Modular micro-hydropower generation device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a modular micro-hydropower generation device, which primarily comprises an impeller disposed within a water turbine. A shaft arranged inside a shaft tube of the impeller is connected to a generator housed within the water turbine. During operation, the water turbine is placed in environments such as streams, allowing water flow to enter the shaft tube of the impeller. As the water passes through the shaft of the shaft tube and flows over blades mounted on the shaft, the shaft is driven to rotate, thereby actuating the generator to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. The generated electricity is subsequently processed through a rectifying circuit for filtering and voltage regulation before being output. The output power can be directly supplied to electrical units such as LED lights, or delivered to energy storage units such as batteries for storage and backup purposes.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of hydropower generation, and more particularly to a modular micro hydropower generation device. [Previous Technology]

[0002] Note: With the continuous growth of global energy demand and the increasing awareness of environmental protection, seeking sustainable and low-environmental-impact power generation methods has become an important issue in the energy policies of various countries. In recent years, the proportion of renewable energy in Taiwan's power generation structure has increased from 4.8% in 2016 to 9.5% in 2023, demonstrating Taiwan's emphasis on and progress in the development of renewable energy. Existing renewable energy sources include solar, wind, and hydropower. Among them, wind power generation is geographically limited, and the source of wind is not stable and the power generation efficiency is low. Although solar energy is not geographically limited, it requires a large area to collect enough energy and is affected by day and night, seasons, and climate, and cannot maintain a constant amount, thus limiting the efficiency of solar energy collection and utilization.

[0003] Taiwan is an island nation with abundant water resources, making it very suitable for developing hydropower. Taiwan's hydropower plants are mainly located in large reservoirs, with an average annual power generation of about 4.8 billion kilowatt-hours in the past two years, accounting for 1.7% of the country's total power generation. However, the construction of large reservoirs or hydropower plants will cause irreversible damage to the natural ecological environment. Therefore, considering the environmental impact, it is not advisable to build more large reservoirs or hydropower plants. The current suitable solution is to promote micro or small hydropower devices. If micro hydropower devices can be designed, it can not only solve some of the energy problems, but also meet the requirements of environmental protection.

[0004] The reason is that, in view of the necessity of developing micro hydropower generation devices, the inventor, with the help of his many years of experience and knowledge in manufacturing and design in related fields, and through various ingenious ideas, has created this invention. [Summary of the Invention]

[0005] The present invention relates to a modular micro hydropower generation device, the main purpose of which is to provide a highly efficient, environmentally friendly, portable modular micro hydropower generation device that can be connected in parallel or in series.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the inventors have devised the following modular micro hydropower generation device, comprising:

[0007] At least one water turbine is provided with a long body, the body having a first end and a second end, and a cavity at the first end of the body, and a hollow part along the length of the body, and several hollow parts around the body communicating with the hollow part, and an impeller is provided in the hollow part of the body, the impeller including a shaft cylinder, and a shaft rod provided in the cylinder hole of the shaft cylinder, the shaft rod having a first end and a second end, and at least one blade formed on the shaft rod, the first end of the shaft rod extending out of the shaft cylinder, and a baffle is provided below the body of the water turbine, the baffle including a main body, the upper end of the main body being pivotally connected to the bottom side of the body, and at least one plate body being pivotally connected to the two opposite sides of the main body;

[0008] At least one generator is disposed in the cavity of the body of the at least one water turbine and is assembled with the first end of the shaft;

[0009] At least one rectifier circuit is disposed in the cavity of the body of the at least one water turbine, and includes a circuit board and at least one rectifier element is assembled on the circuit board. The generator is electrically connected to the circuit board of the rectifier circuit. The water turbine is provided with several connectors at the first end of the body, and the several connectors are electrically connected to the circuit board of the rectifier circuit.

[0010] In the modular micro hydropower generation device described above, the impeller blade of the turbine is an Archimedes blade.

[0011] In the modular micro hydropower generation device described above, the turbine is provided with at least one shaft support at a suitable position in the cylinder hole of the impeller shaft, and the second end of the shaft is assembled and positioned with the shaft support.

[0012] In the modular micro hydropower generation device described above, the at least one rectifier element of the rectifier circuit includes at least one filter element and at least one voltage regulator element.

[0013] In the modular micro hydropower generation device described above, a waterproof cloth is attached to the pivot joint between the main body and the body of the baffle, and a waterproof cloth is attached to the pivot joint between the main body and the sub-body of the baffle.

[0014] The modular micro hydropower generation device described above includes a number of water turbines, the number of water turbines having their connectors connected in parallel or in series by conductive wires.

[0015] In the modular micro hydropower generation device described above, at least one current anti-reverse current element is further provided on the circuit board of the rectifier circuit.

[0016] In the modular micro hydropower generation device described above, the turbine is further connected to at least one energy storage unit via a conductive wire.

[0017] In the modular micro hydropower generation device described above, the turbine is further connected to at least one power-consuming unit via a conductive wire.

[0018] Therefore, when in use, the water turbine is placed in an environment such as a stream, and the water flows into the impeller shaft. When it flows through the shaft blades in the shaft, it drives the shaft to rotate, which in turn drives the generator connected to the shaft to operate, converting mechanical energy into electrical energy. After passing through the rectifier circuit for filtering and voltage regulation, the output is directly provided to power units such as LED lights or sent to energy storage units such as batteries for storage and backup.

Implementation Method

[0019] In order to more completely and clearly disclose the technical means of the present invention and the effects it can achieve, the following detailed description is provided. Please refer to the disclosed drawings and drawing numbers as well:

[0020] First, please refer to Figures 1 to 3, which show the modular micro hydropower generation device of the present invention, which mainly comprises:

[0021] At least one water turbine (1), which is an Archimedes water turbine, has a long body (11), the body (11) has a first end and a second end, and a cavity (12) is provided at the first end of the body (11), and a hollow part (13) is provided along the length of the body (11), and several hollow parts (131) are provided around the body (11) to communicate with the hollow part (13), and in the hollow part (131) of the body (11) 3) An impeller (14) is provided inside, the impeller (14) includes a shaft cylinder (141), and a shaft (142) is provided in the cylinder hole (1411) of the shaft cylinder (141). The shaft (142) has a first end and a second end, and at least one blade (1421) is formed on the shaft (142). The blade (1421) is an Archimedean spiral blade. At an appropriate position in the cylinder hole (1411) of the shaft cylinder (141), there is a... A shaft support (143) is missing to assemble and position the second end of the shaft (142) and the part without blades (1421). The first end of the shaft (142) extends out of the shaft cylinder (141). A baffle (15) is provided below the machine body (11). The baffle (15) includes a main body (151). The upper end of the main body (151) is pivotally connected to a hinge provided on the bottom side of the machine body (11). The left and right sides of the main body (151) are also connected. At least one plate (152) is hinged to each side of the main plate (151). The two plates (152) on both sides of the main plate (151) can be folded to the main plate (151) and then folded and attached to the bottom of the body (11). The main plate (151) and the plates (152) can be made of acrylic or aluminum. A waterproof cloth is covered at the pivot joint between the main plate (151) and the body (11) and at the pivot joint between the main plate (151) and the plates (152).

[0022] At least one generator (2) is installed in the cavity (12) of the body (11) of the at least one water turbine (1) and is connected to the first end of the shaft (142). The generator (2) is a DC generator.

[0023] At least one rectifier circuit (3) is disposed in the cavity (12) of the body (11) of the at least one water turbine (1), and includes a circuit board. At least one rectifier element is assembled on the circuit board. The rectifier element includes a filter element and a voltage regulator element. The generator (2) disposed in the cavity (12) is electrically connected to the circuit board of the rectifier circuit (3). Furthermore, a number of connectors (16) including positive and negative terminals are provided at the first end of the body (11) of the water turbine (1). The number of connectors (16) are electrically connected to the circuit board of the rectifier circuit (3). The connectors (16) are waterproof plug-in connectors.

[0024] Accordingly, when in use, at least one power unit such as an LED light or at least one energy storage unit such as a battery (4) is connected to the connector (16) of the present invention by a conductive wire (5) [as shown in Figure 5]. The present invention is then placed in an environment such as a stream. Please refer to Figure 4 as well. The baffle (15) provided on the bottom side of the water turbine (1) of the present invention is then unfolded. The baffle (15) can be used to set the water turbine (1) of the present invention at an inclined angle so that the first end and the second end of the body (11) of the water turbine (1) form a height difference.

[0025] The water flow can be stopped by the baffle (15) so that the water level rises to the hollow part (131) provided in the body (11) and then flows into the cylinder hole (1411) of the impeller (14) shaft cylinder (141) in the hollow part (13) of the body (11). The water flow then flows down along the impeller (14) and the cylinder hole (1411) of its shaft cylinder (141), and drives the shaft (142) while flowing through the blades (1421) provided in the shaft (142). The rotation drives the generator (2) connected to the shaft (142) to operate, converting mechanical energy into electrical energy. The electrical energy is then filtered and stabilized by the filter and voltage regulator of the rectifier circuit (3) and output from the connector (16) at the end of the turbine (1). The output electrical energy can be directly used by power-consuming units such as LED lights, or it can be sent to energy storage units such as batteries (4) for storage and backup, so as to provide power for industrial or domestic use.

[0026] The foregoing embodiments or diagrams are not limited to the implementation of the present invention. Please refer to the first figure, which shows another embodiment of the present invention. The present invention can connect the joints (16) of several water turbines (1) in parallel or series with conductive wires (5), and then connect them to power units such as LED lights or energy storage units such as batteries (4). In order to prevent current backflow, at least one current anti-reverse current element can be further provided on the circuit board of the rectifier circuit (3) of the present invention. The current anti-reverse current element is an anti-reverse current diode to ensure the stability and safety of parallel or series connection. Furthermore, the present invention can also omit the bottom baffle (15) of the water turbine (1) and place the water turbine (1) in a sloping stream, or use stones to raise the first end of the water turbine (1), so that the water turbine (1) can be set at an inclined angle so that the first end and the second end of the water turbine (1) form a height difference. Therefore, any appropriate changes or modifications made by those skilled in the art should be considered as not departing from the patent scope of this invention.

[0027] As can be seen from the above structure and embodiments, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0028] 1. The modular micro hydropower generation device of the present invention adopts the Archimedes turbine design, which uses water flow to drive the Archimedes propeller blades to rotate, thereby driving the generator to generate electrical energy. Its structural design is simple and can adapt to different water flow conditions, and can be used conveniently in environments with high or low water heads.

[0029] 2. The modular micro hydropower generation device of the present invention has a modular design such as connectors, so the present inventions can be deployed or adjusted in series or in parallel as needed, and can be combined with batteries to store the energy generated by the generator, or directly output to provide lighting devices, etc., so as to improve the flexibility of use.

[0030] 3. The modular micro hydropower generation device of the present invention has the characteristics of being easy to carry and easy to install. It can be placed in many areas such as streams, canals and embankments to make full use of idle water resources for power generation. It can also be used for outdoor activities, emergency rescue and remote areas as a stable source of power.

[0031] 4. The modular micro hydropower generation device of the present invention utilizes renewable energy for hydropower generation. During operation, it does not produce waste gas such as carbon dioxide or other harmful substances, nor does it require the construction of large dams or alteration of the natural environment, thus meeting the environmental protection benefits of being environmentally friendly and sustainable.

[0032] 5. The modular micro hydropower generation device of the present invention is applicable to environments with slow and unstable water flow. The Archimedes turbine has higher operating efficiency than ordinary impellers. In addition, the Archimedes turbine has the characteristics of large opening and slow speed, so it can effectively reduce the harm to aquatic organisms such as fish and shrimp in the stream.

[0033] In summary, the embodiments of the present invention can indeed achieve the expected effects, and the specific structure disclosed therein has not only never been seen in similar products, but has also never been disclosed before the application. It fully complies with the provisions and requirements of the Patent Law. Therefore, we hereby file an application for an invention patent and respectfully request your review and grant of a patent, which would be of great benefit. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0034] First Figure: Perspective view of the present invention; Second Figure: Another perspective view of the present invention; Third Figure: Cross-sectional view of the present invention; Fourth Figure: Diagram of the present invention in use; Fifth Figure: Perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A modular micro hydroelectric power generation device, comprising: at least one turbine, having an elongated body, the body having a first end and a second end, a cavity at the first end of the body, a hollow portion along the length of the body, and several hollow portions communicating with the hollow portion on the periphery of the body; an impeller within the hollow portion of the body, the impeller having a shaft cylinder, and a shaft rod within the cylinder bore of the shaft cylinder, the shaft rod having a first end and a second end, and at least one blade formed on the shaft rod, the first end of the shaft rod extending out of the shaft cylinder; a baffle plate below the body of the turbine, the baffle plate having a main body, the upper end of the main body being pivotally connected to the bottom side of the body, and at least one secondary plate being pivotally connected to two opposite sides of the main body; At least one generator is disposed within the cavity of the body of the at least one water turbine and is assembled with the first end of the shaft; at least one rectifier circuit is disposed within the cavity of the body of the at least one water turbine, and includes a circuit board on which at least one rectifier element is assembled. The generator is electrically connected to the circuit board of the rectifier circuit. The water turbine is provided with several connectors at the end of the first end of the body, and the several connectors are electrically connected to the circuit board of the rectifier circuit.

2. The modular micro hydroelectric power generation device as described in claim 1, wherein, The impeller blades of this water turbine are Archimedes spiral blades.

3. The modular micro hydroelectric power generation device as described in claim 1, wherein, The turbine has at least one shaft support at a suitable position in the cylinder hole of the impeller shaft, and the second end of the shaft is assembled and positioned with the shaft support.

4. The modular micro hydroelectric power generation device as described in claim 1, wherein, The at least one rectifier element in the rectifier circuit includes at least one filter element and at least one voltage regulator element.

5. The modular micro hydroelectric power generation device as described in claim 1, wherein, A waterproof cloth is attached to the pivot joint between the main body and the body of the baffle, and another waterproof cloth is attached to the pivot joint between the main body and the sub-body of the baffle.

6. The modular micro hydroelectric power generation device as described in claim 1, wherein, The modular micro hydroelectric power generation device includes several water turbines, and the joints of the several water turbines are connected in parallel or in series by conductive wires.

7. The modular micro hydroelectric power generation device as described in claim 6, wherein, The circuit board of the rectifier circuit is further equipped with at least one current anti-reverse current component.

8. The modular micro hydroelectric power generation device as described in claim 1, wherein, The turbine's connectors are further connected to at least one energy storage unit via conductive wires.

9. The modular micro hydroelectric power generation device as described in claim 1, wherein, The turbine's connectors are further connected to at least one electrical unit via conductive wires.

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