Nuclear-powered ships with improved stability

Abstract

The present invention relates to a nuclear-propulsion ship with improved stability, comprising: a reactor disposed within the hull that generates steam using thermal energy generated during nuclear fission; a turbine disposed within the hull and connected to the reactor that rotates due to impulse and reaction forces generated when the turbine collides with the steam; and a gyro stabilizer disposed within the hull that suppresses tilt of the hull through precession of a rotor that rotates around a spin axis, a gimbal that rotatably supports the spin axis, and a frame that rotatably supports the gimbal, wherein the turbine is attached to the spin axis of the gyro stabilizer and transmits rotational force to the spin axis, and the gyro stabilizer includes a generator attached to the spin axis, and the turbine rotates the spin axis and rotor, activating the generator to produce electricity.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a nuclear-propelled ship, and more specifically to a nuclear-propelled ship with improved stability, in which a turbine is driven by steam generated in a nuclear reactor, and the drive of the turbine activates a gyro stabilizer and a generator attached to it, thereby improving the stability of the hull by preventing the hull from tilting with the gyro stabilizer, and enabling a smooth power supply within the hull by generating electricity with the generator. [Background technology]

[0002] In the case of typical ships powered by internal combustion engines, not only do they consume a considerable amount of fossil fuels, but there is also the serious problem of harmful substances being emitted into the atmosphere during the process of burning fossil fuels.

[0003] To solve this problem, a "nuclear-powered ship" has been proposed, as disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0006545.

[0004] Nuclear-powered ships generate propulsion by rotating a shaft system using steam generated in a nuclear reactor to drive a turbine.Loading nuclear fuel into the reactor not only has the advantage of allowing the ship to continue sailing for long periods of time without refueling, but also has the advantage of increasing cargo capacity because there is no need to install fuel tanks, and saving the effort and time required to load fuel, thereby improving operational capacity.

[0005] On the other hand, since ships have six degrees of freedom of movement while sailing, various devices such as bilge keels and fin stabilizers are used to overcome the operational limitations on human life and equipment caused by excessive ship motion.

[0006] However, the use of various devices such as bilge keels and fin stabilizers has the problem of causing an additional decrease in the ship's propulsion resistance performance, and in the case of fin stabilizers in particular, there is the problem that their complex structure requires continuous maintenance.

[0007] For these reasons, gyro stabilizers have been applied to ships in recent years.

[0008] When a gyro stabilizer is applied to a ship, the gyro stabilizer performs precession when the ship's hull tilts, thereby suppressing the ship's tilt, thereby improving the ship's stability, i.e., its stability.

[0009] In addition, because the precession caused by the gyrostabilizer is in a different direction from the external forces acting on the ship, it can also reduce the effects of rocking and vibrations that occur inside the ship.

[0010] However, gyro stabilizers consume a considerable amount of power, which can disrupt the power supply on board the ship, and they also occupy a significant amount of space on board, which reduces the effective use of the space on board.

[0011] For the reasons mentioned above, attempts have been made in this field to develop nuclear-powered ships that can improve the stability of ships, ensure smooth power supply on board, and increase the effective use of onboard space, but the reality is that no satisfactory results have been achieved at this time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0012] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0006545 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0013] The present invention has been proposed to solve the problems of the prior art, and aims to provide a nuclear-propelled ship in which steam generated in a nuclear reactor drives a turbine, which in turn activates a gyrostabilizer and a generator installed therein, thereby improving the hull's stability by preventing the hull from tilting with the gyrostabilizer, and enabling a smooth power supply within the hull through the generation of electricity by the generator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides: We propose a nuclear-propelled ship with improved stability, comprising: a reactor located within the hull that generates steam using thermal energy generated during the nuclear fission process; a turbine connected to and installed within the hull that rotates due to impulse and reaction forces when it collides with the steam; a rotor located within the hull that rotates around a spin axis, a gimbal that rotatably supports the spin axis, and a gyro stabilizer that suppresses the tilt of the hull through the precession of a frame that rotatably supports the gimbal; the turbine is attached to the spin axis of the gyro stabilizer and transmits rotational force to the spin axis, the gyro stabilizer includes a generator attached to the spin axis, and the generator is operated to produce electricity as the spin axis and rotor are rotated by the turbine. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] The nuclear-propelled ship with improved stability according to the present invention not only includes a reactor and a turbine, but also has a gyro stabilizer. In particular, the turbine is attached to the spin axis of the gyro stabilizer, and the rotational force of the turbine, which is rotated by steam generated in the reactor, is transmitted to the spin axis of the gyro stabilizer, causing the rotor to rotate and precess. This suppresses the tilt of the hull and improves the stability of the ship.

[0016] In addition, the nuclear-propelled ship with improved stability according to the present invention includes a generator with a gyro stabilizer attached to the spin shaft, and the generator operates as the spin shaft and rotor rotate by the turbine, thereby producing electricity and ensuring a smooth power supply on board the ship. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a nuclear-propelled ship with improved stability according to the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a gyrostabilizer for a nuclear-propelled ship with improved stability according to the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is an exemplary diagram showing steam flow from a reactor to a turbine in a nuclear propulsion ship with improved stability according to the present invention; FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is an exemplary diagram showing power supply from a generator to a hull propulsion motor in a nuclear-propelled ship with improved stability according to the present invention; FIG. [Figure 5] 1 is an exemplary diagram showing reactor shielding in a nuclear propulsion ship with improved stability according to the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, a nuclear propulsion vessel (A) with improved stability according to the present invention includes a nuclear reactor (10), a turbine (20), and a gyrostabilizer (30).

[0020] The nuclear reactor (10) of the present invention is disposed within a ship hull (100) and generates steam using thermal energy generated during the nuclear fission process.

[0021] Such a nuclear reactor (10) can be of any conventional structure and type as long as it can generate steam using the thermal energy generated in the nuclear fission process, so a detailed description of the nuclear reactor (10) will be omitted.

[0022] On the other hand, the reactor (10) is covered with a shielding member (11) to prevent leakage of radioactivity.

[0023] In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the shielding member (11) is made up of an alpha ray shielding layer (11a) made of, for example, paper, a beta ray shielding layer (11b) made of, for example, thin metal, and a gamma ray shielding layer (11c) made of, for example, lead or steel, thereby stably preventing radiation leakage.

[0024] Additionally, the reactor (10) may be located in a separate enclosed chamber (110) within the hull (100), thereby restricting access.

[0025] The turbine (20) of the present invention is installed in the hull (100) and connected to the nuclear reactor (10), and rotates due to the impulse and reaction forces generated when it collides with steam.

[0026] Such a turbine (20) may be of any conventional structure and type as long as it can rotate due to the impulse and reaction forces generated when it collides with the steam flowing in from the reactor (10), and therefore a detailed description of the turbine (20) will be omitted.

[0027] On the other hand, the turbine (20) is attached to a spin shaft (31) of a gyro stabilizer (30) described below.

[0028] Therefore, the rotation of the turbine (20) causes the rotation of the spin shaft (31) of the gyrostabilizer (30) and the rotor (32) supported thereby, and the precession of the gyrostabilizer (30) can be performed.

[0029] At this time, the gyro stabilizer (30) is arranged inside the hull (100) as shown in Figure 2, and includes a rotor (32) that rotates around a spin axis (31), a gimbal (33) that rotatably supports the spin axis (31), and a frame (34) that rotatably supports the gimbal (33), and suppresses the tilt of the hull (100) through precession.

[0030] Here, the gyrostabilizer (30) includes a generator (35) attached to the spin shaft (31), and as the turbine (20) rotates the spin shaft (31) and the rotor (32), the generator (35) operates to generate electricity.

[0031] The gyrostabilizer (30) also includes a steam inlet line (36).

[0032] The steam inlet line (36) provided in the gyrostabilizer (30) runs from the reactor (10) through the frame (34) and gimbal (33) to the turbine (20). As shown in FIG. 3, steam generated in the reactor (10) flows into the turbine (20) through the steam inlet line (36), causing the turbine (20) to rotate.

[0033] The gyro stabilizer (30) also includes a power supply line (37).

[0034] The power supply line (37) provided in the gyrostabilizer (30) runs from the generator (35) through the gimbal (33) and frame (34) to the propulsion motor (120) of the hull (100). As shown in FIG. 4, the power generated by the generator (35) is supplied to the propulsion motor (120). As the rotating shaft of the propulsion motor (120) rotates, the propeller (150) connected to the rotating shaft of the propulsion motor (120) rotates, thereby enabling propulsion.

[0035] In this case, a switchboard (130) and an inverter / converter (140) are provided between the power supply line (37) provided in the gyro stabilizer (30) and the propulsion motor (120) of the hull (100), and power distribution can be performed by the switchboard (130) and power conversion can be performed by the inverter / converter (140).

[0036] On the other hand, the gyrostabilizer (30) may be located in a separate closed room (110) within the hull (100) together with the reactor (10), thereby restricting access.

[0037] Furthermore, the nuclear propulsion vessel (A) with improved stability according to the present invention may further include an auxiliary generator (40).

[0038] At this time, the auxiliary generator (40) is driven by the waste heat of the steam after driving the turbine (20), thereby making it possible to utilize the waste heat of the steam.

[0039] Such an auxiliary generator (40) may be of any conventional structure and type as long as it is capable of generating electricity by being driven by the waste heat of the steam after driving the turbine (20), and therefore a detailed description of the auxiliary generator (40) will be omitted.

[0040] Furthermore, the nuclear propulsion vessel (A) with improved stability according to the present invention may further include an auxiliary turbine (50).

[0041] At this time, the auxiliary turbine (50) is involved in the propulsion of the hull (100) and the production of electricity within the hull (100), which may further facilitate the propulsion of the hull (100) and the production of electricity within the hull (100).

[0042] That is, by connecting the auxiliary turbine (50) to the rotating shaft of the propeller (150) of the hull (100), the rotation of the auxiliary turbine (50) rotates the propeller (150), thereby propelling the hull (100). Furthermore, by connecting the auxiliary turbine (50) to a generator (35) other than the generator (35) attached to the gyro stabilizer (30), for example, the auxiliary generator (40) described above, the rotation of the auxiliary turbine (50) operates the auxiliary generator (40), thereby further producing electricity.

[0043] As with the turbine 20 described above, the auxiliary turbine 50 may be of any conventional structure and type as long as it can be rotated by the impulse and reaction forces generated when it collides with the steam generated in the reactor 10, and therefore a detailed description of the auxiliary turbine 50 will be omitted.

[0044] The improvement in stability using the nuclear-propelled ship (A) with improved stability according to the present invention will be described in detail below.

[0045] The present invention includes a nuclear reactor (10) disposed within the hull (100) that generates steam using thermal energy generated during the nuclear fission process, a turbine (20) that is connected to the nuclear reactor (10) within the hull (100) and rotates due to impulse and reaction forces generated when the turbine collides with the steam, and a gyrostabilizer (30) disposed within the hull (100).

[0046] Therefore, when tilting occurs during the operation of the hull (100), the rotor (32) arranged on the spin axis (31) of the gyro stabilizer (30) rotates and performs precession, thereby suppressing the tilting of the hull (100), thereby not only improving the ship's stability but also reducing the effects of rocking and vibrations occurring inside the hull (100).

[0047] However, since the gyro stabilizer (30) requires power during its operation, there is a possibility that costs and complications will arise due to the installation of a separate power supply device.

[0048] However, the turbine (20) of the present invention is particularly attached to the spin shaft (31) of the gyro stabilizer (30), and the rotational force of the turbine (20), which is rotated by steam generated in the reactor (10), is transmitted to the spin shaft (31) of the gyro stabilizer (30), causing the rotor (32) to rotate and precess. This reduces the cost and complexity associated with installing a separate power supply device for operating the gyro stabilizer (30).

[0049] At this time, the gyro stabilizer (30) includes a steam inlet line (36) that runs from the reactor (10) through the frame (34) and the gimbal (33) to the turbine (20), and the steam generated in the reactor (10) flows into the turbine (20) through the steam inlet line (36), causing the turbine (20) to rotate.

[0050] In addition, the nuclear propulsion ship (A) with improved stability according to the present invention can smoothly supply power within the hull (100).

[0051] That is, the gyro stabilizer (30) of the present invention includes a generator (35) attached to the spin shaft (31), and the generator (35) operates as the spin shaft (31) and rotor (32) are rotated by the turbine (20), thereby generating electricity and enabling a smooth power supply within the hull (100).

[0052] Here, the gyro stabilizer (30) includes a power supply line (37) that runs from the generator (35) through the gimbal (33) and frame (34) to the propulsion motor (120) of the hull (100). The power generated by the generator (35) is supplied to the propulsion motor (120). As the rotating shaft of the propulsion motor (120) rotates, the propeller (150) connected to the rotating shaft of the propulsion motor (120) rotates, thereby propelling the ship.

[0053] Furthermore, the nuclear-powered ship (A) with improved stability according to the present invention can utilize the waste heat of steam after driving the turbine (20).

[0054] That is, the nuclear propulsion ship (A) with improved stability according to the present invention may further include an auxiliary generator (40), and the auxiliary generator (40) is operated by the waste heat of steam after driving the turbine (20), thereby making it possible to generate electricity by utilizing the waste heat of steam after driving the turbine (20).

[0055] In addition, the nuclear propulsion ship (A) with improved stability according to the present invention can more smoothly propel the hull (100) and generate electricity within the hull (100).

[0056] That is, the nuclear-propelled ship (A) with improved stability according to the present invention may further include an auxiliary turbine (50). The auxiliary turbine (50) can propel the hull (100) by rotating while connected to the rotating shaft of the propeller (150) of the hull (100), and the auxiliary turbine (50) can produce additional power by rotating while connected to a generator (35) separate from the generator (35) attached to the gyrostabilizer (30), such as the auxiliary generator (40), thereby further smoothing the propulsion of the hull (100) and the production of power within the hull (100).

[0057] The present invention described above is not limited to the above examples, and can be modified within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims, and such modifications are included in the scope of protection of the invention as defined in the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 10: Nuclear reactor 11: Shielding material 11a: Alpha ray shielding layer 11b: Beta ray shielding layer 11c: Gamma ray shielding layer 20: Turbine 30: Gyro stabilizer 31: Spin axis 32: Rotor 33: Gimbal 34: Frame 35: Generator 36: Steam inlet line 37: Power supply line 40: Auxiliary generator 50: Auxiliary turbine 100: Hull 110: Secret room 120: Propulsion motor 130: Switchboard 140: Inverter / Converter 150: Propeller A: Nuclear propulsion ship [Industrial Applicability]

[0059] The present invention has industrial applicability in the manufacture of nuclear-propelled ships, as the turbine is driven by steam generated in the reactor, and the drive of the turbine activates the gyrostabilizer and the generator installed therein.This means that the gyrostabilizer can improve the hull's stability by suppressing the hull's tilt, and the generator can generate electricity to facilitate the supply of power within the hull.

Claims

1. A nuclear reactor located within the hull generates steam using the thermal energy generated by the nuclear fission process; a turbine installed in the hull and connected to the reactor, the turbine rotating by impulse and reaction force when the turbine collides with the steam; a rotor disposed within the hull and rotating around a spin axis, a gimbal rotatably supporting the spin axis, and a gyro stabilizer that suppresses tilting of the hull by precession of a frame rotatably supporting the gimbal, the turbine is attached to the spin shaft of the gyro stabilizer and transmits a rotational force to the spin shaft; The gyro stabilizer includes a generator attached to the spin shaft, and the generator is operated to generate electricity as the spin shaft and rotor are rotated by the turbine.

2. 2. The nuclear propulsion ship with improved stability according to claim 1, wherein the gyro stabilizer includes a steam inlet line extending from the reactor to the turbine via the frame and gimbal.

3. 2. The nuclear-propelled vessel with improved stability according to claim 1, wherein the gyro stabilizer includes a power supply line extending from the generator through the gimbal and frame to the propulsion motor of the vessel.

4. 2. The nuclear propulsion ship with improved stability according to claim 1, wherein the reactor is covered with a shielding member to prevent radiation leakage.

5. 2. The nuclear propulsion ship with improved stability according to claim 1, wherein the reactor and the gyrostabilizer are arranged in separate closed rooms within the hull.

6. 2. The nuclear propulsion ship with improved resilience according to claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary generator that operates using waste heat of the steam to produce electricity after driving the turbine.

7. 2. The nuclear propulsion ship with improved stability according to claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary turbine that rotates by impulse and reaction force when colliding with the steam generated in the nuclear reactor, propels the hull, and generates electricity within the hull.

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