An energy-focusing array oscillating water column wave energy capture system

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the field of wave power generation and marine equipment, and proposes an energy-focusing array oscillating water column wave energy capture system. The energy-focusing array oscillating water column wave energy capture system includes a parabolic energy-focusing wall / breakwater module and a wave energy device module; the wave energy device modules are arranged in different wave energy enrichment areas to form an array; there is no obstruction between the wave energy device modules along the direction of the incident wave. The parabolic energy-focusing wall / breakwater module proposed in the present invention focuses the reflected waves on a specific area to form a wave energy enrichment area, which can be applied to sea areas with low wave energy flow density to achieve exponential amplification of the captureable wave energy, thereby improving the overall wave energy conversion efficiency of the wave energy device. Arranging oscillating water column wave energy devices in different wave energy enrichment areas of the parabolic energy-focusing wall / breakwater module can maximize the utilization of wave energy and reduce the cost per kilowatt-hour by sharing infrastructure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of wave power generation and marine equipment, and in particular relates to an energy-focusing array oscillating water column type wave energy capture system. Background Art

[0002] Wave energy conversion devices can be used to convert wave energy into electrical energy. Among various wave energy conversion devices, the oscillating water column (OWC) wave energy power generation device has the advantages of high energy conversion efficiency and reliable structural design, and has become a major wave energy utilization technology currently developed at home and abroad. The wave energy power generation process must go through three levels of conversion. At present, scholars in related fields mainly optimize the geometric parameters of the OWC device to improve its hydrodynamic performance, thereby improving its primary energy capture / conversion efficiency (i.e., the process of converting wave energy into the kinetic energy of the gas in the OWC air chamber). For example, Zhou Yu et al. studied the hydrodynamic performance of the fixed cylindrical OWC based on the linear potential flow theory and the characteristic function expansion method in the Hydrodynamic investigation of a concentric cylindrical OWC wave energy converter; Ning Dezhi et al. experimentally studied the hydrodynamic performance of the dual-chamber OWC in the Experimental investigation of a land-based dual-chamber OWC wave energy converter. However, the energy flow density in the offshore is generally low, that is, the wave energy input value of the primary energy conversion itself is very low, which leads to a low overall energy conversion from wave energy to electrical energy. This has greatly hindered the commercialization and large-scale use of wave energy.

[0003] In solar energy collection, radio wave transmission and other technical fields, the concept of using parabolic reflectors to guide the energy of incident waves to the focus, thereby increasing the energy density at the focus, is widely used, such as the 500-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) independently designed and built in my country. Therefore, we can learn from the principle of the "Sky Eye" astronomical telescope to focus and reflect electromagnetic waves, introduce parabolic focusing walls / breakwaters, and use wave energy reflection and focusing to achieve multiple amplification of the captureable wave energy, thereby greatly improving the wave energy capture efficiency of the OWC wave energy device arranged in the wave energy enrichment area.

[0004] The present invention designs an energy-focusing array oscillating water column wave energy capture system, which cleverly combines the array wave energy device OWC with the energy-focusing wall / parabolic breakwater to form an efficient wave energy capture system. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to design an energy-focusing array oscillating water column wave energy capture system to address the limitations of low wave energy flow density in some sea areas and low power generation efficiency of existing OWC wave energy conversion devices, thereby increasing the overall wave energy conversion capacity of the system by achieving exponential amplification of the captureable wave energy.

[0006] The technical solution of the present invention is: an energy-focusing array oscillating water column wave energy capture system, comprising a parabolic energy-focusing wall / breakwater module 1 and an array wave energy device module;

[0007] The location where the wave energy enrichment zone is formed is related to the specific form of the breakwater and the wave conditions at sea. The focus of the parabolic energy focusing wall / breakwater module 1 is the primary wave energy enrichment zone 2; from the focus of the parabolic energy focusing wall / breakwater module 1 to the parabolic notch, the wave amplitude gradually decreases, and the secondary wave energy enrichment zone 3 is one times the wavelength of the incident wave from the focus; the tertiary wave energy enrichment zone 4 is twice the wavelength of the incident wave from the focus; wave energy device modules are arranged in different energy enrichment zones to form an array; one wave energy device module is arranged in the primary wave energy enrichment zone 2, two parallel wave energy device modules are arranged in the secondary wave energy enrichment zone 3, and two parallel wave energy device modules are arranged in the tertiary wave energy enrichment zone 4; there is no shielding between the oscillating water column wave energy devices along the direction of the incident wave.

[0008] The wave energy device module is an oscillating water column wave energy device OWC; the oscillating water column wave energy device OWC is mainly composed of an air chamber 5, an air hole 6 and an air turbine 7; the air chamber 5 is a hollow cylinder with an opening at the bottom and an air hole 6 at the top. The air turbine 7 is placed in the air hole 6 for power generation; a part of the air chamber 5 is located above the waterline, and half of it is a hollow cavity structure submerged in the seawater. The air chamber 5 is mounted on the pile leg 8, and the air chamber 5 reciprocates up and down with the wave movement. The wave movement drives the water column in the cavity to oscillate up and down, forcing the gas in the air chamber 5 to generate a reciprocating airflow at the air hole 6, driving the air turbine 7 installed there to rotate, thereby driving the generator to work and generate electricity.

[0009] The pile legs 8 are cylindrical pile legs.

[0010] The parabolic energy-gathering wall / breakwater module 1 can focus the reflected waves on a specific area, i.e., the area near the parabola focus, to form a wave energy enrichment zone with a significant energy-gathering effect. The location where the wave energy enrichment zone is formed is related to the specific breakwater form and the wave conditions at sea. The focus of the parabolic energy-gathering wall / breakwater module 1 has the highest wave energy density, which is defined as the primary wave energy enrichment zone 2. From the focus of the parabolic energy-gathering wall / breakwater module 1 to the notch of the parabola, the wave amplitude gradually decreases, forming different wave energy enrichment zones.

[0011] The oscillating water column wave energy device OWC has good wave direction adaptability and can capture wave energy in any direction reflected by the parabolic energy-gathering wall / breakwater module 1. Placing a single oscillating water column wave energy device OWC device at the focus of the parabolic breakwater can extract wave energy in the highest energy density area, but cannot fully utilize the wave energy in the parabolic wall area.

[0012] In order to make full use of the wave energy in this area, oscillating water column wave energy devices are arranged in the above wave energy enrichment areas to form a wave energy device array to maximize the use of wave energy. At the same time, the wave energy device array can share the construction and operation costs of infrastructure such as parabolic energy focusing walls / breakwaters and power grid systems, thereby reducing the cost of wave energy generation per kilowatt-hour and promoting the commercialization of wave energy generation.

[0013] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0014] 1. Propose and design a parabolic energy-focusing wall / breakwater module to focus the reflected waves on a specific area to form a wave energy enrichment zone. The parabolic energy-focusing wall / breakwater module can be applied to sea areas with low wave energy flow density to achieve a multiple amplification of the captureable wave energy, thereby improving the overall wave energy conversion efficiency of the wave energy device.

[0015] 2. Oscillating water column wave energy devices OWC are arranged in different wave energy enrichment areas of the parabolic energy-gathering wall / breakwater module to form an array, thereby maximizing the use of wave energy and reducing the cost of electricity by sharing infrastructure. The device can also be applied to other forms of wave energy devices such as oscillating floats. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the energy-focusing array oscillating water column wave energy capture system of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 This is the distribution diagram of the wave energy enrichment area within the reflection area of ​​the parabolic energy-focusing wall / breakwater module.

[0018] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of an oscillating water column wave energy device OWC.

[0019] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the layout of an oscillating water column wave energy device.

[0020] In the figure: 1-parabolic energy-gathering wall / breakwater module, 2-primary wave energy-enriching zone, 3-secondary wave energy-enriching zone, 4-tertiary wave energy-enriching zone, 5-air chamber, 6-air hole, 7-air turbine, 8-cylindrical pile legs. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The specific implementation of the present invention is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and technical solutions.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, the energy-focusing array oscillating water column wave energy capture system includes a parabolic energy-focusing wall / breakwater module 1 and a wave energy device module; the parabolic energy-focusing wall / breakwater can be a shore-based fixed structure or a floating structure, and a mooring system is used as an anchoring structure.

[0023] like Figure 2 As shown, the parabolic anti-energy-gathering wall / breakwater module 1 reflects and gathers wave energy to the focus of the parabola, thereby greatly increasing the wave energy density in the area and forming a primary wave energy enrichment zone 2. From the focus of the parabolic anti-energy-gathering wall / breakwater module 1 to the notch of the parabola, the wave amplitude gradually decreases. Inside the notch of the parabola is the third-level wave energy enrichment zone 4, and the second-level wave energy enrichment zone 3 is located between the first-level wave energy enrichment zone 2 and the third-level wave energy enrichment zone 4. Specifically: the second-level wave energy enrichment zone 3 is at a distance of one times the wavelength of the incident wave from the focus; the third-level wave energy enrichment zone 4 is at a distance of two times the wavelength of the incident wave from the focus.

[0024] like Figure 3 As shown, for the oscillating water column wave energy device OWC, a pile foundation structure is adopted, and it is connected to the seabed pile foundation through the cylindrical pile legs 8 to fix it. The external structure of the air chamber 5 of the oscillating water column wave energy device is a cylinder, which can capture wave energy in any direction. The air chamber 5 is a hollow cavity structure. When the oscillating water column wave energy device OWC is working, the wave movement will drive the water column in the cavity to oscillate up and down, causing the gas in the air chamber 5 to expand and compress, thereby generating a reciprocating airflow at the air hole 6, driving the air turbine 7 installed at the air hole 6 to rotate, and driving the generator to generate electricity. The air turbine 7 is placed above the waterline and uses the air in the air chamber 5 as an intermediate carrier for energy conversion, avoiding problems such as seawater corrosion and marine biological attachment that often occur on other marine structures, further improving the reliability and stability of the device's generator set, thereby reducing the maintenance cost of the device.

[0025] Figure 4 An array arrangement of an oscillating water column wave energy device OWC is demonstrated. A wave energy device module is arranged in the first-level wave energy enrichment area 2 to extract the maximum wave energy; two parallel wave energy device modules are arranged in the second-level wave energy enrichment area 3, which are dispersed outward along the wall from the focus; two parallel wave energy device modules are arranged in the third-level wave energy enrichment area 4. There is no obstruction between the oscillating water column wave energy device OWC devices along the direction of the incident wave, and the hydrodynamic interference between them is small.

[0026] In addition to the above-mentioned embodiments, the present invention may also have other embodiments. Any technical solution formed by equivalent replacement or equivalent transformation falls within the protection scope required by the present invention.

Claims

1. A concentrated array oscillating water column wave energy capture system, It is characterized in that The energy-focusing array oscillating water column wave energy capture system comprises a parabolic energy-focusing wall / breakwater module (1) and a wave energy device module; The focus of the parabolic energy-gathering wall / breakwater module (1) is a primary wave energy-enriching zone (2); from the focus of the parabolic energy-gathering wall / breakwater module (1) to the parabolic notch, the wave amplitude gradually decreases, and the zone at a distance of one times the wavelength of the incident wave from the focus is a secondary wave energy-enriching zone (3); the zone at a distance of two times the wavelength of the incident wave from the focus is a tertiary wave energy-enriching zone (4); wave energy device modules are arranged in different wave energy-enriching zones to form an array; one wave energy device module is arranged in the primary wave energy-enriching zone (2), two parallel wave energy device modules are arranged in the secondary wave energy-enriching zone (3), and two parallel wave energy device modules are arranged in the tertiary wave energy-enriching zone (4); there is no shielding between the wave energy device modules along the incident wave direction; The wave energy device module is an oscillating water column type wave energy device OWC; the oscillating water column type wave energy device OWC comprises an air chamber (5), an air hole (6) and an air turbine (7); the air chamber (5) is a hollow cylinder, the bottom end of which is open, and the top end is provided with an air hole (6); the air turbine (7) is placed in the air hole (6) for power generation; a part of the air chamber (5) is located above the waterline, and is sleeved on the pile leg (8); the air chamber (5) performs up and down reciprocating motion with the movement of waves.

2. The energy-focusing array oscillating water column wave energy capture system according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The pile legs (8) are cylindrical pile legs.

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