Tidal power generation system

Abstract

To provide a tidal power generation system that efficiently generates electricity by utilizing changes in tidal levels. [Solution] Piston chambers 621, 631 and a generator 60 whose rotating shaft 61 is driven by pistons 62, 63 are installed on the sea, and movable member housing chambers 30, 40 which house movable members 20 that operate to supply air to and receive air from the piston chambers are installed in the sea. The movable member housing chambers have seawater inlet / outlet pipes 31, 41, and the seawater inlet / outlet pipes are provided with a plurality of seawater inlets / outlets 32, 42 formed at regular intervals, and electric doors that open and close each of the seawater inlets / outlets. The seawater inlet / outlet 32 ​​of seawater inlet / outlet pipe 31 and the seawater inlet / outlet 42 of seawater inlet / outlet pipe 41 are set at different distances from the sea surface, and the electric door of one seawater inlet / outlet pipe is controlled to close when the electric door of the other seawater inlet / outlet pipe is open and open when it is closed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tidal power generation device that generates electricity by utilizing changes in sea level due to the ebb and flow of tides.

Background Art

[0002] The height of the sea surface gently changes twice a day due to the ebb and flow of tides. For example, in the sea of Tokyo, a dry-wet difference of about 1 m is observed during neap tides when the tidal level change is small, and a change about twice that amount is observed during spring tides when the tidal level change is large. The technology of generating electricity by utilizing such tidal level changes is called "tidal power generation" or "tide power generation".

[0003] The following patent document describes a technology in which the movement of a floating tank that moves up and down according to the tidal level is transmitted to the piston of a hydraulic cylinder, and the hydraulic pump is rotated by the up and down movement of the piston to generate electricity.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004] [[ID=2,7]]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] ?) However, it is difficult to efficiently generate electricity by only operating the piston about twice a day due to the ebb and flow of tides.

[0006] The present invention solves such problems, and in tidal power generation that drives a generator using a piston, it is an object to provide a tidal power generation device capable of moving the piston up and down a plurality of times during each period when the sea surface changes from high tide to low tide and from low tide to high tide.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In the tidal power generation device of the present invention, a piston chamber for housing a piston and a generator that generates electricity by rotating a rotating shaft driven by the piston are installed on the sea, and a pair of movable member housing chambers, which house movable members that operate to send air into the piston chamber and receive air from the piston chamber, are installed in the sea. Furthermore, at the upper ends of the pair of movable member housing chambers, there are seawater inlet and outlet pipes extending outwards towards the sea. Each of these seawater inlet and outlet pipes is provided with a plurality of seawater inlets and outlets formed at predetermined intervals, and an electrically operated door for opening and closing each of the seawater inlets and outlets. Furthermore, the seawater inlets and outlets provided in one of the seawater inlet / outlet pipes of the movable member housing chamber and the seawater inlet / outlet provided in the other of the seawater inlet / outlet pipes of the movable member housing chamber are set at different distances from the sea surface, and the electric door is controlled so that the inflow or outflow of seawater into or out of the seawater inlet / outlet pipe occurs at the seawater inlet / outlet located at the sea surface.

[0008] Therefore, during the transition from high tide to low tide, the movable member housed in one movable member housing chamber rises during the multiple time periods when seawater flows out of the seawater inlet / outlet pipe of that movable member housing chamber, and falls during the multiple time periods when seawater flows out of the seawater inlet / outlet pipe of the other movable member housing chamber. This relationship is reversed during the transition from low tide to high tide. Therefore, the piston, which is linked to the direction of movement of the moving member, will have to switch its direction of movement multiple times during the process of the sea surface transitioning from high tide to low tide, and from low tide to high tide.

[0009] Furthermore, in the tidal power generation device of the present invention, only the electric door of the seawater inlet / outlet that reaches the seawater level may be opened.

[0010] Therefore, the piston changes its direction of motion by the number of seawater inlets and outlets that the seawater surface passes through while the seawater is displacing from high tide to low tide, and from low tide to high tide.

[0011] Furthermore, in the tidal power generation device of the present invention, when the electric door that closes the seawater inlet / outlet of the seawater inlet / outlet pipe opens, all the electric doors of the seawater inlet / outlet pipes provided therein may be opened simultaneously.

[0012] This simplifies the control of the electric doors that open and close the seawater inlet and outlet. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] The tidal power generation device of the present invention makes it possible to generate electricity efficiently by utilizing changes in tidal level. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] A diagram showing the overall structure of the tidal power generation device of the present invention. [Figure 2] A diagram (part 1) showing the operation of a tidal power generation device in response to sea level displacement. [Figure 3] A diagram (part 2) showing the operation of the tidal power generation device in response to sea level displacement. [Figure 4] A diagram (part 3) showing the operation of the tidal power generation device in response to sea level displacement. [Figure 5] A diagram (part 4) showing the operation of the tidal power generation device in response to sea level displacement. [Figure 6] A diagram showing the configuration of a movable member that moves within a movable member housing chamber. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. As shown in Figure 1, the tidal power generation device of the present invention has piston chambers 621 and 631 that house pistons 62 and 63, and a generator 60 that generates electricity by rotating a rotating shaft 61 driven by the pistons 62 and 63, installed on the sea. In addition, moving member accommodation chambers 30 and 40 for sending air into or receiving air from the piston chambers 621 and 631 are installed below the sea surface 50. The moving member accommodation chambers 30 and 40 house moving members 20 that operate for sending air into the piston chambers 621 and 631 or receiving air from the piston chambers 621 and 631.

[0016] Air circulation pipes 64 and 65 are arranged between the moving member accommodation chambers 30 and 40 and the piston chambers 621 and 631.

[0017] In addition, seawater inlet / outlet cylinders 31 and 41 through which seawater flows in and out extend upward from the upper ends of the moving member accommodation chambers 30 and 40. A plurality of seawater inlets / outlets 32a to 32e are provided at equal intervals in the seawater inlet / outlet cylinder 31, and a plurality of seawater inlets / outlets 42a to 42d are also provided at equal intervals in the seawater inlet / outlet cylinder 41. The distances of the seawater inlets / outlets 32a to 32e and the seawater inlets / outlets 42a to 42d from the sea surface 50 are set to be different.

[0018] In addition, opening / closing doors that open and close electrically are attached to each of the seawater inlets / outlets 32a to 32e and the seawater inlets / outlets 42a to 42d. Only when the opening / closing doors are opened, seawater flows into the seawater inlet / outlet cylinders 31 and 41 from the seawater inlets / outlets 32a to 32e and the seawater inlets / outlets 42a to 42d, or seawater flows out of the seawater inlet / outlet cylinders 31 and 41.

[0019] In FIGS. 2 to 5, the seawater inlets / outlets 32a to 32e and the seawater inlets / outlets 42a to 42d with the opening / closing doors closed are shown in black, and the seawater inlets / outlets 32a to 32e and the seawater inlets / outlets 42a to 42d with the opening / closing doors open are shown in white.

[0020] The underwater portions of the moving member accommodation chambers 30 and 40, the seawater inlet / outlet cylinders 31 and 41, and the air circulation pipes 64 and 65 are arranged inside the hull assembled with the steel frame 25.

[0021] As shown in Figures 6(a) (exploded view) and 6(b) (side view), the movable member 20 that moves within the movable member housing chambers 30 and 40 consists of a ring-shaped packing 21 made of an elastic material, a support ring 22 that supports the ring-shaped packing 21 so that its outer circumference elastically contacts the inner wall of the movable member housing chambers 30 and 40, a disc-shaped member 24 that partitions the space between the seawater flowing into the movable member housing chambers 30 and 40 from the tip (open end) of the seawater inlet / outlet pipes 31 and 41 and the seawater inlets / outlets 32a-32e and 42a-42d and the air present inside the movable member housing chambers 30 and 40, and a cylindrical member 23 that connects the support ring 22 and the disc-shaped member 24.

[0022] The outer circumference of the disc-shaped member 24 is close to the inner walls of the movable member housing chambers 30 and 40, but it is not in contact with those inner walls. If the disc-shaped member 24 were to come into contact with the inner walls of the movable member housing chambers 30 and 40, smooth movement of the movable member 20 within the movable member housing chambers 30 and 40 would not be possible. However, in this movable member 20, only the elastic ring-shaped packing 21 is in contact with the movable member housing chambers 30 and 40, thus enabling smooth movement of the movable member 20 within the movable member housing chambers 30 and 40.

[0023] In Figure 1, if the weight of the seawater above the movable member 20 in the movable member housing chamber 30 is greater than the weight of the seawater above the movable member 20 in the movable member housing chamber 40, the movable member 20 in the movable member housing chamber 30 will descend within the movable member housing chamber 30. As a result, the air below the movable member 20 in the movable member housing chamber 30 is sent to the piston chamber 631 through the air circulation pipe 65, and the piston 63 descends within the piston chamber 631. As a result, the air below the piston 63 flows into the piston chamber 621, and the piston 62 rises within the piston chamber 621. As a result, the air above the piston 62 flows into the movable member housing chamber 40 through the air circulation pipe 64, pushing up the movable member 20 in the movable member housing chamber 40.

[0024] The movement of pistons 62 and 63 at this time causes the rotating shaft 61 of the generator 60 to rotate, and the generator 60 generates electricity.

[0025] Furthermore, if the weight of the seawater above the movable member 20 in the movable member housing chamber 40 is heavier than the weight of the seawater above the movable member 20 in the movable member housing chamber 30, then similarly, the air below the movable member 20 in the movable member housing chamber 40 flows in the reverse direction through the air circulation pipe 64, driving the pistons 62 and 63, and generating electricity in the generator 60. The air pushed out from the piston chamber 631 flows into the movable member housing chamber 30, pushing up the movable member 20 in the movable member housing chamber 30.

[0026] In this tidal power generation device, as shown in Figure 2, when the seawater level 50 descends to the position of the seawater inlet / outlet 32a of the seawater inlet / outlet pipe 31, the opening and closing door of the seawater inlet / outlet 32a is opened.

[0027] In addition, to simplify the control of opening and closing the doors, the doors of the other seawater inlets and outlets 32b to 32e of the seawater inlet / outlet pipe 31 may also be opened simultaneously.

[0028] When the opening and closing door of the seawater inlet / outlet 32a of the seawater inlet / outlet pipe 31 is opened, the seawater that had accumulated up to the upper end of the seawater inlet / outlet pipe 31 at the stage shown in Figure 1 will flow out from the seawater inlet / outlet 32a in the portion that is above the current seawater level 50. On the other hand, in the seawater inlet / outlet pipe 41, all the seawater inlets and outlets are closed, so the seawater inside the seawater inlet / outlet pipe 41 is retained up to its upper end.

[0029] Therefore, as described in paragraph

[0025] , the weight of the seawater above the movable member 20 in the movable member housing chamber 40 becomes heavier than the weight of the seawater above the movable member 20 in the movable member housing chamber 30, causing the pistons 62 and 63 to be driven and generating electricity in the generator 60.

[0030] As shown in Figure 3, when the seawater level 50 further descends to the position of the seawater inlet / outlet 42a of the seawater inlet / outlet pipe 41, the opening / closing door of the seawater inlet / outlet 42a on the seawater inlet / outlet pipe 41 side opens, and the opening / closing door of the seawater inlet / outlet 32 ​​on the seawater inlet / outlet pipe 31 side closes. At this time, in the seawater inlet / outlet pipe 31, seawater is retained up to the lower end of the seawater outlet / outlet 32a, but in the seawater inlet / outlet pipe 41, seawater continues to flow out from the seawater outlet / outlet 42a while the seawater surface 50 passes the position of the seawater outlet / outlet 42a.

[0031] Therefore, as described in paragraph

[0023] , the weight of the seawater above the movable member 20 in the movable member housing chamber 30 becomes heavier than the weight of the seawater above the movable member 20 in the movable member housing chamber 40, causing the pistons 62 and 63 to be driven and generating electricity in the generator 60.

[0032] Next, we will consider the process by which sea levels rise. As shown in Figure 4, when the seawater level 50 is at the position of the seawater inlet / outlet 42d of the seawater inlet / outlet pipe 41, the opening and closing door of the seawater inlet / outlet of the seawater inlet / outlet pipe 41 opens and seawater flows into the movable member housing chamber 40.

[0033] On the other hand, since the opening and closing doors of the seawater inlet / outlet of the seawater inlet / outlet pipe 31 are closed, the amount of seawater above the movable member 20 in the movable member housing chamber 30 remains unchanged. Therefore, as described in paragraph

[0025] , the movable member 20 of the movable member housing chamber 40 descends and the movable member 20 of the movable member housing chamber 30 rises, driving the pistons 62 and 63 and generating electricity in the generator 60.

[0034] As the tide level rises further, and the sea surface 50 reaches the position of the seawater inlet / outlet 32d of the seawater inlet / outlet pipe 31, as shown in Figure 5, the opening and closing door of the seawater inlet / outlet of the seawater inlet / outlet pipe 31 opens and seawater flows into the movable member housing chamber 30. On the other hand, since the opening and closing door of the seawater inlet / outlet of the seawater inlet / outlet pipe 41 is closed, the seawater in the seawater inlet / outlet pipe 41 is stopped at the upper end of the seawater inlet / outlet 42d. Therefore, as described in paragraph

[0023] , the movable member 20 of the movable member housing chamber 30 descends, and the movable member 20 of the movable member housing chamber 40 rises, driving the pistons 62 and 63, and generating electricity in the generator 60.

[0035] Thus, in this tidal power generation device, the pistons reciprocate a number of times corresponding to the number of seawater inlets and outlets of the seawater inlet and outlet pipes 31 and 41, while the seawater is transitioning from high tide to low tide and from low tide to high tide. Therefore, efficient tidal power generation is possible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 20 Moving member 21 Ring-shaped packing 22 Support ring 23 Cylindrical member 24 Disc-shaped member 25 Steel frame 30. Movable Member Storage Room 31 Seawater Inlet / Outlet Tube 32a~32e Seawater entrance 40. Movable Member Storage Room 41 Seawater Inlet / Outlet Tube 42a~42d Seawater entrance 50 sea level 60 Generators 61 Rotation axis 62 pistons 621 Piston chamber 63 Pistons 631 Piston chamber 64 Air circulation pipe 65 Air circulation pipe

Claims

1. A tidal power generation device installed in the sea comprises a piston chamber housing a piston and a generator that generates electricity by rotating a rotating shaft driven by the piston, and a pair of movable member housing chambers housing movable members that operate to send air into and receive air from the piston chamber, At the upper end of each of the pair of movable member housing chambers, a seawater inlet / outlet pipe extending toward the sea is provided. Each of the aforementioned seawater inlet / outlet pipes is provided with a plurality of seawater inlets and outlets formed at regular intervals, and an electrically operated door that opens and closes each of the seawater inlets and outlets. The seawater inlet and outlet provided in one of the seawater inlet / outlet pipes of the movable member housing chamber and the seawater inlet and outlet provided in the other of the seawater inlet / outlet pipes of the movable member housing chamber are set at different distances from the sea surface. The electric door is controlled so that the inflow or outflow of seawater into or out of the seawater intake / exit pipe occurs at the seawater inlet / exit located at the seawater surface. A tidal power generation device characterized by the following features.

2. A tidal power generation device according to claim 1, Only the electric door of the seawater inlet / outlet is opened when the tide level reaches the sea surface. A tidal power generation device characterized by the following features.

3. A tidal power generation device according to claim 1, When the electric door of the seawater inlet / outlet provided in the seawater inlet / outlet pipe is opened, the electric doors of all the seawater inlets / outlets provided in the seawater inlet / outlet pipe are opened. A tidal power generation device characterized by the following features.

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