Wave power generation device

Abstract

The objective is to provide wave power generation equipment with construction costs kept to a level that does not hinder widespread adoption. [Solution] The wave power generation device 1 of this embodiment comprises a floating body 2 having a specific gravity less than seawater, an installation body 3 held in the sea, a power generation device 4 fixed to the installation body 3, an anchor weight 6 installed on the seabed, and a wire rope 7 connecting the installation body 3 and the anchor weight 6. The floating body 2 is provided with a rack gear 14, and the power generation device 4 is provided with a pinion gear 19. The rack gear 14 and the pinion gear 19 mesh together, and as the floating body 2 moves up and down due to wave force, the pinion gear 19 rotates and the power generation device 4 generates electricity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an ocean-installed wave power generation device that places a power generation device underwater and utilizes the buoyancy accompanying the fluctuation of wave height.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a wave power generation device that sends seawater (7) from a cylinder (2) to an air chamber (4) by a piston (3) connected to a floating body (1) that moves up and down by waves, and rotates a turbine (5) by the rectified seawater (7) sent out from the air chamber (4) to generate electricity (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] In this wave power generation device, the power of the floating body (1) that moves up and down by waves is transmitted to the piston (3) by a pulley (10) and a wire (11).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the wave power generation device described in Patent Document 1, the floating body (1) is installed on the sea, but devices such as the cylinder (2), piston (3), air chamber (4), turbine generator (5), pulley (10), wire (11), etc. are fixed to the seabed adjacent to land or on land, and the installation construction costs such as the fixing and construction of the devices are extremely high, which has become an obstacle to popularization. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and provide a wave power generation device in which the construction cost is suppressed to such an extent that it does not become an obstacle to popularization.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] This invention comprises a floating body having a specific gravity less than seawater, a mounting body held in the sea, a power generation device fixed to the mounting body, a weight installed on the seabed, and a connecting member connecting the mounting body and the weight, wherein the floating body is provided with a rack gear, and the power generation device is provided with a pinion gear, and the rack gear and the pinion gear mesh together, and as the floating body moves up and down due to wave force, the pinion gear rotates and the generator generates electricity. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] This invention makes it possible to provide a wave power generation device that can be installed with construction costs that do not hinder widespread adoption. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a wave power generation device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the wave power generation device in the same embodiment with the tilt prevention body removed. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the installation body, anchor weight, and wire rope of the same embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view of the installation body and power generation device of the same embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view of the tilt prevention body of the same embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view showing the method for recovering waste lubricating oil according to the same embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The embodiments of this invention will be described below with reference to the attached Figures 1 to 6. Not all of the configurations described below are necessarily essential requirements of this invention.

[0010] As shown in Figure 1, the wave power generation device 1 of this embodiment comprises a floating body 2, an installation body 3, a power generation device 4, a tilt prevention body 5, an anchor weight 6 which is a weight such as a wave-dissipating block, and a wire rope 7 which is a connecting member.

[0011] As shown in Figure 2, the floating body 2 has a substantially cylindrical upper cylindrical portion 11 and a substantially cylindrical lower cylindrical portion 12 with a larger diameter than the upper cylindrical portion 11, and is made of a material that is submerged in water to about half its volume. The size of the floating body 2 is not limited, but in this embodiment, the upper cylindrical portion 11 has a diameter of 2 m and a height of 3.5 m, and the lower cylindrical portion 12 has a diameter of 2.82 m and a height of 2 m, with a total volume of approximately 23.47 m³. 3 The weight of floating body 2 is 12,442 kg. Approximately 3.5 m of the upper part of floating body 2 is exposed above the sea surface, and approximately 2 m of the lower part is submerged in seawater. Therefore, it can utilize buoyancy up to a wave height of 3.5 m. Floating body 2 has a specific gravity of approximately 0.53, and the weight 16 described later weighs 118 kg, so the total weight of floating body 2 is 12,560 kg, resulting in the submersion status of floating body 2 described above.

[0012] A rack gear 14 is connected to and fixed to the center of the bottom of the floating body 2. A weight 16 is also suspended from the bottom of the floating body 2 by a suspension wire 15. The suspension wire 15 is inserted through a through hole 17 in the installation body 3, which will be described later, and the weight 16 is located below the installation body 3.

[0013] As shown in Figure 3, the installation body 3 has a roughly cross shape in plan view. The size of the installation body 3 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, the installation body 3 has L1=6m, L2=2m, and L3=2.5m, and its volume is approximately 50m³. 3 The installation body 3 may be hollow or filled with a lightweight material. The installation body 3 is designed to generate a buoyancy of 50 × 1,000 kgf, with gravity being 3 / 10 of the buoyancy, resulting in an upward force of 50 × 1,000 kgf - 0.3 × 50 × 1,000 kgf = 35,000 kgf. As will be described later, the installation body 3 is maintained in the sea because it is connected to an anchor weight 6 installed on the seabed by a wire rope 7. In addition, a through hole 17 opening vertically is formed in the center of the installation body 3.

[0014] As shown in Figure 4, the power generator 4 is fixed to the upper surface 18 of the mounting body 3. The power generator 4 has a pinion gear 19, which is supported and fixed to the rack bush 8 of the power generator 4 and meshes with the rack gear 14 of the floating body 2. The pinion gear 19 is connected to the drive shaft (not shown) of the power generator 4, and power is generated by the power generator 4 as the pinion gear 19 rotates.

[0015] As shown in Figure 5, the tilt prevention body 5 is formed in a roughly cylindrical shape using metal (iron) rods. Specifically, it consists of three annular members connected by four rod-shaped members, and is fixed to the mounting body 3 by fasteners 9 while resting on the mounting body 3. The tilt prevention body 5 is also fixed by multiple fixing wires 20 installed on the upper surface 18 of the mounting body 3. The inner diameter of the tilt prevention body 5 is formed to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the lower cylindrical portion 12 of the floating body 2. The floating body 2 is positioned inside the tilt prevention body 5, and the tilt prevention body 5 is positioned around the lower cylindrical portion 12. Therefore, even if the floating body 2 tilts, it will come into contact with the tilt prevention body 5, preventing it from tilting any further. A stopper 10 is provided in the middle of the tilt prevention body 5 in the vertical direction, and the range of downward movement of the floating body 2 is determined by contact with this stopper 10.

[0016] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the installation body 3 is connected to anchor weights 6 installed on the seabed by wire ropes 7. The anchor weights 6 securely fix the installation body 3 in the water. In this embodiment, four anchor weights are used, each weighing 20 tons. However, the number, weight, and shape of the anchor weights can be changed as appropriate, as long as they can stably hold the installation body 3. The length of the wire ropes 7 is adjusted so that the installation body 3 is always held horizontally in the sea. In this embodiment, four wire ropes 7 are used, the same number as the anchor weights 6. However, the number and material of the wire ropes 7 can be changed as appropriate, as long as they can stably hold the installation body 3.

[0017] Here, a power generation method by the power generation device 4 will be described. When the floating body 2 moves up and down under the action of wave power, the rack gear 14 fixed to the floating body 2 moves up and down integrally. Due to the up and down movement of the rack gear 14, the pinion gear 19 meshing with the rack gear 14 rotates, and the drive shaft of the power generation device 4 connected to the pinion gear 19 rotates to generate electricity. Therefore, power generation is carried out when wave power in the vertical direction is applied to the floating body 2. The generated electricity may be transmitted through a power transmission line (not shown).

[0018] Figure 6 shows a method for recovering waste lubricating oil used in the rack gear 14 and the pinion gear 19. An umbrella-shaped recovery body 21 is arranged above the pinion gear 19 using lubricating oil so as to cover it, and a recovery pipe 22 is connected to the uppermost part of the recovery body 21. The recovery body 21 is fixed to the upper surface portion 18 of the installation body 3 by a plurality of support columns 23. The recovery body 21 is arranged between the floating body 2 and the installation body 3. An insertion hole (not shown) through which the rack gear 14 is inserted is formed in the recovery body 21.

[0019] The upper end of the recovery pipe 22 is connected to a recovery tank 24. Since the waste lubricating oil used in the pinion gear 19 etc. has a specific gravity smaller than that of seawater, it rises in the sea, rises inside the recovery body 21, flows through the recovery pipe 22, and is stored in the recovery tank 24. Seawater also flows into the recovery tank 24, but in the recovery tank 24, the waste lubricating oil separates and is stored on the upper side and the seawater is stored on the lower side, and the same amount of seawater as the recovered amount of waste lubricating oil is discharged into the sea from a drain port 25 provided at the lower part of the recovery tank 24. The recovery tank 24 is detachably attached to the anti-tilting body 5 and can be replaced when a predetermined amount of waste lubricating oil is stored.

[0020] As described above, the wave power generation device 1 of the present embodiment includes a floating body 2 having a specific gravity smaller than that of seawater, an installation body 3 held in the sea, a power generation device 4 fixed to the installation body 3, an anchor weight 6 installed on the seabed, and a wire rope 7 connecting the installation body 3 and the anchor weight 6. A rack gear 14 is provided on the floating body 2, and a pinion gear 19 is provided on the power generation device 4. The rack gear 14 and the pinion gear 19 are engaged with each other. When the floating body 2 moves up and down due to wave power, the pinion gear 19 rotates and power is generated by the power generation device 4. Since the wave power generation device 1 is submerged in the sea and fixed by the anchor weight 6, there is no need for a building or the like on land, and the construction cost can be suppressed to such an extent that it does not become an obstacle to popularization.

[0021] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, since the installation body 3 is fixed by four wire ropes 7, it has a substantially cross shape, but other shapes may be used.

Explanation of Signs

[0022] 1 Wave power generation device 2 Floating body 3 Installation body 4 Power generation device 5 Tilt prevention body 6 Anchor weight (weight body) 7 Wire rope (connecting member) 8 Rack bush 9 Stop fitting 10 Stopper 11 Upper cylindrical part 12 Lower cylindrical part 14 Rack gear 15 Suspension 16 Weight 17 Through hole 18 Upper surface part 19 Pinion gear 20 Fixed wire 21 Recovery body 22 Recovery pipe 23 Support column 24 Recovery Tanks 25 Drain

Claims

[Claim 1] A floating material with a specific gravity lower than seawater, An installation structure held in the sea, A power generation device fixed to the aforementioned installation body, A weight to be installed on the seabed, The system includes a connecting member that connects the installation body and the weight, The floating body is provided with a rack gear, The aforementioned power generation device is provided with a pinion gear, The rack gear and the pinion gear are meshed together. A wave power generation device characterized in that the floating body moves up and down due to wave force, causing the pinion gear to rotate and generating electricity through the power generation device.

Images