Environmental improvement device for sea

Abstract

To improve environment in a sea area by generating a region where deep sea water is stored in the vicinity of a sea surface.SOLUTION: A floating body unit 16 floating on a sea surface is provided with: a gas fluid mixer 22 for mixing deep sea water 14 pumped up from a pumping pump 18 with air; and an air bubble atomizing device 24 for atomizing the mixed air bubbles. This floating body unit 16 generates a region where the deep sea water is stored on a sea surface by making specific gravity of the pumped up deep sea water lighter in a state of having the great amount of fine air bubbles mixed into the deep sea water.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a marine environment improvement device that utilizes deep seawater. [Background technology]

[0002] Deep seawater is rich in nutrients, and various technologies have been introduced to improve the environment of surrounding marine areas by collecting this water (Patent Documents 1 to 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-256718 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-343447 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-370690 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, deep seawater is colder and heavier than seawater near the surface, so even if it is assembled, it will sink after a while. For this reason, the above patent document also introduces a technology to reduce the weight by mixing the pumped deep seawater with warm seawater.

[0005] If the technology described above could be used to pump up large volumes of deep sea water and keep it near the surface for a longer period of time, it would be extremely useful in improving the marine environment. The present invention was made with this in mind. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The following configurations are means for solving the above problems.

[0007] <Configuration 1> The floating unit that floats on the sea surface is provided with a gas-liquid mixer that pumps up deep sea water from a water pumping pipe and mixes the pumped deep sea water with air, and an air bubble atomization device that atomizes the mixed air bubbles; This floating unit mixes a large amount of fine air bubbles into the deep sea water, reducing the specific gravity of the pumped-up deep sea water and creating an area on the sea surface where the deep sea water remains, thereby creating an environmental improvement device for marine areas.

[0008] <Configuration 2> The marine environment improvement device according to configuration 1, wherein the gas-liquid mixing device mixes the pumped-up deep seawater with seawater from around the ocean surface.

[0009] <Configuration 3> 3. The marine environment improvement device according to configuration 1 or 2, characterized in that the floating unit that floats on the sea surface is provided with a propulsion device and a position control device that floats the area in which it is placed.

[0010] <Configuration 4> A method for improving the environment of a marine area, characterized by floating a floating unit that pumps deep-sea water as described in Configuration 1 or 2 in a predetermined area and controlling its position to create an area where deep-sea water stagnates in the area where the floating unit is placed, thereby improving the environment of the corresponding marine area.

[0011] <Configuration 5> A method for improving the environment of a marine area, characterized in that a plurality of floating units for pumping up deep seawater according to configuration 1 or 2 are dispersed and placed in a predetermined area, and the positions of each floating unit are controlled independently or in combination, thereby creating an area where deep seawater stagnates in the area where the floating units are placed, thereby improving the environment of the corresponding marine area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The deep sea water 14 pumped up into the floating unit 16 is mixed with air to contain minute air bubbles, thereby reducing the specific gravity of the deep sea water 14 and allowing it to remain near the water surface for a long period of time. Deep water is rich in nutrients such as minerals, and is home to a large number of phytoplankton and seaweed, which helps absorb carbon dioxide from the air. At the same time, the number of zooplankton that prey on phytoplankton increases, which in turn increases the number of small fish, activating the food chain and revitalizing the entire ocean area. By mixing deep water with seawater from around the ocean surface, the high seawater temperature can be lowered to a comfortable level, improving the environment. By distributing multiple floating units 16 in a predetermined sea area and controlling their positions, the environment over a wide area can be improved. If the floating unit 16 can be controlled in position and moved, it can be used to improve a wide range of environments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] Side view of the floating unit of the present invention [Figure 2] Cross-sectional view of the gas-liquid mixing device and bubble atomization device [Figure 3] Internal plan view of the floating unit [Figure 4] Plan view of the sea area where multiple floating units are floating DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail for each example. [Example]

[0015] FIG. 1 is a side view of the marine environment improvement device of the present invention. This device is equipped with a floating unit 16 that floats on the sea surface. The top structure of the floating unit 16 is shown in side view, and the internal structure is shown in block diagram. The floating unit 16 uses a lifting pipe 18 to pump up deep seawater 14. A lifting pump 20 is attached to the lower end of the lifting pipe 18, which pumps the deep seawater 14 up to the floating unit 16. The lifting pump 20 may also be attached to the upper end of the lifting pipe 18. Deep seawater is generally seawater from a depth of about 200 m, but seawater from a shallower depth may also be used as long as the water quality improvement effect desired by the present invention is achieved.

[0016] A gas-liquid mixer 22 and an air bubble atomizer 24 are provided inside the floating unit 16. As will be explained later, the gas-liquid mixer 22 has the function of mixing the pumped-up deep seawater 14, seawater close to the sea surface 12, and air. The air bubble atomizer 24 has the function of atomizing air bubbles contained in the seawater mixed using the gas-liquid mixer 22 by causing them to collide with obstacles in the flow path.

[0017] The floating unit 16 is also equipped with a power supply 26, a position control device 28, and a communication device 30. The power supply 26 has the function of supplying driving power to the water pump 20 and the gas-liquid mixer 22. A marker light 36 is provided on the top surface of the floating unit 16 to notify ships passing by of the presence of the floating unit 16. The power supply 26 also supplies power to turn on the marker light 36. Furthermore, this device can autonomously control its position on the sea surface.

[0018] The floating position of the floating body unit 16 is determined in advance. The position control device 28 applies propulsion to the floating body unit 16 by utilizing the seawater ejection force of the gas-liquid mixer 22. The position control device 28 controls the position of the floating body unit 16 while measuring its position using GPS. A communication device 30 is provided to notify a ground-based control center (not shown) of the position of the floating body unit 16. The position of the floating body unit 16 can also be controlled remotely from the ground-based control center.

[0019] The power supply device 26 is a rechargeable battery, and a wind power generation device 32 or a solar power generation device 34 is placed on the floating unit 16 to charge it. The floating unit 16 of the present invention can also be combined with an existing floating wind (solar) power generation facility. An example of a propulsion device for controlling the position of the floating unit 16 will be described later, but a screw or the like can also be used. This position control makes it possible to float one floating unit 16 in a predetermined area, creating a wide area of ​​stagnant deep water in that area, thereby improving the environment of the relevant sea area.

[0020] 2 shows a longitudinal cross section of the gas-liquid mixer 22 and the air bubble atomization device 24. The gas-liquid mixer 22 receives deep-sea water 14 from the pumping pipe 18 and seawater from the surrounding sea area from a seawater inlet pipe 38. The gas-liquid mixer 22 is equipped with a pressure pump 40, which sends seawater containing deep-sea water into a Venturi tube 42. An air inlet pipe 44 is connected to the Venturi tube 42, where air is forcefully mixed into the seawater. Seawater mixed with a large amount of air bubbles flows from the Venturi tube 42 into the air bubble atomization device 24.

[0021] For example, many square pillars (obstacles in the flow path) are dispersed inside the air bubble atomization device 24. When seawater containing air bubbles flows into this, the air bubbles collide with the pillars multiple times, breaking them up and atomizing them. As a result, seawater containing microbubbles is ejected from the air bubble atomization device 24 to the outside.

[0022] In this way, by mixing a large amount of tiny air bubbles into the deep seawater, the specific gravity of the pumped deep seawater is made lighter. In this embodiment, the surrounding seawater is also mixed in, allowing a large amount of deep seawater to remain on the sea surface for a longer period of time.

[0023] The size of the fine air bubbles mixed into deep seawater is, for example, approximately 1 to 100 microns. Various structures are conceivable for devices that mix air bubbles into seawater. For example, a device that blows compressed air into seawater would be acceptable. In any case, the above device can be realized if a current of seawater containing air bubbles can be created and the air bubbles in that current can be made to collide with an obstacle and break down into fine bubbles.

[0024] Large bubbles in seawater discharged from the bubble miniaturization layer value of 24 disappear quickly. Small bubbles such as nanobubbles play a small role in lightening the deep seawater. If there are enough bubbles of a moderate size, the seawater can remain in the water for a certain period of time. If bubbles that make up about 10% of the total volume remain, the specific gravity of the seawater can be reduced by the volume of these bubbles. This allows the seawater to mix well with the surrounding seawater. As a result, it becomes possible to significantly extend the time that deep seawater components remain on the sea surface compared to conventional methods.

[0025] Air bubbles dissolved in seawater not only increase the time that seawater containing deep water remains near the ocean surface, but also play a role in directly supplying oxygen from the air to phytoplankton and fish. For example, they actively supply oxygen to seawater that has become oxygen-deficient due to a red tide. If photosynthesis by phytoplankton becomes more active here, they will be able to absorb more carbon dioxide from the air and release more oxygen. In this way, they also play a role in lowering the carbon dioxide concentration in the air.

[0026] Furthermore, some deep water, whose specific gravity has not been reduced sufficiently even after the air bubbles are mixed in, quickly sinks. As it sinks, it absorbs the carbon dioxide gas in the air bubbles as it is, so it is expected to have the same effect as burying carbon dioxide, which causes global warming, underground. [Example]

[0027] In this invention, a large number of floating units 16 for pumping deep-sea water are floated in a predetermined area, and the position of each floating unit 16 can be independently controlled, enabling them to be dispersed across a wide ocean area. Any method of position control can be used. For example, as shown in Figure 3, multiple gas-liquid mixers 22 and air bubble atomizers 24 are installed on each floating unit 16, facing in different directions. By varying the amount of seawater sprayed, the propulsion direction 46 can be freely controlled. The floating unit can also be slowly rotated to move around while releasing deep-sea water in all directions. In this way, large amounts of deep-sea water can be continuously pumped, creating areas where large amounts of deep-sea water remain nearby, improving the environment of a wide ocean area.

[0028] As shown in Figure 4(a), multiple floating units 16 can be placed on the sea to improve the environment of the entire sea area. Also, as shown in Figure 4(b), two or more floating units 16 can be connected with wires or rods to maintain their relative positions. The floating units can also be connected in a mesh-like pattern. This makes it possible, for example, to install power generation equipment on only some of the floating units and supply power to the other floating units.

[0029] The floating unit 16 has a long pumping pipe connected to its bottom, making it extremely stable with a low center of gravity. Therefore, it can withstand even moderately rough waves. Connecting multiple floating units with wires or other means makes it even more stable. The entire unit can be moved as needed to areas where water quality improvement is required. Connected in a train configuration, it can be towed by a boat and moved freely. Furthermore, in the event of an approaching typhoon, it can be evacuated in advance to a location that will avoid a direct hit from the typhoon.

[0030] Deep water is rich in minerals and other nutrients, allowing phytoplankton to grow in large quantities. Seaweed also thrives there. The large amount of phytoplankton produced has the effect of absorbing carbon dioxide from the air through photosynthesis and generating oxygen. Furthermore, the number of zooplankton that prey on this phytoplankton increases, which in turn leads to an increase in the number of small fish, thus activating the food chain. This improves the environment of the surrounding ocean. Furthermore, if this device were deployed in an area where the ocean temperature has become abnormally high and the environment has deteriorated, it would be possible to lower the ocean temperature to an appropriate level and improve the environment. In an area where multiple floating units are deployed, if the sea surface temperature can be kept relatively low over a wide area, it would be possible to reduce the energy supplied to typhoons and reduce the damage caused by typhoons. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 12 sea level 14 Deep Water 16 Floating Unit 18 Pumping pipe 20 Water pump 22 Gas-liquid mixing device 24 Air bubble atomizer 26 Power supply 28 Position control device 30 Communication equipment 32 Wind power generation equipment 34 Solar power generation equipment 36 Beacon light 38 Seawater inlet pipe 40 Pressure pump 42 Venturi tube 44 Air intake pipe 46 Propulsion direction

Claims

1. The floating unit that floats on the sea surface is provided with a gas-liquid mixer that pumps up deep sea water from a water pumping pipe and mixes the pumped deep sea water with air, and an air bubble atomization device that atomizes the mixed air bubbles; This floating unit mixes a large amount of fine air bubbles into the deep sea water, reducing the specific gravity of the pumped-up deep sea water and creating an area on the sea surface where the deep sea water remains, thereby creating an environmental improvement device for marine areas.

2. 2. The marine environment improvement device according to claim 1, wherein the gas-liquid mixing device mixes seawater from around the sea surface with the pumped deep seawater.

3. 3. The marine environment improvement device according to claim 1, wherein the floating unit that floats on the sea surface is provided with a propulsion device and a position control device that floats the area in which it is placed.

4. A method for improving the environment of a sea area, characterized by floating a floating unit that pumps deep seawater as described in claim 1 or 2 in a predetermined area and controlling its position, thereby creating an area where deep seawater stagnates in the area where the floating unit is placed, thereby improving the environment of the corresponding sea area.

5. A method for improving the environment of a sea area, characterized in that a plurality of floating units for pumping deep seawater as described in claim 1 or 2 are dispersed and floated in a predetermined area, and the positions of each floating unit are controlled independently or in conjunction with each other, thereby creating an area where deep seawater stagnates in the area where the floating units are placed, thereby improving the environment of the corresponding sea area.

Images