TWI526609B - Marine current power generation device - Google Patents

Description

Ocean current power generation device

The embodiments described herein are generally related to ocean current power plants.

Current generation is expected to provide a relatively stable and predictable output compared to other generations that are susceptible to providing fluctuating output, such as wind power and solar power. Therefore, ocean current power generation devices are under development. For example, a bulb-type power generating device is known to have a driving power transmission mechanism and a generator in a bulb type bulb.

This is because the current generating device is placed in the sea or on the sea floor with a fast tidal speed, and should be capable of supplying stable electric power, and its driving power transmitting mechanism desirably has a long life and high reliability and is free of maintenance.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a current power generating apparatus having a long life and improved reliability.

In an embodiment, the ocean current power generating device has a rotating blade Sheets, rotating shafts, generators, guide bearings, thrust collars and thrust bearings. The rotating blades are rotated by the current. The rotating shaft transmits the driving power of the rotating blades. The rotating shaft has a lateral surface as a first sliding surface. The generator generates electric power by the driving power received by the rotating shaft. The guide bearing is subjected to a radial load acting in the radial direction of the rotating shaft. The guide bearing has a second sliding surface slidable relative to the first sliding surface of the rotating shaft. The thrust collar is mounted on the rotating shaft and has a rotating plate having a main surface as a third sliding surface. The thrust bearing is subjected to a thrust load acting in the axial direction of the rotating shaft. The thrust bearing has a fourth sliding surface slidable relative to a third sliding surface of the rotating plate. The material of the first sliding surface and the third sliding surface includes a ferrous material, a stainless steel material, titanium, a titanium alloy, cobalt, or a cobalt alloy. The material of the second sliding surface and the fourth sliding surface includes a resin material filled with the first fiber member and the second fiber member. The second fiber member is smaller in size than the first fiber member.

10‧‧‧Sea current power generation unit

10a‧‧‧ Current Power Generator

11‧‧‧Rotating blades

12‧‧‧Rotary shaft

12a‧‧‧Outer shaft

12b‧‧‧ inner shaft

121‧‧‧ base

122‧‧‧Sliding section

13‧‧‧Generator

14‧‧‧guide bearing

14a‧‧‧guide bearing

14b‧‧‧guide bearing

141‧‧‧ base parts

142‧‧‧Sliding parts

15‧‧‧ Thrust collar

15a‧‧‧ Thrust collar

15b‧‧‧ Thrust collar

16‧‧‧Rotating plate

16a‧‧‧Rotating plate

16b‧‧‧Rotating plate

161‧‧‧ base

162‧‧‧Sliding section

17‧‧‧ Thrust bearings

17a‧‧‧Temperature bearing

17b‧‧‧ Thrust bearing

171‧‧‧ base parts

172‧‧‧Sliding parts

18‧‧‧Light bulb housing

18a‧‧‧Light bulb housing

18b‧‧‧Light bulb housing

19‧‧‧Seal

19a‧‧‧Seal

19b‧‧‧Seal

21a‧‧‧ Cover

21b‧‧‧ Cover

22a‧‧‧Water feed unit

22b‧‧‧Water feed unit

23a‧‧‧Water discharge unit

23b‧‧‧Water discharge unit

A1‧‧‧ sliding surface

A2‧‧‧ sliding surface

A3‧‧‧ sliding surface

A4‧‧‧ sliding surface

Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a sea current power generating apparatus according to a first embodiment.

2 is a cross-sectional view of a rotating shaft and a guide bearing according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 3 shows a side view of the thrust collar and the rotating plate according to the first embodiment, and a front view of the thrust collar and the rotating plate.

Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a thrust collar and a rotating plate according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a sea current power generating apparatus according to a second embodiment.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a rotating shaft and a guide bearing according to a second embodiment.

7 is a side view of the thrust collar and the rotating plate according to the second embodiment, and a front view of the thrust collar and the rotating plate.

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a thrust collar and a rotating plate according to a second embodiment.

Embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First embodiment

Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a sea current power generating device 10 according to the first embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the rotating shaft 12 and the guide bearing 14. Figure 3 shows a side view of the thrust collar 15 and the rotating plate 16, as well as a front view of the thrust collar and the rotating plate. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the thrust collar 15 and the rotating plate 16.

The ocean current power generation device 10 is placed in the sea (including the sea floor) and uses ocean currents to generate electricity. As depicted in FIG. 1, the current power generating apparatus 10 includes a rotating blade 11, a rotating shaft 12, a generator 13, a guide bearing 14 (14a, 14b), a thrust collar 15 (15a, 15b), and a rotating plate 16 (16a, 16b). ), thrust bearing 17 (17a, 17b), bulb housing 18 and seal 19 (19a, 19b).

The rotary vane 11 is rotated by the current.

The rotating shaft 12 is a substantially cylindrical member that couples the rotating blades 11 to the generator 13 and transmits the driving power of the rotating blades 11 to the generator 13. The rotary shaft 12 has a sliding surface A1 that slides relative to the guide bearing 14. The sliding surface A1 corresponds to the portion of the lateral face of the rotating shaft 12 of the guide bearing 14.

The rotating shaft 12 has a shaft 12a extending outside the exterior of the bulb housing 18, and an inner shaft 12b extending inside the bulb housing 18. The outer shaft 12a and the inner shaft 12b can be connected to each other by a coupling device. Alternatively, the outer shaft 12a and the inner shaft 12b can be integrally formed as a single shaft. The outer shaft 12a can be made of stainless steel having corrosion resistance. If the cost is taken into account, the inner shaft 12b and the rotating plate 16 (to be described) may be made of carbon steel.

The generator 13 generates electric power with driving power received from the rotating shaft 12.

The guide bearing 14 is fitted to the inner shaft 12b and receives a radial load acting in the radial direction of the rotating shaft 12b. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the guide bearings 14 has a base member 141 and a slider (bearing pad) 142. The base member 141 may be made of a ferrous material such as carbon steel. The slider 142 may be a resin component filled with a first fiber member and a second fiber member having different sizes. The details will be described later. The slider 142 has a sliding surface A2 that slides relative to the inner shaft 12b.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the thrust collar 15 is a cylindrical member mounted on the inner shaft 12b. Inner shaft 12b extends through thrust collar 15, and is fixed to the thrust collar 15. Each thrust collar 15 has a rotating plate 16 at one end thereof.

A rotating plate 16 is attached to the end face of the associated thrust collar 15. The rotating plate 16 is in contact with the associated thrust bearing 17 and slides relative to the associated thrust bearing 17. The rotating plate 16 as a whole has a circular or disc shape and generally includes a plurality of sector segments. In this embodiment, the rotating plate 16 is divided into four sections, but the number of sections can be changed depending on the particular situation. Each of the rotating plates 16 is made of, for example, a ferrous material such as carbon steel, and has a sliding surface A3 that slides relative to the associated guide bearing 14. The sliding surface A3 is a part of the main surface of the rotating plate 16.

Each thrust bearing 17 contacts and slides relative to the associated rotating plate 16 to withstand the thrust load acting in the axial direction of the inner shaft 12b. As shown in FIG. 4, the thrust bearing 17 can be divided into a base member 171 and a slider (bearing pad) 172. Similar to the base member 141, the base member 171 may be made of a ferrous material such as carbon steel. Similar to the slider 142, the slider 172 may have a resin component filled with a first fiber member and a second fiber member having different sizes. The slider 172 has a sliding surface A4 that slides relative to the rotating plate 16.

The bulb housing 18 is a type of container (ie, a housing) and houses a generator 13, a thrust collar 15 (15a, 15b), a rotating plate 16 (16a, 16b), and a thrust bearing 17 (17a, 17b). ). The interior of the bulb housing 18 is filled with a gas such as air or an inert gas. The generator 13, the thrust collar 15 (15a, 15b), the rotating plate 16 (16a, 16b), and the thrust bearing 17 (17a, 17b) are prevented from contacting the sea. water. As such, the generator 13 and other components including the control elements are protected and protected against corrosion by seawater.

In the event that the rotating shaft 12 is rotatable, the seal 19 provides a hermetic seal between the rotating shaft 12 and the bulb housing 18 to prevent seawater from entering the bulb housing 18 from the rotating shaft 12.

The sliding surface A1 of the inner shaft 12b of the contact guide bearing 14 and the thrust bearing 17 and the sliding surface A3 of the rotary plate 16 are made of a ferrous material. In this embodiment, since the guide bearings 14 (14a, 14b) and the thrust bearings 17 (17a, 17b) are seated inside the bulb-type housing 18, the sliding surface A1 of the inner shaft 12b and the sliding surface of the rotary plate 16 A3 is protected from direct contact with seawater and protected from corrosion. Therefore, it is possible to use a ferrous material such as carbon steel for the sliding surfaces A1 and A3, and this contributes to cost reduction.

As described above, the guide members 14 and the slide members 142 and 172 (sliding surfaces A2 and A4) of the thrust bearing 17 include resin members filled with the first fiber member and the second fiber member having different sizes. The first fiber member is longer than the second fiber member.

As mentioned previously, the sliding surface A1 of the inner shaft 12b and the sliding surface A3 of the rotating plate 16 are made of a ferrous material such as carbon steel. In contrast, the slider 142 (sliding surface A2) of the guide bearing 14 and the slider 172 (sliding surface A4) of the thrust bearing 17 are made of a resin material, which has a low friction coefficient, high abrasion resistance, and high anti-seizure. Sexuality and low aggressiveness to the associated sliding members. Therefore, the bearings and those components that are in sliding contact with the bearings (such as rotating shafts and rotating plates) can be smoothed The ground slides so that the bearings and these components are not damaged by wear and bite. This can extend the maintenance cycle and life of the ocean current power generation device 10.

It should be noted that polytetrafluoroethylene can be used as the resin material of the sliding members 142 and 172 to ensure a low friction coefficient and high seizure resistance, but the polytetrafluoroethylene alone cannot provide sufficient abrasion resistance. Thus, the abrasion resistance can be improved by filling the polytetrafluoroethylene with a ceramic fiber which is hard and has excellent wear resistance. The ceramic fiber may include continuous fibers (long fibers) having a diameter between several micrometers and several tens of micrometers, such as glass fibers, alumina fibers, yttrium aluminum oxide fibers, zirconia fibers, and carbon fibers, or have tens to Short fibers with an aspect ratio of hundreds.

However, if the polytetrafluoroethylene is filled with ceramic fibers, the polytetrafluoroethylene will have an increased coefficient of friction and a significantly strong aggressiveness for the associated sliding assembly. For example, if the Teflon module is filled with 20% by weight of glass fibers, it is made of carbon steel compared to a Teflon module that is not filled with glass fibers (this comparison is done in water). The associated sliding assembly is worn thousands of times.

If it is filled with ceramic fibers having a relatively large diameter (i.e., a diameter between several micrometers and tens of micrometers), when the abrasion proceeds, the fibers are exposed from the sliding surface, and then the fibers are released from the sliding surface. Move in the sliding direction. As a result, the ceramic fibers slide to form scratches on the associated sliding assembly of the Teflon assembly and carbon steel. This increases the amount of wear and also increases the likelihood of occlusion. This is because the polytetrafluoroethylene module itself is soft in the ceramic fiber, it does not have sufficient strength and is easily scratched.

If the filling amount of the ceramic fiber is increased, the distance between the fibers becomes smaller, and it is possible to reduce the long sliding scratch. This improves the wear resistance. On the other hand, the friction coefficient is increased. Moreover, this prevents the polytetrafluoroethylene from surrounding the ceramic fiber, so that it cannot be sufficiently held. This results in easy release of the ceramic fibers. For these reasons, the amount of ceramic fiber to be filled should be limited.

In contrast, a fine ceramic whisker having a diameter of between 0.05 and 1 micrometer and an aspect ratio of 100 or less can ensure a sufficiently small whisker distance even if it is added in a small amount. Furthermore, this does not cause deep sliding scratches due to slippage and falling of whiskers. However, in order to ensure abrasion resistance, tens of weight% of ceramic whiskers should be included.

Because the whiskers are fine fibers, they are easy to decompress or aggregate. If a large amount of whiskers are added, the whiskers are not sufficiently dispersed, resulting in aggregation of whiskers. As a result, the aggregation of whiskers which do not have a holding power is released, and the benefit of adding whiskers cannot be obtained. This leads to a significant drop in abrasion resistance.

In view of the above phenomenon, carbon fibers and ceramic whiskers (selected from at least one of the group consisting of potassium titanate, aluminum borate, zinc oxide, and tantalum carbide) are added to a polytetrafluoroethylene having a low friction coefficient. The base material. Carbon fiber is abrasion resistant, self-lubricating, and non-invasive to components that slide relative to carbon fiber. Soft polytetrafluoroethylene located between carbon fibers and not having sufficient strength is reinforced with ceramic whiskers. By optimizing the fiber, whisker diameter, aspect ratio, fill amount, and fill ratio, a range of compositions was found that provide high friction coefficient, high abrasion resistance, high seizure resistance, and relative a component that slides over a PTFE material Low invasiveness.

Carbon and ceramic can be used as the first fiber member and the second fiber member, and polytetrafluoroethylene can be used as the resin material. In other words, carbon and ceramics having better abrasion resistance than resin materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene can be used for the first fiber member and the second fiber member.

The ceramic whiskers may contain one selected from the group consisting of potassium titanate, aluminum borate, zinc oxide, and tantalum carbide.

As described above, the size of the first fiber member is different from the size of the second fiber member, so that the abrasion resistance of the resin material filled with the first fiber member and the second fiber member is increased. In general, the size of the carbon fibers is larger than the size of the ceramic whiskers, and thus, a combination of carbon fibers and ceramic whiskers can be used as the first fiber member and the second fiber member.

The size and aspect ratio (diameter to length ratio) of carbon fibers and ceramic whiskers should not be limited, but if material properties are improved and manufacturing costs are taken into consideration, preferably, the carbon fibers have a diameter of between 1 and 50 microns and An aspect ratio between 5 and 100, and the ceramic whiskers have a diameter between 0.05 and 1 micrometer and an aspect ratio between 5 and 100.

Preferably, the composition ratio of the filler (the first fiber member and the second fiber member made of carbon fiber and ceramic whisker) is between 5 and 50% by mass. The composition ratio is the ratio of the total weight of carbon fibers and ceramic whiskers to the total weight of the resin material, carbon fibers, and ceramic whiskers. If the proportion of the components is less than 5% by mass, the improvement is small. If the proportion of the component is more than 50% by mass, the improvement caused is not significantly increased and the manufacturing is changed. Difficult.

The volume ratio of carbon fibers to ceramic whiskers is preferably between 2:1 and 10:1. The volume ratio of this range is a good balance between the promised friction coefficient and the wear resistance. If the volume ratio is outside this range, the resulting improvement is small and manufacturing becomes difficult.

Second embodiment

Fig. 5 schematically shows the structure of a sea current power generating device 10a according to a second embodiment. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the rotating shaft 12 and the guide bearing 14. Figure 7 shows a side view of the thrust collar 15 and the rotating plate 16, as well as a front view of the thrust collar and the rotating plate. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the thrust collar 15 and the rotating plate 16.

The ocean current power generating device 10a includes a rotating blade 11, a rotating shaft 12 (12a, 12b), a generator 13, a guide bearing 14 (14a, 14b), a thrust collar 15 (15a, 15b), and a rotating plate 16 (16a, 16b) Thrust bearings 17 (17a, 17b), bulb-type housings 18a and 18b, and seals 19 (19a, 19b). It should be noted that the components indicated by the dashed lines, such as the covers 21a and 21b, are assumed and do not exist.

In this embodiment, the bulb type housing 18a is not sealed by the sealing member 19, and seawater flows in. On the other hand, the bulb-type housing 18b is shielded from the seawater by the sealing member 19, and is hermetically sealed.

The guide bearing 14a, the thrust collar 15a, the rotating plate 16a, and the thrust bearing 17a are provided outside the bulb-shaped casings 18a and 18b and contact the seawater. In other words, the rotating plate 16a and the thrust bearing 17a are used by using sea water. Rotates as a lubricant (seawater lubrication).

The thrust collar 15b, the rotating plate 16b, and the thrust bearing 17b are provided in the bulb type housing 18a and contact the seawater. In other words, the rotating plate 16b and the thrust bearing 17b are also rotated by using seawater as a lubricant (seawater lubrication).

The guide bearing 14b is positioned in the bulb-type housing 18b and does not contact seawater.

Referring now to Figure 6, those portions of the rotating shaft 12b corresponding to the guide bearing 14a are referred to as a base 121 and a sliding portion 122. The sliding portion 122 (sliding surface A1) of the rotating shaft 12b that contacts the seawater can be made of corrosion-resistant metal. Specifically, the sliding portion 122 is made of a corrosion-resistant metal such as a stainless steel material, titanium, a titanium alloy, cobalt or a cobalt alloy. The use of such a metal extends the life of the sliding portion 122 of the rotating shaft 12b that contacts the seawater. The base 121 may be made of a metal material such as carbon steel.

Similarly, the rotating plate 16 (16a, 16b) is divided into a base portion 161 and a sliding portion 162 as shown in Figs. The sliding portion 162 (sliding surface A3) of the rotating plate 16 that contacts the seawater can be made of corrosion-resistant metal. Specifically, the sliding portion 162 is made of a corrosion-resistant metal such as a stainless steel material, titanium, titanium alloy, cobalt or cobalt alloy. The use of such a metal can extend the life of the sliding portion 162 of the rotating plate 16 that encounters seawater.

It should be noted that the rotating shaft 12 and the rotating plate 16 may be completely made of a corrosion resistant metal such as a stainless steel material, titanium, titanium alloy, cobalt or cobalt alloy.

Furthermore, the base portion 141 of the guide bearing 14a and the thrust bearing 17a The base 171 of the 17b and 17b may be made of a corrosion-resistant metal such as a stainless steel material, titanium, titanium alloy, cobalt or cobalt alloy to extend the life.

In contrast, those portions of the rotating shaft 12b corresponding to the guide bearing 14b do not encounter seawater. Therefore, it is not necessary to particularly provide the sliding portion 122 made of a corrosion-resistant metal. In other words, the sliding surface A1 of the portion of the rotating shaft 12b corresponding to the guide bearing 14b can be made of a ferrous material such as carbon steel.

modify

Modifications to the second embodiment will be described. As indicated by the broken line in Fig. 5, it is possible to supply the lubricating seawater to the sliding surface A4 of the thrust bearing 17b and the sliding surface A2 of the guide bearing 14b. In other words, the thrust bearing 17b and the guide bearing 14b are covered by the covers 21a and 21b, respectively, and the seawater is supplied and discharged through the water feeding units 22a and 22b and the water discharge units 23a and 23b. In this case, the portion of the rotary shaft 12 corresponding to the guide bearing 14b also encounters seawater, and therefore, it is preferable to provide the sliding portion 122 made of corrosion-resistant metal.

In this way, at least the sliding surface A1 of the rotating shaft 12b sliding relative to the guide bearing 14 and the sliding surface A3 of the rotating plate 16 sliding at least with respect to the thrust bearing 17 can be made of corrosion-resistant metal. As a result, the corrosion resistance in seawater is improved, and a smooth sliding state is maintained. This achieves maintenance-free and stable power supply for a long period of time.

The sliding portion 162 can be provided by forming a layer of corrosion resistant metal on the base 161. For example, the sliding portion 162 can be mechanically A method of coupling (e.g., joining or screwing), thermal spraying, or lamination is provided.

In the current power generating apparatus of the above-described embodiment, the sliding portions 142 and 172 (sliding surfaces A2 and A4) of the guide bearing 14 and the thrust bearing 17 include a resin component filled with the first fiber member and the second fiber member, and the first The size of the fiber member is different from the size of the second fiber member. The sliding surfaces of the rotating shaft 12b and the rotating plate 16 are also made of a suitable corrosion-resistant metal. As a result, the rotating shaft 12 can smoothly slide with respect to the guide bearing 14 and the thrust bearing 17 for a long period of time without maintenance. In other words, damage to the bearing will be reduced, resulting in improved power generation efficiency and reduced running costs (operating costs).

Although some embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. In fact, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms, and various other omissions, substitutions or changes in the form of the embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit of the invention. Can be made. The scope of the appended claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications that fall within the scope and spirit of the invention.

10‧‧‧Sea current power generation unit

11‧‧‧Rotating blades

12‧‧‧Rotary shaft

12a‧‧‧Outer shaft

12b‧‧‧ inner shaft

13‧‧‧Generator

14a‧‧‧guide bearing

14b‧‧‧guide bearing

15a‧‧‧ Thrust collar

15b‧‧‧ Thrust collar

16a‧‧‧Rotating plate

16b‧‧‧Rotating plate

17a‧‧‧Temperature bearing

17b‧‧‧ Thrust bearing

18‧‧‧Light bulb housing

19a‧‧‧Seal

19b‧‧‧Seal

Claims (10)

A sea current power generating device comprising: a rotating blade rotated by a current; a rotating shaft transmitting driving power of the rotating blade, the rotating shaft having a lateral surface as a first sliding surface; and a generator The driving power received by the rotating shaft generates electric power; the guiding bearing receives a radial load acting in a radial direction of the rotating shaft, and the guiding bearing has a slidable relative to the first sliding surface a second sliding surface; a thrust collar mounted on the rotating shaft and having a rotating plate having a main surface as a third sliding surface; and a thrust bearing that receives an axis acting on the rotating shaft a thrust load in a direction, the thrust bearing having a fourth sliding surface slidable relative to the third sliding surface, the material of the first sliding surface and the third sliding surface comprises a ferrous material, a stainless steel material, titanium, titanium An alloy, a cobalt, or a cobalt alloy, and the material of the second sliding surface and the fourth sliding surface comprises a resin material filled with the first fiber member and the second fiber member The second fiber component is less than the first fibrous member in size. The ocean current power generating device of claim 1, wherein the first fiber member has a diameter of between 1 micrometer and 50 micrometers and an aspect ratio of between 5 and 100, and the second fiber member has a thickness of 0.05 micrometer to 1 micrometer. The diameter between and the aspect ratio between 5 and 100. A current power generation device according to claim 1, wherein the first fiber member comprises carbon fibers, the second fiber member comprises ceramic whiskers, and the resin material comprises polytetrafluoroethylene. The ocean current power generation device of claim 3, wherein the ceramic whisker contains at least one selected from the group consisting of potassium titanate, aluminum borate, zinc oxide, and tantalum carbide. The ocean current power generation device of claim 1, wherein the total weight of the first fiber member and the second fiber member is a percentage of the total weight of the resin material, the first fiber member and the second fiber member. Between mass% and 50% by mass. The ocean current power generation device of claim 1, wherein the volume ratio of the first fiber member to the second fiber member is between 2 and 1 to 10 to 1. The marine current power generating device of claim 1, further comprising a bulb-type housing that seals a portion of the rotating shaft, the guide bearing, and the thrust bearing to prevent contact with seawater. A marine current power generation device according to claim 7, further comprising a water supply unit that supplies seawater to the guide bearing and the thrust bearing. The marine current power generating device of claim 8, wherein the rotating shaft includes a first base portion and a first sliding portion, the first base portion is made of a ferrous material and has a cylindrical shape, and the first sliding portion Covering a lateral surface of the first base, the first sliding portion having the first sliding surface and made of stainless steel material, titanium, titanium alloy, cobalt, or cobalt alloy And the rotating plate includes a second base portion and a second sliding portion, the second base portion is made of a ferrous material and has a disc shape, and the second sliding portion covers a main surface of the second base portion, the first The second sliding portion has the third sliding surface and is made of a stainless steel material, titanium, titanium alloy, cobalt, or cobalt alloy. The marine current power generation device of claim 1, wherein the guide bearing comprises a third base and a third sliding portion, the third base being made of ferrous material, stainless steel material, titanium, titanium alloy, cobalt, or cobalt alloy. And the third sliding portion has the second sliding surface; and wherein the thrust bearing comprises a fourth base and a fourth sliding portion, the fourth base being made of ferrous material, stainless steel material, titanium, titanium alloy, cobalt, or A cobalt alloy is formed, and the fourth sliding portion has the fourth sliding surface.