Wave power plant with floats

Abstract

Wave power plant with floating bodies designed as elongated hollow bodies that float on the water surface and in which longitudinal current coils are arranged, to which a longitudinally sliding magnet is assigned, which is coaxially encompassed by the current coils and which slides back and forth under the influence of the sea waves when the floating body's inclination changes, thereby generating a direct current in the current coils. characterized by that the magnet is a ring magnet (7), that the ring magnet (7) coaxially surrounds the current coils, that the floats (2) are mechanically and electrically connected to each other to form float snakes, that a large number of floating body snakes are arranged parallel to each other and connected laterally, that this floating system is connected at the head end via ropes to a large rotating frame which loosely surrounds a steel pile anchored vertically in the seabed.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a wave power plant with floating bodies.

[0002] Numerous designs of hydroelectric power plants that respond to the wave motion of seawater have been proposed and implemented in a variety of ways. These systems are expensive to manufacture. Most of these systems also suffer from the disadvantage of being oriented towards a single wave direction and therefore operating with reduced efficiency when sea waves approach from other directions.

[0003] US Patent 10,352,290 B2 discloses a floating body for a wave power plant, wherein the floating body is designed as an elongated hollow body that floats on the water surface and contains longitudinally extending current coils, to which a longitudinally sliding magnet is associated. The longitudinally sliding magnet is coaxially encompassed by the current coils. When the floating body's inclination changes under the influence of ocean waves, it slides back and forth, thereby generating a direct current in the current coils.

[0004] US 8 358 025 B2 and CN 2 02 250 576 U also describe wave power plants or floating bodies in which a current is induced by the movement of the waves and energy is thereby generated.

[0005] The invention is based on the objective of creating a wave power plant of very simple design that rotates to align itself with the changing ocean wave patterns.

[0006] A wave power plant of the generic type is described in the preamble of claim 1.

[0007] According to the invention, the generic wave power plant is characterized in that the magnet is a ring magnet, the ring magnet coaxially surrounds the current coils, the floats are mechanically and electrically connected to each other to form float-snakes, and a plurality of float-snakes are arranged parallel to each other and are laterally connected to each other, and that this float-system is connected at the head end via ropes to a large rotating frame which loosely surrounds a steel pile anchored vertically in the seabed.

[0008] The floating bodies constantly rise and fall under the influence of the sea waves moving them, whereby a direct current is inductively generated as a result of the interaction of the current coils with the ring magnet.

[0009] The multitude of floating bodies according to the invention constitute the wave power plant according to the invention. This wave power plant, designed in this way, is comparatively inexpensive to manufacture. It aligns itself automatically in the seawater so that it is always approached and traversed by the waves from its head end. The multitude of individual direct currents thus generated superimpose, so that the wave power plant as a whole delivers a continuous direct current, which is directed upwards via the pile connection of the floating body system. Such a wave power plant also offers the advantage that it can be installed in relatively shallow seawater areas. Being installed so close to a coastline has the further advantage that the sea waves are smoothed as they pass through the floating body system, thus reducing the impact on the shoreline fortifications.

[0010] Preferred embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

[0011] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawing. They show: Fig. 1: a longitudinal section in side view through a floating body according to the invention; Fig. 2: Schematically shown in side view and reduced size, the movements of a line of floating bodies according to Fig. 1 in seawater; and Fig. 3: Top view and scaled-down representation of the arrangement of a multitude of floating snakes according to Fig. 2 connected lengthwise and laterally.

[0012] The float according to Fig. 1 is labelled 1. It is made of plastic and is so large that its weight-generating internal components float on the seawater surface W ( Fig. 2) floats. It has such a longitudinal extent that a relatively long guide tube 2 is located centrally and coaxially within its interior, extending from one end of the float to the other end. The two ends of the guide tube 2 are axially closed by bushings 3, which have outwardly projecting retaining tubes 4, the free ends of which have retaining rings 5, one of which is shown in top view and the other in side view. The bushings 3 and the retaining tubes 4 are watertightly connected to the float 1 by sealing systems 6 of known design, which prevent seawater from penetrating the interior of the float 1.

[0013] On the guide tube 2, two current coils are positioned one above the other (details in Fig. 1) such that one current coil is wound clockwise from one end of the guide tube to the other end, and the other current coil is wound counterclockwise from the other end of the guide tube to the other end. A coaxially arranged ring magnet 7 is positioned around the current coils and is freely movable back and forth over the entire inner length of the guide tube 2, and thus over the current coils wound on the guide tube, from one end to the other of the coil system. For this purpose, the ring magnet 7 is guided in two magnetic guides 8, which are attached to the inner wall of the float 1. Steel spring systems 9 are coaxially mounted on the two inner ends of the guide tube 2, forming spring stops for the ring magnet 7.

[0014] An internal power cable 16 runs through the interior of the float 1 from one end to the other, connecting electrical coupling elements 17 located at the ends of the float, which protrude from the float in a watertight manner. External power cables (not shown) connect floats 1 arranged in series, detachably from coupling element to coupling element. The ends of the current coils are cross-connected and electrically connected to the internal power cable 16.

[0015] Fig. Figure 2 shows, in a reduced and schematic form, the construction of a floating body snake 12 made up of many floating bodies. The floating bodies are mechanically connected to each other by means of retaining rings 5 ​​and simultaneously electrically connected to each other via external power cables. A mooring cable S is attached to the first of the retaining rings 5, and its free end is connected to a larger-diameter bogie 10. The bogie 10 is rotatably mounted on a steel pile 11, which is vertically embedded in the seabed. The mooring cable S is dimensioned in length such that the different water surface heights caused by the tides are compensated for, so that the floating bodies 1 always float on the water surface. A rotatable connection to the column of a wind turbine is also conceivable.

[0016] Each ocean wave lifts each float 1 obliquely along the wave surface and then lowers it again obliquely. This causes the ring magnet 7 inside the float 1 to slide back and forth between the two ends of the guide tube 2, thereby generating a direct current in the current coils through induction. This direct current is conducted to the steel pile 11 via a power line (not shown).

[0017] Under the influence of the ocean waves, the floating bodies 12 are raised and lowered sequentially. The diagram shows the floating body assembly at the top with a higher wave height and at the bottom with a lower wave height. The floating body assembly, connected to the bogie 10 on the steel pile 11 via the mooring cable S, can pivot laterally to align itself with the ocean waves so that the waves always pass through it from front to back. This ensures that all floating bodies sequentially change their inclination, and the floating body assembly as a whole generates a stronger direct current.

[0018] Fig.Figure 3 shows a multitude of laterally connected floating body sections 12. The lateral spacing of the floating body sections is achieved by steel rods 14, which have spacers and are arranged transversely to the longitudinal direction of the floating body sections, thus preventing the sections from becoming entangled. The multitude of mooring cables S are connected to a mooring beam 15, which in turn is connected via cables S to the swivel 10 of the steel pile 11. This allows the entire floating body system to align itself with the path of the ocean waves so that the ocean waves pass through it from front to back, causing it to oscillate up and down.The amounts of electricity generated in the overall system overlap, so that in this wave power plant thus formed a continuous direct current is generated, which is carried via the not-shown electrical connecting cables to the steel pile 11 and there combined and forwarded upwards.

Claims

[1] Wave power plant with floating bodies designed as elongated hollow bodies that float on the water surface and in which longitudinal current coils are arranged, to which a longitudinally sliding magnet is associated, which is coaxially encompassed by the current coils and which slides back and forth under the influence of the sea waves when the floating body's inclination changes, thereby generating a direct current in the current coils, characterized by , that the magnet is a ring magnet (7), that the ring magnet (7) coaxially surrounds the current coils, that the floats (2) are mechanically and electrically connected to each other to form float snakes, that a large number of floating body snakes are arranged parallel to each other and connected laterally, that this floating system is connected at the head end via ropes to a large rotating frame which loosely surrounds a steel pile anchored vertically in the seabed. [2] Wave power plant with floating bodies according to claim 1, characterized by , that in the cavity of the floats there is a winding core extending from one end to the other end, which is designed as a guide tube (2) on which the current coils are wound and that the ring magnet (7) coaxially surrounds the current coils and is able to slide back and forth between the ends of the winding core. [3] Wave power plant with floating bodies according to claim 2, characterized by that two current coils are arranged one above the other, one of which is wound counterclockwise and the other clockwise. [4] Wave power plant with floating bodies according to claim 3, characterized by, that the ends of the two current coils are electrically connected crosswise to each other and are connected to an internal current cable (16) which connects electrical coupling elements (17) located at both ends of the float (1). [5] Wave power plant with floating bodies according to claim 2, characterized by , that the ring magnet (7) slides in magnetic guides (8) which run longitudinally in the float (1). [6] Wave power plant with floating bodies according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that steel spring systems (9) are arranged coaxially on the guide tube in front of the inner ends of the guide tube (2) as stops for the ring magnet (7). [7] Wave power plant with floating bodies according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the guide tube (2) is closed at both ends by bushings (3) which have retaining tubes (4) projecting axially outwards from the float body (1) with external retaining rings (5), and that the ends of the guide tube (2) and the bushings (3) are connected to the shell of the float body (1) in a watertight manner. [8] Wave power plant with floating bodies according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the floats (2) are mechanically and electrically connected to each other to form float snakes, that a plurality of float snakes (12) are arranged parallel to each other and connected laterally to each other, and that this float system is connected at the head end via ropes (S) to a large rotating frame (10) which loosely surrounds a steel pile (11) anchored vertically in the seabed.

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