Floating Water Turbine Layout for Low-Maintenance Power Generation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing underwater energy generation devices face issues with high maintenance costs due to the need for complete sealing, frequent repairs, and susceptibility to corrosion and clogging from seawater, leading to reliability and efficiency problems.
Innovation Solution
A floating device with a detachable barrel and blades system, where the blades and generator are above water, using a seawater filter and gearbox to convert kinetic energy from water flow into electricity, with a movable support system and cables to secure the device to the seabed, minimizing underwater components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the device uses complete sealing and underwater mechanical elements to generate electricity, then energy conversion is achieved, but maintenance costs increase and reliability decreases due to corrosion and clogging
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional modules: the floating body remains above water while only the necessary intake structures extend into the water. This segmentation allows the majority of the device to operate in a benign environment, reducing corrosion and maintenance needs while still achieving energy conversion through the water-intake mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The generator and most mechanical components are extracted from the underwater environment and placed on the floating body above water. Only the essential water-intake channels and filter elements remain in contact with seawater, minimizing the surface area exposed to corrosive conditions and reducing maintenance requirements.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If the device uses filters and sealed components to prevent clogging, then operational continuity is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The filter system is designed to be self-cleaning through the natural flow of water. The current passing through the filter automatically removes accumulated particles, eliminating the need for complex manual cleaning mechanisms or frequent maintenance interventions, thus maintaining operational continuity without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The design accepts that filters will accumulate debris over time but incorporates easy-to-access filter elements that can be quickly removed, cleaned, or replaced. This approach prioritizes simple manufacturing and maintenance over permanent, complex anti-clogging mechanisms.
3Reliability
If the device minimizes underwater components to reduce maintenance, then reliability improves, but energy extraction efficiency may decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The floating body acts as an intermediary structure that houses the generator above water while connecting to water-intake channels below. This mediator allows the generator to remain protected from corrosion while still being driven by water flow, achieving both reliability and energy extraction efficiency through the intermediate floating platform.
Solution Approach 2:
The device transitions from a fully underwater three-dimensional structure to a hybrid configuration where the power generation occurs in the air dimension on a floating platform, while only the necessary water interaction elements extend into the water dimension. This dimensional separation protects sensitive components while maintaining functional efficiency.
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
Enhances reliability and simplifies maintenance by reducing exposure to seawater, lowering operational costs and increasing efficiency through reduced wear and tear.
Implementation Method 1
barrel with blades (10), located inside a column (7), separating filtered seawater from unfiltered
Implementation Method 2
electric power generator (1), installed on the deck of the watercraft (6), connected to the barrel with blades (10) by means of a gearbox (2)
Implementation Method 3
seawater filter (4), installed on the deck of the watercraft (6)
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5A~6
AI summary
The invention relates to the production of electrical energy and can be used to produce electrical energy for household and industrial needs. A device for generating electricity in an aquatic environment containing a watercraft with a generator and a barrel with blades, characterized in that the body the watercraft is secured from movement along the flow of the aquatic environment by means of an anchor for installing the watercraft and cables with tubes and is made with at least one through recess in which at least one movable flat rectangular support is installed, in which a barrel with blades is installed by means of a detachable connection located inside a column separating filtered seawater from unfiltered and fixed by cables with tubes to the bottom of the aquatic environment, and the column and trunk are made of pipes connected through a coupling, at the same time, a seawater filter, a gearbox, a water storage device, an electric power generator and a control unit are installed on the deck of the watercraft, as well as an engine tower made with the possibility of lowering/lifting the column and trunk and moving along the said deck of the watercraft, and the electric power generator is connected to the trunk by means of a gearbox, and the blades are made with the possibility of delaying the flow of water on the one hand and washing with water on the other. The technical result of the claimed invention is to increase the reliability of the device and simplify the design.