Offshore Hydro-Turbine Unit Anchoring and Energy Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current renewable energy technologies face challenges in efficiently harnessing and converting ocean wave, tidal, and stream energy into usable forms, particularly due to high initial costs, maintenance issues, and variability in wind and water flow, which limits their scalability and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A towable mobile platform with a trap pool system anchored to the ocean floor using pneumatically hammered plungers, capturing energy through hydro turbines that convert ocean water head into both electrical and compressed air energy, which can be stored and transferred to land, incorporating a design that optimizes energy capture from waves, tides, and currents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional anchor systems using weight are used to secure platforms to the ocean floor, then anchoring is simple in concept, but anchoring performance and reliability are insufficient at depths up to 100 meters
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs pneumatic hammering systems to drive plungers into the seabed, using compressed air to generate the necessary impact forces. This replaces traditional gravity-based anchoring with a pneumatic mechanism that can achieve reliable anchoring at depths up to 100 meters by hammering anchor plungers directly into the seabed substrate.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the passive mechanical weight-based anchoring system with an active pneumatic hammering system. This substitution enables controlled anchoring force delivery and deeper penetration into the seabed, significantly improving anchoring reliability while providing a more sophisticated mechanical system.
2Productivity
If high initial investment is made in renewable energy technologies, then energy production capacity can be established, but cost-effectiveness and scalability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The renewable energy platform is divided into modular components including hydro turbines, air compressors, energy storage systems, and anchoring mechanisms. This segmentation allows for standardized manufacturing, easier deployment, and scalable expansion by adding or removing modular units, thereby reducing initial investment costs while maintaining productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates self-sufficient features such as using generated energy to power air compressors that refill storage tanks, and utilizing the platform's own operations to maintain its anchoring systems. This reduces external operational costs and improves cost-effectiveness.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If conventional maintenance requirements are applied to offshore energy systems, then system reliability can be maintained, but continuous operation and low maintenance are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system is designed to operate continuously by capturing energy from both tidal flows and wave actions, ensuring that at least one energy source is always available. The dual-energy approach allows uninterrupted operation, maintaining duration of action while reducing the frequency of maintenance interventions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs simple, robust components that can be easily replaced rather than complex systems requiring sophisticated maintenance. The modular design allows individual components to be quickly swapped out, reducing maintenance complexity and enabling continuous operation with minimal intervention.
4Reliability
If variability in wind and water flow is accommodated, then system reliability under different conditions is improved, but energy conversion efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The platform is designed with multi-functional energy capture capabilities, incorporating both tidal current turbines and wave energy converters. This universality allows the system to adapt to varying environmental conditions by utilizing whichever energy source is most prevalent at any given time, maintaining reliability while optimizing overall energy conversion efficiency through diversified capture 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
This solution enables the continuous and cost-effective production of 880 MWh of clean renewable energy per day with low maintenance, utilizing ocean resources efficiently and providing a reliable energy source with minimal environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
The pool water bottom outlets are connected to the inlet manifold of 6 high flow hydro turbines with their outlet port connected with divergence pipe into the surrounding ocean
Implementation Method 2
Each hydro turbines' rotation shaft is coupled with an air compressor inlet shaft that compresses high pressure air into high pressure compressed air tanks where the energy is stored
Implementation Method 3
Other hydro turbine shafts are coupled with electrical generator shafts and the electrical energy is stored in large capacity batteries
Implementation Method 4
The new pneumatically hammered plungers into seabed replaces the anchor that used its own weight to sink into ocean seabed for thousands of years
Implementation Method 5
multiple inlet holes through holes through the wall and the floor surrounding the pool each hole is equipped with one way ball type check valve which keeps the water in the trap pool
Data Source
AI summary
Hydro Turbine unit producing 880 MW-h energy daily in offshore oceans creating average high-pressure compressed air transferable energy stored in air tanks and using generators to transform into local electrical energy. The harvesting of renewable offshore water energy of ocean wave, tidal and stream energy, converting it to accumulated water head potential energy in a large isolated water trapping pool structurally supported laterally by six tall towers extended to ocean maximum depth of 100 meter deep with arrow shape plungers pneumatic reciprocating hammering into seabed in slanted angle relative to seabed. The energized ocean water enters the trap pool through thousands of one-way check valves in the trap pool floor and surrounding walls. Large flow openings into 6 Hydro turbine manifolds direct swirling water through radial guiding vanes and conical converging top vertically downward through 8 turbine blades applying torque to turbine outlet shaft and flowing down to ocean level.