RU2800340C1 - Device for generating electricity in aquatic environment - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: power generation.

SUBSTANCE: device for generating electricity in the aquatic environment contains a watercraft, barrel 8 with blades 10, generator 1 connected to barrel 8 via gearbox 2, a support bearing for attaching barrel 8 located at its upper end, a clutch. Blades 10 are made with the capability of delaying the flow of water on one side and washing with water on the other side. Body 6 of the craft is secured from movement along the flow of the aquatic environment by means of an anchor and cables with tubes and is made with at least one through recess 11, in which at least one movable flat rectangular support is installed for attaching column 7, in which the barrel is installed by means of detachable connection 8 with blades 10. Column 7 separates the filtered sea water from the unfiltered one and is fixed by cables with tubes at the bottom of the aquatic environment. Column 7 and barrel 8 are made of pipes connected through a sleeve. A support bearing, filter 4, box 2, generator 1 and control unit 5, as well as tower 12 or a crane with an engine are installed on the deck of the watercraft, designed to ensure the lowering/lifting of column 7 and shaft 8 and moving along the deck.

EFFECT: improved reliability of the device and simplified design.

4 cl, 12 dwg

Description

The invention relates to the production of electrical energy and can be used to obtain electrical energy for domestic and industrial needs.

The task of using alternative energy sources and converting it into electrical energy, in the face of rapidly growing energy consumption by both industry and the population, remains one of the most urgent today. The cost of electricity is immediately reflected in the cost of all goods, food and living and working conditions - water, air and comfort in residential and industrial premises.

The most common use as an alternative source of energy is air and the sun, as well as water.

Under water, the use of mutually moving mechanical elements is limited. This is due to the fact that the smallest particles are deposited on any solid elements, which are present in greater quantities in sea water. These particles grow and block any movement. Therefore, wind-like power generating installations under water stop working after a fairly short time. Hydroelectric power plants operate on fresh water - no salts, ions, corals, etc. However, they are very expensive, require river closures, construction of dams and the creation of large reservoirs, which disrupt ecosystems (fish migration, water exchange). Tidal power plants are also quite expensive to build and operate. Requires covering large coastal areas.

A device for obtaining energy from natural processes is known, containing a vertical shaft with cylindrical sections mounted on it, consisting of upper and lower holders and uniformly spaced blades fixed between them parallel to the shaft, and the sections are installed on the shaft sequentially one above the other without violating the integrity of adjacent sections, the total height of the sections does not exceed the depth of the flow that provides energy generation, to convert the received energy into electrical energy, it is associated with a rotation transmission mechanism with a generator that provides electricity transmission via cable through the conversion unit to the consumer. RU 2121600 C1, F03B 3 /12, 11/10/1998).

A device with blades in one row for extracting fluid energy is known, containing a vertical shaft with cylindrical sections mounted on it, consisting of upper and lower holders and blades fixed between them parallel to the shaft, characterized in that all sections have their upper and lower holders, the sections are unified, mounted on the shaft and removed from it sequentially one after another without violating the integrity of adjacent sections, the sections on the shaft have a total height not exceeding the depth flow, the energy of which is taken, for converting the taken energy into electric power, it is coupled with the generator using the rotation energy transfer mechanism, to obtain energy in the required volumes, the devices are installed next to each other, the electric power from the generators is supplied via cables to the unit, where it is converted, summed, synchronized with the existing network and then fed into the network to consumers (RU 2094649 C1, F03B 13/02, 10/27/1997).

A floating device for generating electricity by using the kinetic energy of water is known, containing a body of a floating craft, inside which in the longitudinal direction there is a through water-carrying channel with an inlet confusing water intake, impellers with curved blades mounted on shafts installed in series across the channel with kinematically connected with an electric generator, while additional water intakes for the wheels are made under the water-conducting channel, characterized in that the inlet water intake is made with an upper inclined spreader formed by the body of the water craft, and additional water intakes are installed through one impeller (RU 2049924 C1, F03B 7/00, 10.12.1995).

Known energy converter hydrocurrent. The device has a primary tubular body, sealed conical secondary body installed inside the tubular body, and the secondary body contains an electric generator. The secondary body has a conical end part and is located inside and along the outer body in the longitudinal direction. The rotor driving the generator is connected to a secondary housing having blades located in the path of water inflow into the primary housing. The inner shell is rigidly attached to the outer shell by support panels, which also act as guide vanes for the flow of water through the outer shell along the tapered portion of the inner shell, thereby increasing the water flow rate. Additional guide vanes are rigidly attached to the rear part of said cone at an angle approaching forty-five degrees. The rotor has rigidly fixed blades located at approximately a forty-five degree angle to the rotor. Thus, the flow of water entering the front of the outer casing flows around the conical inner casing and is directed to the blades attached to the rear of the conical inner casing, hitting the rotor at an angle of approximately ninety degrees for maximum efficiency, thus turning the rotor and driving the generator. The third housing is installed inside the outer housing along the longitudinal axis and at the outlet of the outer housing after the rotor. The end surfaces of the outer casing contain concentric circular protective panels that are used to prevent foreign objects from entering the main body. Inside the conical housing is another turbine rotor and gear train to ensure that the engine rotates at the optimum speed, regardless of the rotor speed, as well as a fluid that can serve as both a lubricant and a coolant for equipment in the secondary housing. The system can be installed on a platform resting on the bottom of the sea / river, or launched at pre-selected depths using a floating system (US 4524285 A, F03B 17/06, 06/18/1985).

The closest analogue of the claimed invention is a device for generating electricity in the aquatic environment, containing a floating craft, a barrel with blades, an electric power generator connected to the barrel, a thrust bearing for fastening the barrel located at its upper end, a clutch, while the blades are made with the possibility of delaying the flow of water on one side and washing with water on the other hand, and the body of the craft is secured from movement along the flow of the aquatic environment by means of an anchor (RU 95752 U1, 10.07.20 10, F03B17/06).

The main disadvantages of the above analogs is that all designs of patented devices, together with blades, bearings, rotating shafts, and an electric generator, are submerged under water to the bottom of a reservoir. This leads to an increase in cost due to the fact that complete sealing of all equipment is required, frequent repairs (gaskets, filters require continuous monitoring of the condition), pressure drops provoke leaks and water ingress into the equipment, the effect of bottom silt and algae on clogging of the blades. The blade contact (which are in the water) - the generator rotor (must be dry) and the separating sealant, which is subject to destruction in sea water, wears out especially quickly, since it is constantly under the influence of rubbing surfaces and salts. In addition, wires and gaskets can be eaten by marine life, microcrystals can penetrate into any cracks, especially at high pressure, because. every 10 meters of immersion gives an increase in pressure of 1 atmosphere. The depth of sea currents is on average from 100 - 200 meters.

The technical problem to be solved by the claimed invention is the creation of a device for generating electricity in the aquatic environment, which should be simple, strong, reliable, and also take the maximum amount of energy that the design will withstand, and not having these disadvantages.

The technical result of the claimed invention is to increase the reliability of the device and simplify the design.

The technical result is achieved by the fact that a device for generating electricity in the aquatic environment, containing a floating craft, a barrel with blades, an electric power generator connected to the barrel, a thrust bearing for fastening the barrel, located at its upper end, a clutch, while the blades are made with the possibility of delaying the flow of water on the one hand and washing with water on the other hand, and the body of the floating craft is secured from movement along the flow of the aquatic environment by means of an anchor, according to the invention, the body of the floating craft is secured from movement along the flow of the aquatic environment additionally by means of cables with pipes and is made with at least one through recess, in which at least one movable flat rectangular support for fastening the column is installed, in which, by means of a detachable connection, a shaft with blades is installed, located inside the column separating filtered sea water from unfiltered and fixed by means of cables with tubes to the bottom of the aquatic environment, moreover, the column and the shaft are made of pipes connected through a coupling, while a support bearing is installed on the deck of the floating craft to fasten the shaft and support its rotation without contact with the column, a sea water filter, a gearbox, an electric power generator and a control unit, as well as a derrick or a crane with an engine, made with the possibility of lowering / lifting the column and the shaft and moving along the mentioned deck of the floating craft, moreover, the electric power generator is connected to the shaft by means of a gearbox.

Additionally, the blades are located on two, three or more levels.

Additionally, the device contains movable flat rectangular supports for attaching columns.

Additionally, rails are made along the deck of the floating craft, ensuring the movement of the tower with the engine.

The invention is illustrated by drawings, where:

In FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of a barge with a lowered column and a shaft located inside the column, and with blades that terminate the shaft.

In FIG. 2 shows a general view of the barge from above.

In FIG. 3 shows a general view of the barge in the water section with holding cables and emergency release of the column from the barge.

Figure 4 shows a section of the barge

In FIG. 5A shows a top view of the options for the structure of the blades - two-bladed

In FIG. 5B shows a top view of the options for the structure of the blades - six-bladed,

In FIG. 5C shows a side view of option 5A.

In FIG. 6 shows two-level blades.

In FIG. 7 shows an example of placing four generators on the deck of a barge.

In FIG. 8 shows an example of placing eight columns on the deck of a barge.

In FIG. 9 shows an example of a fixed attachment system for the barge of FIG. 7.

In FIG. 10 shows an example of a fixed attachment system for the barge of FIG. 8.

To obtain electricity, it is proposed to use the following design of the device:

- A floating means with a through recess in the hull 6 (for example, a barge) is used, which is necessary to accommodate the entire structure. The recess in the body 6 allows you to save a significant mobility of the column with the barrel relative to the body of the barge (figure 2).

- The movable part of the underwater part consists of one solid element - the barrel and blades 10 (see Fig. 1).

- The stem 8 is located inside the column 7, which separates the filtered sea water from the unfiltered one. Column 7 is used both as a guiding and retaining component of the shaft 8. Polymeric rings with gaps can be put on the shaft at the expansion points (attachment of the shaft components) to reduce friction between the column and the shaft. The same function can be carried by other guides, for example, polymer bolts in the body of the column 7. The column 7 is attached to the movable support with an easily removable connection, for example, as the train cars are connected. At the upper end of the shaft there is a support bearing designed to fasten the shaft and maintain its rotation without contact with the string.

- The power generator 1 is located on the barge and is connected to the shaft on the surface through the gearbox 2 (flexible shaft of the power transmission of rotation).

- Sea water filter 4 and control unit 5 are also located on the deck of the barge.

- Tower 12 with an engine, necessary for lowering / raising the string and shaft.

In FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of a barge with a lowered column 7 and a shaft 8 located inside the column 7, and with blades 10, which ends the shaft. The barge is made in the form of a catamaran for the convenience of placing and fixing one or more rotating shafts in the water, extending vertically under the barge. Fastened with cables in tubes (to reduce vibrations) to the bottom through the brackets of stationary concrete slabs 21, 22, 23, lying on the bottom, see Fig. 9, 10. The barge is fixed in the direction of the bow against the current. This is necessary to reduce the effect of waves on the operation of installations and work with lowered columns 7. In the bow 13 of the catamaran barge there is a wave divider to throw them outside the barge. Both inner sides of the barge have a slight slope 19 (see Fig. 4), which is necessary to prevent the column 7 from hitting the hull of the barge 6 during operation. The blades 10 are hollow hemispheres, convenient for "catching" the flow of water. From contact with the underwater part of the coast, they are protected by rods welded in the form of rings. In the absence of a threat of contact, the rings may be absent.

The tower 12 with an engine (diesel), see figure 2, provides lowering / lifting of the string 7 and the trunk 8. It works the same as in classical well drilling - section by section of the pipe is successively lowered / raised and twisted / unscrewed when lowering or lifting. In this case, pipe sections are laid on the deck. The tower moves along the barge along the rails. This ensures its stability and mobility. A tower or crane with an arrow is determined by the weight of the working underwater structure, working conditions, dimensions and power of the column with the barrel.

The column 7 and the barrel 8 are lowered into the opening (recess) 11 of the barge 6 (see Fig. 2 and 4). In a catamaran, opening 11 can run along the entire length of the barge, depending on the purpose of designing the device: generating electricity, obtaining fresh water, obtaining hydrogen and oxygen during electrolysis. The column 7 is passed through a movable flat rectangular support 18 (Fig. 4), above which a detachable connection of the column 7 is formed, which keeps it from lowering. Support 18 protects the worker from falling into the water and has a small fence. Column 7 and shaft 8 are formed according to the technology of drilling oil wells - they consist of separate ones screwed through couplings or directly pipe into pipe. At the joints of the pipes of the string, a dense polymer ring is installed with a small gap of about 10-30 mm for free rotation of the barrel 8 inside the string 7. The barrel 8 is in a state of continuous rotation, only in an oil well it is forced to rotate from above due to the engine, and in our case it is forced to rotate from below due to the movement of the water flow. At the lower end of the shaft 8 there are blades 10, the design options of which are many and all of them have been tested on wind power generation plants. One of the most promising blade designs is the Savonius rotor, see FIG. 5A and 5B. The blades 10 are flat long rectangular curved plates, fixed vertically and rotating around the barrel. The blades 10, which meet the flow of water, may have different shapes, but all of them must, on the one hand, delay the flow of water, and on the other hand, be easily washed by water. The area of the blades 10, the distance to the barrel 8 determine the power and rotation speed of the barrel 8, which determines the power of the power plant. All structural elements must correspond to the power of the water flow that the blades 10 "catch" and, above all, the strength of the barrel with blades, columns, cables and all fasteners. What is always known in advance and well calculated.

Since the operating conditions of the blades with wind are significantly different from those with water, additional tests and calculations of their strength to loads are required. Wind generators start to work with wind more than 1.5 m/s, while the speed of water flow is much lower, but it carries many times more energy, since the density of water is about 800 times denser than that of air.

In order to increase the power of the device, multi-level structures are built from multi-blade parts, which significantly increases the total area of the blades. The levels are separated by strength plates, which gives the whole structure rigidity. The area of the blades, their number and the number of levels of the blades determine the power of the entire device for extracting kinetic energy from the water flow.

The transfer of this energy to the generator 1 is ensured by the strength of the barrel 8, which is securely attached to the blades 10 and is a structure rotating under the pressure of water. Unlike classical turbines, there are no mutually moving parts under water. And all the main moving elements of the device - a generator - are placed on the deck above the water; bearings that support the rotation of the barrel; gearbox and other fastening and operation elements, such as wires, filters, switches, connection elements, etc.

On one barge, you can place several independent shafts with electricity generation. In this case, it is possible to use one water filter 4, one control unit 5 and one tower 12 for lowering / lifting the column 7 and the shaft 8. Having installed one shaft with the column, the tower moves to install the second one, etc. One or several trunks 8 can be connected to one electric generator 1 (they are connected to one shaft). The use of two columns 7 with one generator 1 will require a more complex transmission (eg torque converter).

The column, as well as the barge, is attached by cables with tubes to the bottom (reinforced shore walls), see Fig. 3. Shown here are two cables for fastening the barge 6 and two cables for fastening the column 7. The dotted line shows a diagram of the fall of the column with the barrel when the column 7 and barrel 8 are disconnected from the top, which may be required in case of an emergency departure of the barge (tsunami, storm). In the upper part of the columns, during their emergency release, inflatable floats 16 with light signaling 15 are attached (removed from the emergency kit and cling to the column with carabiners), the lifting force of which does not allow the column to fall below a given depth (20-40 meters below sea level). In addition, all cables 17 have additional control ropes fixed at the top of the column/columns cable and leading directly to the floating platform rail, see Fig. 10, the control rope is shown here only for the anchor cable of point C-D, the remaining ropes are not indicated so as not to download the drawing. It is necessary for pulling the cable to the platform, for the subsequent re-attachment of the column during its new installation to the barge. When installing columns 7 on a barge, the necessary cables 17 will be delivered from the floating platforms by boat. There must be at least two of them on the barge (reserve). The barges and the column/columns are fixed with cables laid inside the tubes. The tubes are necessary to prevent reverse movement along the cables.

In FIG. 10 heavy plates 20, 21 and 22 are fixed fixing points for the barge with columns 7. The plates are equipped with wide rings/ring for the passage of auxiliary cables. Bow 23 and side 24 floating platforms are used to control the processes of lowering / lifting columns and when fixing the cables in the winches provide fixation of the barge and columns in the longitudinal and transverse directions (relative to the direction of flow).

At point D of the bow platform, all cables are fixed on the rack with a winch. In our case, 9 cables - one anchor cable (points A-B) for the barge and 8 holding cables for the columns (D-B-E). The barge anchor line is hooked with an additional line (D-C) at point C with a wide ring. When the barge sets sail at point A, the anchor cable is unhooked and thrown. It hangs at point C and is installed on the bow platform rail with a pull-up cable C-D.

The support cables for the columns (8 cables) exit from point D (on the rail), pass through the ring(s) of slab 1 at point B, reach point E where the first cable is attached to the first column, at point F the second cable is attached to the second column, the third is attached at point K, etc.

The onboard platform is used to control the side restraint cables (8 cables). In FIG. 8 shows two fixed plates - plate 21 and plate 22 (with ring/rings) for cables. All eight retaining cables exit from the side platform rail (point G) and go to plate 21 (cable G-H) and plate 22 (cable G-I) 4 cables to each plate, pass through rings and are attached independently to eight columns at points E, F, K, etc.

Thus, in a fixed (working) state, the cables limit:

- movement of the barge along the current;

- arbitrary transverse and longitudinal movements of the columns relative to the barge, since the columns, in addition to lateral fastening with cables, also have an upper fastening to the barge deck, the columns themselves limit the transverse oscillations of the barge;

- if necessary, it is possible to further limit the transverse movement of the barge - the side board can be fastened with a cable / cables (not shown in the drawing) through the slab / slabs to the floating platform.

In the process of lowering / lifting columns on the rails of the platforms, the winches are loosened and the cables are released so as not to interfere with the movement of the columns.

All sections of cables that lead from the slabs to the barge and columns are placed in pipes - this limits the reverse movements along the tensioned cables.

The water moving downstream of the strait rotates the blades 10 (example, Fig. 5c) together with the shaft 8 inside the column 7 (Fig. 1). Next, the rotational movement of the barrel 8 is transmitted through the gearbox 2 to the power generator 1, which generates electricity. On the deck of the barge 6 there is a container 3 for filtering sea water from the smallest particles. The filtered water independently, due to the positive difference in water pressure (elevation above sea level), enters the inside of the column in a small stream, forming a weak flow of filtered water inside the column, which significantly slows down the formation of growths on the trunk. The barrel 8 itself and the column 7 are painted with a special paint that resists growths, as is done on the hulls of ships. In the lower part of the column there is an "apron" 9 in the form of a flexible ring made of rubber or a polymer compound, which covers the shaft, keeping a small gap at the shaft, to drain water and prevent sea water from being thrown into the column.

The barge with columns is fixed from drift downstream by a system of retaining cables 17 (Fig. 8). Column 7 and barrel 8 are low-cost structural elements. They can be easily removed, cleaned and reinstalled for maintenance purposes. The entire proposed power generation system is simple, easy to maintain and easily replicated.

Claims (4)

1. A device for generating electricity in the aquatic environment, containing a floating craft, a barrel with blades, an electric power generator connected to the barrel, a thrust bearing for attaching the barrel, located at its upper end, a clutch, while the blades are made with the possibility of delaying the flow of water on one side and washing with water on the other hand, and the body of the floating craft is fixed from movement along the flow of the aquatic environment by means of an anchor, characterized in that the body of the floating craft is secured from movement along the flow of the aquatic environment additionally by means of cables with tubes and is made with at least one through recess, in which at least one movable flat rectangular support is installed for attaching the column, in which, by means of a detachable connection, a shaft with blades is installed, located inside the column separating filtered sea water from unfiltered and fixed by cables with tubes to the bottom of the aquatic environment, wherein the column and shaft are made of pipes connected through a coupling, while the said support bearing is installed on the deck of the floating craft for attaching the shaft and supporting its rotation without contact with the column, a sea water filter, a gearbox, an electric power generator and a control unit, as well as a derrick or a crane with an engine, made with the possibility of lowering / lifting the column and the shaft and moving along the mentioned deck of the floating craft, moreover, the electric power generator is connected to the shaft by means of a gearbox. 2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the blades are located on two, three or more levels. 3. The device according to claim. 1, characterized in that it contains two movable flat rectangular supports for attaching columns. 4. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that rails are made along the deck of the watercraft, ensuring the movement of the tower or crane with the engine.