WO2013163979A2

WO2013163979A2 - Off-shore pumped-storage power plant

Info

Publication number: WO2013163979A2
Application number: PCT/DE2013/000237
Authority: WO
Inventors: Siegfried Sumser
Original assignee: Siegfried Sumser
Priority date: 2012-05-01
Filing date: 2013-04-28
Publication date: 2013-11-07
Also published as: WO2013163979A3; DE112013002285A5; DE112013002285B4; DE102012008876A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a pumped-storage power plant type which is set up predominantly in seas. The core of the storage power plant comprises vertically superimposed chambers, with which "filling and emptying processes" of the water medium can be effected in order to create potential energy or a head, and to produce electricity therefrom. The upper chambers are connected to the lower chambers via controllable flow channels, through which water turbines in the lower chambers can be impinged upon to drive electrical generators for outputting electrical energy in the form of current. The store is filled in that water pumps driven by electric motors pump water from the lower chambers into the sea, whereby the conversion into potential energy of the water in the upper store is effected from the supplied current for storing the electric energy, minus efficiency losses, for the water pumps. The pumped-storage power plants in the sea preferably offer the necessary storage capabilities for alternative power plants such as wind farms or solar farms of all types, without having to consider shortages of water medium.

Description

Offshore pumped storage power plant

The invention relates to a pumped storage power plant according to claim 1 and the following claims, which is placed in waters, mainly in the seas and as energy storage, for. B. can serve for wind farms and solar power plants of any kind.

Pumped-storage power plants in the country have been known as state of the art for more than a century in order to store surpluses of power generation in potential energy by means of the medium of water for later use at a certain efficiency discount. The water is pumped by pumping to a higher geodetic altitude in a memory, or in a higher-lying lake. If there is a high demand for electricity, which can not be covered directly by the active power plants, the consumer has this potential energy through the fall of the water for conversion in the water turbines into mechanical work and the electrical generators coupled to it for a quick power retrieval available.

A significant disadvantage of the known pumped storage power plants is the considerable space required, if it is a fully synthetic power plant. Furthermore, the realization of a pumped storage power plant often does not correlate with the interests of many groupings, in particular not with the interests of conservation organizations.

Despite the growing demand for electricity and the planned replacement of nuclear power plants by alternative power plants, in particular by wind and solar power plants of all kinds, there are considerable problems from a political point of view to enforce the necessary storage technologies for an advantageous grid stabilization.

There is also a great dependence of the available water-storage power plants on the weather, or on the events of the rain- frequency. Since in hot weather phases a not inconsiderable evaporation rate is present and the waters concerned also play an essential role for the drinking water supply, it can lead to serious water shortages that disturb the storage process, or even temporarily make impossible. Moving from Europe to the areas that surround the equator, we find huge land zones that have high wind and solar energy potential for power generation. However, a simple storage of energy by means of the conventional pumped storage technologies can be done because of the lack of water as a storage medium and the lack of necessary surveys in the fewest cases.

It is therefore an object of the invention to conceive a type of pumped storage power plants based on the known, simple and conventional

physical principle is based and neither space problems brings itself or will have any shortage of the main medium of water in the foreseeable future.

In addition to the clear physical conditions, then the political conditions for the implementation of the memory type worldwide should not be unfavorable. Energy conversion with alternative power plants is thus provided with a further starting point associated with this simple storage technology. It is to be expected that under new favorable constraints with the developability of simple memory technology, a breakthrough of the alternative power supply becomes more likely without greater political resistance.

The objects are achieved by the pumped storage power plant type according to the invention with the features of claim 1, together with claims 2 and 3. Advantageous embodiments of the alternative power plants with expedient and non-trivial developments of the invention are given in the dependent claims, in particular with claim 9.

The essential feature of the vertically stacked chambers connected by flow channels is placement within waters, especially within seas, as the core of offshore storage power plants. By means of the two superimposed chambers, the basis for generating the fall height potential of the water required for this purpose. Since the pumped storage power plant is preferably located within the sea, There are virtually no shortages of the central medium of water, which is necessary here for energy storage.

The locality of the storage power plant would usually be home to the low maintenance losses in the vicinity of alternative power plants, where the storage of excess energy can then be done directly as an intermediate buffer efficiency.

In the lower chambers, the arrangement of the water pump is made with the electric motors, which are driven by means of the excess power supplied by the respective power plants. The water pumps deliver the water from the lower chambers via their exit channel into the marine environment, thus making room for the energy conversion of the geodesically higher water from the upper chamber.

The upper chambers would, in one version, advantageously be designed as low volume bulbs in which the controllable orifices and flow ducts and distribution are housed in the downcomers connected to the lower bulky chambers. Thus, one could almost always start from the surface of the water, or the sea surface in the important parameter of the height of fall in the operating phases, in which one retrieves energy from the storage power plant in the form of electricity. In the lower large volume chambers, the water surface increases with the amounts of water flowing through the drop channels via the water turbines, resulting in a reduction in the height of fall during the use of storage energy, which is an essential parameter in the design of the power plant type.

The surplus energy of the power plants concerned, ie the power supply to the electric motors that drive the water pumps in the lower chambers and thereby used to create the height potential of the water, which then from the sea through valves or valves controlled by openings on the geodesic higher level flows into the upper chambers,

If the request now takes place that the storage unit is to deliver energy in the form of a power supply, the water turbines, which are likewise positioned in the lower chambers, are acted upon by the water of the upper chamber via the connection channels at the currently existing fall height. The

Hydro turbines are coupled to the electric generators, which convert the mechanical power of the turbines into electrical energy. The electrical energy of the generators is transported via lines which converters in the network or, is supplied to the consumers with the relevant voltages.

Further advantages, features and details of the invention will become apparent from the following descriptions of several embodiments and from the drawings. The features and feature combinations mentioned above in the description as well as the features and feature combinations mentioned below in the description of the figures and / or in the figures alone are usable not only in the respectively indicated combination but also in other combinations or alone, without the scope of the invention to leave. The figures show in:

1 is a schematic diagram of the main components of the off-shore

Pumped storage power plant, the open, upper chamber is designed small volume and contains the controllable opening and distribution devices for the incoming water;

2 is a schematic diagram of the main components of the off-shore

Pumped storage power plant, the open, upper chamber is large volume designed as an intermediate water reservoir;

Fig. 3 is a representational sketched off-shore pumped storage power plant in which the water in the intermediate water storage of the upper

Chamber with closed valve of the connecting channel flows and simultaneously water is pumped to the "storage filling" from the lower chamber into the sea;

Fig. 4 is a representational sketched off-shore pumped storage power plant, in which the intermediate water tank of the upper chamber as well as the lower chamber in the still running Beaufschlagungsphase the water turbine is already largely filled with water, which is almost the empty state of the memory displays;

Fig. 5 is a representational sketched off-shore pumped storage power plant in which the intermediate water storage of the upper chamber is full and the lower chamber contains a low water load and practically the indicates maximum energy storage of potential water energy.

Fig. 1 shows in principle the pumped storage power plant with the z. B. upwardly open chambers 2, the controllable openings 8 with z. B. controllable

Sliders 9 include. The chambers 2 have the essential task to keep their water surfaces 23 close to the geodetic height of the sea surface 22 as upper potency surface for the current drop height largely constant. This means that the water flow from the sea through the controllable openings 8, and the valves and slides 9 in the open chambers 2 cause only small deductions at the height of fall and thus the water surface 23 deviates only slightly from the sea surface 22.

If the controllable valve 7 of the connecting channel 4 is opened, the admission of the water turbines 10 takes place with a fall height 6. The directing valve 7 Nesse save if the regulation for the water turbine operation would be accomplished by the controllable openings 8 of the relatively small-volume chamber 2.

The water of the upper chamber 2 thus flows through the water turbine 10 and passes through the turbine outlet into the lower large-volume chamber 3, which defines the storage capacity of the pumped storage power plant 1 via the length dimensions thereof substantially.

Would you like a storage capacity of z. B. realize 100 MWh, one is at a proposed average height of fall of 6 z. B. 10 m and a lower

Chamber height of 10 m also require an area of about 3.7 x 10 ^ m ^, which corresponds to a square length of about 610 m. Are the boundary conditions for a very large fall height 6 with 100 m given the same chamber height leaves

4 p

the storage volume and the space requirement tenthin 3.7 x 10 m, which then corresponds to a square length of less than 200 m for a 100 MWh memory.

The expenditure per MWh for the pumped storage power plant in the sea is very much dependent on the dimensioning possibilities of the falling heights 6 to be realized for a given storage volume, which is given by the extension from the sea surface 22 to the central water surface 24 in the lower chamber 3.

The higher the specific power of the water turbines 10 represent over the increased fall heights, the lower will be the area required by the power plant 1. On the other hand, the deeply arranged storage chambers 3 up to the connecting channel 4 to the inlet in chamber 2 then hardly a fault for the Can represent shipping traffic.

1, however, the control of the enormous buoyancy forces at the nominal storage energy (chamber 3 largely evacuated) by the displaced water masses of the outer dimensions of the lower chamber 3 together with the tower of the connection channels 4 and the other devices, the over the weights of the walls 19, the inventory, such as pumps 12, electric motors 13, turbines 10 and generators 11 and the possibly additional forces to be compensated by means of necessary anchors 21 in the seabed 30 to the position of the upper inlet of the To ensure water in the chambers 2 with respect. The sea surface within certain limits.

It is also conceivable that the pumped storage power plant of Fig. 1 is made variable in the distance from the seabed via devices and methods, so that the water cycle of the storage power plant in all the operating phases of the "filling" such as "emptying" and the changing conditions of the sea adaptable is. For this purpose, not shown controllable openings 8 in the connecting channel 4 to the marine environment are conceivable, which would have to be activated at the height changes of the power plant for turbine operation.

As already mentioned, the potential energy in the water turbines 10 with the coupled electric generators 11, taking into account the

Component efficiencies converted into electrical energy. The generated power is then dissipated via the lines 27 to the network for distribution to the consumers.

If there is an excess of electricity from the alternative power stations or via the grid, the power is supplied via the lines 26 to the electric motors 13 of the water pumps 12 in the lower chamber 3 for "filling" the energy store by pumping out the water from the chamber 3.

The pumped storage power plant will be informed according to the needs and constraints - "energy storage", "electricity in a predetermined amount" and - further process requirements - the power plant control 25 are communicated via the signals 29, the respective signals 28 to the devices, or Aktuato - of the relevant components, such as B. valves 7, 9, 14, pumps and electric motors 12, 13 or water turbines and generators 10, 11 emit.

While the floatability of the pumped storage power plant according to the features in 1 due to the small volume chamber 2 is only conditionally useful in a few phases of operation and possibly larger forces must be applied via anchors and Abstützungen 21 in the seabed, in the example of a concept, which is set out in Fig. 2 roughly in principle , the buoyancy of the pumped storage power plant version in many phases of operations due to the larger chambers 2 significant and advantageous.

On the adaptability of the resulting force of buoyancy by the displaced masses of water with the counteracting force of the power plant weight, which can be changed by the inner water volumes in the chambers 2 and 3, now exist for the power plant 1, the options of buoyancy, the force-free floating state or that of the sinking condition with a defined resulting amount of force. These possibilities can be accomplished by means of the control device 25 by controlling the inner water quantities via the inlets and outlets by means of the influenceable openings 8 and 14. In these control processes, the comparison of the average density of the entire power plant to the density of the surrounding water is carried out, as we have known for a relatively long time in comparison to the submarines.

The power plant 1 must be precisely defined in terms of its degrees of freedom of movement by guide, support pillars and damping devices 20, 21 despite the controllability of essential forces due to the often harsh weather conditions in its local area.

The large chambers 2 can be regarded as a buffer against the sea environment, the water surfaces 23 of the sea surface 22, based on the absolute drop height 6, can differ significantly per cent.

The large volume of the chambers 2 offers over the water filling rate the advantage for wide use of the mentioned options with regard to the floating or floating capability of the power plant. 1 Furthermore, this allows the resulting forces from the gravity and the lift on the Abstützungen and dampers 20, 21 are kept adjustable small.

The power plant 1 can be assembled from many self-sufficient modules mountable. A storage power plant 1 with a storage capacity of 100 MWh Nesse z. B. from 100 self-sufficient modules, each composed of 1 MWh, or interconnected. As a result, "storage parks" in the sea could be gradually developed over many decades of immense sizes, which can adapt to the growing storage requirements of alternative or even conventional power plants without space problems. 3, 4 and 5 show an objectively outlined representation of a pumped storage power plant 1, or a power plant module in different operating phases of the memory with the core units water pumps with electric motors 12, 13 and water turbines and generators 10.1 1, the valves 7,8, 14 and sliders 9, which are controlled by the control 25.

3 with the valve 7 of the connecting channel 4 closed, the water pumps 12 being driven by the power plant excess current, eg from the neighboring wind power park, by the electric motors 13 by means of the lines 26 and pumping the same Thus, the energy of this surplus stream, reduced by the component and system efficiencies, effects a potential transformation of the amount of water in the compartments 2 over the created drop height potential 6 between the water surfaces 23 and 24 in the water The volume of the pumped-out water in chamber 3 is replaced by the ambient air flowing in through the ventilation channel 5. As the distance of the power plant 1 to the support and guide pillars 20 and the damping devices makes visible, the entire power plant 1 is in Floating state, since the amount of water in the Ka 2 has not yet taken its nominal volume. For this purpose, the controllable openings 8 are set by the slide 9 in the direction "on", whereby the influx of seawater takes place.

In the basic example, located below the two chambers 2, 3 of the control room 15 of the power plant 1, in the power lines 16 and 17 of the electric motors 13 and generators 1 1, together with the control devices 18 of the connection channels 4 for the control 25 objectively also with the nichtdarge- supply and discharge lines 26 and 27 are interconnected.

Fig. 4 shows the memory of the power plant 1, by the filled volume of the chamber 3 just before its "empty state." The water turbine 10 may well over an existing drop height 6 the generator 1 1 with open valve 7 for a certain time with lower specific If the water in the chambers could rise into the ventilation piping 5, the drop height 6 would move to the value 0, which, however, would not take place in the real operating mode due to tolerance specifications of the lower drop height 6.

Due to the large volumes of water in the chambers 2 and 3, a high average density of the total power plant 1, which is above the density of the seawater. Due to the sinking tendency of the power plant 1 caused thereby, the supports and guides 20, 21 are activated via corresponding pillars which are anchored in the seabed as a support for the power plant 1 for height stabilization.

An almost full memory state, which can be seen from the largely empty lower chambers 3, shows the Fig. 5. The upper chambers 2 are also almost completely filled for a high drop height 6 in the example shown. Nevertheless, the average density of the entire power plant is still below the seawater density. The draft of the power plant 1 was adjusted here by the total amount of water so that the position of the power plant 1 still adjusts with a slight distance to the support of the support and damping devices 20, 21 in the often optimal floating state. For the delivery of electric current, the valves 7 are opened in front of the water turbines, whereby the drive of the generators for power production is made possible.

In the event that the internal body of water, or the total weight of the pumped storage power plant 1 is regulated to a constant value by the same supply, as well as the same outflow of water during the "filling phase" of the memory, the possibly desired fixed results Allocation of the average density of the entire power plant to the density of the seawater It is thus possible, via the control 25 of the internal water quantity with the necessary components in question, to effect the floating as well as the sinking state of the pumped storage power plant in the desired manner.

In general, the volume values of the leegepumpten chambers 3 mainly for the dimensioning of the stored target energy amount and the volume values of the chambers 2 for the adjustment of the modes of operation of the entire pumped storage power plant 1 on a floating, possibly floating or sinking state with a high or low power requirement on the support and damping devices 20, 21, which must be received by corresponding pillars, and their seabed foundations.

At least parts of the walls 19 of the chambers 2, 3 and 15, and the

Pumped-storage power plant modules 1 are preferably made of steel and malleable concrete on land, whereby also manufacturing methods of conventional shipyards will play a significant role. reference numeral

1 pumped storage power plant

2 Upper chambers (possibly open to the air atmosphere, or no ceiling)

3 lower chambers

4 connection channels

5 ventilation channels of the lower chambers

6 drop height

7 Adjustable valves of the connection channels

8 Adjustable openings of the upper chambers

9 closing devices, z. B. slide

10 water turbines

1 1 el. Generators connected to water turbines

12 water pumps

13 electric motors connected to water pumps

14 closable outlet channels downstream of water pumps

15 control room power plant

16 power lines for el. Motors of the water pumps

17 power lines from the el. Generators

18 devices for controlling the connection channel

19 power station walls

20 supporting and guiding pillars

21 damping devices, anchorages

22 water surface (sea surface)

23 water surface upper chamber 2

24 water surface lower chamber 3

25 power plant control

26 power supply lines, z. B. of wind or photovoltaic power plants

27 Stromabführleitungen the pumped storage power plant

28 control signals of the devices

29 Request signals: power supply / energy storage

30 water bottom (seabed)

Claims

claims

1. Pumped storage power plant (1)

characterized in that

it is arranged inside waters and consists of at least one upper chamber (2) and at least one lower chamber (3), which are mainly vertically connected by flow channels (4).

Second pumped storage power plant (1) according to claim 1

characterized in that

in the lower chambers (3) electrically driven water pumps (12, 13) and water turbines with coupled electric generators (10, 1 1), which are connected with electrical lines (26, 27) directly or indirectly to external power plants and consumers.

3. pumped storage power plant (1) according to claims 1 and 2

characterized in that

with the pumping device (12, 13) water from the lower chamber (3) in the closable outlet channel (14), which is surrounded by the water, is conveyed and that via the controllable openings (8) water from the waters of the power plant environment in the upper chambers (2) can be flowed.

4. pumped storage power plant (1) according to claims 1, 2 and 3

characterized in that

the water from the upper chambers (2) through the connecting channels (4) via controllable valve devices (7) to the water turbines (10) can be fed.

5. pumped storage power plant (1) according to the above claims

characterized in that a control device (25) the manipulated variables which are in communication with the components of the lower chamber (3), such as the controllable outlet channels (14), the water pumps (12) with their drives (13) and those of the water turbines (10) with their generators (1 1), furthermore the valve devices (7) of the connection channels (4) and the Verschliessvorrich- lines (9) of the upper chambers (2), makes the signal lines (28) to the requirement requirement (29) adjustable.

Pumped storage power plant (1) according to the above claims,

characterized in that

the mean density of the pumped storage power plant (1) together with its water content in the upper and lower chambers (2, 3) is smaller, equal to or greater than the density of the surrounding water by a control device (25) einregelbar.

Pumped storage power plant (1) according to the above claims,

characterized in that

the pumped-storage power plant (1) can be built up from self-assembled units (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18) which are arranged in parallel or in series are switchable.

Pumped storage power plant (1) according to the above claims,

characterized in that

from the lower chamber (3) waterproof ventilation ducts (5) are guided over the water surface (22).

Pumped storage power plant (1) according to claim 1,

characterized in that

the upper chambers (2) are predominantly designed as inflow devices to the connecting channels (4), which include the controllable openings (8) and closing devices (9) to the surrounding water and the surface of the water (22).

10. pumped storage power plant (1) according to the above claims,

characterized in that

the power station walls (19) are made predominantly of concrete and steel.