WO2005100779A1

WO2005100779A1 - System comprising a device that can be rotatably driven by flowing water

Info

Publication number: WO2005100779A1
Application number: PCT/EP2005/004028
Authority: WO
Inventors: Erich Kumpf
Original assignee: Walter Bulling; WAGNER, Günther
Priority date: 2004-04-16
Filing date: 2005-04-15
Publication date: 2005-10-27
Also published as: DE102004020802A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an system (10) that can be installed and fixed in flowing inland water or sea water, said system being provided with a device (11) that can be rotatably driven by flowing water and comprises a peripherally fixed continuous conveyor belt (12) which is, in turn, provided with mobile flow elements (17) that open on the section (15) of the conveyor belt extending in the flow direction and close on the section (16) of the conveyor belt opposing the flow direction. One such system is used to convert the energy of the flowing water into mechanical or electrical energy in a plurality of regions in inland water or sea water, and can also be used to eliminate water pollution, including oil spills, and divert oceanic currents threatening coastal regions.

Description

Title: Arrangement with a device that can be driven to rotate by the flowing water

description

The present invention relates to an arrangement which can be introduced into and can be fixed in flowing inland or marine waters and has a device which can be driven in rotation by the flowing water.

In inland waters, such arrangements are known for example as turbine wheels, which are used to convert the flow energy into either mechanical energy or electrical energy. Such arrangements are known in marine waters in the form of tidal power plants or in the form of propeller blades arranged below the surface of the sea, comparable to wind turbines.

The object of the present invention is, in such an arrangement, to design the device which can be driven in rotation by the flowing water in such a way that it can be used not only for energy conversion, but also for other applications in inland and marine waters.

To achieve this object, the features specified in claim 1 are provided in such an arrangement.

The measures according to the invention not only achieve an arrangement which can be used to convert the energy of the flowing water into mechanical or electrical energy in a much more varied and simple manner at a large number of locations on inland or marine waters, but also those arrangements which are used in the Removal of water pollution including Oil pollution as well as in the diversion of, for example, coastal areas harmful marine currents can be used.

Advantageous refinements of the conveying element result from the features of claims 2 and 3, respectively.

Advantageous refinements of the inflow elements on the conveyor chain or on the conveyor cable or on the conveyor belt result from the features of claims 4 and 5, according to which a simple constructional design of the movable inflow elements is achieved in each case. The wings are set up in the inflow direction and the flexible pockets are filled in the inflow direction and each form the drive elements while they lay against the inflow direction or fold flat and thus form an extremely low resistance to the flow. An optimization of this results from the features of claim 6.

Advantageously, the features are provided according to claim 3, wherein the distance between the rollers and their lengths can be almost arbitrary.

If the features according to claim 8 and / or 9 are provided, the arrangement or its device can be used for all of the aforementioned applications.

According to another exemplary embodiment, the features according to claim 10 and / or 11 are provided, which means that there is a very simple possibility for use as an arrangement for energy conversion. This is because the introduction and holding of such an arrangement in the horizontal position is considerably less complex than is the case with vertical positioning. Advantageous refinements in terms of location and increase in Efficiency results from the features of claim 12 and those of claim 13 and / or 14.

If the features are provided according to claim 15, the device can follow a changing flow direction by swiveling and stand in the respective direction, which is advantageous when used in areas in which the direction of the flow changes with the tides.

Further configurations for energy conversion result from the features of claim 16 and / or 17. Compared to the so-called oil barriers, which are static arrangements that can be introduced into inland water, the features according to claim 18 and possibly claim 19 and / or 20 and / or 21 achieved a simple removal or skimming of the surface water pollution. This can be done easily both in inland waters and on the open sea.

With the features according to claim 22 and / or 23, partial deflection of currents can be achieved, which is advantageous, for example, for vulnerable coastal regions, in particular also in the case of heavy storms.

A further advantageous embodiment with regard to all of the aforementioned applications results from the features according to claim 24, so that an areal application is achieved both in width and in depth.

Further details of the invention can be found in the following description, in which the invention is described and explained in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawing.

Show it: FIGS. 1A and 1B are top and side views of a rotatably drivable device of the arrangement according to the invention in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment,

FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C show a top view, a side view and a cross section of a rotatably drivable device of the arrangement according to the invention in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment,

Figure 3 is a schematic representation of several arrangements provided in a flow using a variant of the device for energy conversion shown in Figure 1.

FIG. 4 shows an arrangement provided for removing water pollution in a river using a device according to FIG. 2,

5 shows a representation corresponding to FIG. 4, but for removing pollution at sea and using two opposing arrangements, and

FIG. 6 shows a schematic illustration of a large number of arrangements for diverting ocean currents provided in a coastal region using a device according to FIG. 2. The arrangements 10 and 110 shown constructively in FIGS. 1 and 2 serve, as can be seen from FIGS. 3 to 6, to be introduced into flowing inland or marine waters and to be fixed there statically or movably, so that their correspondingly designed device 11 or 111 is driven to rotate due to the prevailing flow, in order to either convert flow energy or direct water surface contamination to a collective suction area or deflect or divert flows.

The device 11 of the arrangement 10 according to FIGS. 1A and 1B has, as the conveying element, a conveyor belt 12 which is made, for example, of a tensile plastic fabric or another suitable material and which is deflected around two spaced apart rollers 13, 14 and connected to form an endless belt. The rollers 13 and 14 are rotatably mounted in a manner not shown in detail on a fixed axis or by means of a stationary shaft, the axes or shafts of the two rollers 13, 14 being held at the selected distance by means of a rigid frame. The distance between the rollers 13 and 14 and thus the length of the individual runs 15, 16 of the conveyor belt 12 and the width of the conveyor belt 12 can be designed almost arbitrarily.

The conveyor belt 12 has on its outside pockets 17 which are so flexible that they can either stand up or fold onto the conveyor belt 12. In the unfolded state, the pockets 17 are, for example, triangular in longitudinal section, ie they are fastened at their one transverse end 19 in the transverse direction to the conveyor belt 12 and have an opening 18 at their opposite transverse end. The longitudinal sides 21, 22 of the pockets 17 can be closed or open. The pockets 17 are in the illustrated embodiment in evenly spaced one behind the other and all around along the conveyor belt 12 and attached to this. It goes without saying that it is also possible to provide a plurality of circumferential rows of pockets 17 in the case of wider conveyor belts 12, wherein these rows of pockets can either be aligned with one another in the transverse direction or offset from one another. Several conveyor belts can also be provided next to one another with or without spacing.

If such a device 11 is horizontal, i.e. with the surface of the conveyor belt 12 parallel to the water surface in a body of water flowing in the direction of arrow A, the device 11 is driven in the direction of arrow B all round. The prerequisite for this is that the device 11 is fixed in the body of water. This takes place, for example, in that the roller 14 at the front in the flow direction A is held stationary, so that the conveyor belt 12 extends in the flow direction A. The device 11 is designed such that it floats in the water or floats in such a way that the strand 15 driven by the flow is located below the water surface. The pockets 17 can be unfolded or opened against the flow direction A. The driven strand 15 is arranged either at the top or at the bottom. The driven strand 15 is preferably located at the bottom and the rear strand 16 is located at the top and just above the water surface.

In this way, the water flow will open the pockets 17 and, since the pockets serve as flow elements, move the strand 15 in the direction of arrow A. After the deflection on the roller 13, the pockets on the back strand 16, which moves in the opposite direction of flow A, are emptied and placed tightly against the conveyor belt 12, so that the back strand 16 moves back without substantial flow resistance. This circumferential movement B of the conveyor belt 12 is used for energy conversion in such a way that at least one of the rollers 13, 14 of the arrangement 10 is connected either to a mechanical work-performing device or to an electrical energy generating generator in a manner not shown.

In a manner not shown, the frame 13, 14 or the axes or shafts at a distance from each other has frame longitudinal legs running on both longitudinal sides of the conveyor belt 12, to which flow guide plates are attached, projecting outwardly away from the conveyor belt 12 and being somewhat perpendicular to the water surface protrude into the water. The flow baffles can be rigid or adjustable at an angle to the flow; they have an immersion width corresponding to the height of the device 11 and are shaped in a suitable manner for guiding those flow regions which flow adjacent on both longitudinal sides of the conveyor belt 12 to the pockets 17 of the driven strand 15. The shaping of these flow guide plates is designed in the manner of turbine blades or the like and in such a way that eddies on their flow surfaces are avoided. Furthermore, it is provided that the length of the flow guide plates protruding from the longitudinal frame legs increases in direction A of the flow.

The arrangement 110 shown in the sub-figures 2 is provided with a device 111, which is designed in a similar manner to the device 11. In this case, a conveyor belt 112 is also provided as the conveyor element, which is sewn with longitudinally extending tension belts 126, 127 and 128 in such a way that the conveyor belt 112 has a meandering shape or a zigzag shape. This meandering or zigzag shape creates pockets 117 which are accessible from the outside of the conveyor belt 112 and are open on the transverse edge. This conveyor belt 112 is also via spaced rollers 113 and 114 redirected. In addition, the conveyor belt 112 according to FIG. 2C is provided with a sinker line 129 on one long side and provided with one or more buoyancy elements 131 on its other long side or a region between the long side and the center. In this way it is possible to place such a device 111 in a vertical position in a body of water, both rollers 113 being held in this position.

If the device 111 in the position indicated in FIG. 2 in relation to the flow direction A 'is placed in a body of water, the conveyor belt 112 is driven in a rotating manner by engaging the flow in the pockets 117 in the direction of the arrow B', with the inner run 116 counter to the flow direction A 'fold the meandering or zigzag shape and thus the pockets 117.

The device 111 is preferably placed vertically in the water such that it assumes an acute-angled position with respect to the flow direction A '. This means that both deflecting rollers 113, 114 must be held in place. This arrangement 110 or its device 111 can also be used for energy conversion, for example for generating electrical energy.

An example of a conversion of flow energy in water into electrical energy is shown in FIG. 3, in which, in the case of an arrangement 110 ′, the conveyor belt 112 ′ rotates over three rollers 113 ′, 114 ′ and 114 ″ arranged approximately in a triangle. The strand 115 'of the conveyor belt 112' extends between the rollers 113 'and 114' approximately in the direction of the flow A '', while the roller 114 '' is arranged near the roller 114 'in such a way that a strand 116' of the Conveyor belt 112 'results, which is inclined at an acute angle to the flow direction A' and is thus the drive strand for circulation in the direction B ¹ '. In this way, in one Inland waters without obstruction of the shipping one or more such arrangements 110 'are placed on the other side.

If the arrangement 10, 110, 110 'is held stationary and pivotable only at one deflecting end of the device 11, 111, 111', it can be aligned in the direction of flow, so that it is suitable for use in tidal power plants.

According to an embodiment, not shown, the conveyor element is designed as one or more parallel conveyor chains or ropes, which run around corresponding rollers or the like. The inflow elements are wings, which can be set up and put on the conveyor chain or ropes or the like, their set angle being limited in a suitable manner.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show the use of the arrangement 110 or device 111 according to the sub-figures 2 for use in removing water pollution, for example oil pollution, after a tanker accident.

In the arrangement 110 according to FIG. 4, the device 111 is at an acute angle to the flow direction A and, for example, crosses the flow in this oblique orientation. In the area of the rear roller 114 in the direction of flow A, a suction system 136 is provided which has a funnel 137 which surrounds the deflecting roller 114 at least on the water surface side. The funnel 137 is connected to a suction hose 138, which leads to a pump, not shown.

By positioning the arrangement 110 obliquely to the flow direction A, the device 111 is moved in the direction of the arrow B, whereby the contaminated surface water is deflected from the flow direction A to the direction B to a certain depth and into the direction Funnel 37 of the suction system 36 is passed. Since this is not done as a state lock but with the help of a deflection movement, only a small proportion of contaminated water gets under the device 111 and past it.

FIG. 5 is a variant of the removal of water pollution in such a way that two arrangements 110 and 110 ′, which are identical, are arranged against one another or as a mirror image. In other words, the two devices 111 and 111 'are directed towards one another and each at an acute angle to the flow direction A' in such a way that they circulate in the direction B or B ¹ and the contaminated surface water leads in a funnel-like manner to the suction system 136 'or its funnel 137', from which the suction hose 138 'leads.

In this illustration it is indicated that the ends (rollers 113, 113 ') of ships 139, 139' 'facing away from the suction system 136' are held in position. It goes without saying that the ships 139, 139 'can also be provided for being moved against the current along the surface of the sea water. The suction hose 138 'can also be picked up by an escort ship.

FIG. 6 shows the use of the arrangement 110 for deflecting or deflecting ocean currents off an endangered coast 141. Here, a multiplicity of arrangements 110 are positioned at different acute angles to the flow direction A in order to mitigate the impact of the flow on the coast 141, and to minimize rinsing and rinsing.

According to FIG. 6, a plurality of arrangements 110 are arranged in a row one behind the other and a plurality of rows of such arrangements 110 are arranged at a distance parallel to one another. If the configuration of the device 111 according to the partial figures 2 is also shown in the application examples in FIGS.

Claims

claims

1. An arrangement (10, 110) which can be introduced and fixed there into flowing inland water or marine water and has a device (11, 111) which can be driven in rotation by the flowing water, characterized in that the device (11, 111) has an endless conveyor element (12,) 112) which has movable inflow elements (17, 117) which open or set up on the conveyor element strand (15, 115) running in the flow direction and close or create on the conveyor element strand (16, 116) running against the flow direction.

2. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveying element (12, 112) is formed by at least one, preferably by two or more spaced apart conveyor chains, ropes or the like.

3. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveyor element (12, 112) is formed by at least one conveyor belt.

4. Arrangement according to claim 2, characterized in that the movable inflow elements (17, 117) are formed by wings hinged to the conveyor chain or ropes or the like.

5. Arrangement according to claim 3, characterized in that the movable inflow elements are formed by flexible pockets (17) on the conveyor belt (12) or by a flexible pockets (117) forming a meandering or zigzag shape of the conveyor belt (112).

6. Arrangement according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the Angle of attack of the inflow elements relative to the conveying element is limited.

7. Arrangement according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conveying element (12, 112) rotates around at least two spaced rollers (13, 14; 113, 114).

8. Arrangement according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device (11, 111) in the vertical position of the conveyor element (12, 112) is arranged in the flow direction or at an acute angle to the flow direction of the water.

9. Arrangement according to claim 8, characterized in that the conveying element (12, 112) is completely immersed or is excellently held with a partial area from the water surface.

10. The arrangement according to at least one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the device (11, 111) is arranged in the horizontal position of the conveying element (12, 112) in the flow direction of the water.

11. The arrangement according to claim 10, characterized in that the conveying element (12, 112) is held in the region of the surface or at some distance below the water surface.

12. The arrangement according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the strand (15, 115) of the conveying element (12, 112) driven by the flow under the return strand (16, 116), which preferably runs back just above the water surface, is arranged.

13. Arrangement according to at least one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that on both sides along the conveying element (12, 112) flow baffles are provided in a stationary manner which flow regions adjacent to the conveying element to the strand (15, 115) of the conveying element to be driven ( 12, 112).

14. Arrangement according to claim 13, characterized in that the flow guide plates on the rollers (13, 113; 14; 114) rigidly connecting frame legs are provided.

15. Arrangement according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conveying element (12, 112) rotating around at least two spaced rollers (13, 14; 113, 114) is held in the region of one of and around one of the rollers and can be moved back and forth ,

16. The arrangement according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an electric generator, the drive shaft of which is connected to one of the rotating rollers (13, 14; 113, 114).

17. The arrangement according to claim 16, characterized in that the device is provided with rollers (113, 114) arranged in the form of a triangle.

18. Arrangement according to at least one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that a suction system (136) is arranged on the downstream deflection of the device (11, 111) arranged at an angle to the direction of flow.

19. The arrangement according to claim 18, characterized in that the suction system (136) has a suction funnel (137) which surrounds the downstream deflection of the device (11, 111) at least in the region of the water surface.

20. The arrangement according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that two devices (11, 111) are arranged at an acute angle to each other and opposite to each other and open into the same intake system (136).

21. The arrangement according to claim 20, characterized in that the suction system (136) is provided on a ship or is connected to a ship.

22. The arrangement according to at least one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that a plurality of devices (11, 111) are arranged in the flow direction as a row one behind the other and at different angles to the flow direction.

23. The arrangement according to claim 22, characterized in that a plurality of rows of devices (11, 111) are arranged parallel to one another.

24. The arrangement according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of devices (11, 111) are provided one behind the other and / or next to one another and / or one below the other.