Device for producing electrical energy in a water environment

Abstract

The invention relates to the production of electrical energy and can be used to produce electrical energy for household and industrial needs. A device for generating electricity in an aquatic environment containing a watercraft with a generator and a barrel with blades, characterized in that the body the watercraft is secured from movement along the flow of the aquatic environment by means of an anchor for installing the watercraft and cables with tubes and is made with at least one through recess in which at least one movable flat rectangular support is installed, in which a barrel with blades is installed by means of a detachable connection located inside a column separating filtered seawater from unfiltered and fixed by cables with tubes to the bottom of the aquatic environment, and the column and trunk are made of pipes connected through a coupling, at the same time, a seawater filter, a gearbox, a water storage device, an electric power generator and a control unit are installed on the deck of the watercraft, as well as an engine tower made with the possibility of lowering / lifting the column and trunk and moving along the said deck of the watercraft, and the electric power generator is connected to the trunk by means of a gearbox, and the blades are made with the possibility of delaying the flow of water on the one hand and washing with water on the other. The technical result of the claimed invention is to increase the reliability of the device and simplify the design.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to the production of electrical energy and can be used to produce electrical energy for household and industrial needs.

[0002] The task of using alternative energy sources and converting it into electricity, in the context of rapidly growing energy consumption by both industry and the population, remains one of the most urgent today. The cost of electricity is immediately reflected in the cost of all goods, food and living and working conditions - water, air and comfort in residential and industrial premises.

[0003] The most common use is as an alternative source the energy of the air and the sun, as well as water.

[0004] Underwater, the use of mutually moving mechanical elements is limited. This is due to the fact that the smallest particles are deposited on any solid elements , which are present in large quantities in seawater. These particles grow and block any movement. Therefore, they are wind - like The power generating plants under water stop working after a fairly short time. Hydroelectric power plants run on fresh water - there are no salts, ions, corals, etc. However, they are very expensive, require the closure of rivers, the construction of dams and the creation of large reservoirs, which disrupts ecosystems (fish migration, water exchange). Tidal power plants are also very expensive to build and operate. They require the closure of large coastal areas.

[0005] A device for obtaining energy from natural processes is known, containing a vertical shaft with cylindrical sections mounted on it, consisting of the upper and lower holders and evenly spaced blades fixed between them parallel to the shaft, and the sections are mounted on the shaft sequentially above each other without violating the integrity of neighboring sections, the total height of the sections does not exceed the depth of the flow providing energy, to convert the received energy into electrical energy, it is coupled using a rotation transmission mechanism with a generator providing electric power transmission by cable through the conversion unit to the consumer, characterized in that the profile of each blade is made along the radius, the center of which is located on a straight line connecting the outer end of the blade with the shaft axis at a distance determined by a perpendicular drawn through the center of the chord connecting the ends of the blade, with the inner end of the blade located at a distance of 2 / 3 from the outer end on a straight line connecting the outer end of the adjacent blade with the shaft axis (RU2121600 C1, F O3B 3 / 12, 11 / 10 / 1998).

[0006] A device with blades in one row for the extraction of fluid energy is known, containing a vertical shaft with cylindrical sections mounted on it, consisting of upper and lower holders and blades fixed between them parallel to the shaft, characterized in that all sections have their upper and lower holders, the sections are unified, mounted on the shaft and removed from it sequentially, without violating the integrity of adjacent sections, the sections on the shaft have a total height not exceeding the depth of the flow, the energy of which is taken away, for converting the extracted energy into electricity, it is coupled to the generator using a rotational energy transfer mechanism, to obtain energy in the required volumes, the devices are installed next to each other, electricity from the generators is supplied via cables to the unit, where it is converted, summed, synchronized with the current network and then supplied to the network to consumers (RU 2094649 C1, F03B 13 / 02, 10 / 27 / 1997).

[0007] A floating device for generating electricity through the use of kinetic energy of water is known, containing the hull of a watercraft, inside which has a through water supply channel with an inlet confusor intake in the longitudinal direction, paddle wheels with curved blades mounted on shafts installed sequentially across the channel with kinematically connected to an electric generator, while additional water intakes for wheels are made under the water supply channel, characterized in that the inlet intake is made with an upper inclined spreader formed by the hull of a watercraft, and additional water intakes are installed through one impeller (RU 2049924 C1, FO3B 7 / 00, 12 / 10 / 1995).

[0008] The closest analogue of the claimed invention is a hydroflow energy converter. The device has a primary tubular housing, a sealed conical secondary housing installed inside a tubular housing, and the secondary housing contains an electric generator. The secondary housing has a conical end part and is located inside and along the outer housing in the longitudinal direction. The rotor driving the generator is connected to the secondary housing, which has blades located in the path of water entering the primary housing. The inner housing is rigidly attached to the outer housing by means of support panels, which also act as guide vanes for the flow of water through the outer housing along the conical part of the inner housing, thereby increasing the water flow rate. Additional guide vanes are rigidly attached to the back of the specified cone at an angle approaching forty-five degrees. The rotor has rigidly fixed blades located approximately at an angle of forty-five degrees to the rotor. Thus, the flow of water entering the front of the outer housing, It flows around the conical inner housing and is directed towards the blades attached to the rear of the conical inner housing, hitting the rotor at an angle of about ninety degrees for maximum efficiency, thus turning the rotor and driving the generator. The third housing is installed inside the outer housing along the longitudinal axis and at the outlet of the outer housing after the rotor. The end surfaces of the outer housing contain concentric round protective panels, which are used to prevent foreign objects from entering the main body. Inside the conical housing there is another turbine rotor and a gear train that ensure the rotation of the engine at an optimal frequency, regardless of the rotor speed, as well as a liquid that can serve as both a lubricant and a coolant for the equipment in the secondary housing. The system can be installed on a platform resting on the bottom of the sea / river, or launched at pre-selected depths using a floating system (US 4524285 A, F03B 17 / 06, 06 / 18 / 1985).

[0009] The main disadvantages of the above analogues are that all designs of the patented devices, together with blades, bearings, rotating halls, and an electric generator, are submerged under water to the bottom of the reservoir. This leads to an increase in cost due to the fact that complete sealing of all equipment is required, frequent repairs (gaskets, filters require continuous condition monitoring), fluctuations the pressures provoke leaks and water flow into the equipment, the influence of bottom silt and algae on the clogging of the blades. The contact of the blades (which are in water) is the rotor of the generator (must be dry) and the separating sealant, which is susceptible to destruction in seawater, wears out especially quickly, since it is continuously exposed to rubbing surfaces and salts. In addition, wires and gaskets can be eaten by marine life, microcrystals can penetrate into any cracks, especially at high pressure, because every 10 meters of diving gives an increase in pressure by 1 atmosphere. The depth of the sea currents is on average from 100 - 200 meters. The technical problem that the claimed invention is aimed at solving is the creation of a device for generating electricity in an aqueous environment, which should be simple, strong, reliable, and also take the maximum amount of energy that the design will allow to withstand, and not having these disadvantages.

[0010] The technical result of the claimed invention is to increase the reliability of the device and simplify the design.

[0011] The technical result is achieved by the fact that a device for generating electricity in an aqueous medium containing a watercraft with an electric power generator and a barrel with blades, according to the invention, the hull of the watercraft is secured from movement along the flow of the aquatic medium by means of an anchor for installing the watercraft and cables with it is made with at least one through recess, in which at least one movable flat rectangular support is installed, in which a barrel with blades is installed by means of a detachable connection, located inside a column separating filtered seawater from unfiltered and fixed by cables with tubes to the bottom of the aquatic medium, and the column and trunk are made from pipes connected through a coupling, while a seawater filter, a gearbox, a water storage device, an electric power generator and a control unit are installed on the deck of the watercraft, as well as a tower or crane with an engine, made with the possibility of lowering / lifting the column and trunk and moving along the mentioned deck of the watercraft, and the electric power generator is connected to the trunk by means of a gearbox, and the blades are made with the possibility of delaying the flow of water on the one hand and washing with water on the other.

[0012] Additionally, the blades can be made two-level, three-level and with a large number of levels.

[0013] Additionally, the device contains movable flat rectangular supports for mounting columns.

[0014] Additionally, rails are made along the deck of the watercraft to ensure the movement of the tower with the engine.

[0015] The invention is explained by drawings, where: Figure 1 shows a cross section of a barge with a lowered column and a trunk located inside the column, and with blades that end the trunk. Figure 2 shows a general view of the barge from above. Figure 3 shows a general view of the barge in a water section with retaining cables and emergency release of the column from the barge. Figure 4 shows the section of the barge. Figure 5 shows an overhead view of the variants of the structure of the blades A - two-bladed and B - six-bladed, C - a side view of option A. Figure 6 shows two-level blades. Figure 7 shows an example of placing eight columns and four generators on the deck of a barge. Figure 8 shows an example of a stationary fastening system for a barge from Figure 7. Figure 9 shows an example of the location of a barge. Figure 10 shows a diagram of the inflow and outflow of North Atlantic water through The Strait of Gibraltar.

[0016] To generate electricity, it is proposed to use the following device design: A floating means with a through recess in the housing 6 is used (for example, a barge) necessary to accommodate the entire structure. The recess in the hull 6 allows you to maintain significant mobility of the column with the trunk relative to the hull of the barge (Figure 2). Movable part the underwater part consists of one solid element - the barrel andthe blades 10 (see Figure 1). Trunk 8 is located inside column 7, which separates filtered seawater from unfiltered seawater. Column 7 is used both as a guide and a retaining component of the trunk 8. Polymer rings with gaps can be put on the trunk at the points of expansion (attachment of the components of the trunk) to reduce friction between the column and the trunk. Other guides can also carry the same function, for example, polymer bolts in the body of column 7. Column 7 is attached to a movable support by an easily removable connection, for example, since railway wagons are connected. On at the upper end of the barrel there is a support bearing designed to attach the barrel and maintain its rotation without contact with the column. The electric power generator 1 is located on the barge and connected to the trunk onthe surface through the gearbox 2 (flexible shaft of the rotation power transmission). The seawater filter 4 and the control unit 5 are also located on the deck of the barge. Tower 12 with an engine, necessary for lowering / lifting the column and trunk.

[0017] Figure 1 shows a cross section of a barge with a lowered column 7 and a trunk 8 located inside column 7, and with blades 10 that end the trunk. The bargeis made in the form of a catamaran for the convenience of placing and attaching one or more rotating trunks in the water, going vertically under the barge. It is attached by cables in tubes (to reduce vibrations) to the bottom through the brackets of stationary concrete slabs lying on the bottom, see figure 10. The barge is fixed in the direction of the bow against the current. This is necessary to reduce the effect of waves on the operation of installations and work with columns lowered into the water 7. In the bow of the catamaran barge 13, there is a wave divider for throwing them outside the barge. Both inner sides of the barge have a slight slope 19 (see Figure 4), which is necessary to prevent the column 7 from hitting the body of the barge 6 during operation. The blades 10 are hollow hemispheres, convenient for "catching" the flow of water. They are protected from contact with the underwater part of the shore by rods welded in the form of rings. If there is no threat of contact, the rings may be missing.

[0018] Tower 12 with engine (diesel) see figure 2 provides descent / ascent of the column7 and the trunk 8. It works the same way as with classical well drilling - section after section of the pipe is successively lowered / raised and twisted / unscrewed during descent or ascent. In this case, the pipe sections are stacked on the deck. The tower moves along the barge along the rails. This ensures its stability and mobility. A tower or crane with an arrow is determined by the weight of the working underwater structure, working conditions, size and capacity of the column with a trunk.

[0019] Column 7 and trunk 8 descend into the opening (recess) 11 of the barge 6 (see figures 2 and 4). In a catamaran, the opening 11 can run along the entire length of the barge, depending on the purpose of designing the device: generation of electricity, production of fresh water, production of hydrogen and oxygen during electrolysis. The column 7 is passed through a movable flat rectangular support 18 (figure 4), above which it is formed the detachable connection of the column 7, which keeps it from falling. The support 18 protects the worker from falling into the water and has a small fence. The column 7 and the trunk 8 are formed according to the technology of oil drilling - they consist of separate screws screwed through couplings or directly pipe into pipe. At the pipe joints a dense polymer ring with a small gap of about 10-30 mm is installed in the column for free rotation of the trunk 8 inside the column 7. The trunk 8 is in a state of continuous rotation, only in an oil well it is forced to rotate from above due to the engine, and in our case it is forced to rotate from below due to the movement of the water flow. At the lower end of the trunk 8 there are blades 10, of which there are many design options and all of them have been tested on wind power generation plants. One of the most promising blade designs is the Savonius rotor, see figures 5A and 5B. The blades 10 are flat long rectangular curved plates fixed vertically and rotating around the trunk. The blades 10 meeting the flow of water can have different shapes, but they all have to delay the flow of water on the one hand, and on the other hand they can be easily washed with water. The area of the blades 10, the distance to the barrel 8 determine the power and rotation speed of the barrel 8, which determines the power of the power plant. All structural elements must correspond to the power of the water flow that is "caught" by the blades 10 and, above all, it is the strength of the barrel with blades, columns, cables and all fasteners. What is always known in advance and well calculated.

[0020] Since the working conditions of the blades with wind differ significantly from working with water, additional tests and calculations of their strength to loads are required. Wind turbines start working with winds of more than 1.5 m / sec while the water flow velocity is much lower, but it carries much more energy, since the density of water is about 800 times denser than the density of air. In order to increase the power of the device, multilevel structures are built from multi -blade parts, which significantly increases the total area of the blades. Levels they are separated by strength plates, which gives rigidity to the entire structure. The area of the blades, their number and the number of blade levels determine the power of the entire kinetic energy extraction device from the water flow. The transfer of this energy to the generator 1 is ensured by the strength of the barrel 8, which is securely attached to the blades 10 and is a rotating structure under water pressure . Unlike classic turbines, there are no mutually movable parts located under water. And all the main ones have been taken out on the deck above the water the moving elements of the device are a generator; bearings that support the rotation of the barrel; a gearbox and other elements of fasteners and operation, such as wires, filters, switches, connection elements, etc.

[0021] Several independent shafts with power generation can be placed on one barge . In this case, it is possible to use one water filter 4, one control unit 5 and one tower 12 for lowering / lifting the column 7 and the trunk 8. After installing one trunk with the column, the tower is shifted to install the second, etc. Both one and several trunks 8 can be connected to one electric generator 1 . They are connected to one shaft). Using two columns 7 with one generator 1 It will require a more complex transmission (for example, a torque converter).

[0022] The column, as well as the barge, is attached with cables with tubes to the bottom (reinforced walls of the shore) see figure 3. Two cables for fastening the barge 6 and two cables are shown here The dotted line shows the scheme of the column falling with the trunk when the upper column 7 and trunk 8 are disconnected, which may be required in case of emergency care of the barge (tsunami, storm). In the upper part of the columns, during their emergency discharge, inflatable floats 16 with a light alarm 15 are attached (they are removed from the emergency kit and cling to the column with carabiners), the lifting force of which does not allow the column to fall below a predetermined depth (20-40 meters below sea level). In addition, all cables 17 have additional control ropes fixed at the top cables of the column / columns and leading directly to the rail of the floating platform, see Figure 8 here the control rope is shown only for the anchor cable of point CO, the other ropes are not specified so as not to load the drawing. It is necessary to tighten the cable to the platform, for subsequent re-fastening of the column during its new installation to the barge. When installing columns 7 on a barge, the necessary cables 17 will be delivered from floating platforms by boat. There must be at least two of them on the barge (reserve). The barges and the column / columns are fixed with cables laid inside the tubes. Tubes they are necessary to prevent reverse movement along the cables.

[0023] In FIG. 8, heavy plates 1, 2 and 3 are stationary fixing points of the barge with columns 7. The plates are equipped with wide rings / rings for passing auxiliary cables. The bow and side floating platforms are used to control the processes of lowering / lifting columns and, when fixing cables in winches, ensure the fixation of the barge and columns in the longitudinal and transverse directions (relative to the direction of flow).

[0024] All cables are fixed on the winch rail at point D of the bow platform. In our case, there are 9 cables - one anchor cable (points A-B) for the barge and 8 retaining cables for the columns (D-B-E). The anchor cable for the barge is hooked with an additional cable (D-C) at a point With a wide ring. When the barge departs at point A, the anchor cable is unhooked and thrown. It hangs at point C and is mounted on the rail of the bow platform with a pull-up cable C-D.

[0025] The retaining cables for the columns (8 cables) exit from point D (on the rail),pass through the ring / rings of plate 1 at point B, reach point E, where the first cable is attached to the first column, at point F the second cable is attached to the second column, the third is attached at point K, etc. The on-board platform is used to control the side retaining cables (8 cables). Figure 8 shows two stationary plates - plate 2 and plate 3 (with ring / rings) for cables. All eight retaining cables come out from the rail side platforms (point G) and go to plate 2 (cable G-H) and plate 3 (cable G-1), 4 cables to each plate, pass through rings and are attached independently to eight columns at points E, F, K, etc.

[0026] Thus, in a fixed (working) state, the cables limit: the movement of the barge along the current, arbitrary transverse and longitudinal movements of the columns relative to the barge, since the columns have, in addition to lateral attachment with cables, also an upper attachment to the deck of the barge, the columns themselves limit the transverse vibrations of the barge; if necessary, it is possible to further limit the transverse movement of the barge the sideboard can be attached by a cable / cables (not shown in the drawing) through the plate / plates to the floating platform.

[0027] During the descent / lifting of the columns on the rails of the platforms, the fastening of the winches is loosened and the cables are released so as not to interfere with the movement of the columns. All sections of cables that lead from the plates to the barge and columns are placed in pipes this restricts the reverse movements along the stretched cables.

[0028] The water moving along the strait rotates the blades 10 (example, Fig. 5b) together with the barrel 8 inside the column 7 (FIG. 1). Next, the rotational movement of the barrel 8 is transmitted through the gearbox 2 to the electric power generator 1, which generates electricity. On the deck of the barge 6 there is a container 3 for filtering seawater from the smallest particles. Filtered water independently, due to the positive difference in water pressure (excess above sea level), enters the column in a small jet, forming a weak flow of filtered water inside the column, which significantly slows down the formation of growths on the trunk. The trunk 8 and column 7 themselves are painted with a special paint that resists growths, as this is done on the hulls of ships. In the lower part of the column there is an "apron" 9 in the form of a flexible ring made of rubber or a polymer compound that covers the trunk, while maintaining a small gap at the trunk, to drain water and prevent seawater from being thrown into the column.

[0029] The barge with columns is fixed from demolition downstream by a system of restraints cables 17 (FIG. 8). Column 7 and trunk 8 are inexpensive structural elements. They are easy to remove, clean and can be re-installed as a matter of maintenance. The entire proposed power generation system is simple, easy to maintain and easy to replicate.

Claims

1. A device for generating electricity in an aqueous medium containing a watercraft with a generator and a barrel with blades, characterized in that the hull of the watercraft is secured from movement along the flow of the aquatic medium by means of an anchor for installing the watercraft and cables with tubes and is made with at least one through recess in which at least one movable flat a rectangular support for fixing the column, in which a trunk with blades is installed by means of a detachable connection, located inside the column separating filtered seawater from unfiltered and fixed by cables with tubes to the bottom of the aquatic environment, and the column and trunk are made of pipes connected through a coupling, while a support bearing is installed on the deck of the watercraft to attach the trunk and maintain its rotation without contact with the column, a seawater filter, a gearbox, a water storage device, an electric power generator and the control unit. as well as a tower or crane with an engine, made with the possibility of lowering / lifting the column and trunk and moving along the mentioned deck watercraft. moreover, the electric power generator is connected to the trunk by means of a gearbox, and the support bearing is located at the upper end of the trunk, while the blades are made with the possibility of delaying the flow of water on one side and washing with water on the other side.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the blades are made of two, three or more levels.

3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that it contains two movable flat rectangular supports for mounting columns.

4. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that along the deck of the watercraft rails are made to ensure the movement of a tower or crane with an engine.

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