Vertical Axis Hydropower System for Bank Erosion Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hydropower systems have a significant environmental impact and are not well-suited for generating electricity from hydrokinetic energy in streams and channels, as they often require large infrastructure and can cause bank erosion and non-negligible ecological damage.
Innovation Solution
A vertical axis hydropower system with a shaft and hydrokinetic device having blades submerged in a cavity and extending into flowing water, which reduces water velocity and shear forces on the bank, generating electricity while minimizing environmental impact by reducing erosive forces and protecting the bank.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If conventional hydropower systems are installed in large channels, then electrical energy generation capacity is improved, but environmental impact and bank erosion increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hydropower system is segmented into multiple independent vertical axis units that can be distributed along the bank, allowing energy generation without requiring a single large infrastructure installation. This segmentation enables low-impact deployment in sensitive environments while maintaining power generation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from conventional horizontal axis turbines to vertical axis hydrokinetic devices, changing the orientation dimension. This vertical configuration allows the system to harness flow energy while minimizing bank disruption and erosion, as the devices are positioned to work with rather than against the natural flow pattern.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If vertical axis hydrokinetic devices are deployed, then environmental impact is reduced, but power generation capacity from the same water flow is limited
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple vertical axis hydrokinetic devices are merged into a single integrated system along the bank, combining their individual power outputs. This merging approach accumulates total power generation capacity while maintaining the low environmental impact of individual vertical axis units.
Solution Approach 2:
The vertical axis hydrokinetic devices serve multiple functions: generating electrical energy from hydrokinetic flow, reducing bank erosion through flow velocity reduction, and providing adaptability to varying flow conditions. This multi-functionality maximizes the value extracted from the water flow without increasing environmental impact.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If hydrokinetic devices reduce water flow velocity, then bank erosion is reduced, but energy extraction efficiency may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system converts the potentially harmful effect of fast flowing water (which causes erosion) into a beneficial force that drives the hydrokinetic devices. The same water flow that would otherwise erode the bank is harnessed to rotate the blades and generate electricity, while the devices simultaneously reduce flow velocity downstream to protect the bank.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydrokinetic devices are designed with adjustable blade pitch and rotational speed parameters that optimize energy extraction at different flow velocities. This parameter adjustment capability maintains high extraction efficiency across varying flow conditions while ensuring sufficient velocity reduction for bank protection.
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 system effectively harnesses hydrokinetic energy with low environmental impact, reducing bank erosion and enabling local renewable energy production in sensitive environments.
Implementation Method 1
The flowing water pushes on the blades located outside the cavity, which drives rotation of the first hydrokinetic device and the shaft about the axis
Implementation Method 2
an electrical generator configured to generate electrical energy in response to rotation of the shaft
Implementation Method 3
The transfer of the kinetic energy from the water flowing along the bank into the rotation of the first hydrokinetic device about the axis reduces the velocity of the water flow along the bank, thereby reducing shear forces along the bank
Data Source
AI summary
A hydropower system for generating electrical energy from water flowing along a bank includes a shaft configured to rotate about a vertical axis, an electrical generator configured to generate electrical energy in response to rotation of the shaft, and a first hydrokinetic device including a plurality of blades attached to the shaft and angularly displaced from each other around the axis. A portion of the first hydrokinetic device is submerged in the water within a cavity formed in the bank, and a portion of the first hydrokinetic device extends outside the cavity and is submerged within the flowing water. The flowing water pushes on the blades located outside the cavity, which drives rotation of the first hydrokinetic device and the shaft about the axis.