Hydroelectric Generator with Adjustable Rotor for Low-Flow Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hydroelectric generators with semi-submerged rotors face inefficiencies and high noise due to large size requirements in low-speed water courses, making them expensive and difficult to install and maintain, while completely submerged rotors are complex and not adaptable for such conditions.
Innovation Solution
A hydroelectric generator with adjustable rotor blades and a fixed platform that allows for controlled movement and positioning, including spiral-shaped blades made of flexible materials, to optimize efficiency and reduce size, noise, and installation costs, while being adaptable for low-flow water courses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the rotor is completely immersed in water to intercept more fluid mass, then the kinetic energy conversion is improved, but the device complexity and installation difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor is designed to be freely floating rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position and orientation in the water flow. This dynamic positioning enables the rotor to automatically find its optimal operating depth and angle, capturing kinetic energy effectively without requiring complex submerged installation structures
Solution Approach 2:
The floating rotor self-adjusts its position in the water based on hydrostatic and hydrodynamic forces, automatically optimizing its immersion depth and flow interception angle without external control systems or complex installation mechanisms
2Power
If the rotor size is increased to intercept more fluid mass in low-speed water courses, then the power generation is improved, but the generator bulk and noise increase
Solution Approach 1:
The blade profile parameters are optimized to maximize the lift-to-drag ratio, allowing smaller blades to generate more force from the same water flow. The spiral shape and specific angle configurations enable efficient energy extraction without increasing rotor size
Solution Approach 2:
Flexible blade materials are used that can deform under water flow pressure to optimize their shape dynamically, maximizing surface area exposure to the flow without increasing the rigid structural bulk of the rotor assembly
3Power
If the rotor size is increased to intercept more fluid mass, then the power generation is improved, but the noise level increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade profile parameters are optimized to maximize the lift-to-drag ratio, allowing smaller blades to generate more force from the same water flow. The spiral shape and specific angle configurations enable efficient energy extraction without increasing rotor size
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible blade materials deform under water flow pressure to optimize their shape dynamically, maximizing surface area exposure to the flow without increasing the rigid structural bulk of the rotor assembly
4Productivity
If the rotor is misaligned with the main flow direction, then the efficiency decreases and noise increases, but maintaining precise alignment is difficult with large rotors
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor is designed to be freely floating rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position and orientation in the water flow. This dynamic positioning enables the rotor to automatically find its optimal operating depth and angle, capturing kinetic energy effectively without requiring complex submerged installation structures
Solution Approach 2:
The floating rotor self-adjusts its position in the water based on hydrostatic and hydrodynamic forces, automatically optimizing its immersion depth and flow interception angle without external control systems or complex installation mechanisms
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables high power generation with reduced bulk and noise, making the generator more cost-effective and suitable for low-flow water courses, while maintaining efficiency through adjustable positioning and flexible materials.
Implementation Method 1
a rotor means (3) for converting the kinetic energy of a water (10A), flowing in a water course (10), into a mechanical energy
Implementation Method 2
an alternator (12) connected in a known way to the hub (3B) such as to convert the mechanical energy provided by the rotation of the hub (3B) itself in electric energy
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A hydroelectric generator adapted to be installed in a water course, of the type having a semi-submerged rotor, including a fixed platform, rotor means for the conversion of kinetic energy of a fluid in electric energy, having adjusting means to adjust the position of the rotor means is disclosed. The adjusting means to adjust the position are constrained to the fixed platform and move, in a controlled way, the rotor means with respect to the fixed platform with at least one degree of freedom, to change at least the orientation of the axis (A) of the rotor with respect to the main flow direction (D) of the water.