Pneumatic wave energy device

Abstract

The invention relates to a pneumatic wave energy device which comprises a stand column type foundation, a segmented air cylinder set arranged at the upper end of the stand column type foundation, a plurality of sets of oscillation floaters distributed around the outer side of the segmented air cylinder set in the circumferential direction and a turbine power generation assembly. The segmented air cylinder group comprises more than two piston cavities which are connected in sequence, the effective pressure-bearing areas of the piston cavities are gradually changed, and a matched piston is arranged in each piston cavity; each piston cavity is connected with the turbine power generation assembly through the corresponding airflow channel. The energy conversion efficiency reduction caused by liquid level inclination or breakage is avoided. The operation and maintenance difficulty is greatly reduced by arranging the relatively fixed stand column type foundation. Different negative pressure one-way valves can be opened in sequence according to the wave condition. And gas before entering the turbine can be fully rectified, so that the gas flow is better matched with the design working condition point of the turbine at the rear end under different wave conditions, and the power generation efficiency of the device is effectively improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of wave energy, in particular to a pneumatic wave energy device. BACKGROUND

[0002] Wave energy is the highest grade and most widely distributed renewable energy source in the ocean that mankind has not yet been able to commercialize. The efficient and reliable use of wave energy is of great significance to solving the power shortage problem of islands and offshore platforms. The existing technical routes of wave energy generation devices mainly include oscillating float type, oscillating water column type and overtopping type. The overtopping type has been stagnant in development due to system reliability and efficiency problems. The traditional oscillating float type uses a hydraulic transmission method, and the internal pressure of the hydraulic system is high, which has low reliability in the marine environment and a series of problems such as cylinder explosion failure and hydraulic oil leakage pollution. The oscillating water column type has attracted much attention in recent years because the generator set is not in direct contact with seawater, and the device has high reliability. The back-bent pipe oscillating water column type is a typical representative, as shown in Figure 1 for example, patent number CN117267037A discloses a "back-bent pipe wave energy generation ship body".

[0003] The existing pneumatic wave energy generation device is mainly a ship-type oscillating water column. Personnel operation, maintenance and control system are located on the ship floating room, and the floating room oscillates with the ship, which leads to great difficulty in later maintenance. At the same time, when the oscillating water column liquid surface compresses or inhales air, the liquid surface is easy to tilt or break, which greatly reduces the flow and pressure of air turbine through the air vent, seriously affecting the energy conversion efficiency of the device, as shown in Figure 2 .

[0004] In summary, a new type of wave energy device is needed that is convenient for later maintenance and can improve energy conversion efficiency. SUMMARY

[0005] In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the present application provides a pneumatic wave energy device to solve the above problems.

[0006] The present application provides the following technical solutions: A pneumatic wave energy device, comprising a columnar foundation, a segmented air cylinder group arranged at the upper end of the columnar foundation, a plurality of oscillating floats distributed circumferentially around the outer side of the segmented air cylinder group, and a turbine generator assembly; The segmented air cylinder group comprises two or more piston cavities connected in sequence and having increasing or decreasing effective pressure bearing areas, and each piston cavity is provided with a piston adapted thereto; wherein the piston corresponding to the piston cavity with the largest effective pressure bearing area is connected in transmission with each oscillating float through a one-to-one transmission system; Each piston cavity is connected with a turbine generator assembly through a corresponding air flow channel, and the opening pressure of the air flow channel corresponding to a larger effective pressure bearing area is greater.

[0007] Preferably, when applied to deep water sea areas, a counterweight part is arranged at the lower part of the columnar foundation, so that the overall gravity center of the wave energy device is located below the water surface, and the lower end of the columnar foundation is connected with the seabed through a mooring system.

[0008] Preferably, when applied to shallow water sea areas, the columnar foundation is fixed to the seabed.

[0009] Preferably, a gap is left between the multiple groups of oscillating floats distributed circumferentially outside the segmented cylinder group for the access of a service ship.

[0010] Preferably, the side of the oscillating float away from the segmented cylinder group is designed as a wave-encountering streamline; the oscillating float is made of multiple layers, and the material of the oscillating float is any one or more than one of glass fiber, fiber fabric and PVC foam.

[0011] Preferably, a conical section is arranged between adjacent piston cavities.

[0012] Preferably, a buffer spring is arranged at the upper and lower parts of each piston cavity and located at the opposite sides of the piston.

[0013] Preferably, the air flow channel of each piston cavity comprises a positive pressure air flow channel and a negative pressure air flow channel, and the positive pressure air flow channel and the negative pressure air flow channel are respectively provided with a corresponding positive pressure one-way valve and a negative pressure one-way valve.

[0014] Preferably, each transmission system is controlled by the following method: the tension or pressure state of each transmission system is monitored in real time, the movement direction of most transmission systems is followed, and the transmission systems with opposite movement directions are controlled by the control system to calculate the phase difference and perform phase offset.

[0015] The present application has the following beneficial technical effects: In the present application, the wave liquid surface does not directly act on the piston cavity, but drives the piston to move in the piston cavity through the cooperation of the oscillating float and the transmission system, so that the energy conversion efficiency is not reduced due to the inclination or fragmentation of the liquid surface.

[0016] In the present application, a relatively fixed columnar foundation is arranged, and the piston cavity and the turbine generator are arranged on the columnar foundation, so that the fixed columnar foundation greatly reduces the difficulty of operation and maintenance in the later period.

[0017] By providing multiple piston chambers with different effective pressure-bearing areas, the present invention can sequentially open different negative pressure check valves according to wave conditions. This helps to fully rectify the gas before entering the turbine, ensuring that the airflow under different wave conditions is more closely aligned with the designed operating point of the rear turbine, effectively improving the device's power generation efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the rear bent pipe oscillating water column structure in the prior art of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a comparison diagram of the liquid surface of the oscillating water column in the prior art of the present invention when compressing or inhaling air; Figure 3 It is a front view of the present invention; Figure 4 A top view of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the segmented cylinder group structure of the present invention.

[0019] The reference numerals in the figures are: 1. Column foundation; 11. Counterweight; 2. Mooring system; 3. Segmented cylinder group; 4. Transmission system; 5. Oscillation float; 6. Turbine generator set; 7. High-pressure chamber; 71. High-pressure cylinder piston; 72. High-pressure negative pressure check valve; 73. High-pressure positive pressure check valve; 8. Medium-pressure chamber; 81. Medium-pressure cylinder piston; 82. Medium-pressure negative pressure check valve; 83. Medium-pressure positive pressure check valve; 9. Low-pressure chamber; 91. Low-pressure cylinder piston; 92. Low-pressure negative pressure check valve; 93. Low-pressure positive pressure check valve; 10. Buffer spring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] Example 1: A pneumatic wave energy device, such as Figure 3-Figure 5 As shown, it includes a column foundation 1, a mooring system 2, an oscillating float 5, a control system, a segmented cylinder group 3, a transmission system 4 and a turbine generator set 6; The columnar foundation 1 can be made of reinforced concrete [P1], steel, or a combination of reinforced concrete and steel, and a counterweight part 11 is formed at the lower part of the columnar foundation 1 to lower the center of gravity of the entire wave energy device below the water surface and far below the centroid of the overall device. The turbine generator set, control system, and personnel operation and maintenance space are arranged on the upper part (above the water surface) of the columnar foundation 1, which is decoupled from the wave energy capturing float, and the equipment operation and personnel activity environment conditions are greatly improved compared to the traditional ship-shaped oscillating water column device. When applied to deep sea areas, the lower end of the columnar foundation 1 is connected to the seabed through a mooring system 2; when applied to shallow sea areas, the lower counterweight part 11 and the mooring system 2 can be replaced by a pile foundation or a gravity foundation to be directly fixed to the seabed, forming a fixed wave energy power generation system.

[0022] The oscillating float 5 is made of any one or more of glass fiber, fiber fabric, PVC foam, etc., and then formed by multi-layer weaving. Metal parts (such as stainless steel) are embedded in key stress areas or areas requiring counterweight or connection with external components to improve connection strength. The oscillating float 5 has the advantages of small weight, high strength, corrosion resistance, and low cost. The side of the oscillating float 5 facing away from the segmented cylinder group 3 or the columnar foundation 1 is designed with a wave-approaching streamline shape, which can be conical, back-bent pipe, or U-shaped pipe, etc., to achieve efficient capture of wide-band wave energy.

[0023] As shown in Figure 4 , a plurality of oscillating floats 5 (two or more) are arranged uniformly in a circle around the columnar foundation 1 or the segmented cylinder group 3 with a gap reserved for the entry and exit of a maintenance ship. The oscillating floats 5 are arranged in an array to maximize the capture of incident wave energy. All oscillating floats 5 act on the high-pressure cylinder piston 71 through their respective transmission systems 4 (such as transmission connecting rods).

[0024] The segmented cylinder group 3: Due to the complexity of sea waves, the size of waves varies greatly in different seasons and time periods. In order to fully utilize the wave energy of different conditions and increase the effective power generation time of the turbine generator set 6, a segmented cylinder group design is adopted. As shown in Figure 5 , the segmented cylinder group 3 in this embodiment is divided into three piston cavities (which can be increased or decreased according to design needs), including high-pressure cavity 7, medium-pressure cavity 8, and low-pressure cavity 9 connected in order from bottom to top; The high-pressure chamber 7, the medium-pressure chamber 8, and the low-pressure chamber 9 are arranged with equal lengths. The high-pressure chamber 7, the medium-pressure chamber 8, and the low-pressure chamber 9 are adjacent to each other through a tapered section for transition. The piston includes a high-pressure cylinder piston 71, a medium-pressure cylinder piston 81, and a low-pressure cylinder piston 91 (which can also be increased or decreased according to design requirements); the areas of the high-pressure cylinder piston 71, the medium-pressure cylinder piston 81, and the low-pressure cylinder piston 91 along their movement directions decrease successively to achieve different effective pressure-bearing areas. The high-pressure cylinder piston 71 is arranged in the corresponding high-pressure chamber 7 for movement, the medium-pressure cylinder piston 81 is arranged in the corresponding medium-pressure chamber 8 for movement, and the low-pressure cylinder piston 91 is arranged in the corresponding low-pressure chamber 9 for movement; Buffer springs 10 are installed at the upper and lower parts of the high-pressure chamber 7, the medium-pressure chamber 8 and the low-pressure chamber 9 to avoid the risk of cylinder collision.

[0025] The high-pressure chamber 7 is equipped with a high-pressure negative pressure check valve 72 and a high-pressure positive pressure check valve 73 with the same opening pressure but opposite airflow directions. The medium-pressure chamber 8 is equipped with a medium-pressure negative pressure check valve 82 and a medium-pressure positive pressure check valve 83 with the same opening pressure but opposite airflow directions. The low-pressure chamber 9 is equipped with a low-pressure negative pressure check valve 92 and a low-pressure positive pressure check valve 93 with the same opening pressure but opposite airflow directions. The high-pressure chamber 7, the medium-pressure chamber 8 and the low-pressure chamber 9 are connected to the turbine power generation assembly 6 through their respective corresponding air flow channels. The air flow channels include positive-pressure air flow channels and negative-pressure air flow channels. The high-pressure negative-pressure one-way valve 72, the medium-pressure negative-pressure one-way valve 82 and the low-pressure negative-pressure one-way valve 92 are installed on their respective corresponding negative-pressure air flow channels, and the high-pressure positive-pressure one-way valve 73, the medium-pressure positive-pressure one-way valve 83 and the low-pressure positive-pressure one-way valve 93 are installed on their respective corresponding positive-pressure air flow channels.

[0026] Working principle: Strain gauges or piezoelectric sensors can be used to monitor in real time whether the transmission rods in the transmission system 4 are in a tension or compression state. In accordance with the movement direction of most transmission rods, the control system calculates the phase difference and performs phase staggering for the transmission rods with opposite movement directions, so that all transmission systems 4 can act in the same direction under different wave conditions, thereby improving the overall energy utilization rate.

[0027] When the waves are small and the starting power is reached, the high-pressure cylinder piston 71 moves upward, causing the pressure in the high-pressure chamber 7 to rise but not reaching the opening threshold of the high-pressure positive pressure one-way valve 73, thereby pushing the medium-pressure cylinder piston 81 to move upward. At this time, the opening threshold of the medium-pressure positive pressure one-way valve 83 is not reached, thereby continuing to push the low-pressure cylinder piston 91 to move, and causing the low-pressure positive pressure one-way valve 93 to open. The gas is discharged through the corresponding positive pressure air flow channel to push the turbine generator set 6 at the rear end to do work.

[0028] When the wave is medium, the medium pressure positive unidirectional valve 83 is opened, and the gas is discharged through the corresponding positive pressure airflow channel to push the rear-end turbine generator set 6 to do work; when the wave is higher, the high-pressure positive unidirectional valve 73 is opened, and the gas is discharged through the corresponding positive pressure airflow channel to push the rear-end turbine generator set 6 to do work. Correspondingly, when the high-pressure cylinder piston moves downward, different negative pressure unidirectional valves (high-pressure negative pressure unidirectional valve 72, medium-pressure negative pressure unidirectional valve 82 and low-pressure negative pressure unidirectional valve 92) can be opened in sequence according to the wave conditions.

[0029] The segmented cylinder group 3 is divided into three segments of piston cavities with different effective pressure-bearing areas, which helps to fully regulate the gas before entering the turbine, so that the airflow under different wave conditions is more matched with the design operating point of the rear-end turbine, effectively providing the power generation efficiency of the device.

[0030] Embodiment two: contains all the contents of embodiment one, the difference is that: The transmission system 4 adopts a transmission rod, the two ends of the transmission rod are connected with the high-pressure cylinder piston 71 and the oscillating float 5 respectively, and a controllable clutch is installed at the connection between the transmission rod and the high-pressure cylinder piston 71. When the movement direction of the transmission rod is consistent with most of them, the clutch is engaged, and the force is directly transmitted to the piston. When the movement direction of the transmission rod is opposite: the control system triggers the clutch to disengage, so that the transmission rod is temporarily "free" and does not act on the high-pressure cylinder piston 71.

[0031] The above-described embodiments only express the specific implementation of the present application, and the description is more specific and detailed, but it cannot be understood as a limitation on the scope of the present application. It should be noted that for ordinary skilled in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, a number of modifications and improvements can be made, which are within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A pneumatic wave energy device, characterized in that: It comprises a column-type foundation (1), a segmented cylinder group (3) arranged at the upper end of the column-type foundation (1), a plurality of groups of oscillating floats (5) distributed circumferentially around the outer side of the segmented cylinder group (3), and a turbine power generation assembly (6); The segmented cylinder group (3) comprises two or more piston chambers connected in sequence and having increasing or decreasing effective pressure bearing areas, each of which is provided with a corresponding piston; wherein the piston corresponding to the piston chamber with the largest effective pressure bearing area is connected to each oscillating float (5) through a one-to-one corresponding transmission system (4); Each of the piston chambers is connected to the turbine power generation assembly (6) through a corresponding air flow channel, and the larger the effective pressure-bearing area of ​​the air flow channel, the greater the corresponding opening pressure.

2. A pneumatic wave energy device according to claim 1, characterized in that: When used in deep waters, a counterweight portion (11) is provided at the lower portion of the column-type foundation (1), so that the overall center of gravity of the wave energy device is located below the water surface, and the lower end of the column-type foundation (1) is connected to the seabed via a mooring system (2).

3. The pneumatic wave energy device according to claim 1, characterized in that: When used in shallow waters, the column-type foundation (1) is fixed on the seabed.

4. The pneumatic wave energy device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A gap is left between the multiple groups of oscillating floats (5) distributed circumferentially around the outer side of the segmented cylinder group (3) for the operation and maintenance ship to enter and exit.

5. The pneumatic wave energy device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The side of the oscillating float (5) facing away from the segmented cylinder group (3) is designed to face the waves in a streamlined manner; the oscillating float (5) is woven using multiple layers, and the material of the oscillating float (5) is any one of glass fiber, fiber fabric, and PVC foam, or a mixture of more than one of these.

6. The pneumatic wave energy device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Adjacent piston chambers are transitioned by tapered sections.

7. The pneumatic wave energy device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Buffer springs (10) are provided at the upper and lower parts of each piston cavity and on opposite sides of the piston.

8. The pneumatic wave energy device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air flow channel of each piston cavity includes a positive pressure air flow channel and a negative pressure air flow channel, and the positive pressure air flow channel and the negative pressure air flow channel are respectively installed with corresponding positive pressure one-way valves and negative pressure one-way valves.

9. The pneumatic wave energy device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the transmission systems (4) is controlled by the following method: Real-time monitoring is performed to determine whether each transmission system (4) is in a tension or compression state. Following the movement direction of most transmission systems (4), the control system calculates the phase difference and performs phase shifting for the transmission systems (4) with opposite movement directions.

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