 42 contains a silicone-based material configured to provide good UV-C transparency.

One-piece encapsulation may be used, in which panel portions are embedded in the enclosing material, as shown in FIG. 4. However, a hollow structure may be used instead, such as a silicone backing with spacers to keep it a short distance from the surface to be protected. This creates air channels through which UV radiation can travel with greater efficiency. The use of the gas-filled channels provided by such structures allows UV radiation to be distributed over substantial distances in the optical medium of a material that would otherwise absorb too much UV radiation to be useful for antifouling. Likewise, separate recesses may be formed.

In FIG. 5 shows the electrical configuration of an anti-fouling system, such as the system of FIG. 1.

The system contains an energy source for delivering energy to the inductive energy emitter. The power source comprises an AC drive 60, a tuning inductor 62 and a tuning capacitor 64. The power source is connected to the system power inductor 10 via a cable 66. In particular, the cable leads are connected to the power supply line 70 and the power return line 72 of the power transmission line. Such a connection between the power transmitters and the power source can now be made galvanized and located above the ship's waterline, where such galvanic connections are less susceptible to corrosion in water conditions. In the arrangement shown, the inductive power radiator 10 comprises a set of power radiator inductors 12 (shown 5) arranged physically in a line along the power transmission line, but electrically connected in parallel.

The panel (only one shown for clarity) includes a power receiver inductor 24 aligned with one (one shown at top) of the power emitter inductors 12 and therefore magnetically coupled to it. The drawing shows that the inductors are arranged one behind the other, although in practice this may be the actual situation, preferably the inductors are designed and arranged in such a way that they are on top of each other, as described above.

For long power lines to drive many second panels, such as more than 10 for example, the power line is preferably at least partially balanced and more preferably fully balanced. A balanced transmission line may be a transmission line consisting of two conductors of the same type, each having equal impedances along its length and equal impedances to ground and other circuits. The power transmission line behaves like a balanced transmission line and can be driven by a balanced drive such as an H-bridge (control bridge). This has advantages for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and for the drive, for example, since both terminals of the PV, i.e. the power supply line terminal and the energy return terminal of the power transmission line, can have the same impedance (for example, the same capacitance) with respect to the ship's hull and to the water. In a balanced situation, EMC stray fields will be balanced, which degrade the emission characteristics at the excitation frequency. This improves the efficiency of the antenna.

A balanced power transmission line can be made as a two-wire line with two strips of conductors held at an exact constant mutual distance along this transmission line, with an insulator located between the strips of conductors. This allows a single PP metal layer to be used and can also provide a thin solution for this system. Alternatively or additionally, the power transmission line may be a two-wire line containing two metal conductors placed one above the other, between which is placed a layer of insulator. Again, along the length of these conductors, the distance between them is kept constant. In such a case, the power supply line may be located above the power return line of the power transmission line, or vice versa, relative to the surface of the system attached to the surface of the object during operation.

The two-layer construction of the PCB can also be used to provide crossings of conductors, for example, near inductors, since the windings will be connected to the power transmission line.

In FIG. 6 shows an arrangement to which the power supply line 70 extends down one side of the power emitter inductors and the power return line 72 extends downward on the opposite side of the power emitter inductors. Connections may need fewer crossings. However, the magnetic field in the inductors now depends on the current flowing through the power supply lines, since the current flowing through both the power supply line and the power return line creates a magnetic field that adds up to the fields in the internal regions of the inductors, that is, it is added to the magnetic flow of these inductors. As current passes through the power line, it is diverted by each inductor in turn (thus inductor C1 diverts current to inductor C2) and, as a result, the total current depends on the position along the power line. For example, at one location, the current is NI _COIL , where I _COIL is the current flowing through each power emitter inductor and N is the number of inductors still to be supplied with current. After the next inductor, the current is (N-1) I _COIL . Thus, the current that produces a magnetic field in a particular inductor depends on the position of that inductor. As a result, the transfer of energy in a particular inductor depends on the position of that particular inductor along the inductive energy emitter (or the panel of which it forms part). This means that different power receiver inductors driven by different power emitter inductors can be driven by different voltages or currents. In some cases this is an advantage, but in others it may be a disadvantage.

In FIG. 7 shows a first approach to overcome this shortcoming. The inductive power radiator 10 again comprises a plurality of power radiator inductors 12 (shown C1 and C2) electrically connected in parallel, but arranged physically in series along the length of the power transmission line. A power supply line 70 extends from one end of the supply line to said plurality of power emitter inductors, and a power return line 72 extends from said plurality of power emitter inductors to said one end of the supply line. In this case, the energy supply line and the energy return line are located side by side and, in this case, on the same side of the inductor of the energy emitter. Moreover, in this case they are located even on the same side of the plurality of inductors of the energy emitter, but this is not mandatory in itself. Thus, the magnetic fields induced by the power supply line and the power return line (which have different strengths along their length as a result of current being drained to the inductors) essentially cancel out at the location of the power emitter inductor. Consequently, a uniform magnetic field strength is achieved inside the inductors of the energy emitter.

This arrangement, for example, may be driven by a voltage controlled drive to ensure that the voltage does not exceed safe levels.

In FIG. 8 shows a second approach directed at the non-uniform power transfer of FIG. 6. The inductive energy emitter 10 comprises a single inductor running the length of the transmitter or panel. It appears that this inductor also functions as a supply line. Then, one inductor is designed to be magnetically coupled to the power receiver inductors of said plurality of inductive power receiver panels to be coupled to or driven by the inductive power receiver. Thus, for magnetic coupling with the set of power receiver inductors, one power emitter inductor formed from power supply line 70 and power return line 72 by means of a connecting bridge 74 at the end of the supply line is used. Thus, the connection of the magnetic field with each coil of the energy receiver is the same or close to the same.

The use of a single inductor reduces the vertical and/or angular accuracy with which the power receiver inductors must be aligned with the power emitter inductors. This arrangement may, for example, be driven by a voltage and current controlled drive or a current controlled drive. The use of only one energy emitter inductor means that the voltage is more easily controlled, so current drive is also an option. The inductor of the energy emitter can again have many turns, for example from 1 to 5.

In FIG. 9 shows a third approach to overcome the drawback related to uneven actuation mentioned above with respect to FIG. 6. In a third approach, the inductive energy emitter comprises a set of conductive elements in the form of power transmission lines 10a, 10b. Each supply line is connected to a respective plurality of inductive power receiver panels, each of which extends laterally from a respective position along this supply line. Feed line 10a is connected to (and supplies power to) panel 20a as well as to other panels forming other rows (not shown). Feed line 10b is connected to (and supplies power to) panel 20b as well as to other panels forming other rows (not shown).

Each supply line 10a, 10b includes a power supply line 70a, 70b and a power return line 72a, 72b. Each of the power supply lines and power return lines extends from the first end of the supply line (upper part in Fig. 9) to the second end of the supply line (lower part in Fig. 9). The power supply line and the power return line of any given power transmission line form parts of a conductive element configured to transmit power. As a result, their neighboring parts create magnetic fields between themselves, which can also be added to other fields.

Thus, in this implementation, the individual supply lines do not have inductors. Rather, they define one half (eg, supply portion) of one energy emitter inductor and one half (eg, return portion) of the other energy emitter inductor. Here again there is a single energy emitter quasi-inductor (no actual turns) that runs the entire length of the supply line pair.

Connecting elements 76 are provided between the second ends of adjacent supply lines for connecting an energy supply line, for example, line 70a, one supply line 10a with an energy return line 72b of an adjacent supply line 10b on one side (right side in Fig. 9) and for connecting line 72a energy return of said one supply line 10a with the energy supply line of the adjacent supply line on the other side (left side in Fig. 9, not shown). The connecting elements are away from the panels. The leakage inductance caused by the connectors 76 can be tuned with a capacitor located at the first (upper) end of the supply line to make the entire arrangement function as a resistive load, thereby improving efficiency by compensating for reactive currents.

The first current I1 flows down the power supply line 70a and returns back through the power return line 72b. The power receiver inductor 24 covers a pair of adjacent power supply and return lines at the location where the magnetic field of these lines is added. Thus, the current flows through a large circuit, but the magnetic connection with the coils 24 of the power receiver is carried out by means of local currents flowing in the opposite direction.

To allow local currents (eg, I0 and I1) to flow in the opposite direction so that the magnetic fields of the power supply and return lines are added at the desired locations, adjacent large circuits are driven in antiphase with each other.

This third optional arrangement can be more easily surface mounted.

In the examples above, the second panels 20 overlap the first panel 10 so that the energy receiver inductors overlap with the energy emitter inductors. This provides galvanic isolation between the energy source and this structure exposed to water. The panel also protects the supply line below it. Instead, or in addition, first panels may be provided over the second panels. Separate electrical insulation may be provided (eg at the top of the supply lines). The surface of the strips may be susceptible to biofouling, so it should be ensured that the light emission reaches the surface of the supply lines, either by transmission through the supply lines, or by reflection or transmission through a waveguide inside the panels, or by adding light sources to the first parts.

Thus, in the above examples, the inductive energy emitter and the panel are designed to be mounted on top of the surface, but in any order.

Alternatively, only panels can be installed above the surface. The stripes are still superimposed on the object in such a way that the inductors of the power emitter are aligned with the inductors of the power receiver, but not on the same surface. For example, the strips are applied to the inside of the ship's hull, and then energy is transmitted through the ship's hull. In this way, a wooden or plastic case could work. Alternatively, the housing could be provided with openings to accommodate the inductors of the energy emitter.

As mentioned, some of the above examples use ferrite sheets 14 located under these windings to reduce eddy currents. The alternative shown in FIG. 10 lies in the fact that the energy emitter 10 and the inductive energy receiver 20 are placed above the painting material 100 located on the surface. The painting material includes ferromagnetic particles or other particles with high magnetic permeability so that it has a relative magnetic permeability of more than 20, such as more than 100 or even more than 200. An additional layer can also be omitted to prevent eddy currents. For example, when the ship's hull is less susceptible to the appearance of such currents. This can happen with wooden or plastic cases.

The high permeability paint can function as a replacement for the ferrite layer. It has good insulating properties, but conducts a magnetic field. Thus, it functions to generate a magnetic field, but prevents currents from being induced in an underlying conductive layer, such as a ship's hull.

For application of the present invention to anti-biofouling systems, the typical secondary current is 0.1 A and the typical secondary voltage required is approximately 40 V. For safety, a maximum voltage of 50 volts RMS may be considered (example only). The system is designed or operated at a voltage below the maximum voltage, taking into account all the characteristics of inductive coupling and current distribution. For a given operating voltage, the required currents depend on the required energy. Higher voltage provides lower current and vice versa.

The feed lines, for example, use PP with a thickness of less than 1 mm, for example 0.5 mm, and create a molded structure with a thickness of approximately 3 mm.

The panels, for example, have 0.8 mm thick PP, and the total thickness together with silicone will be less than 5 mm, for example, in the range of 2 mm-4 mm.

The panel can have many shapes such as triangular and rectangular. Their area may be 0.5 m ² or more. Preferably, their area is 2.5 m ² or more. The sides of such panels may have dimensions (length and width) of more than 0.1 or 0.2 meters, preferably more than 0.5 meters. Not all sides of a panel, or different panels, if there are more of them in the system, need to be the same size. For example, the panels have a length (in the direction of the horizontal row) in the range of 1m-5m and a height (in the direction of the vertical column) in the range of 50cm-150cm. the panel may be 1 m×4 m. The approximate area to be covered, for example, one side of the hull of the vessel, may be on the order of 100 m long by 10 m high. But this may all depend on the size of the surface to be coated and thus the size of the object.

The shapes and areas or dimensions (length, width) of the strip and panels can be any as long as they are suitable for use in an anti-fouling system to allow the surface to be protected or even coated. These shapes and sizes can be selected according to the shape and size of the surface on which they are to be applied. Since the surface is preferably the surface of an object such as a vessel, ship, etc., such surfaces are generally quite large, ie larger or much larger than 1 m ² .

The first panel 10 may be of any shape, but is preferably elongated and more preferably also rectangular. Preferably, its length is greater than 0.2 meters or greater than 0.5 meters. More preferably, the length is greater than 1 meter or greater than 5 meters. The width of the first panel can be any, provided that it can accommodate its electrical components, such as, for example, inductors and/or power transmission lines. Its width can be more than any of the following values: 0.1 m, 0.2 m, 0.3 m, 0.4 m, 0.5 m or more.

The implementation of antifouling is of interest for objects to be at least partially submerged in water, where water means any type of water known to host biofouling organisms, such as river, lake or sea water. Examples of offshore facilities include ships and other vessels, offshore stations, offshore oil or gas installations, floating devices, offshore wind turbine support structures, wave/tide energy harvesting structures, sea chests, underwater tools, etc. . and parts of all of them. To prevent biofouling, the system can be applied to lock doors, silos in the food industry and potable water containers.

Antifouling using the present invention can be applied in a wide variety of areas. Almost all objects that come into contact with natural water will undergo biofouling over time. This can, for example, obstruct the intakes of desalination plants, clog the pipes of pumping stations, or even coat the walls and bottom of an outdoor swimming pool. All of these applications will have the advantage over the currently proposed method, light modules and/or system, ie an effective thin additional surface layer that inhibits biofouling over the entire surface area.

In preferred examples, the light sources are UV LEDs as discussed above. The UV LED array can be encapsulated in a liquid-impervious sheath and, as just one example, made of silicone. UV LEDs can be electrically connected in series and/or parallel arrangement. The UV LEDs are, for example, packaged LEDs for surface mounting, in which case they may already include an optical element for wide-angle distribution of the light emitted from the packaged LED. In other embodiments, the UV LEDs may be LED chips that typically do not contain optical elements, but are substantially thinner than packaged LEDs. As an example, LED chips can be placed on the surface of an optical medium.

The silicone material, which can be used as the jacketing material and/or the optical material, can be selected to provide optical transmission for UV radiation with little loss compared to other materials. This applies in particular to shorter wavelength light radiation, such as UV radiation with wavelengths less than 300 nm. A particularly effective group of silicone materials is or at least contains the so-called polymethylsiloxanes according to the general chemical formula CH ₃ [Si(CH ₃ ) ₂ O] _n Si(CH ₃ ) ₃ , where "n" is any suitable integer.

Silicone materials are also flexible and resilient so that they are strong, durable and able to withstand compression, such as due to, for example, impacts, collisions, etc. objects with the surface, such as a ship colliding with a jetty. In addition, they can adapt to deformation due to temperature fluctuations, wave impacts, vessel bending due to waves, etc.

The encapsulation can be made by a variety of materials, which can be layered, as is known in the state of the art in this new field of light-based anti-fouling systems.

At least a portion of the light emitted by said one or more light sources may propagate in a direction having a component substantially parallel to the surface to be protected. This aids in distributing the light over considerable distances along the surface to be protected or the foil application surface, which helps in obtaining a suitable intensity distribution of the antifouling light.

The wavelength conversion material may be contained in the optical medium, and at least a portion of the anti-fouling light may be generated by photo-exciting the wavelength conversion material with light having a first wavelength, causing the anti-fouling light with a different wavelength to be emitted by the material. to convert the wavelength. The wavelength conversion material may be in the form of an upconverting phosphor, quantum dots, non-linear media such as one or more photonic crystal fibers, and so on. Since absorption and/or scattering losses in an optical medium for light of different, generally longer wavelengths than UV, are advantageously less pronounced in optical media, it may be more energy efficient to generate non-UV radiation and transmit it through this optical medium. and generate anti-fouling UV radiation at or near the desired location of use (i.e. radiation from the surface to the liquid medium).

In one of the examples described above, side emitting LEDs and optical scattering regions are used. However, light scattering devices can be used to generate side light. For example, in an optical medium, a cone may be placed opposite the light source, the opposite cone having a surface area with a 45° angle perpendicular to the surface to be protected to reflect light emitted by the light source perpendicular to said surface in a direction substantially parallel to said surface. surfaces.

LEDs can be driven by direct current. However, a pair of parallel back-to-back LEDs can be driven by an AC drive signal.

As mentioned above, the LEDs are preferably mounted on the PCB, and the PCB traces (located on the surface of the PCB or inside in the layers of the PCB) form the receiver inductor. However, an array of LEDs may instead be formed by connecting the LEDs to the connecting nodes of a separate wire structure by soldering, gluing, or other known electrical connection techniques. This can be combined with a receiver inductor on a smaller PCB.

While UV radiation is the preferred solution, other wavelengths are also contemplated. Non-UV radiation (visible light) is also effective against biofouling. Typical microorganisms are less sensitive to non-UV radiation than to UV radiation, but in the visible spectrum of radiation a much higher dose per unit of input energy of light sources can be generated.

UV LEDs are an ideal source for thin light emitting surfaces. However, UV sources other than LEDs, such as low pressure mercury lamps, can also be used. The form factor of these light sources is quite different; for the most part, this light source is much larger. This leads to different optical schemes for distributing all the light from a single source over a large area. In addition, a significant contribution of light radiation with desired wavelengths and/or combinations of wavelengths can be obtained. Instead of using a thin layer emitting UV radiation outwardly away from the surface to be protected to avoid biofouling, biofouling can potentially also be removed by directing UV outwardly towards the surface to be protected, as explained above. On the contrary, the panel can emit antifouling light both towards and away from the surface to be protected.

The exemplary anti-fouling system is based on the provision of anti-fouling light used to protect a surface from biofouling when the surface is submerged in water. Although this is a preferred application where the system can have strong advantages, the use of said system is not necessarily limited to circumstances such as water immersion, since biofouling can also occur on exposed surfaces.

Variations of the disclosed embodiments may be understood and implemented by those skilled in the art in the practice of the claimed invention based on a study of the accompanying drawings, description, and appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude multiple elements. The mere fact that certain measures are set forth in mutually distinct dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. When the term "adapted for" is used in a claim or description, it should be noted that the term "adapted for" is intended to be equivalent to the term "capable". Any reference designations in the claims should not be construed as limiting its scope.

Claims (15)

1. Anti-fouling system for reducing and/or preventing fouling of an object exposed to fouling conditions when it is in operation, containing a plurality of anti-fouling devices (26) to ensure that anti-fouling radiation is supplied to at least part of the specified object and/or at least part anti-fouling system; moreover, the anti-fouling system further comprises a system for transmitting energy, comprising: an inductive energy emitter (10) containing at least one inductive element (12) of the emitter; and a plurality of inductive energy receivers (24), each containing at least one inductive receiver element; moreover, the inductive energy emitter and the specified plurality of inductive energy receivers are intended to be installed on the object in a fixed configuration relative to each other to thereby ensure the possibility of inductive coupling between each of the specified at least one inductive element of the receiver and the specified at least one inductive element of the emitter such in a way that energy can be transferred inductively when the system for transferring energy is in operation; and said plurality of anti-fouling devices (26) are configured to be actuated using transmitted energy from at least one of said plurality of inductive power receivers when the system is in operation. 2. Anti-fouling system according to claim 1, comprising a first panel including an inductive energy emitter (10) and a plurality of second panels separated from the first panel, each second panel containing at least one of said plurality of inductive receivers (20) energy and at least one of the specified set of anti-fouling devices. 3. Anti-fouling system according to any one of paragraphs. 1, 2, wherein each of said plurality of anti-fouling devices comprises a UV light source for providing UV light as anti-fouling radiation. 4. Anti-fouling system according to any one of paragraphs. 1-3, wherein each of said one or more inductive transmitter elements comprises or consists of energy transmitter inductors, and each of said one or more inductive receiver elements comprises or consists of energy receiver inductors, wherein said inductive energy transmitter and inductive power receivers are configured such that each of said one or more power receiver inductors at least partially overlaps with at least one of said one or more power emitter inductors when the system is installed on site. 5. The anti-fouling system of claim 2, wherein each of said plurality of inductive power receivers is configured such that said at least one power emitter element of the inductive power receiver at least partially overlaps with said at least one power emitter element when installed. systems on the object, each of the specified set of second panels contains one or more edge sections (22), in which at least one of its elements of the energy receiver is located. 6. Anti-fouling system according to any one of paragraphs. 1-5, wherein the inductive power emitter comprises a power supply line and a power return line, and said at least one inductive emitter element comprises a plurality of inductive emitter elements each electrically connected in parallel configuration to the power supply line and to the power return line. and located in series with respect to other inductive elements of the emitter inside the specified inductive energy emitter, each of the specified set of inductive elements of the emitter is configured to carry out inductive communication with at least one of the specified at least one inductive element of the receiver of one of the specified set of inductive energy receivers. 7. Anti-fouling system according to any one of paragraphs. 1-5, wherein the inductive power transmitter comprises at least one inductive transmitter element for inductively coupling with one or more of said at least one inductive receiver element of each of said plurality of inductive power receivers, or a power supply line and a power return line , and each of the specified one or more inductive elements of the emitter contains a section of the power supply line and a section of the power return line. 8. Anti-fouling system according to any one of paragraphs. 1-5, in which the inductive power emitter contains a power supply line and a power return line, and each of the specified one or more inductive radiator elements contains a power supply line section and a power return line section, and the specified system contains an additional one more of the specified inductive radiator and at least one connecting element, wherein the energy supply line of the inductive energy emitter is connected to the energy return line of the additional inductive energy emitter through this connecting element. 9. Anti-fouling system according to any one of paragraphs. 1-8, in which the inductive energy emitter contains a ferrite material (14) located inside the system in such a way that when the system is installed on the object, the ferrite material is located between the object and the specified at least one inductive element of the emitter and/or the specified at least one inductive energy receiver. 10. Anti-fouling system according to any one of paragraphs. 1-8, containing a coating material for application to an object, and the coating material has a relative magnetic permeability of more than 20, for example, more than 100. 11. An anti-fouling system according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising an energy source for delivering energy to the inductive energy emitter and/or the additional inductive energy emitter, if present. 12. An object exposed to fouling conditions during normal operation and containing an anti-fouling system according to any one of paragraphs. 1-11, wherein an inductive power emitter and said plurality of inductive power receivers are mounted on said object in a fixed configuration with respect to each other to enable inductive coupling. 13. The object of claim 12, wherein the anti-fouling system comprises a first panel including an inductive energy emitter (10) and a plurality of second panels separated from the first panel, each second panel comprising at least one of said plurality of inductive receivers (20) energy and at least one of said plurality of anti-fouling devices, wherein the first panel and said plurality of second panels are installed on the object such that different panels from said plurality of second panels are at least partially installed on different areas of the object. 14. The object of claim. 13, designed to be partially or completely immersed in water during normal use, and each of the specified plurality of second panels includes one or more water-resistant materials, through which any of the specified plurality of inductive energy receivers and any of said plurality of anti-fouling devices present in this particular second panel to protect them from water, wherein the object has a waterline and part of the first panel is positioned to remain above the waterline when the object is in service so that the power source to supply energy to the inductive energy transmitter is configured to be connected to the inductive energy transmitter through a galvanic connection located above the waterline. 15. The object according to any one of paragraphs. 12-14, containing a ferrite material located between the object and the specified at least one inductive element of the emitter and/or the specified at least one inductive energy receiver; and/or a coating material deposited on the object, wherein the coating material has a relative magnetic permeability greater than 20, such as greater than 100.

Images