Floating siphon power generation equipment

Abstract

To provide a siphon-type hydro power generation / transformation facility which can be manufactured at a factory such as a shipbuilding yard, shortens a manufacturing / installation period, prevents an accident such as the foundering of float power generation facility, prevents the deterioration of power generation efficiency, and can be used in a place in which a change of a water level is large.SOLUTION: A control chamber 5 integrated with the other speed governor of a power generator 4, a transformation facility and a power transmission facility is installed on a floating body 1, and the number of sets of land construction facilities is reduced. In a soft hose part of a water pipe 10, a center of gravity of the floating body is lowered by being connected to a water discharge pipe through water up to a lower part of a weir part, thus making balance favorable. By anchoring a floating body facility to an anchor rail 14 which is vertically installed on a water face, a moving range of the floating body is limited to only a vertical direction. A siphon-type hydro power generation / transformation facility has a water level detector for detecting a water level of a lake water face, a separation / connection mechanism for separating a conduit pipe 8 existing in lake water and a connection part of the water pipe from each other, and reconnecting them, and also has an opening / closing valve for avoiding the leakage of water in a siphon pipe. Also, a float is attached to an upper part of a water pipe connection part which is separated, and a weight and a ski-plate shaped leg are attached to a lower part thereof.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention particularly relates to hydroelectric power generation equipment that is floated on the surface of a lake near a dam built on a river, pond, lake, etc. to generate hydroelectric power, and in particular to a floating siphon-type power generation equipment in which a siphon-type hydroelectric power generation equipment is installed on a floating facility such as a raft or ship. [Background technology]

[0002] In conventional power generation facilities, the water conduit from the intake to the power plant and the power plant were all constructed through civil engineering work and construction work starting from foundation work. The construction period for the power plant itself was long, and a lot of civil engineering and construction work other than the power plant, such as building roads to transport each piece of equipment, was also required. In addition, power plants had to be located in places where they would not be submerged during floods, and when generating electricity using water from a dam lake or other impounded lake, it was necessary to guide the water from an intake in the impounded lake to the power plant through a long water conduit. Civil engineering, construction, and architectural projects like this require foundation work, and the construction period is long, including the curing of concrete. We therefore came up with the idea of ​​a floating power generation facility, in which the generating equipment necessary for a power plant, control equipment such as a governor to control the power generation, and transformer and transmission equipment for transmitting the electricity are placed on a floating body such as a ship or raft. Floating offshore wind and tidal power generation technologies exist. Patent Publication 2016-196858 describes a facility that generates electricity by floating on a dam on a river, lake, or other body of water. However, the equipment placed on the floating structure known as a floating island consists only of a water turbine and a generator, and there is no mention of the incorporation of control equipment such as a governor, or transformation and transmission equipment. In addition, in JP 2016-196858, the method of mooring a floating body called a floating island uses only a bellows-type flexible pipe, which allows it to float too freely, and so there is a possibility that it will fall from the dam when the water level becomes higher than the dam, or that if the flexible pipe becomes fully stretched by the water current and the force of the water current increases further, it will lose balance and capsize, or other accidents may occur. In addition, in JP 2016-196858 A, the water supply pipe of the flexible hose is connected from the top of the floating structure through the air to a water discharge pipe installed in a dam. If the water supply pipe of the flexible hose is filled with water, it will be a considerable load, and since the center of gravity is also high, the balance of the float will be poor, and as mentioned above, if the force of the water current increases or the float runs aground, there is a very high possibility of an accident such as losing balance and capsizing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] Patent Publication 2016-196858 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] By making it possible to produce most of the siphon-type power generation and substation equipment in factories such as shipyards, and limiting the amount of equipment to be constructed on-site to mooring equipment and discharge pipes, and minimizing the need to build waterways to the power plant and buildings such as power plant substations, the manufacturing and installation period of the power generation and substation equipment can be significantly shortened. In addition, the center of gravity of the floating facility will be lowered to give it a well-balanced structure, reducing the risk of accidents such as capsizing.

[0005] To prevent accidents such as sinking due to running aground or falling off a dam of a floating power generation facility. To prevent troubles such as stop of power generation due to outflow of water from a water supply pipe, or deterioration of power generation efficiency due to increased resistance caused by a soft hose being longer than necessary or bent in a complex manner.

[0006] To enable the use of floating siphon type power generation equipment in places such as dam lakes where the water level change may exceed the range of change possible for siphon type power generation, by disconnecting and reconnecting the water supply pipe.

[0007] This is to prevent the disconnected water pipe from coming into contact with the bottom of the lake and causing mud or other debris to adhere to the connection, which could hinder reconnection. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] Not only will a generator be installed on the floating structure, but also a control room that integrates a governor, substation equipment, and transmission equipment, thereby minimizing the amount of equipment installed on land. In addition, the soft hose for the water supply pipe is placed underwater and passes underwater to the bottom of the dam, then rises along the dam and connects to the water discharge pipe, making it less likely that the weight of the water in the water supply pipe will affect the balance of the floating equipment.

[0009] By attaching mooring devices such as pulleys or bearings to the floating equipment of claim 1 and mooring the floating equipment to the mooring rails installed vertically to the water surface, the range of movement of the float is limited to the vertical direction only.

[0010] The floating siphon type hydroelectric power generation equipment is equipped with a water level detector that detects the water level of the lake surface on which the equipment floats, and a connection mechanism that disconnects and reconnects the connection at the connection between the water conveyance pipe inscribed in the water turbine underwater in the dam lake and the water supply pipe, or at a connection in the middle of the water supply pipe. In addition, after the connection is disconnected, it has an opening and closing valve to prevent water from flowing out from the disconnected water supply pipe to the discharge pipe, and it has a mechanism for attaching a mooring rope (wire) to the water supply pipe so that it can be pulled back when reconnecting.

[0011] The non-detachment side connection portion has a guide portion through which a mooring device such as a wire or rope passes, and a plurality of protrusions or guide holes. The release side connection part has a connection part for a mooring device such as a wire or rope, and a plurality of guide holes or protrusions corresponding to the protrusions or guide holes of the non-release side connection part. Also, a joint confirmation sensor is provided at the non-disconnection side connection portion or the disconnection side connection portion, making it possible to confirm the connected and disconnected states of the joint portion. A permanent magnet or electromagnet, and an electromagnet are respectively installed at a plurality of opposing positions when the non-separation side and separation side connection parts are connected, and when separating, one of the permanent magnets or electromagnets is energized to generate a magnetic field that repels the other electromagnet, thereby enabling separation. In addition, when connecting, a joint confirmation sensor confirms that the two connection parts are close to each other, and then the mechanism reconnects the two parts by passing electricity through one electromagnet so that the other electromagnet generates a magnetic field that attracts the other permanent magnet or electromagnet.

[0012] The disconnection side connection part has a float installed at the top, and a weight and ski-shaped feet attached at symmetrical positions on the left and right at the bottom. Effect of the Invention

[0013] In the invention of claim 1, a water pipe, a water turbine placed inside the water pipe, and a water supply pipe are placed underneath the float, and not only a generator but also a control room integrating a speed governor, substation equipment, and power transmission equipment are installed on top of the float. By making this into a single float, it is possible to minimize the number of buildings on land and to efficiently manufacture floating power generation equipment in factories such as shipyards. When building a structure on land, it is necessary to lay the foundations, install the building, and install equipment in the building, so roads must also be constructed to transport these things. In addition, since power plants and substations are to be located in safe places where there is no need to worry about flooding, the water conduits leading to them will be long, which will significantly increase costs such as land acquisition, and will require foundation work for buildings, which will lengthen the construction period due to the need to cure the concrete. Assembling power generation and substation equipment on-site requires the transportation and accumulation of materials, as well as the use of equipment other than the power generation and substation equipment, such as cranes, making it an inefficient process. At the very least, by eliminating the need for construction and buildings such as the power plant, substation, and water conduit, the construction time required to set up the power plant can be shortened and construction can be carried out efficiently in factories. In addition, since floating facilities move back and forth, left and right, and up and down due to changes in water currents and water levels, part or all of the water supply pipes are made of soft hoses to allow for movement. Furthermore, as the float moves, there is a risk of accidents such as running aground or sinking; however, the soft hose section of the water supply pipe is placed underwater and passes underwater to the bottom of the dam, then rises along the dam and connects to the discharge pipe. This lowers the center of gravity of the float and makes it less likely for the weight of the water in the water supply pipe to affect the balance of the floating equipment. This significantly reduces the possibility of accidents such as the float losing balance and capsizing if the force of the water current on the lake surface increases or the float runs aground.

[0014] In the invention of claim 2, mooring devices such as pulleys or bearings are attached to the floating siphon type power generation equipment on a mooring rail installed vertically to the water surface, and the floating equipment is moored to the mooring rail, limiting the movement range of the float to the vertical direction only. This eliminates accidents such as running aground due to the floating equipment moving around unnecessarily back and forth and side to side, or capsizing due to additional force being applied to the fully stretched mooring device such as a soft hose, causing the equipment to lose balance. In addition, the length of the soft hose can be set to the minimum length necessary for siphon-type power generation, and since it does not move beyond the necessary range other than up and down, unnecessary bending is eliminated, the water supply resistance inside the soft hose is reduced, and pressure loss is reduced, allowing for efficient power generation.

[0015] In a large reservoir, the water level usually changes by several tens of meters between full and empty levels, but with a siphon-type power generation system, the water can only be pumped up enough to overcome the dam using atmospheric pressure, which is at most about 9 meters. For this reason, siphon-type power generation equipment has never been installed in dam lakes where the water level changes greatly. The invention of claim 3 has a water level detector that detects the water level of the lake surface on which the floating siphon type hydroelectric power generation equipment floats, and a connection part is provided at the connection part between the water conveyance pipe and the water supply pipe, which has a water turbine installed inside the lake water of the dam lake, or at the middle of the water supply pipe, and a disconnection and connection mechanism that disconnects and reconnects the connection part, and an opening and closing valve to prevent water from flowing out from the disconnected water supply pipe to the discharge pipe after the connection part is disconnected, and a mooring device such as a rope or wire is attached to the water supply pipe so that the water supply pipe can be pulled back when reconnecting, so that the water level detector detects the limit of continued siphon type power generation and the disconnection and connection mechanism of the water supply pipe disconnects the connection part, and when the water level reaches a level where siphon type power generation can be resumed, the disconnected connection part is pulled in and reconnected, making it possible to resume power generation. This makes it possible to use floating siphon-type power generation equipment in dam lakes and other embankment lakes where the water level changes greatly. There are a great many dams in Japan, and we believe that floating factory-fabricated floating power generation equipment on these dams, making it easy to generate electricity, will reduce thermal power generation, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and make a major contribution to protecting the global environment.

[0016] The invention of claim 4 is a specific proposal for a disconnection and connection mechanism for a water supply pipe connection part. The non-detachment side connection part has a guide part for passing a mooring device such as a wire or rope and multiple protrusions or guide holes, and the detachment side connection part has a connection part for a mooring device such as a wire or rope, and multiple guide holes or protrusions corresponding to the protrusions or guide holes of the non-detachment side connection part. In addition, a connection confirmation sensor is provided at the non-separation side connection part or the separation connection part, and a permanent magnet or electromagnet, and an electromagnet are respectively installed at the opposing positions of the non-separation side and separation side connection parts when connecting, and when separating, one of the permanent magnets or electromagnets is energized so as to generate a magnetic field that repels the other electromagnet, thereby separating it, and when connecting, the connection confirmation sensor confirms that the two connection parts have come close to each other, and then the other electromagnet is energized so as to generate a magnetic field that attracts the one permanent magnet or electromagnet, thereby reconnecting it. By changing the direction of the magnetic field using an electromagnet, the magnets can be separated by repulsion and reconnected by attraction. The separated connection parts can be tethered with a wire or the like, so that they can be pulled together even if they become separated, and guide holes and protrusions can be used to position them in the specified position, making effective use of the magnetic force of the electromagnets, making it an invention that has a simple structure and allows for a reliable separation and reconnection mechanism.

[0017] The invention of claim 5 relates to a specific mechanism for the water supply pipe on the disconnecting side of the invention, which is a connection part consisting of two connection parts, the disconnecting side of the water supply pipe of claim 3 and the non-disconnecting side of the water conveyance pipe. The disconnection side connection part is characterized in that a float is installed at the top and ski-shaped feet are attached to the bottom at positions symmetrical to the weight. The float at the top, the weight attached to the bottom, and the ski-shaped feet positioned symmetrically on the left and right make the up and down positions of the water supply pipe connection part clear in the water, and it sinks underwater with the float side on top and the weight side on the bottom, and when it hits the lake bottom, the ski-shaped feet hit the bottom first. When the pipe hits the bottom, the effect of the skis reduces the load per unit area on the bottom, preventing the pipe from sinking into the sludge. This mechanism prevents the disconnected water pipe from sinking under its own weight and hitting the bottom of the lake, causing sludge and other debris to adhere to the connection surface of the connection mechanism, resulting in a poor connection after reconnection and making it impossible to resume power generation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS EXAMPLES

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1-1 and FIG. 1-2 are top views and top views of an embodiment of claim 1. A cross-sectional view (side view) of the line AA' is shown. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1-1 and 1-2, the two hulls shown in Figures 1-1-1 and 1-1-2 are connected by a bridge shown in Figure 1-1-3 to form a floating body, and a generator shown in Figure 1-1-4 and a control room containing the power generation equipment, governor controller, transformation equipment and transmission equipment shown in Figure 1-1-5 are installed on the bridge. The generator has a shaft (Figure 1-1-6), which is connected to the water wheel (Figure 1-1-7) located underwater under the bridge. Under the bridge, there are a water conveyance pipe (Figure 1-1-8) and an intake (Figure 1-1-9) to direct water to the turbine, and a water supply pipe (Figure 1-1-10) to direct the water flow from the turbine to the discharge pipe (Figure 1-1-12) installed in the dam (Figure 1-1-11). The water supply pipe is made entirely or partly of a soft hose, so that water can continue to be supplied without any problems even if the hose is bent and the float moves to some extent. In order to keep the center of gravity of the float as low as possible and improve balance, the water supply pipe is placed underwater, and in particular the soft hose section is allowed to sag downward toward the water, passing underwater to the bottom of the dam, from which it rises along the dam and is connected to the discharge pipe. Furthermore, a siphon pipe that is constantly filled with water is formed from the water conveyance pipe to the water discharge pipe. The outlet of the discharge pipe is located at a position lower than the water level of the reservoir at the bottom of the dam section during droughts, and the greater the difference in elevation between the reservoir's water level and the outlet, the greater the amount of electricity generated. By using a siphon pipe from the water conveyance pipe to the discharge pipe in this way, even if the float moves up and down slightly due to changes in the water level, water can theoretically continue to be conveyed up to a height of approximately 9.8 m from the water surface to the top of the discharge pipe. The water turbine in Figure 1-1-7 is a water turbine with a speed regulating mechanism, such as a Kaplan turbine, and uses a screw-shaped water turbine.The speed of the water turbine can be adjusted by changing the accuracy of the screw blades using a servo motor (not shown) using a speed governor controller in the control room.This keeps the rotational speed of the water turbine constant in response to changes in the water flow velocity caused by changes in the vertical position of the float, and makes it possible to match the generated voltage and frequency to the voltage and frequency of the power receiving equipment to which the electricity is to be sent. A schematic diagram of an example of the control room shown in Figure 1-1-5 is shown in Figure 2. The control room contains various circuit breakers that detect various abnormalities and cut off the circuits, disconnectors that separate the circuits to allow for safe maintenance when no current is flowing through the circuits, various transformers that change voltage, various instruments such as wattmeters, ammeters, and voltmeters, detectors that detect abnormalities, control equipment such as turbine governor controllers and valve drive controllers, and commercial transformers that measure the electricity used for trading. The details of this control room will not be discussed in detail as they vary greatly depending on the facility. In this embodiment, the control of the turbine governor and valves is assumed to be all-electrically controlled by servo motors, but in some cases hydraulic control may be used and hydraulic pumps and solenoid valves may be stored in a room separate from the electrical control panel. In the control room example in Figure 2, first, the power line leading from the power company's power receiving equipment is connected to A commerce transformer (Figure 2-1) is installed and a power meter (Figure 2-1-1) is attached. Next, a disconnect switch (Figure 2-2) is installed so that the circuit can be disconnected from the power company side. Next, a circuit breaker (Figure 2-3) is placed, and the circuit can be remotely cut off using a signal circuit breaker (Figure 2-3-1). Next, the overcurrent circuit breaker (Figure 2-4) is placed, and when the overcurrent detector (Figure 2-5-7) detects an abnormal current, it cuts off the circuit. Next, a transformer (Figure 2-5) is placed to convert the voltage generated by the generator into the receiving voltage of the power company. Next, the wiring is branched in parallel into multiple systems of wiring, such as wiring connecting to a generator and wiring connecting to various control devices, and at the source of these is a wiring circuit breaker (Figure 2-6) that allows the circuit of each system to be cut off when an abnormality occurs in the circuit of that system. One of these systems is equipped with a transformer for on-site equipment (Figure 2-5-5), which converts voltage to the voltage required for control equipment and lighting used on-site, i.e., within the power generation facility, and on its secondary side is equipped with a turbine governor controller (Figure 2-7-5) and a valve drive controller (Figure 2-7-4). A current detection transformer (Figure 2-5-6) is installed in the system connected to the generator (Figure 2-10) to detect abnormal currents. In addition, an instrument transformer (Figure 2-5-1) is installed to measure voltage, frequency, power, etc., and in some cases, the circuit breaker is tripped if there is an abnormality. As mentioned above, these device configurations vary depending on the equipment, and are merely examples. The configuration of claim 1 of the present invention is as follows: the floats in Fig. 1-1-12 in Fig. 1 are excluded. These floats are manufactured in a factory, and the equipment is floated on the surface of a lake, the water supply pipe is connected to the water discharge pipe, and water is filled from the water conveyance pipe to the water discharge pipe to generate electricity. In this way, by placing siphon-type power generation equipment on a float and producing it in a factory such as a shipyard, it is possible to construct a power generation equipment with less civil engineering and construction work and a short construction period. By placing the water supply pipe underwater and supplying water through the water, the center of gravity of the float is lowered, improving balance, and the weight of the water being supplied does not cause the floating equipment to lose its balance and become a cause of accidents such as capsizing. This is the effect of the present invention.

[0019] 3 and 4 show a top view and a cross-sectional view (side view) of the portion AA' in the top view according to the embodiment of claim 2. FIG. In Figures 3 and 4, two cylindrical mooring rails (Figure 3-14 or Figure 4-14) are installed vertically down from the plate (Figure 3-13-1 or Figure 4-13-1) that protrudes above the water surface and is installed on the steel tower (Figure 3-13 or Figure 4-13) installed on the dam. Figures 3-1 to 12 and 4-1 to 12 show the floating facility described in claim 1. The siphon type floating power generation facility in Figure 3 described in claim 1 is equipped with bearings shown in Figures 3-15 and 4-15, and the mooring rail is passed through this bearing. This bearing allows the siphon type floating power generation facility to move only up and down along the rail even if the water level changes. In this way, compared to when a siphon-type floating power generation facility is moored with chains or ropes, the floating facility only moves up and down, which means that the water supply pipes can be shortened, piping resistance can be reduced, and the water flow rate cannot be reduced, maintaining high power generation efficiency and minimizing the possibility of accidents such as running aground or capsizing. In addition, in this claim, the mooring rail is installed perpendicular to the water surface, and installation on a steel tower as shown in Figure 3-13 or Figure 4-13 is merely one example of a method of installing the mooring rail. For example, the mooring rails may be vertically installed above the water surface on foundations driven into the lake bottom instead of steel towers, and may be made of concrete instead of steel towers. In addition, the bearings installed in the siphon-type floating facility may be pulleys or the like, and the rails may be rails shaped like railway rails. Furthermore, the number is not limited to two, but may be one or more. The configuration described in this claim is a siphon-type floating power generation facility in which a mooring rail installed vertically to the water surface and mooring equipment such as a pulley or bearing are attached to the floating facility of claim 1, and the floating facility is moored by the mooring rail.

[0020] An embodiment of claim 3 is shown in FIG. Figure 6 shows an explanatory diagram of the abnormal water level controller for this floating siphon type power generation facility. Theoretically, the maximum height that water can be pumped up using the siphon principle is about 9.8 m. However, in large dams, the water level can change by several tens of meters between low and high water levels. To generate electricity using a floating siphon in a dam lake like this, a hole must be drilled in the dam, which will be about 9m above the water level during droughts, to allow the water to be discharged through the pipe. However, this hole is located underwater at normal water levels, necessitating large-scale underwater penetration work into the dam. The invention of claim 3 aims to eliminate the need for large-scale construction such as underwater construction by installing a water supply pipe at the dam's water outlet, or by drilling a hole in the embankment at a position higher than the normal water level, and to generate electricity by mooring the floating siphon-type power generation equipment of claim 1 to a mooring equipment such as claim 2 installed in the dam embankment. In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, a laser distance sensor (Figure 5-16) is attached to the tip of the mooring tower (Figure 5-13) attached to the dam weir using a bracket (Figure 5-17), and the water level is secondarily detected by measuring the distance to the deck of the floating siphon power generation equipment (Figure 5-18) moored to a mooring rail (Figure 5-14) that is lowered from the mooring tower to the siphon equipment. The water supply pipe is equipped with the connection parts shown in Figure 5-19-1 and Figure 5-19-2, as well as the water supply pipe valves shown in Figure 5-19-3 before and after the connection parts. In addition, the water discharge pipe valve shown in Figure 5-21 is also installed at the outlet of the water discharge pipe shown in Figure 5-12. When the laser distance sensor detects that the water level has reached a point where it is difficult to continue siphon power generation, the connection to the water supply pipe is disconnected, but by closing these valves just before this happens, the water in the water supply pipe and discharge pipe is maintained without flowing out. After the water supply pipe is disconnected, when the laser distance sensor detects that the water level has returned to a level at which electricity can be generated, a mooring device such as a wire or rope (Figure 5-22-1) is attached to the connection part of the water supply pipe on the disconnected discharge pipe side (Figure 5-19-2) so that the water supply pipe can be easily reconnected. The wire is wound around a drum (Figure 5-22), and after it is separated, it is rotated and released by the weight of the water supply pipe on the discharge pipe side.However, by rotating the drum, the wire can be wound up and the water supply pipe connection part on the discharge pipe side can be easily pulled in, allowing it to be easily reconnected to the water supply pipe connection part on the floating siphon equipment side (Figure 5-19-1). Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram of the abnormal water level response controller for this floating siphon type power generation equipment. The abnormal water level response controller (Figure 6-1) determines whether the water level is sufficient for power generation based on the distance information from the laser distance sensor (Figure 6-2 (Figure 5-16) attached to the tip of the mooring tower (Figure 5-13) with a bracket (Figure 5-17) and the deck of the floating siphon type power generation equipment (Figure 5-18).If power generation becomes difficult, it first sends a valve close signal to the water supply pipe valve (Figure 6-3 (Figure 5-19-3)) installed at each connection and the discharge pipe valve (Figure 6-4 (Figure 5-21) installed at the discharge outlet) to close the valves and prevent water from leaking out of the water supply pipe and discharge pipe, and then sends a connection disconnection signal to the connection disconnection device (Figure 6-5) installed at the two connection parts to disconnect the connection parts. When the connection is disconnected, the disconnected water pipe (Figure 5-10) sinks into the water under its own weight. Next, when the disconnected water pipe is reconnected and power generation is resumed, the reconnect button is pressed on the control panel (Figure 6-6). The controller uses distance information from the laser distance sensor to confirm that the water level is at a level where the pipe can be reconnected and power generation can be continued without any problems. Then, electricity is applied to the motor (not shown in Figure 5-22) of the wire drum, and the motor rotates in the direction of winding the wire. The wire is wound through a guide hole provided at the joint in Fig. 5-19-1, so that the two joints are finally joined. The completion of the joint is detected by a current detector (not shown) that detects the increase in current flow due to the motor being overloaded by the joint.The controller may stop the wire winding motor upon seeing the increase in current flow, or it may stop the wire winding motor upon receiving a joint detection signal from the joint detection device (Figure 6-7) installed at the joint. Next, the controller sends a valve open signal to the water supply pipe valve (Figure 5-19-3) to open the valve, and then sends a valve open signal to the water outlet valve (Figure 5-21) to open the valve and begin discharging water, thereby resuming siphon-type power generation. In this detailed explanation, the water level detector is a laser distance sensor that measures the distance to the deck of the floating facility to detect the water level, but the sensor may be placed on the deck to measure the distance to a reflector installed on the mooring tower, or a GPS may be attached to the floating facility to detect the water level by measuring the altitude using the GPS. There are also methods that use other distance sensors such as ultrasonic sensors instead of laser sensors. In addition, the water pipe disconnecting mechanism may be a mechanical device such as a buckle for connecting and disconnecting the water pipe, or may be an electromagnet as in claim 4 of this patent. Although the mooring equipment such as wires is wound up using a drum, it is not limited to a drum and any device that can send out and retract mooring equipment such as wires can be used, and although the mooring equipment is explained as being wound up using a motor, it may also be wound up by hand. As described above, the configuration of the invention of this section is characterized by comprising a water level detector that detects the water level of the lake surface on which the floating siphon type hydroelectric power generation equipment floats, a disconnection and connection mechanism that disconnects and reconnects the connection between the water turbine and the water supply pipe in the lake water of the dam lake or the connection part installed in the middle of the water supply pipe, an opening and closing valve to prevent water from flowing out from the disconnected water supply pipe to the discharge pipe after the connection part is disconnected, a mooring device such as a rope or wire for the water supply pipe to allow the water supply pipe to be pulled back when reconnecting, and an abnormal water level response controller that opens and closes the opening and closing valve based on water level information detected by the water level detection unit, and controls the disconnection and connection operations of the disconnection and connection mechanism.

[0021] An embodiment of claim 4 is shown in FIG. This claim is an invention of an example of a specific mechanism for the disconnection and connection mechanism of the water supply pipe of the floating siphon type power generation equipment of claim 3. The connection part on the water supply pipe's side is called the non-detachment side connection part (Figure 7-1), and the connection part on the water supply pipe's side is called the detachment side connection part (Figure 7-2). The upper end of the non-detachment side connection part has a guide part (Figure 7-1-1) through which a mooring device such as a wire or rope stretched from a drum in the floating siphon equipment can be passed, and the detachment side connection part has a wire connection part (Figure 7-2-1) to which this mooring device such as wire or rope is attached. As a result, after the detachment side connection part is separated, the detachment side connection part falls under its own weight, and when it is reconnected, the drum is rotated and the mooring device such as a wire or rope is wound up, and the non-detachment side guide part and the wire connection part of the detachment guide part are joined so that they are the shortest possible. The non-separation side connection part has multiple cone-shaped protrusions (Figure 7-1-2), although there are three in Figure 7, and the separation side connection part has guide holes (Figure 7-2-2) at positions corresponding to the protrusions of the non-separation side connection part.When reconnecting, the two connection parts are drawn close to each other, and the protrusions and guide holes act as new guides, allowing the two connection parts to be accurately positioned and joined. A joining confirmation sensor (Figure 7-1-4) is attached to the non-separation part, making it possible to confirm that the separation part has approached the joining position. The joint confirmation sensor may be of various types, such as a proximity sensor or an optical sensor, but the type of sensor is not limited here. In addition, an O-ring (Figure 7-1-5) is attached to the non-detachable connection part, and an O-ring groove (Figure 7-2-5) is provided in the detachable connection part into which this O-ring fits when joined; this rubber O-ring and O-ring groove tightly seal the detachable connection part and non-detachable connection part, preventing water from leaking from the water supply pipe to the outside when the siphon water supply begins. Additionally, although there are three connections on the non-disconnect side here, multiple electromagnets (Figure 7-1-3) are installed, and a permanent magnet (Figure 7-2-3) is installed at the disconnect connection in a position opposite the electromagnets when joined. In this way, when the connection needs to be separated, the power to the drum motor is cut off, the drum is freed, and a current is passed in a direction that causes the electromagnet to generate a magnetic field that repels the permanent magnet, thereby reliably separating the connection. Also, when reconnecting, when the drum is turned and the wire is wound up, the guide part in Figure 7-1-1 and the wire connection part in Figure 7-2-1 approach each other, and the protrusion part in Figure 7-1-2 and the guide hole in Figure 7-2-2 act as positioning guides and approach the joining position. Next, when the connection confirmation sensor (Figure 7-1-4) detects that the two connecting parts have approached the joining position, the electromagnet (Figure 7-1-3) is energized so that it generates a magnetic field in a direction that attracts the permanent magnet (Figure 7-2-3).The connecting parts are then strongly attracted to each other by the magnetic force of the electromagnet and permanent magnet, and the O-ring is compressed to a certain extent, eliminating any gaps, resulting in a strong joint and preventing water from leaking when water is passing through the water pipe. In the above embodiment, one of the magnets is a permanent magnet, but it is of course possible to replace the permanent magnet with an electromagnet. In addition, the number of combinations of permanent magnets and electromagnets is three pairs in this example, but the number of combinations is not limited; for example, if the entire joint surface is electroweak, the number becomes one pair. By using electromagnets in this way for the separation and reconnection mechanism, it is possible to easily obtain both a joining force sufficient to prevent internal water from leaking when water is passed through the internal water pipe, and a separating force sufficient to reliably separate the connection. When considering a mechanical connection by tightening with a buckle or the like, a mechanism for closing the buckle, a mechanism for opening the buckle, and a push-out mechanism for reliably separating the separation connection part from the non-separation connection part after the buckle is opened are required, and these mechanisms are extremely complicated compared to those that use electromagnets. The invention of this claim has a significantly reduced number of parts compared to such mechanisms, making it possible to separate and rejoin.

[0022] The explanatory diagram of claim 5 is shown in FIG. This claim is an invention of an example of a specific mechanism of the connection part on the disconnecting side of the disconnecting connection mechanism of the water supply pipe of the floating siphon type power generation equipment of claim 3. The connection consists of two connections: the disconnected side of the water supply pipe (Figure 8-1) and the non-disconnected side of the water conveyance pipe (Figure 8-2). Figure 8-1 has a float (Figure 8-1-2) installed at the top using the mounting plate (Figure 8-1-5), and weights (Figure 8-1-3) attached to the bottom at symmetrical positions on the left and right, and ski-shaped feet (Figure 8-1-4) are attached to the weights using the mounting plate (Figure 8-1-6). The upper float and the weights attached to the lower part at symmetrical positions, with ski-shaped feet underneath, clearly determine the upper and lower positions of the detachment side connection in the water, and after detachment, the float becomes the upper side and the weight becomes the lower side, and the detachment side sinks. The non-detachment side connection part has a guide part (Figure 8-2-1) through which mooring equipment such as a wire or rope stretched from a drum on the floating siphon equipment is passed, and the detachment side connection part has a connection part (Figure 8-1-1) to which this rope is attached. With this mechanism, when the device hits the bottom, the ski-shaped feet hit the bottom first, and because they are ski-shaped, the water supply pipe connection part does not sink into the sludge. In this example, the weight and the ski-shaped foot are integrated, but the weight may be a single piece directly below the float, and may be separate from the ski-shaped foot. This mechanism prevents the disconnected water pipe from sinking under its own weight and hitting the bottom of the lake, causing sludge and other debris to adhere to the connection surface of the connection mechanism, resulting in a poor connection after reconnection that makes it impossible to resume power generation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1-1] FIG. 1 is a top view illustrating an embodiment of the invention according to claim 1. [Figure 1-2] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA' in FIG. 1 for explaining one embodiment of the invention of claim 1. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control room in which the speed governor, substation equipment, and power transmission equipment of claim 1 are integrated. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a top view for explaining one embodiment of claim 2. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA' in FIG. 3 for explaining one embodiment of the invention of claim 2. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of claim 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the abnormal water level response controller of claim 3. [Figure 7] 13 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the water pipe disconnecting and connecting mechanism of claim 4. FIG. [Figure 8] 13 is a diagram showing one embodiment of the mechanism of the water pipe disconnecting portion of the water pipe disconnecting and connecting mechanism of claim 5. FIG. [Explanation of symbols]

[0024] . Figure 1-1-1. Floating body 1 that constitutes the floating body -2. Floating body 2 that constitutes the floating body -3. Bridges connecting multiple floating structures -4. Generator -5. Control Room (Including generators, governor controllers, substation equipment, and power transmission equipment) -6. Shaft -7. Waterwheel -8. Water pipe -9. Water intake -10. Water pipe -11. Dam of a dam lake (not a part of this invention) -12. Water pipe Figure 1-2-1. Floating body 1 that constitutes the floating body -2. Floating body 2 that constitutes the floating body -4. Generator -5. Control Room (Including generators, governor controllers, substation equipment, and power transmission equipment) -6. Shaft -7. Waterwheel -8. Water pipe -9. Water intake -10. Water pipe -11. Dam of a dam lake (not a part of this invention) -12. Water pipe Figure 2-1. Commercial transformer -1-1.Power meter -2. Disconnector -3. Circuit breaker -3-1.Signal relay -4. Overcurrent circuit breaker -5. Transformer -5-1.Instrument transformers -5-2.Voltage system -5-3.Frequency relay -5-4.Instrument transformers -5-5. Transformers for installation on premises -5-6.Current detection transformer -5-7.Overcurrent detector -5-8.Ammeter -5-9.Power system -6. Circuit breaker -7-1.Control power supply -7-2. Floating equipment lighting outlet -7-3. Control power supply 2 -7-4. Valve drive equipment -7-5. Water turbine governor drive equipment -8. Power factor regulator -9-1.Various valve control circuits -9-2. Turbine speed control circuit -10. Generator -11. Waterwheel -12. Water turbine speed detector Figure 3-1-1. Float 1 that constitutes the floating structure -2. Floating body 2 that constitutes the floating body -3. Bridges connecting multiple floating structures -4. Generator -5. Control Room (Including generators, governor controllers, substation equipment, and power transmission equipment) -6. Shaft -7. Waterwheel -8. Water pipe -9. Water intake -10. Water pipe -11. Dam of a dam lake (not part of this invention) -12. Water pipe -13. Steel tower -13-1.Plate -14. Mooring rail -15. Bearings Figure 4-1-1. Float 1 that constitutes the floating structure -2. Floating body 2 that constitutes the floating body -4. Generator -5. Control Room (Including generators, governor controllers, substation equipment, and power transmission equipment) -6. Shaft -7. Waterwheel -8. Water pipe -9. Water intake -10. Water pipe -11. Dam of a dam lake (not part of this invention) -12. Water pipe -13. Steel tower -13-1.Plate -14. Mooring rail -15. Bearings Figure 5-1. Float 1 that constitutes the floating structure -4. Generator -5. Control Room (Including generators, governor controllers, substation equipment, and power transmission equipment) -6. Shaft -7. Waterwheel -8. Water pipe -9. Water intake -10. Water pipe -11. Dam of a dam lake (not part of this invention) -12. Water pipe -13. Steel tower -13-1.Plate -14. Mooring rail -15. Bearings -16. (Laser) distance sensor -17. Bracket -18. Floating facility deck -19-1. Floating siphon equipment water supply pipe connection -19-2. Water discharge pipe side (separation side) water supply pipe connection part -19-3. Connection valve -20. Water outlet -21. Water outlet valve -22. (Wire) Drum -22-1. (Wire) rope Figure 6-1. Controller for responding to abnormal water levels -2. (Laser) distance sensor -3.Water pipe valve -4. Water discharge valve -5. Joint / disconnect device -6.Operation panel -7.Joint detection device Figure 7-1. Non-disconnection side connection -1-1.Guide section -1-2.Protrusion -1-3.Electromagnet -1-4. Joint confirmation sensor -1-5.O-ring -2. Disconnection side connection part -2-1. Wire (rope) connection parts -2-2.Guide holes -2-3.Permanent magnets -2-5.O-ring groove Figure 8-1. Disconnection side connection -1-1. Wire (rope) connection -1-2.Float -1-3. Weight -1-4. Ski-shaped feet -1-5. (Float) Mounting plate -1-6. (Ski-shaped foot) mounting plate -2. Non-disconnecting side connection part -2-1. Guide part (for wire or rope)

Claims

1. A siphon-type hydroelectric power generation facility is a floating facility consisting of a single or multiple rafts or ships, a water intake, a water conveyance pipe from the intake to the turbine, a generating equipment such as a turbine, a turbine governor, a generator, and a transformer and transmission equipment including a voltage regulator such as a transformer, a governor controller, a disconnector, and a circuit breaker for sending the electricity generated by the generating equipment to the power company's transmission line. The facility is equipped with a floating facility, and all or part of the water supply pipe that conveys water from the turbine to the discharge pipe attached to a dam or the like is bent. This siphon-type floating power generation equipment is characterized in that the soft hose is bendable, and is placed underwater, passed underwater to the bottom of the dam, raised along the dam and connected to the discharge pipe, so that even if the floating equipment moves above the surface of the dam lake due to changes in the lake level or water currents, the soft hose bends, allowing water to continue to be supplied from the intake of the floating siphon-type hydroelectric power generation equipment through the water conveyance pipe and water supply pipe to the discharge pipe attached to the dam or the like.

2. A siphon-type floating power generation facility characterized in that mooring devices such as pulleys or bearings are attached to the floating facility of claim 1 on a mooring rail installed vertically to the water surface, and the floating facility is moored to the mooring rail.

3. 3. An abnormal water level response mechanism for a floating siphon type hydroelectric power generation facility comprising: a water level detector which detects the water level of the lake surface on which the floating siphon type hydroelectric power generation facility of claims 1 and 2 floats; a disconnection and connection mechanism which disconnects and reconnects the connection part between a water conveyance pipe and a water supply pipe, the connection part having a water turbine installed inside and located under the water of the dam lake, or a connection part provided midway on the water supply pipe; an opening and closing valve which prevents water from flowing out from the disconnected water supply pipe to the discharge pipe after the connection part is disconnected; a mooring device such as a rope or wire which allows the water supply pipe to be pulled back when reconnecting; and an abnormal water level response controller which opens and closes the opening and closing valve based on water level information detected by the water level detection unit, and controls the disconnection and connection operations of the disconnection and connection mechanism.

4. In the abnormal water level response mechanism of claim 3, the mechanism is composed of two connection parts, a disconnection side of the water supply pipe and a non-disconnection side of the water conveyance pipe, the non-disconnection side connection part has a guide part for passing a mooring device such as a wire or rope and a plurality of protrusions or guide holes, the disconnection side connection part has a connection part for a mooring device such as a wire or rope and a plurality of guide holes or protrusions corresponding to the protrusions or guide holes of the non-disconnection side connection part, the non-disconnection side connection part or the disconnection side connection part has a connection confirmation sensor, and when the non-disconnection side and the disconnection side connection parts are connected, A permanent magnet or electromagnet, and an electromagnet are installed at the respective positions where the non-separation side connection part and the separation side connection part are to be separated and reconnected, and when separating, electricity is passed through one of the electromagnets so that it generates a magnetic field that repels the permanent magnet or electromagnet, and when connecting, a connection confirmation sensor confirms that the two connection parts have come close to each other, and then electricity is passed through the other electromagnet so that it generates a magnetic field that attracts the permanent magnet or electromagnet.

5. The mechanism for dealing with abnormal water levels in claim 3 is characterized in that the connection part, which is made up of two connection parts, one for the disconnection side of the water supply pipe and the other for the non-disconnection side of the water conveyance pipe, has a float installed at the top of the disconnection side connection part, and a weight and ski-shaped feet are attached at the bottom, symmetrically to the left and right.

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