Hydrogen Production / Storage System

Abstract

The present invention provides a hydrogen production and storage system that enables stable hydroelectric power generation at sea by utilizing tidal currents and enables the production and storage of hydrogen using electricity obtained by hydroelectric power generation. A hydrogen production and storage system 1 comprises a hydraulic drive device 2 and a power generation device 3 mounted to a mounting body 4, and a hydrogen production vessel 5. The hydraulic drive device 2 is a device that outputs rotational force corresponding to a water flow pressure, and that includes a first rotor 20A, a second rotor 20B, an endless belt 21, a first resistance member 22, and auxiliary rotors 20C to 20G. The power generation device 3 is a device that performs a power generation operation by receiving the rotational force of an output shaft of the hydraulic drive device 2. The hydrogen production vessel 5 is a vessel that produces hydrogen from seawater using electricity from the power generation device 3 and stores the hydrogen, and that includes a hydrogen production device 51 and a hydrogen storage device 52 in the vessel. The hydrogen production device 51 is a device that produces hydrogen H2 from seawater W, and the hydrogen storage device 52 is a device that stores the hydrogen H2 produced by the hydrogen production device 51.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a hydrogen production / storage system capable of producing and storing hydrogen using electrical energy obtained from hydroelectric power generation. [Background technology]

[0002] Since hydrogen can be obtained by decomposing water, many hydrogen supply sites are built near the sea where seawater can be used. The electricity used to drive the equipment that decomposes seawater into hydrogen and oxygen comes from commercial electricity generated by thermal power plants or from wind turbine-type wind power generation equipment.

[0003] However, there are few areas on land, especially in Japan, where the wind blows constantly, and the strength of the wind is unstable, making it difficult to supply a sufficient amount of hydrogen.

[0004] In view of this, hydrogen production / storage systems have been proposed that can generate wind power in locations such as offshore where the wind always blows, and produce and store sufficient hydrogen (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). In this system, a wind-powered power generation system, a hydrogen production device that produces hydrogen by electrolyzing water using the electricity generated by the wind power generation system, and a tank for storing the hydrogen produced by the hydrogen production device are all installed on a single hull, forming a "hydrogen production ship." This allows the hydrogen production ship to sail out to sea where strong winds are available and produce sufficient hydrogen, which can then be stored on board and transported to a designated location on land. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-177264 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2022-113171 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the conventional hydrogen production / storage system described above is configured to generate electricity mainly using wind power, and therefore cannot stably obtain wind power of the desired strength compared to tidal currents, etc. In addition, in order to obtain strong and stable wind power, it is necessary to adjust the movement of the hydrogen production ship so that the wind turbines and sails face the wind direction. Changes in wind direction on the ocean are more diverse than changes in tidal currents, and responding to such changes in wind direction is difficult and complicated.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a hydrogen production / storage system that can generate stable hydroelectric power at sea by utilizing tidal currents, and can produce and store hydrogen using the electricity generated by the hydroelectric power generation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, a first invention is a hydrogen production / storage system comprising a hydraulic drive unit having an output shaft capable of outputting a rotational force corresponding to water flow pressure, a power generation unit that generates electricity by receiving the rotational force of the output shaft, a mounting body to which the hydraulic drive unit and the power generation unit are attached, and a hydrogen production ship capable of producing hydrogen from seawater and storing it, wherein the hydraulic drive unit comprises a first rotor rotatably attached to one end side of the mounting body, a second rotor rotatably attached to the other end side of the mounting body so that its central axis of rotation is parallel to the central axis of rotation of the first rotor, an endless belt wound around the first rotor and the second rotor, a plurality of first resistance members each having a concave pressure-receiving surface portion for receiving water flow pressure and provided at predetermined intervals on the surface of the endless belt, and a plurality of first resistance members each having a concave pressure-receiving surface portion for receiving water flow pressure and a central axis of rotation of the first resistance member being parallel to the central axis of rotation of the second resistance member. and a plurality of auxiliary rotors arranged between the first rotor, the second rotor, and the endless belt in a state parallel to the central rotation axis of the second rotor and attached to the mounting body. The power generation device includes a generator that receives the rotational force of the output shaft of the hydraulic drive device at its rotating shaft to generate electricity. The hydraulic drive device is attached to the mounting body so that at least the central rotation axes of the first rotor and the second rotor are located above the water surface and a plurality of first resistance members located in the endless belt portion below the first rotor and the second rotor are completely submerged in water. The hydrogen production ship is configured to include a hydrogen production device that produces hydrogen by converting seawater into approximately fresh water and then electrolyzing the fresh water using electricity generated by the power generation device, and a hydrogen storage device that stores the hydrogen produced by the hydrogen production device.

[0009] With this configuration, the hydrogen production ship can be operated to move the hydraulic drive unit and the power generation unit together with the mounting body to a desired offshore position. The hydrogen production ship can then be anchored offshore, and the hydraulic drive unit and the power generation unit can be fixed to the offshore position together with the mounting body. As a result, the multiple first resistance members completely submerged in the sea are subjected to water current pressure, causing the first and second rotors around which the endless belts are wound to rotate in the direction of the tidal current. The torque is then output to the output shaft of the hydraulic drive device and transmitted to the power generation device, generating electricity. The electricity generated by the power generation device is sent to the hydrogen production device on the hydrogen production ship. The hydrogen production device then uses the electricity sent thereto to draw up seawater and filter it into nearly fresh water. The hydrogen production device electrolyzes the fresh water to produce hydrogen. The hydrogen storage device then stores the hydrogen produced by the hydrogen production device. If the current weakens or there is a change in the tide, the hydrogen production vessel can be restarted and moved to a location where the desired tide is occurring. The hydrogen production vessel can then be anchored at that location again, allowing hydrogen production and storage operations to be carried out at that location. Then, when storage in the hydrogen storage device is completed, the hydrogen production ship can be driven to transport the stored hydrogen to a hydrogen supply station on land.

[0010] A second aspect of the present invention is the hydrogen production / storage system according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the mounting body is provided on the hull of the hydrogen production ship.

[0011] With this configuration, the mounting body on which the hydraulic drive unit and the power generation unit are mounted can be easily moved to a desired offshore location together with the hydrogen production ship. In other words, the hydraulic drive unit and the power generation unit mounted on the mounting body can be moved to any location where there is a tidal current, and the power generation unit can supply electricity to the hydrogen production ship even when the hydrogen production ship is moving.

[0012] A third aspect of the present invention is the hydrogen production / storage system according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the mounting body is provided on a floating device separate from the hydrogen production vessel.

[0013] With this configuration, even when the hydrogen production ship is on the ocean where the direction of the tidal current changes drastically, it is not necessary to change the direction of the hydrogen production ship together with the mounting body on which the hydraulic drive unit and the power generation unit are mounted. In other words, it is possible to respond to the direction of the tidal current by simply changing the floating device on which the mounting body is mounted in accordance with the direction of the tidal current. Furthermore, when necessary, the hydrogen production ship alone can be made to return to a land-based hydrogen storage facility or the like.

[0014] The fourth invention is a hydrogen production / storage system according to the first invention, in which a power storage device capable of storing electricity generated by the power generation device is provided in either the hydrogen production ship or the mounting body.

[0015] With this configuration, electricity generated by the power generation device can be stored in a power storage device provided on either the hydrogen production ship or the mounting body, and the electricity stored in the power storage device can be used as a power source for the hydrogen production device or the hydrogen storage device.

[0016] The fifth invention is a hydrogen production / storage system according to the first invention, wherein the first resistance member is formed of a pressure-receiving surface portion made of a flexible material and a support member that supports the pressure-receiving surface portion by standing it up on the surface of the endless belt.

[0017] With this configuration, the first resistance member of the hydraulic drive unit receives water flow pressure on the pressure-receiving surface portion facing the flow, causing the first rotor and the second rotor to rotate. When the direction of the tidal current changes, the pressure-receiving surface portion made of a flexible material bends in the direction of the flow. As a result, the pressure-receiving surface portion changes to face the flow, and receives water flow pressure, causing the first rotor and the second rotor to rotate. That is, according to this invention, the orientation of the pressure-receiving surface of the first resistance member changes in response to changes in the direction of the tidal current, so that when the direction of the tidal current changes, the hydraulic drive device and the power generation device can continue to generate power without having to change their orientation to match the direction of the tidal current.

[0018] The sixth invention is a hydrogen production / storage system according to the first invention, in which the first resistance member is formed from a pair of pressure-receiving surface portions joined back-to-back to each other and a support member that supports the pair of pressure-receiving surface portions by standing them up on the surface of the endless belt.

[0019] With this configuration, even if the direction of the tidal current changes, the pressure-receiving surface portion of a pair of pressure-receiving surfaces joined back-to-back to each other that faces the direction of the flow will capture the tidal current, so that power generation can continue without changing the orientation of the hydraulic drive device or power generation device.

[0020] The seventh invention is a hydrogen production / storage system according to the fifth or sixth invention, in which a rotational direction converter is provided between the output shaft of the hydraulic drive unit and the rotating shaft of the generator, capable of converting the rotational direction of the rotating shaft of the generator relative to the rotational direction of the output shaft of the hydraulic drive unit to the same direction or the opposite direction.

[0021] With this configuration, when the tidal current direction does not change, the rotation direction of the generator's rotating shaft relative to the rotation direction of the output shaft of the hydraulic drive device can be set, for example, to the same direction by the rotation direction changer, and when the tidal current direction reverses, the rotation direction of the generator's rotating shaft relative to the rotation direction of the output shaft of the hydraulic drive device can be set to the opposite direction by the rotation direction changer.

[0022] The eighth invention is a hydrogen production / storage system according to the first invention, in which one or more of the multiple auxiliary rotors are positioned lower than the other auxiliary rotors, and the lower endless belt portion of the endless belt is curved in an approximately L-shape in the water depth direction.

[0023] With this configuration, when the multiple first resistance members completely submerged in the sea receive water current pressure, the first rotor and the second rotor around which the endless belt is wound rotate in the direction of the water current pressure, and the rotational force is output to the output shaft of the hydraulic drive device. At this time, since the lower endless belt portion of the endless belt is curved in a roughly dogleg shape in the sea depth direction, the multiple first resistance members completely submerged in the sea can efficiently receive the water current pressure. Then, the rotational force is transmitted to the power generation device.

[0024] The ninth invention is a hydrogen production / storage system according to the eighth invention, in which the auxiliary rotor located most downstream among the multiple auxiliary rotors is positioned lower than the other auxiliary rotors.

[0025] With this configuration, the multiple first resistance members can efficiently ensure water flow pressure, and as a result, an extremely large amount of power can be generated. That is, the multiple first resistance members located upstream of the auxiliary rotor located below receive a strong water flow pressure, while the multiple first resistance members located downstream of the auxiliary rotor located below receive a weak water flow pressure. However, in this invention, the auxiliary rotor located at the most downstream position among the multiple auxiliary rotors is located lower than the other auxiliary rotors, so that almost all of the first resistance members can efficiently receive the strong water flow pressure, and as a result, an extremely large amount of electricity can be generated.

[0026] A tenth aspect of the present invention is a hydrogen production / storage system according to the eighth aspect of the present invention, in which an auxiliary rotor located approximately in the center among a plurality of auxiliary rotors is positioned lower than the other auxiliary rotors.

[0027] With this configuration, the first resistance members located upstream of the auxiliary rotor located below receive the water flow pressure, and rotate the first rotor, the second rotor, and the endless belt. Therefore, for example, when seawater flows from left to right, the first resistance members located to the left of the auxiliary rotor located below receive the water flow pressure, and the first resistance members located to the right receive almost no water flow pressure. However, when the tidal current changes from right to left, the first resistance members located to the right of the auxiliary rotor located below receive the water flow pressure, and the first resistance members located to the left receive almost no water flow pressure. At this time, the auxiliary rotor located approximately in the center among the multiple auxiliary rotors is located below the other auxiliary rotors, so the number of the first resistance members located to the left of this auxiliary rotor and the number of the first resistance members located to the right of the auxiliary rotor are approximately the same. Therefore, for example, by applying the first resistance member of the fifth or sixth invention, the rotational energy obtained by the water flow pressure from the left direction and the rotational energy obtained by the water flow pressure from the right direction become almost the same, and even if the direction of the tide changes, it is possible to always obtain almost the same amount of power.

[0028] An eleventh aspect of the present invention is the hydrogen production / storage system according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the plurality of auxiliary rotors are attached to a mounting body so as to be movable up and down. Effect of the Invention

[0029] As explained in detail above, the hydrogen production / storage system of the present invention is configured to generate electricity using tidal currents, and therefore can stably generate large amounts of electricity compared to conventional systems that generate electricity using wind power. As a result, there is the excellent effect of being able to stably produce and store sufficient hydrogen. Furthermore, according to the second invention, there is an advantage that the mounting body on which the hydraulic drive device and the power generation device are mounted can be easily and quickly moved together with the hydrogen production ship to a desired offshore position. In addition, according to the third invention, the floating device on which the mounting body is provided and the hydrogen production ship can be moved almost freely without restraining each other, which has the effect of increasing the freedom of power generation, hydrogen production, and hydrogen storage operations. Furthermore, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, there is an effect that the generated electricity can be stored in the electricity storage device and used when necessary. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a hydrogen production / storage system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view showing a hydrogen production / storage system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the hydrogen production / storage system. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the hydraulic drive unit, the power generation unit, and the mounting body. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the hydraulic drive unit and the power generation unit are attached to a mounting body. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which the hydraulic drive unit and the power generation unit are attached to a mounting body. [Figure 7]FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a first resistance member. [Figure 8] 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which the auxiliary rotor is supported by a pair of hydraulic jacks. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view for explaining the mounting state of the hydraulic jack. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which slack is corrected in the endless belt. [Figure 12] 1 is a partial side view showing an example of a slack correction structure using a first rotating body or a second rotating body. FIG. [Figure 13] 11 is a partial side view showing another example of a slack correction structure using a first rotating body or a second rotating body. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an improved example of the mounting body. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a hydrogen production device and a hydrogen storage device of the hydrogen production ship. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a hydrogen production ship that is applied to a hydrogen production / storage system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a hydrogen production ship that is applied to a hydrogen production / storage system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of a hydrogen production / storage system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a plan view for explaining a rotation direction changer applied to this embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a first resistance member which is a main part of a fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 11 is a side view for explaining the operation of the embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 13 is a side view showing a main part of a hydrogen production / storage system according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 23] FIG. 11 is a side view of a main portion for explaining an improved example of the present embodiment. [Figure 24]FIG. 13 is a side view showing a main part of a hydrogen production / storage system according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 25] FIG. 13 is a side view of a main portion showing an improved example of this embodiment. [Figure 26] FIG. 13 is a front view showing a hydrogen production / storage system according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 27] FIG. [Figure 28] FIG. 13 is a front view showing a hydrogen production / storage system according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 29] FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a hydrogen production / storage system according to a ninth embodiment. [Diagram 30] 30A and 30B are front views showing a hydrogen production / storage system according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 30(a) shows a system equipped with two mounting bodies, FIG. 30(b) shows a system equipped with auxiliary devices, and FIG. 30(c) shows a system equipped with two hydrogen production vessels. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0031] Hereinafter, the best mode of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0032] Example 1 FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a hydrogen production / storage system according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view showing the hydrogen production / storage system, and FIG. 3 is a front view showing the hydrogen production / storage system. As shown in FIG. 1, the hydrogen production / storage system 1 of this embodiment includes a hydraulic drive unit 2, a power generation unit 3, a mounting body 4, and a hydrogen production ship 5.

[0033] The hydraulic drive unit 2 and the power generation unit 3 are attached to a mounting body 4, and the mounting body 4 is fixed to the side of the hydrogen production ship 5 by a bracket 10 as shown in FIGS.

[0034] The hydraulic drive unit 2 is a device for outputting a torque corresponding to a water flow pressure, and uses the shaft portion 20b of the second rotor 20B as an output shaft. As shown in FIG. 1, this hydraulic drive device 2 has a first rotating body 20A, a second rotating body 20B, an endless belt 21, a plurality of first resistance members 22, and a plurality of auxiliary rotating bodies 20C to 20G, and these members are assembled to a mounting body 4.

[0035] Figure 4 is an exploded oblique view showing the hydraulic drive device 2, the power generation device 3, and the mounting body 4, Figure 5 is a side view showing the hydraulic drive device 2 and the power generation device 3 mounted on the mounting body 4, and Figure 6 is a plan view showing the hydraulic drive device 2 and the power generation device 3 mounted on the mounting body 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the mounting body 4 is composed of a support plate 40 and a base 41. The support plate 40 is a rectangular lattice plate, and a pair of bearings 42 and a pair of bearings 43 are erected on the front side (left side in the figure) and the rear side (right side in the figure) of the support plate 40. Five long plate-like bridge portions 44 are arranged in a row in the approximate center of the support plate 40. On the other hand, the base 41 is a rectangular frame body formed by an upper frame 45, a lower frame 46, and a column frame 47, and has a rectangular shape of the same size as the support plate 40 in a plan view. 5 and 6, the support plate 40 is placed on the upper frame 45 of the base 41 and fixed onto the base 41 by bolts and nuts (not shown). As a result, the strength of the support plate 40 is reinforced by the base 41.

[0036] The first rotating body 20A is rotatably attached to the front end side of the mounting body 4, and the second rotating body 20B is rotatably attached to the rear end side of the mounting body 4 so that its central axis of rotation is parallel to the central axis of rotation of the first rotating body 20A. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 4, the first rotating body 20A has a shaft portion 20a serving as a central axis of rotation, and both ends of the shaft portion 20a are rotatably attached to a pair of bearing portions 42 of a support plate 40. The second rotating body 20B has the same shape as the first rotating body 20A, and has a shaft portion 20b serving as a central axis of rotation, similar to the first rotating body 20A. Both ends of the shaft portion 20b are rotatably attached to a pair of bearing portions 43.

[0037] The endless belt 21 is wound around the first rotating body 20A and the second rotating body 20B. The endless belt 21 is a wide band-like body and can be made of a multi-layered rubber material, synthetic resin, a metal chain belt, etc. On the surface of this endless belt 21, a plurality of first resistance members 22 are erected at equal intervals with their concave pressure-receiving surface portions 22A (see FIG. 7) facing the longitudinal direction of the endless belt 21.

[0038] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the first resistance member, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. As shown in these figures, each of the first resistance members 22 is composed of a pressure-receiving surface portion 22A and a support member 22B that holds this pressure-receiving surface portion 22A. The pressure-receiving surface portion 22A is a portion for receiving the water flow pressure, and is concave in an arc-shaped cross section. The length of the pressure-receiving surface portion 22A is set in accordance with the width of the endless belt 21. The material of the pressure-receiving surface portion 22A is arbitrary, but in this embodiment, a concavely curved metal plate is used. The support member 22B has a frame portion 22b1 and fixed portions 22b2, 22b2 formed on both ends of the frame portion 22b1. The frame portion 22b1 is disposed along the width direction of the endless belt 21, and the fixed portion 22b2 is fixed to the endless belt 21 with a screw or the like. The pressure-receiving surface portion 22A is fitted into the frame portion 22b1, and the upper end 22a1 and the lower end 22a2 are fixed to the frame portion 22b1.

[0039] 4 to 6, the multiple auxiliary rotors 20C to 20G are disposed between the first and second rotors 20A, 20B and the endless belt 21 with shaft portions 20c to 20g, which serve as central axes described below, parallel to each other. Each auxiliary rotor 20C (20D to 20G) is supported by a hydraulic jack 6 attached to the mounting body 4 so as to be movable up and down.

[0040] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the auxiliary rotor 20C (20D to 20G) is supported by a pair of hydraulic jacks 6, and FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view for explaining the mounting state of the hydraulic jacks 6. As shown in FIG. As shown in Fig. 9, the hydraulic jack 6 is a typical well-known jack, and is composed of a cylinder 61 and a ram 62. The ram 62 can be raised and lowered by adjusting the hydraulic pressure in the cylinder 61 by operating a lever (not shown).

[0041] In this embodiment, a pair of hydraulic jacks 6 are disposed opposite each other, and both ends of a shaft portion 20c (20d to 20g) of each auxiliary rotor 20C (20D to 20G) are rotatably attached to the tip of a ram 62 of the pair of hydraulic jacks 6. As shown in FIG. 10, a pair of hydraulic jacks 6 supporting the auxiliary rotating body 20C (20E, 20G) are attached facing downward to the bridge portion 44 of the support plate 40 that constitutes the mounting body 4, and a pair of hydraulic jacks 6 supporting the auxiliary rotating body 20D (20F) are attached facing upward to the bridge portion 44.

[0042] Specifically, in a pair of hydraulic jacks 6 supporting the auxiliary rotors 20C (20E, 20G), a hole 44a is opened in the bridge portion 44 of the support plate 40, a ram 62 is inserted downward into the hole 44a, and a shoulder portion of a cylinder 61 is fixed to the upper surface of the bridge portion 44. Then, a shaft portion 20c (20e, 20g) is rotatably attached to the tip portion of the ram 62 extending below the bridge portion 44. On the other hand, in the pair of hydraulic jacks 6 supporting the auxiliary rotor 20D (20F), the ram 62 faces upward, and the end of the cylinder 61 is fixed to the bridge portion 44. The shaft portion 20d (20f) is rotatably attached to the tip of the ram 62 facing upward. As a result, by moving the ram 62 of the hydraulic jack 6 up and down, the endless belt 21 (see FIG. 5) can be partially pushed up or down by each of the auxiliary rotors 20C (20D to 20G).

[0043] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the rams 62 of all hydraulic jacks 6 are retracted into the cylinders 61, and the upper belt portion 21A and the lower belt portion 21B of the endless belt 21 are held horizontally by the auxiliary rotating bodies 20C to 20G.

[0044] FIG. 11 is a side view showing the endless belt 21 in a state where the slack has been corrected. 5, if the first and second rotors 20A and 20B are operated for a long time, slack will occur in the endless belt 21. In such a case, the slack in the endless belt 21 can be corrected by lifting both or one of the auxiliary rotors 20D and 20F with a hydraulic jack 6 as shown in FIG.

[0045] FIG. 12 is a partial side view showing an example of a slack correction structure using a first rotating body 20A or a second rotating body 20B, and FIG. 13 is a partial side view showing another example of a slack correction structure using a first rotating body 20A or a second rotating body 20B. The technique for correcting the slack in the endless belt 21 is not limited to the technique shown in FIG. 11, but may also be achieved by a technique in which the first rotating body 20A or the second rotating body 20B is modified in some way. For example, as shown in Fig. 12(a), the bearing portion 42 (or 43) is rotatably attached to the support plate 40 of the mounting body 4. Then, as shown in Fig. 12(b), the bearing portion 42 (or 43) is rotated to move the first rotating body 20A (or the second rotating body 20B) to the front side (or rear side) of the mounting body 4, thereby eliminating the slack in the endless belt 21. 13(a), the bearing portion 42 (or 43) is slidably attached to the support plate 40 of the mounting body 4. Then, as shown in FIG. 13(b), the bearing portion 42 (or 43) is slid along the guide groove 40a to slide the first rotating body 20A (or the second rotating body 20B) to the front side (or rear side) of the mounting body 4, thereby eliminating slack in the endless belt 21.

[0046] The power generating device 3 shown in FIG. 1 is a device that receives the rotational force of the output shaft of the hydraulic drive device 2 and performs a power generating operation. 4 and 6, the power generating device 3 is composed of a gear mechanism made up of bevel gears 31 and 32 and a generator 30, and one end of a shaft portion 20b serving as an output shaft of the hydraulic drive unit 2 is connected to a rotating shaft 30a of the generator 30 via meshed bevel gears 31 and 32. The gear mechanism and the generator 30 are then assembled and fixed to the upper surface of the mounting body 4.

[0047] As described above, the mounting body 4 to which the hydraulic drive unit 2 and the power generation unit 3 are attached is fixed to the side of the hydrogen production ship 5 by the bracket 10 shown in FIGS. Specifically, as shown within the enclosed broken line A in Fig. 3, the bracket 10 has a horizontal fixing portion 11 and a U-shaped hook portion 12. The fixing portion 11 is fixed to the deck of the hydrogen production ship 5 by a bolt 13 and a nut 14. The hook portion 12 is engaged with the upper frame 45 (base 41) of the mounting body 4.

[0048] FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an improved example of the mounting body 4. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the mounting body 4 is composed of a support plate 40 and a base 41 , and the base 41 is a rectangular frame body formed by an upper frame 45 , a lower frame 46 and a column frame 47 . Therefore, since the side of the base 41 is open, transverse waves may penetrate through the opening of the base 41 and the hydraulic drive unit 2 may be subjected to strong transverse waves. In such a case, as shown in Figure 14, by using a mounting body 4 in which the column frame 47 of the base 41 is replaced with a flat wave-break frame 47', the transverse waves can be blocked by the wave-break frame 47'. Incidentally, the wavebreak frame 47' may be provided on only one side surface of the base 41, rather than on both sides thereof.

[0049] 1, the hydrogen production ship 5 is a ship for producing and storing hydrogen from seawater, and is equipped on board with a hydrogen production device 51 and a hydrogen storage device 52. Furthermore, the hydrogen production ship 5 is equipped with a power storage device 50, and electricity generated by the generator 30 of the power generation device 3 can be stored in this power storage device 50. Specifically, the power storage device 50 has an AC / DC converter 50a and a storage battery 50b, and a cable 30b extending from the generator 30 of the power generation device 3 can be connected to the AC / DC converter 50a of the power storage device 50. The output section of the AC / DC converter 50a is electrically connected to the input section of the storage battery 50b. As a result, the AC electricity generated by the generator 30 is converted to DC by the AC / DC converter 50a, and then stored in the storage battery 50b.

[0050] FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the hydrogen production device 51 and the hydrogen storage device 52 of the hydrogen production ship 5. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 15, the hydrogen production device 51 is a device for producing hydrogen H2 from seawater W, and is composed of a seawater pump 51a, a fresh water (pure water) production device 51b, and an electrolysis device 51c. That is, a seawater pump 51a pumps up seawater W from the ocean, a fresh water generator 51b converts the pumped up seawater W into fresh water (pure water) W', and an electrolyzer 51c electrolyzes the fresh water W' to extract hydrogen H2. The hydrogen storage device 52 is a tank-shaped device for storing the hydrogen H2 produced by the hydrogen production device 51. Methods for storing the hydrogen H2 include the high-pressure hydrogen method, the liquefied hydrogen method, and the organic chemical hydro method, but in this embodiment, the organic chemical hydro method is applied.

[0051] Next, the operation and effects of the hydrogen production / storage system 1 of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the hydraulic drive unit 2 and the power generation unit 3 are assembled to a mounting body 4, and the mounting body 4 is fixed to the side of the hydrogen production ship 5 via a bracket 10. Therefore, by driving the hydrogen production ship 5, the hydraulic drive unit 2 and the power generation unit 3 can be moved to a distant offshore location. When the hydrogen production ship 5 reaches the desired location, it is anchored at that location, as shown in Fig. 2. At this time, the orientation of the hydrogen production ship 5 is determined so that the front side of the mounting body 4 (the left side in Fig. 2) faces the tidal current. Furthermore, by submerging the mounting body 4 in the seawater W to a predetermined depth, the multiple first resistance members 22 located on the lower belt portion 21B of the endless belt 21 in the hydraulic drive device 2 can be completely submerged in the seawater W. However, if the shaft portion 20a of the first rotating body 20A and the shaft portion 20b of the second rotating body 20B are located in the seawater W, the first and second rotating bodies 20A, 20B will be subjected to waves of the seawater W, hindering their smooth rotation. Therefore, the sinking depth of the mounting body 4 is set so that the shaft portion 20a of the first rotating body 20A and the shaft portion 20b of the second rotating body 20B are located above the sea surface S. Such a setting of the sinking depth of the mounting body 4 can be performed in advance before the hydrogen production ship 5 departs. Of course, such a setting may be performed after the ship has reached a desired location on the ocean, rather than before departure.

[0052] If the hydrogen production ship 5 is moored in this state, seawater W flows from the front side to the rear side of the mounting body 4, and water flow pressure is applied to the multiple first resistance members 22 on the lower belt portion 21B. This causes the first rotor 20A and the second rotor 20B around which the endless belt 21 is wound to rotate in the direction of the tidal current. The rotational force is then output from the shaft portion 20b, which is the output shaft of the hydraulic drive unit 2, and is transmitted to the generator 30 of the power generation device 3 via a gear mechanism consisting of bevel gears 31 and 32 (see Figures 4 and 6). As a result, the generator 30 operates to generate electricity, and the generated AC current is transmitted to the power storage device 50 of the hydrogen production ship 5 through the cable 30b shown in Fig. 1. Then, this AC current is converted to DC current by the AC / DC converter 50a, and then stored in the storage battery 50b.

[0053] The electricity stored in the storage battery 50b of the hydrogen production ship 5 can be used to power the hydrogen production device 51 and the hydrogen storage device 52. In addition, when electricity is used to power the hydrogen production ship 5, the stored electricity can be used as that power. In other words, by supplying electricity from the storage battery 50b to the hydrogen production device 51, the seawater pump 51a of the hydrogen production device 51 pumps up seawater W, the fresh water producer 51b converts the seawater W into fresh water W', and then the electrolysis device 51c extracts hydrogen H2 from the fresh water W'. Then, electricity is supplied from the storage battery 50b to the hydrogen storage device 52, and hydrogen H2 produced in the hydrogen production device 51 is stored in a tank (not shown). When storage in the hydrogen storage device 52 is completed, the hydrogen production ship 5 is driven to transport the stored hydrogen H2 to a hydrogen supply station on land.

[0054] Furthermore, if a change occurs in the tidal current, such as if the current weakens during power generation work, the hydrogen production vessel 5 is restarted and moved to a location on the ocean where a tidal current of the desired strength is occurring. The hydrogen production vessel 5 can then be anchored on that location again to carry out hydrogen production / storage work.

[0055] As described above, according to the hydrogen production / storage system 1 of this embodiment, hydrogen production and storage operations can be carried out at any location that can be reached by the hydrogen production ship 5. Therefore, the hydrogen production ship 5 can be moved to an optimal location to carry out hydrogen production and storage operations in response to seasonal changes in the tidal currents, so hydrogen production and storage can be carried out more stably than in conventional systems that generate electricity using wind power.

[0056] As described above, hydrogen production and storage operations by the hydrogen production / storage system 1 are usually carried out while the hydrogen production ship 5 is anchored at a desired location on the ocean. However, by supplying electricity generated by the hydraulic drive unit 2 and the power generation unit 3 or electricity stored in the power storage unit 50 to the hydrogen production unit 51 and hydrogen storage unit 52 of the hydrogen production ship 5, it is possible to perform hydrogen production and hydrogen storage operations while operating the hydrogen production ship 5.

[0057] Example 2 Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a hydrogen production ship 5 that is applied to a hydrogen production / storage system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 16, the hydrogen producing ship 5 applied to this embodiment is not equipped with an electricity storage device 50. That is, a connector 50c is provided on the hydrogen production ship 5, and a cable 30b (see FIG. 1) from the generator 30 of the power generation device 3 is electrically connected to an input end of the connector 50c. The output end of the connector 50c is electrically connected to the hydrogen production device 51 and the hydrogen storage device 52 through a wiring 50d. This allows the AC generated by the generator 30 of the power generation device 3 to be directly supplied to the hydrogen production device 51 and hydrogen storage device 52 of the hydrogen production ship 5 via the cable 30b, connector 50c, and AC / DC converter 50a shown in Figure 1. The other configurations, functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0058] Example 3 Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a hydrogen production ship 5 that is applied to a hydrogen production / storage system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 17, the hydrogen producing ship 5 applied to this embodiment is equipped with both a connector 50c and an electricity storage device 50. That is, two pairs of cables 30b are drawn out from the generator 30 of the power generation device 3, one of the cables 30b is electrically connected to the input end of the connector 50c, and the other cable 30b is electrically connected to the electricity storage device 50. As a result, the AC current generated by the generator 30 of the power generation device 3 can be directly supplied to the hydrogen production device 51 and the hydrogen storage device 52 of the hydrogen production ship 5 via the cable 30b, connector 50c, and AC / DC converter 50a shown in Figure 1, and at the same time, it can be stored in the storage battery 50b via the AC / DC converter 50a of the storage device 50. The other configurations, functions and effects are similar to those of the first and second embodiments described above, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0059] Example 4 Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing a main portion of a hydrogen production / storage system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 19 is a plan view for explaining a rotational direction changer applied to this embodiment. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it includes a first resistance member 22 having a flexible structure and a rotation direction changer 3A.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 18, the first resistance member 22 applied to this embodiment is composed of a pressure-receiving surface portion 22C formed of a flexible material, and a support member 22B that supports the pressure-receiving surface portion 22C. The pressure-receiving surface portion 22C may be made of any flexible material, such as cloth, synthetic fiber, synthetic resin, etc. In this embodiment, the pressure-receiving surface portion 22C is made of cloth. With this configuration, when water flow pressure is applied to the pressure receiving surface 22C shown by the solid line from the direction of the arrow shown by the dashed line, the pressure receiving surface 22C is deflected by the water flow pressure as shown by the dashed line, and receives the water flow pressure like a sail of a yacht. Also, when the direction of the water flow pressure changes to the direction shown by the dashed line, the pressure receiving surface 22C in the dashed line state is deflected in the water flow pressure direction as shown by the dashed line, and receives the water flow pressure like a sail of a yacht.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 19, a rotation direction changer 3A is provided between the hydraulic drive device 2 and the power generation device 3. Specifically, the rotational direction changer 3A is provided between the bevel gear 32 of the gear mechanism and the rotating shaft 30a of the generator 30. This rotational direction changer 3A is a device that can manually change the rotational direction of the output shaft 20b of the hydraulic drive unit 2 and the rotational direction of the rotating shaft 30a of the generator 30 to the same direction or opposite directions. Since any well-known converter can be used as this rotational direction changer 3A, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0062] Since the first resistance member 22 applied to this embodiment has the above-mentioned structure, when the tidal current direction is to the right as shown by the solid arrow in Fig. 2, the pressure-receiving surface portion 22C of the first resistance member 22 receives the water flow pressure and bends to the right as shown in Fig. 18. As a result, the first rotating body 20A, the second rotating body 20B and the endless belt 21 rotate counterclockwise due to the water flow pressure applied to the first resistance member 22 of the lower belt portion 21B. 2, when the tidal current direction changes to the left, the pressure-receiving surface 22C of the first resistance member 22 is deflected to the left by the water current pressure. As a result, the rotation direction changer 3A is activated, and the first rotor 20A, the second rotor 20B, and the endless belt 21 rotate clockwise. In other words, according to this embodiment, when used in a place where the flow changes, hydrogen production and hydrogen storage operations can be continued without changing the orientation of the hydrogen production ship 5, the hydro-driven device 2, and the power generation device 3 in accordance with changes in the tidal current direction. The other configurations, functions and effects are similar to those of the first to third embodiments described above, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0063] Example 5 Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing a first resistance member which is a main part of a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 21 is a side view for explaining the operation of the embodiment. In the hydrogen production / storage system of this embodiment, the structure of the first resistance member in the hydraulic drive unit 2 differs from those of the first to fourth embodiments described above.

[0064] That is, as shown in Fig. 20, the first resistance member 22' of this embodiment has a structure in which resistance members 23, 24 having the same structure as the first resistance member 22 applied in the above-mentioned first embodiment are joined back to back. Specifically, the pressure-receiving surface portion 22A of the resistance member 23 facing left in the figure and the pressure-receiving surface portion 22A of the resistance member 24 facing right in the figure are joined back to back via an intermediate member 25.

[0065] Because the first resistance member 22' has this structure, when the tidal current direction is to the right, as shown in Figure 21, in the first resistance member 22' of the lower belt portion 21B, the resistance member 24 on the left side of the first resistance member 22' is subjected to water flow pressure in the direction indicated by the solid arrow. When the tidal current direction changes to the left, the resistance member 23 on the right side of the first resistance member 22' receives water current pressure in the direction indicated by the two-dot chain arrow. In other words, even when used on the ocean where the current is changing, hydrogen production and hydrogen storage operations can be continued without changing the orientation of the hydrogen production ship 5, the hydro-driven device 2, and the power generation device 3 in accordance with changes in the tidal current direction. The other configurations, operations and effects are the same as those of the first to fourth embodiments described above, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0066] Example 6 Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 22 is a side view showing a main part of a hydrogen production / storage system according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. 11, each auxiliary rotor 20C (20D to 20G) can be moved up and down by the hydraulic jack 6. Therefore, by moving any one of the auxiliary rotors 20C, 20E, 20G downward, the lower belt portion 21B of the endless belt 21 can be curved into a substantially V-shape in the depth direction of the seawater W. In this way, by curving the lower belt portion 21B of the endless belt 21 into a substantially V-shape in the depth direction of the seawater W, the amount of power generation can be increased. Taking note of this point, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 22, among the auxiliary rotors 20C to 20G of the hydraulic drive unit 2, the auxiliary rotor 20G located at the most downstream position is positioned lower than the other auxiliary rotors 20C to 20F. Specifically, the auxiliary rotors 20D and 20F were brought into contact with the upper belt portion 21A of the endless belt 21, and the auxiliary rotors 20C and 20E were brought into contact with the lower belt portion 21B. The auxiliary rotor 20G located at the most downstream side was positioned and fixed lower than the other auxiliary rotors 20C to 20F.

[0067] As a result, each first resistance member 22 in the lower belt portion 21B is positioned below the other first resistance members 22 positioned in front of it, without being hidden behind them, and can therefore receive the same water flow pressure as the previous first resistance member 22 receives. In other words, all of the first resistance members 22 in the lower belt portion 21B can receive the same water flow pressure, so that the water flow pressure can be efficiently ensured and an extremely large amount of power can be generated.

[0068] FIG. 23 is a side view of a main portion for explaining an improved example of this embodiment. In the above-mentioned first embodiment etc., as shown in FIG. 2 etc., the lower belt portion 21B of the endless belt 21 is substantially horizontal, so that the power generation operation cannot be performed unless the bottoms of the first and second rotating bodies 20A, 20B are submerged in the seawater W. In this state, the first and second rotating bodies 20A, 20B are close to the sea surface S and may be damaged by high waves. However, if the bearings 42, 43 are lengthened and the first and second rotating bodies 20A, 20B are positioned above the sea surface S in their entirety so that the first and second rotating bodies 20A, 20B do not come into contact with seawater W, the lower belt portion 21B will be separated above the sea surface S, and power generation will not be possible. In contrast, in the hydraulic drive device 2 applied to this embodiment, the lower belt portion 21B is curved in an approximately L-shape in the depth direction of the seawater W, and therefore, as shown in Figure 23, the bearing portions 42, 43 of the hydraulic drive device 2 can be lengthened to position the entire first and second rotating bodies 20A, 20B above the sea level S to a position where they are not affected by high waves, and part of the lower belt portion 21B can be improved to be constantly submerged in the seawater W. This makes it possible to continue the power generating operation while avoiding damage to the first and second rotating bodies 20A, 20B due to high waves. The other configurations, operations, and effects are the same as those of the first to fifth embodiments described above, so the description thereof will be omitted.

[0069] Example 7 Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 24 is a side view showing a main part of a hydrogen production / storage system according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 24, in this embodiment, an auxiliary rotor 20E located approximately in the center among a plurality of auxiliary rotors 20C to 20G is positioned lower than the other auxiliary rotors 20C, 20D, 20F, and 20G.

[0070] Specifically, upper belt portion 21A of endless belt 21 is supported horizontally by auxiliary rotors 20D and 20F. Lower belt portion 21B is curved into a dogleg shape by auxiliary rotor 20E, which is the lowest one located in the center, and auxiliary rotors 20C and 20G are in contact with the inner surface of lower belt portion 21B. In this embodiment, for ease of understanding, an odd number of auxiliary rotors 20C to 20G are used as the multiple auxiliary rotors, but the number of auxiliary rotors is not limited to an odd number. A structure in which an even number of auxiliary rotors are used and the auxiliary rotor located approximately in the middle is positioned at the lowest position can also be used as the hydraulic drive unit 2 of the present invention.

[0071] In addition, in this embodiment, the first resistance member 22 (see Figure 18) of the fourth embodiment having a flexible pressure-receiving surface portion 22C is applied as the first resistance member, and a rotational direction changer 3A (see Figure 19) is provided between the hydraulic drive device 2 and the power generation device 3. However, as the first resistance member, the first resistance member 22' (see FIG. 21) of the fifth embodiment in which the pressure receiving surfaces are back-to-back may also be used.

[0072] As a result of the hydraulic drive device 2 of this embodiment being configured in this manner, when the tidal current direction is to the right, as shown by the solid arrow in Figure 24, the pressure-receiving surface portion 22C of the first resistance member 22 located to the left of the auxiliary rotor 20E is subjected to the water flow pressure and bends to the right, and the first rotor 20A, the second rotor 20B and the endless belt 21 rotate counterclockwise due to the water flow pressure. Then, as shown by the two-dot chain line arrow, when the tidal current direction changes to the left, the pressure-receiving surface 22C of the first resistance member 22 located to the right of the auxiliary rotor 20E receives the water current pressure and bends to the left. As a result, the rotation direction changer 3A operates, and the first rotor 20A, the second rotor 20B, and the endless belt 21 rotate clockwise. Therefore, according to this embodiment, like the systems of the fourth and fifth embodiments, even in places where the flow changes, it is possible to continue power generation and storage operations without moving the device.

[0073] Incidentally, in the fourth embodiment (or fifth embodiment), the lower belt portion 21B of the endless belt 21 is horizontal, so that the multiple first resistance members 22 (22') on the lower belt portion 21B are arranged in a horizontal row and receive the water flow pressure. Therefore, only the first resistance member 22 (22') can receive 100% of the water flow pressure, and the multiple first resistance members 22 (22') located behind it can receive very little water flow pressure due to mutual interference. In contrast, in this embodiment, the first resistance members 22 (22') that can receive the water flow pressure are the first resistance members 22 (22') located on one side of the auxiliary rotor 20E, and the number of them is half the number of the first resistance members 22 (22') on the lower belt portion 21B. However, these first resistance members 22 (22') are not arranged in a horizontal row, but are shifted from each other in the water depth direction so as not to interfere with each other, so that each first resistance member 22 (22') can receive 100% of the water flow pressure. Therefore, in this embodiment, although the number of first resistance members 22 subjected to water flow pressure is less than that of the first resistance members 22 (22') in the fourth embodiment (fifth embodiment), it is understood that the power generation capacity is greater than that in the fourth embodiment (fifth embodiment).

[0074] FIG. 25 is a side view of the essential part showing an improved example of this embodiment. As in the improved example of the sixth embodiment described above, in this embodiment too, as shown in FIG. 25, the bearing portions 42, 43 of the hydraulic drive unit 2 can be lengthened to position the entire first and second rotating bodies 20A, 20B above the sea level S to a position where they are not affected by high waves, and the structure can be improved so that a portion of the lower belt portion 21B is always submerged in seawater W. This makes it possible to continue generating power while avoiding damage to the first and second rotating bodies 20A, 20B due to high waves. The other configurations, operations, and effects are similar to those of the first to sixth embodiments described above, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0075] Example 8 Next, an eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 26 is a front view showing a hydrogen production / storage system according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 27 is a perspective view of a floating device. As shown in FIG. 26, in the hydroelectric power generation / electricity storage system 1 of this embodiment, a mounting body 4 to which a hydroelectric drive device 2 and a power generation device 3 are attached is attached to a floating device 7 that is separate from a hydrogen production ship 5.

[0076] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 27, the floating device 7 is composed of a pair of tanks 70 assembled into a rectangular shape and an anchor 71. The mounting body 4 to which the hydraulic drive unit 2 and the power generation unit 3 are attached is fitted into the mounting port C of the floating device 7 as shown in Fig. 26, and is floated on the ocean by the air in the tank 70.

[0077] With this configuration, the mounting body 4 attached to the floating device 7 can be towed by the hydrogen production ship 5 to a desired offshore position, and the tank 70 can be moored using an anchor 71, thereby fixing the mounting body 4 having the hydraulic drive unit 2 and the power generation unit 3 onto the ocean. The sinking depth relative to the sea surface S can be set by opening the lid 70a and injecting seawater W into the tank 70 or discharging the seawater W from the tank 70. This allows the hydrogen production ship 5 to return alone to a land-based hydrogen supply station or the like when necessary. Furthermore, even when working on the ocean where the direction of the tidal current changes drastically, there is no need to change the orientation of the large hydrogen production ship 5. In other words, it is possible to easily respond to the change by simply aligning the floating device 7, on which the mounting body 4 is mounted, with the direction of the tidal current. The other configurations, functions and effects are similar to those of the first to seventh embodiments described above, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0078] Example 9 Next, a ninth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 28 is a front view showing a hydrogen production / storage system according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 29 is a plan view showing the hydrogen production / storage system. This embodiment differs from the above-described eighth embodiment in that an electricity storage ship 5' is used as the floating device. That is, as shown in Figures 28 and 29, a mounting body 4 to which a hydraulic drive unit 2 and a power generation unit 3 are attached is attached via a bracket 10 to an electricity storage ship 5', which is a floating device separate from the hydrogen production ship 5. A cable 30b from the power generation device 3 is connected to the power storage device 50 of the power storage ship 5', and a long cable 30b' from the power storage device 50 is connected to a connector 50c of the hydrogen production ship 5. Wiring 50d from the connector 50c is connected to the hydrogen production device 51 and the hydrogen storage device 52, respectively.

[0079] With this configuration, the hydrogen production ship 5 can be kept on standby offshore near an onshore hydrogen supply station, and only the mounting body 4 to which the hydraulic drive unit 2 and power generation unit 3 are attached can be transported far offshore by the electricity storage ship 5'. As a result, electricity generated offshore can be supplied to the hydrogen production ship 5 near the hydrogen supply station via the power storage device 50 of the power storage ship 5' and the cable 30b', allowing hydrogen to be produced and stored safely and stably, and easily supplied to the hydrogen supply station.

[0080] In this embodiment, the electricity from the electricity storage ship 5' is received by the connector 50c of the hydrogen production ship 5 and supplied to the hydrogen production device 51 and the hydrogen storage device 52, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to provide a power storage device 50 in the hydrogen production ship 5, store electricity from the electricity storage ship 5' in the power storage device 50 of the hydrogen production ship 5, and supply the electricity stored in the power storage device 50 to the hydrogen production device 51 and the hydrogen storage device 52. The other configurations, functions and effects are the same as those of the first to eighth embodiments described above, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0081] Example 10 Next, a tenth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 30 is a front view showing a hydrogen production / storage system according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention, where (a) of Figure 30 shows a system equipped with two mounting bodies 4, (b) of Figure 30 shows a system equipped with auxiliary devices, and (c) of Figure 30 shows a system equipped with two hydrogen production ships 5.

[0082] In the above first to ninth embodiments, the mounting body 4 having the hydraulic drive unit 2 and the power generation unit 3 is attached to the side of the hydrogen production ship 5, so that depending on the conditions of the sea surface S, the stable posture of the mounting body 4 may be lost. In this embodiment, therefore, a configuration of a hydrogen production / storage system capable of ensuring a stable posture of the mounting body 4 is illustrated.

[0083] First, as shown in Figure 30(a), two mounting bodies 4 of the same structure are attached to both sides of the hydrogen production ship 5 via brackets 10, thereby ensuring the stability of the mounting bodies 4 having the hydraulic drive unit 2 and the power generation unit 3. At this time, cables 30b are connected from the two mounting bodies 4 to the power storage devices 50 (or connectors 50c) of the hydrogen production ship 5, respectively, so that a large amount of electricity can be sent to the hydrogen production ship 5.

[0084] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 30(b), by attaching a float 7' to the side portion of the mounting body 4 as an auxiliary device, the stability of the mounting body 4 can be ensured.

[0085] Furthermore, as shown in (c) of Figure 30, by attaching both sides of the mounting body 4 to two hydrogen production ships 5 via brackets 10, the stability of the mounting body 4 can be ensured and the hydro-driven device 2 and the power generation device 3 attached to the mounting body 4 can be protected from cross waves. The other configurations, functions and effects are similar to those of the first to ninth embodiments described above, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0086] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the mounting body 4 having the hydraulic drive unit 2 and the power generation unit 3 is attached to the hydrogen production ship 5 using the bracket 10, but the structure for providing the mounting body 4 to the hydrogen production ship 5 is not limited to this and includes any known joining structure. That is, the mounting body 4 itself may be directly joined to the hydrogen production ship 5 by welding, bolts and nuts, etc., without using the bracket 10. In this case, it is preferable to form the mounting piece on the mounting body 4. In the above embodiment, the output shaft 20b of the hydraulic drive unit 2 and the rotating shaft 30a of the generator 30 are connected via a gear mechanism, but the structure for transmitting the rotational force of the output shaft of the hydraulic drive unit 2 to the rotating shaft of the generator 30 is not limited to this. The output shaft of the hydraulic drive unit 2 and the rotating shaft of the generator 30 can be connected using any known mechanical mechanism other than a gear mechanism. Also, the output shaft of the hydraulic drive unit 2 and the rotating shaft of the generator 30 may be directly connected without using a special mechanism. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which a hydraulic jack 6 is used as a lifting device for moving the auxiliary rotating bodies 20C to 20G up and down, but this is not limited to this, and any known lifting device or lifting mechanism capable of moving the auxiliary rotating bodies 20C to 20G up and down can be used.

[0087] In addition, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the power storage device 50 was installed in the hydrogen production ship 5 or the power storage ship 5', but a hydrogen production / storage system in which a small-sized power storage device 50 is attached to the mounting body 4 is also included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 1...hydrogen production / storage system, 2...hydraulic drive unit, 3...power generation device, 3A...rotation direction changer, 4...mounting body, 5...hydrogen production ship, 5'...energy storage ship, 6...hydraulic jack, 7...floating device, 7'...float, 10...bracket, 11,22b2...fixing portion, 12...hook portion, 13...bolt, 14...nut, 20A...first rotor, 20B...second rotor, 20C~20G...auxiliary rotor, 20a~20g...shaft portion, 21...endless belt, 21A...upper belt portion, 21B...lower belt portion, 22,22'...first resistance member, 22A,22C...pressure receiving surface portion, 22a1...upper end, 22a2...lower end, 22B...support member, 22b1...frame portion, 23,24...resistance member, 25...intermediate member, 30...generator, 30a...rotating shaft, 30b,30b'...cable, 31,32...bevel gear, 40...support plate, 40a...guide groove, 41...base, 42,43...bearing portion, 44...bridge portion, 44a...hole, 45...upper frame, 46...lower frame, 47...column frame, 47'...wavebreak frame, 50...storage device, 51...hydrogen production device, 52...hydrogen storage device, 50a...AC / DC converter, 50b...storage battery, 50c...connector, 50d...wiring, 51a...seawater pump, 51b...fresh water production device, 51c...electrolysis device, 61...cylinder, 62...ram, 70...tank, 71...anchor, 70a...lid, W...seawater, S...sea surface.

Claims

1. A hydrogen production / storage system including a hydraulic drive unit having an output shaft capable of outputting a torque corresponding to a water flow pressure, a power generation unit that generates electricity by receiving the torque of the output shaft, a mounting body to which the hydraulic drive unit and the power generation unit are attached, and a hydrogen production ship capable of producing and storing hydrogen from seawater, The hydraulic drive device is A first rotating body rotatably attached to one end side of the mounting body; a second rotating body rotatably attached to the other end of the attachment body so that the rotation axis of the second rotating body is parallel to the rotation axis of the first rotating body; an endless belt wound around the first rotating body and the second rotating body; a plurality of first resistance members provided on the surface of the endless belt at predetermined intervals, each resistance member having a concave pressure-receiving surface portion for receiving water flow pressure; a plurality of auxiliary rotors, each of which is disposed between the first rotor, the second rotor, and the endless belt with its central axis of rotation parallel to the central axes of rotation of the first and second rotors, and which is attached to the mounting body; The power generating device is a generator that generates electricity by receiving the rotational force of the output shaft of the hydraulic drive device at a rotating shaft, the hydraulic drive device is attached to the mounting body such that at least the central rotation axes of the first and second rotating bodies are located above the water surface, and a plurality of first resistance members located in an endless belt portion of the endless belt below the first and second rotating bodies are completely submerged in water; The hydrogen production ship includes a hydrogen production device that produces hydrogen by converting seawater into substantially fresh water and then electrolyzing the fresh water using electricity generated by the power generation device, and a hydrogen storage device that stores the hydrogen produced by the hydrogen production device, the mounting body is provided on a hull of the hydrogen production ship, the mounting body is fixed next to a lateral side of the hydrogen production ship so that the first rotor faces the front of the hydrogen production ship; an electricity storage device capable of storing electricity generated by the power generation device is provided in either the hydrogen production ship or the mounting body, The electricity stored in the power storage device is used to power the hydrogen production device and the hydrogen storage device, or is used as electrical power for the hydrogen production ship. A hydrogen production / storage system.

2. A hydrogen production / storage system including a hydraulic drive unit having an output shaft capable of outputting a torque corresponding to a water flow pressure, a power generation unit that generates electricity by receiving the torque of the output shaft, a mounting body to which the hydraulic drive unit and the power generation unit are attached, and a hydrogen production ship capable of producing and storing hydrogen from seawater, The hydraulic drive device is A first rotating body rotatably attached to one end side of the mounting body; a second rotating body rotatably attached to the other end of the attachment body so that the rotation axis of the second rotating body is parallel to the rotation axis of the first rotating body; an endless belt wound around the first rotating body and the second rotating body; a plurality of first resistance members provided on the surface of the endless belt at predetermined intervals, each resistance member having a concave pressure-receiving surface portion for receiving water flow pressure; a plurality of auxiliary rotors, each of which is disposed between the first rotor, the second rotor, and the endless belt with its central axis of rotation parallel to the central axes of rotation of the first and second rotors, and which is attached to the mounting body; The power generating device is a generator that generates electricity by receiving the rotational force of the output shaft of the hydraulic drive device at a rotating shaft, the hydraulic drive device is attached to the mounting body such that at least the central rotation axes of the first and second rotating bodies are located above the water surface, and a plurality of first resistance members located in an endless belt portion of the endless belt below the first and second rotating bodies are completely submerged in water; The hydrogen production ship includes a hydrogen production device that produces hydrogen by converting seawater into substantially fresh water and then electrolyzing the fresh water using electricity generated by the power generation device, and a hydrogen storage device that stores the hydrogen produced by the hydrogen production device, the mounting body is provided on a floating device separate from the hydrogen production ship, The floating device is placed on the water surface without being fixed to the hydrogen production ship, an electricity storage device capable of storing electricity generated by the power generation device is provided in either the hydrogen production ship or the mounting body, The electricity stored in the power storage device is used to power the hydrogen production device and the hydrogen storage device, or is used as electrical power for the hydrogen production ship. A hydrogen production / storage system.

3. The hydrogen production / storage system according to claim 1 or 2, the first resistance member is formed of the pressure-receiving surface portion formed of a flexible material and a support member that supports the pressure-receiving surface portion by standing it up on the surface of the endless belt; A hydrogen production / storage system.

4. The hydrogen production / storage system according to claim 1 or 2, the first resistance member is formed of a pair of the pressure-receiving surface portions joined back to back to each other, and a support member that supports the pair of pressure-receiving surface portions by standing them up on the surface of the endless belt; A hydrogen production / storage system.

5. The hydrogen production / storage system according to claim 3, A rotation direction converter is provided between the output shaft of the hydraulic drive device and the rotating shaft of the generator, capable of converting the rotation direction of the rotating shaft of the generator to the same direction or the opposite direction with respect to the rotation direction of the output shaft of the hydraulic drive device. A hydrogen production / storage system.

6. The hydrogen production / storage system according to claim 4, A rotation direction converter is provided between the output shaft of the hydraulic drive device and the rotating shaft of the generator, capable of converting the rotation direction of the rotating shaft of the generator to the same direction or the opposite direction with respect to the rotation direction of the output shaft of the hydraulic drive device. A hydrogen production / storage system.

7. The hydrogen production / storage system according to claim 1 or 2, One or more of the auxiliary rotors among the plurality of auxiliary rotors are positioned lower than the other auxiliary rotors, and the lower endless belt portion of the endless belt is curved in a substantially dogleg shape in the water depth direction. A hydrogen production / storage system.

8. The hydrogen production / storage system according to claim 7, The auxiliary rotor located at the most downstream of the plurality of auxiliary rotors is located lower than the other auxiliary rotors. A hydrogen production / storage system.

9. The hydrogen production / storage system according to claim 7, Among the plurality of auxiliary rotors, an auxiliary rotor located approximately at the center is located lower than the other auxiliary rotors. A hydrogen production / storage system.

10. The hydrogen production / storage system according to claim 1 or 2, The plurality of auxiliary rotating bodies are attached to the mounting body so as to be movable up and down. A hydrogen production / storage system.

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