CN107304745B

CN107304745B - Tidal current energy power generation device and guide sleeve thereof

Info

Publication number: CN107304745B
Application number: CN201610257953.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 林东; 徐虔诚
Original assignee: Hangzhou Lindong New Energy Technology Inc
Current assignee: Hangzhou Lindong New Energy Technology Inc
Priority date: 2016-04-22
Filing date: 2016-04-22
Publication date: 2023-09-29
Anticipated expiration: 2036-04-22
Also published as: CN107304745A

Abstract

The invention provides a tidal current energy power generation device and a guide sleeve thereof. The tidal current energy power generation device comprises a frame, at least one rotating shaft, at least one driving unit, at least one horizontal shaft hydraulic generator and at least one guide sleeve. The rotating shaft is rotatably arranged on the frame. The driving unit is positioned on the water surface and connected with the rotating shaft to drive the rotating shaft to rotate. The horizontal shaft hydraulic generator is fixed on the rotating shaft. The air guide sleeve is fixed on the frame and comprises two water guide parts and a middle part, and the middle part is positioned between the two water guide parts. The intersection point formed by the axis of the rotating shaft and the central axis of the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator is a central point, the distance between any point on the inner surface of the middle part and the central point is a first distance, the distance between one end point of the blade farthest from the central point and the central point is a second distance, and the first distance is larger than the second distance. The radius of the cross section of the middle part facing the two ends of the two water guiding parts is slightly larger than the distance between the furthest point and the central axis.

Description

Tidal current energy power generation device and guide sleeve thereof

Technical Field

The invention relates to a power generation device, in particular to a tidal current energy power generation device and a guide sleeve thereof.

Background

Ocean energy (including tidal energy, tidal current energy, wave energy and ocean current energy) refers to energy of sea water flowing, is used as renewable energy, is rich in reserve and wide in distribution, and has excellent development prospect and value. The ocean energy is mainly used for generating electricity, and the working principle of the ocean energy generating device is similar to that of wind power generation, namely, the ocean energy is converted into electric energy through an energy conversion device. Specifically, firstly, sea water impacts a water turbine, the water turbine converts energy of water flow into rotary mechanical energy, then the water turbine drives a generator to generate electricity through a mechanical transmission system, and finally the electricity is converted into electric energy.

Nowadays, energy is increasingly short, greenhouse effect is increasingly serious, and low carbonization is required, so that clean energy such as wind energy, ocean energy and the like is the development direction of future energy. However, these clean energy power generation facilities are not universal and mature except for the relatively mature wind energy utilization, and the ocean energy utilization is in the starting stage. The existing few devices have the problems of low efficiency and incapability of large-scale equipment.

Due to the complex marine environment and high resistance in water, the traditional marine energy power generation device is installed in the sea, and has high difficulty and huge cost. In addition, since the power generation device is in contact with seawater for a long time, the ocean power generation device needs to be maintained or replaced regularly after being used for a period of time under the conditions of long-term corrosion and huge impact force of the seawater. However, the maintenance and replacement of the traditional ocean power generation device are carried out in the sea, so that the difficulty is high and the cost is huge. Even, the damage of partial components leads to the scrapping of the whole ocean power generation device, which is one of the important reasons for the high cost of the ocean power generation device and is also a direct reason that the existing ocean power generation device cannot be operated in a large-scale and commercial mode.

In particular, the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator is more difficult to maintain and has higher cost because all equipment (including blades and a generator) of the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator is underwater. Therefore, even though the horizontal-axis hydro-generators have higher power generation efficiency than the vertical-axis hydro-generators, the horizontal-axis hydro-generators are not yet commercialized. However, improvements in installation and maintenance are now ignored by those skilled in the art of ocean power generation.

In addition, since tidal current energy is generated by ocean tidal current, electricity is generated. Along with the rising tide and falling tide, the direction of the tide changes. Most of the conventional horizontal shaft hydraulic generators can not rotate, so that the tidal current energy generator can only generate power by using the tide rise or the tide fall, and the power generation efficiency is extremely low. In order to fully utilize the energy generated by the tide rise and tide fall, the prior art chooses to install two sets of power generation systems. The impeller of one set of power generation system faces the tide rising direction, and the impeller of the other set of power generation system faces the tide falling direction. Although it appears that the energy generated by the rising tide and the falling tide is fully utilized, a set of power generation system is always idle in the rising tide or the falling tide. The addition of a set of power generation system doubles the production cost, and the generated electric energy and power are not increased as much as the cost, so that the popularization and the application of the tidal current energy power generation device are greatly limited.

It is noted that the tidal current speed of the rising and falling tides is not constant. Once the generator is selected, its capacity is determined when the generator is installed. However, the speed of the power flow is not constant, and thus the power generation amount is not constant. In order to save the cost and suffer from technical limitations, the conventional tidal current energy power generation device is only capable of bearing the power generation load below a certain water flow speed, namely a horizontal shaft hydraulic generator and a vertical shaft hydraulic generator. Once the water flow speed increases, the generated energy exceeds the load, and the overload operation of the generator is easy to damage. Therefore, in order to prolong the service life of the generator, the conventional tidal current energy power generation device thoroughly cuts off water flow once the tidal current exceeds a certain speed, so that the generator stops working, and the power generation efficiency is greatly reduced.

The existing tidal current energy power generation device uses the design of a wind energy generator to regulate the load of the power generation device in a variable pitch mode. When the water flow speed is high, the attack angle of the blade is reduced through the adjusting device; when the water flow speed is smaller, the attack angle of the blade is increased through the adjusting device. However, this design has significant drawbacks. Unlike the wind power generator, the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator is used in water and has resistance far greater than that of wind power generator. Moreover, since the blade angle of the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator is regulated, the rotating mechanism is entirely positioned in water, and the installation tightness degree among all the parts of the blade is required to be accurately designed to realize the rotation of the blade angle. If the connection is tight and the friction force is too large, the angle of the upstream surface of the blade is difficult to adjust, so that the adjusting device cannot play the adjusting function. The power generation device under the condition can not improve the efficiency when the water flow is too small, and can not truly protect the generator when the water flow is too large. If the connection is too loose, the friction is too small and although it can be easily adjusted, there is a serious problem of losing the sealing property. Therefore, water flow can be poured into the water wheel generator to cause the damage of the whole water wheel generator, the maintenance rate is greatly improved, and the cost is greatly increased. And the hydro-generator has several blades and several rotating mechanisms and control mechanisms are correspondingly arranged, so that the cost and the technical difficulty are increased sharply.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a tidal current energy power generation device and a guide cover thereof, which aim to overcome at least one defect in the prior art.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the invention provides a tidal current energy power generation device, which comprises a frame, at least one rotating shaft, at least one driving unit, at least one horizontal shaft hydraulic generator and at least one air guide sleeve. The rotating shaft is rotatably arranged on the frame and is provided with an axis, and the direction of the axis is perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The driving unit is positioned on the water surface and connected with the rotating shaft to drive the rotating shaft to rotate. At least one horizontal shaft hydro-generator is fixed in the pivot, and horizontal shaft hydro-generator includes blade and generator, and horizontal shaft hydro-generator has the central axis, and the direction of central axis is parallel to the horizontal plane. At least one air guide sleeve is fixed on the frame, and the air guide sleeve comprises two water guide parts and a middle part, and the middle part is positioned between the two water guide parts. The intersection point formed by the axis of the rotating shaft and the central axis of the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator is a central point, the distance between any point on the inner surface of the middle part and the central point is a first distance, one end point of the blade farthest from the central point is a farthest end point, the distance between the farthest end point and the central point is a second distance, and the first distance is larger than the second distance. The cross sections of the two ends of the middle parts facing the two water guide parts are circular, the plane of the cross section is perpendicular to the horizontal plane and the water flow direction, and the radius of the cross section is slightly larger than the shortest distance between the furthest point and the central axis.

In one embodiment of the invention, the distances from any point on the inner surface of the intermediate portion to the center point are equal.

In one embodiment of the invention, the distance between any point on the inner surface of the intermediate portion and the center point is slightly greater than the second distance.

In an embodiment of the invention, a cross section of an end of each water guiding portion, which is far away from the middle portion, is rectangular, a cross section of an end of each water guiding portion, which faces the middle portion, is circular, the circular cross section and the rectangular cross section are perpendicular to a horizontal plane and perpendicular to a water flow direction, and an area of the circular cross section is smaller than an area of the rectangular cross section.

In one embodiment of the invention, the frame comprises an outer frame and at least one inner frame, the inner frame being detachably arranged in the outer frame.

In one embodiment of the invention, at least two horizontal axis hydraulic generators are fixed to one mounting shaft and arranged in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane within the same inner frame.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pod for use in a tidal current energy power generation device, the tidal current energy power generation device comprising at least one horizontal shaft hydro-generator and at least one shaft, the horizontal shaft hydro-generator being fixed to the shaft, the shaft having an axis, the direction of the axis being perpendicular to a horizontal plane, the horizontal shaft hydro-generator comprising blades and a generator, the horizontal shaft hydro-generator having a central axis, the direction of the central axis being parallel to the horizontal plane, characterized in that the pod comprises two water guiding portions and a middle portion, the middle portion being located between the two water guiding portions. The intersection point formed by the axis of the rotating shaft and the central axis of the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator is a central point, the distance between any point on the inner surface of the middle part and the central point is a first distance, one end point of the blade farthest from the central point is a farthest end point, the distance between the farthest end point and the central point is a second distance, and the first distance is larger than the second distance; the cross sections of the two ends of the middle parts facing the two water guide parts are circular, the planes of the cross sections are perpendicular to the horizontal plane and the water flow direction, and the radius of the cross sections is slightly larger than the distance between the furthest point and the central axis.

In an embodiment of the invention, the air guide sleeve is of an asymmetric structure.

In summary, according to the tidal current energy power generation device provided by the invention, the flow is intensively guided to the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator by arranging the guide cover, so that the blades of the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator are stressed more and rotate at a faster speed, and the power generation efficiency is improved. Through setting up the pivot, innovatively adjust the load of generator through the mode that changes the orientation of whole horizontal axis generator and not the independent change blade angle of attack water for no matter how big generator of water velocity can guarantee always that can normally generate electricity in safe load, greatly improved generating efficiency. In addition, through setting up rotatable pivot for no matter rise tide or fall tide, horizontal axis hydraulic generator's blade can be all the time towards rivers, thereby ensures maximum generating power. By arranging the guide cover with a specific size, all water flows passing through the power generation device are gathered to be flushed towards the blades, so that the pressure difference between the upstream water level and the downstream water level is fully utilized, and the power generation efficiency is greatly improved. The guide cover limits the water flow not to directly flow out of the gap between the guide cover and the blade rotating area so as to ensure higher efficiency.

In addition, the detachable inner frame and the detachable outer frame are arranged, so that the power generation device can be assembled and replaced on the water surface in a modularized manner, the maintenance and installation cost is greatly reduced, and the difficult problem that the traditional tidal current energy power generation device cannot be commercialized and is large in scale is solved.

And at least three horizontal shaft hydraulic generators are arranged in the direction vertical to the horizontal plane, and at least two horizontal shaft hydraulic generators are also arranged in the direction parallel to the horizontal plane, so that the hydraulic generators are arranged in a matrix manner, the transverse and longitudinal tide energy of the whole sea area is fully utilized, and the power generation efficiency is greatly improved.

Further, the flow guide cover provided by the embodiment of the invention has the advantages that the areas of the cross sections of the two ends are larger than those of the cross section of the middle part, so that better flow guide and flow gathering effects are realized, the pressure of the flow guide cover towards the blades is increased, and the power generation efficiency is greatly improved.

In particular, by arranging the guide cover in an asymmetric structure, all water flows can be guided to the hydraulic generator by the guide cover accurately no matter in a tide and a tide, so that the water flows are utilized to generate electricity to the maximum extent, and the electricity generation efficiency is improved.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an assembled schematic diagram of a tidal current energy power generation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a tidal current energy power generation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a pod and a horizontal axis hydro-generator according to a first embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a side perspective view of a pod and horizontal axis hydro-generator provided in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a top cross-sectional view of a pod and a horizontal axis hydro-generator provided according to a first embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of fig. 5 with the pod removed.

Fig. 7 is a front view of a pod according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view of a pod according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 is an assembled schematic diagram of a tidal current energy power generation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a tidal current energy power generation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to fig. 1 and fig. 2 together. The tidal current energy power generation device provided in the first embodiment of the invention comprises a frame, at least one horizontal shaft hydro-generator 3, at least one rotating shaft 4, at least one air guide sleeve 5 and a driving unit 6. The pod 5 is disposed corresponding to the horizontal axis hydro-generator 3.

In the present embodiment, the frame 10 includes an outer frame 1 and at least one inner frame 2, and the at least one inner frame 2 is detachably provided in the outer frame 1. The outer frame 1 may be welded from a steel material. In this embodiment, the outer frame 1 may have a plurality of fixing piles 11. The anchor piles 11 are formed by casting concrete into the outer casing. The outer frame 1 is fixed to the sea floor F by piling. In this embodiment, the outer frame 1 further has a plurality of structures 12 for reducing water flow resistance. A plurality of structures 12 for reducing water flow resistance are located on the water facing side of the outer frame 1. By arranging the structure 12 for reducing the water flow resistance on the water facing side of the outer frame 1, the stress area of the outer sleeve of the outer frame 1 (the fixing pile 11 is formed at the position) for bearing the hydraulic impact is greatly reduced, and meanwhile, the stability of the fixing pile 11 formed subsequently is greatly improved. As shown in fig. 2, the water flow resistance reducing structures 12 are located at the uppermost and lowermost sides of the outer frame 1. In the present embodiment, the cross section of the water flow resistance reducing structure 12 is triangular. However, the specific shape and structure of the water flow resistance reducing structure 12 are not limited in the present invention. In other embodiments, the water flow resistance reducing structure may be manufactured to be streamlined.

In this embodiment, hooks (not shown) may be disposed on the inner frame 2, and slots (not shown) may be disposed on the outer frame 1, so that the inner frame 2 is embedded into the outer frame 1 through the mutual engagement of the hooks and the slots. However, the present invention is not limited in any way to fix the inner frame 2 to the outer frame 1. The present invention is not limited in any way to the specific number of inner frames 2. Preferably, the number of inner frames 2 is greater than or equal to three. In practical applications, the number of inner frames 2 may be as high as 12 or 14. As shown in fig. 1, the plurality of inner frames 2 are arranged along the direction parallel to the horizontal plane P, so that the scale of the tidal current energy power generation device is laterally expanded, the utilization rate of tidal current energy is greatly improved, and the defect that the existing tidal current energy power generation device cannot realize scale is overcome.

At least one rotation shaft 4 is rotatably provided to the inner frame 2 of the frame 10. The number of the rotating shafts 4 is not limited in the present invention. The rotary shaft 4 has an axis X1, and the direction of the axis X1 is perpendicular to the horizontal plane P. In the present embodiment, at least two horizontal axis hydraulic generators 3 are fixed on one rotating shaft 4 and are arranged in the same inner frame 2 along a direction D1 perpendicular to the horizontal plane P. Seen from the direction shown in fig. 1, at least two horizontal shaft hydraulic generators 3 are longitudinally arranged, so that the scale of the tidal current energy power generation device is longitudinally expanded along the ocean depth, the power generation is greatly improved, and the problem that the conventional tidal current energy power generation device cannot realize scale is further solved.

The sea floor is typically uneven. Due to the presence of rock etc., the difference in height of the seabed surface can be very large even at distances of less than ten meters. The tidal current energy power generation device can fully utilize the energy in the vertical direction of the ocean, and the number of the horizontal shaft hydraulic generators 3 in the direction D1 can be flexibly adjusted according to the distance between the seabed and the water surface. For example, only two horizontal axis hydraulic generators 3 may be fixed to one rotary shaft 4 at a place where the sea floor is relatively high, and four horizontal axis hydraulic generators 3 may be fixed to one rotary shaft 4 at a place where the sea floor is relatively low. In other words, the number of hydro-generators 3 per shaft need not be equal.

In the present invention, an inner frame 2, at least one horizontal shaft hydro-generator 3, at least one rotating shaft 4 and a driving unit 6 together form a built-in module 100. In practical applications, at least one horizontal shaft hydraulic generator 3, at least one rotating shaft 4 and at least one driving unit 6 may be fixed in one inner frame 2, and then at least one inner frame 2 assembled in this way may be fixed in the outer frame 1, thereby realizing modular installation of the tidal current energy power generation device. Specifically, the assembly of the built-in module 100 can be performed on shore or on an offshore platform, and then the built-in module 100 is suspended into the outer frame 1 placed in the sea from top to bottom and fixed with the outer frame 1, so that the installation operation on the sea surface is realized, the installation procedure is greatly simplified, the installation time is reduced, and the installation difficulty in the sea is reduced.

The horizontal shaft hydro-generator 3 comprises blades 31 and a generator 32, the horizontal shaft hydro-generator 3 having a centre axis X2, the direction of the centre axis X2 being parallel to the horizontal plane P. The present invention does not limit the number of blades 31 of the horizontal-axis hydro-generator 3, and each horizontal-axis hydro-generator 3 may have 2, 3, or 4, etc. blades. Since the blades 31 and the generator 32 of the horizontal shaft hydro-generator 3 are all under water, if the horizontal shaft hydro-generator 3 fails, the conventional tidal current energy power generation apparatus will need to be maintained in the sea. This is very difficult and costly to repair. However, the tidal current energy power generation device of the embodiment can directly take out the built-in module 100 from the sea for maintenance or replacement, thereby realizing quick replacement and maintenance on the sea surface of the tidal current energy power generation device, greatly reducing the maintenance cost and realizing commercialization of the tidal current energy power generation device.

In the present embodiment, the number of the inner frames 2 is equal to the number of the rotating shafts 4, and the number of the horizontal-shaft hydro-generators 3 is greater than the number of the rotating shafts 4. However, the present invention is not limited in any way thereto. In other embodiments, one in-house module 100 may have multiple shafts 4 and more than two horizontal shaft hydro-generators 3 per shaft 4.

Every two horizontal shaft hydraulic generators 3 arranged on the same rotating shaft 4 synchronously rotate. The driving unit 6 is connected to the rotating shaft 4 to drive the rotating shaft 4 to rotate. Because the flow directions of the rising tide and the falling tide are opposite, no matter which direction the water flows in, the blades 31 of the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator 3 are controlled to always face the water flow through the rotation of the rotating shaft 4, so that the utilization rate of tide energy is improved, and the power generation efficiency is improved.

In the present invention, the driving unit 6 is located on the water surface. In the prior art, a few horizontal shaft hydraulic generators can realize rotation, but the driving units are all positioned below the water surface, and some driving units are even integrated with the generator part. Because the control system, the driving system, the transmission system, the variable flow system and the power generation system in the prior art are integrated behind the blades to form a whole, the volume of the non-blade part of the conventional horizontal shaft hydraulic generator is very large, and the efficiency of electronic components is greatly reduced. And the drive train including the motor is very vulnerable and often requires maintenance, and the placement of these elements below the water surface can greatly increase maintenance difficulty and cost. However, the driving unit 6 is positioned above the water surface rather than below the water surface, so that the problems are thoroughly solved, and the volume of the non-blade part of the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator can be greatly reduced, thereby improving the efficiency of electronic components and finally achieving the purpose of improving the power generation efficiency.

In the present embodiment, the number of the driving units 6 corresponds to the number of the rotating shafts 4. However, the present invention is not limited in any way. In other embodiments, the control of the two rotating shafts 4 by one driving unit 6 may be achieved by a transmission mechanism such as a gear. Each driving unit 6 may include a motor and a transmission mechanism connected to one end of the rotation shaft 4, the motor driving the rotation shaft 4 to rotate through the transmission mechanism. However, the present invention is not limited in any way thereto. In other embodiments, the drive unit 6 may comprise an electric motor and a speed reducer. The rotating speed of the existing motor is relatively fast, and the rotating speed is greatly reduced after passing through the speed reducer, so that the rotating speed and the rotating amplitude of the rotating shaft 4 can be effectively and accurately controlled.

In practical applications, when the water flows to the tidal current energy power generation device along the water flow direction D shown in fig. 2, the driving unit 6 does not operate. At this time, the blades 31 of the horizontal-axis hydro-generator 3 face the water flow. When the water flow flows to the tidal current energy power generation device along the direction opposite to the water flow direction D (from top to bottom as seen in fig. 2), the driving unit 6 drives the rotating shaft 4 to rotate, so as to drive the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator 3 to rotate 180 degrees, and the blades 31 are changed from bottom to top, so that the blades 31 of the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator 3 are always oriented to the water flow. This situation is particularly applicable to the generation of electricity using tidal energy, ensuring maximum generation power.

In particular, in practical applications the flow direction of the rising and falling tides is not perfectly parallel, nor is it necessarily perpendicular to the water-facing surface of the horizontal-axis hydro-generator 3. No matter which direction water flows into the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator 3, the power generation device can control the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator 3 to change the direction through the rotating shaft 4 so that the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator 3 always faces the water flow, thereby maximally utilizing tidal current energy and improving the power generation.

When the actual water flow speed is higher than the rated speed corresponding to the maximum load bearable by the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator 3, the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator 3 is controlled to rotate by an angle deviating from the water flow direction only through the rotation of the rotating shaft 4, so that the load of the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator 3 can be effectively reduced, the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator 3 is ensured not to be damaged due to overload, and meanwhile, the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator 3 is ensured to still work normally, and the power generation is continuously and stably output. The defect that the generator stops working in order to avoid burning when the water flow speed is too high in the traditional ocean energy power generation device is overcome, and pitch regulation is not needed, so that the load regulation of the generator is simpler and more effective. When the actual water flow speed is smaller than the rated speed corresponding to the maximum load bearable by the generator 3, the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator 3 is controlled to rotate by the rotation of the rotation shaft 4 to be opposite to the water flow direction (namely, the water facing surface of the blade is perpendicular to the water flow direction), so that the water flow can be utilized to generate electricity to the greatest extent, and the power generation efficiency is improved.

As shown in fig. 3 to 7, the pod 5 has two water guiding portions 51 and one intermediate portion 52. The intermediate portion 52 is located between the two water guiding portions 51. An intersection point formed by the axis X1 of the rotating shaft 4 and the central axis X2 of the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator 3 is a central point C. The distance between any point on the inner surface 521 of the intermediate portion 52 (point 52a shown in fig. 5) and the center point C is a first distance S1, one end point of each blade 31 farthest from the center point C is a farthest end point E, the distance between the farthest end point E and the center point C is a second distance S2, and the first distance S1 is greater than the second distance S2.

In the present embodiment, the distances from any point on the inner surface 521 of the middle portion 52 to the center point C are equal, i.e. the first distance S1 may be a constant value. Specifically, the movement locus of the furthest point E of the blade 31 when the rotating shaft 4 rotates the horizontal axis hydro-generator 3 is a circle shown in the figure, the circle is centered on the center point C, and the distance between the furthest point E and the center point C is a radius. The cross section of the intermediate portion 52 (the plane in which the cross section lies is parallel to the horizontal plane P, i.e., the cross section viewed from the direction shown in fig. 5) is circular arc, and the two circular arc lines shown in fig. 5 are two circumferential lines of a circle made with a radius about the center point C, with the first distance S1 between any one point on the inner surface 521 of the intermediate portion 52 and the center point C. In this case, the middle portion 52 is a portion of a complete sphere with the top and bottom removed, and the center of the sphere is the center point C.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the first distance S1 may be variable, i.e., the first distance S1 from any point on the inner surface 521 of the intermediate portion 52 to the center point C may vary depending on the location of the respective points. Specifically, in other embodiments, intermediate portion 52 may still be arcuate as viewed in this cross-section, but the arcuate shape may not be circular and the radius of curvature may be much smaller than that of the arcuate shape in this embodiment. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the middle portion 52 may be wavy or folded when viewed in the cross-sectional direction, so long as the first distance S1 is greater than the second distance S2, so as to ensure that the horizontal axis hydro-generator 3 can smoothly rotate in the pod 5 when changing direction.

Preferably, the first distance S1 is slightly greater than the second distance S2, i.e. there is only a very small gap in the path of movement between the inner surface 521 of the intermediate section 52 and the furthest point E of the blades 31, which gap ensures that the furthest point E of the blades 31 does not rub against the inner surface of the intermediate section 52 when the horizontal axis hydro-generator 3 is changed in orientation, while also ensuring that the pod 5 gathers as much as possible all of the water flow in the area where the blades 31 are rotated so as to avoid as much as possible the water flow from being pushed through the gap directly through the pod 5 without being pushed by the blades 31.

In the present invention, the cross sections S of the middle portion 52 facing the two ends of the two water guiding portions 51 are circular, the plane of the cross sections S is perpendicular to the horizontal plane P and perpendicular to the water flow direction D, and the radius R of the cross sections S is slightly larger than the shortest distance S3 between the most distal point E and the central axis X2 (i.e. a perpendicular line perpendicular to the central axis X2 is drawn from the most distal point E, and the length of the perpendicular line is the shortest distance S3). By "slightly larger" in the present invention is meant that firstly the radius R of the cross section S is larger than the shortest distance S3 so that the intermediate portion 52 does not hinder the rotation of the blade 31, and secondly the area of the cross section S is only slightly larger than the area of the circle formed when the furthest point E of the blade 31 rotates so that almost all of the water flow towards the blade 31 is in the region where the blade 31 rotates without substantially flowing from the gap between the intermediate portion 52 and the region where the blade 31 rotates to the inside of the intermediate portion 52.

A conventional minority of the horizontal-axis hydro-generators 3 may be rotated, but in order to facilitate the rotation of the horizontal-axis hydro-generators 3, the prior art does not consider the optimum size of the pod 5, but only considers the radius R of the cross section S to be greater than the second distance S2 between the farthest point E and the center point C of the blade 31. However, the conventional pod is cylindrical (i.e. the two sides of the middle part of the pod are straight in a top view), and the second distance S2 must be greater than the shortest distance S3, which tends to cause the radius R of the cross section S to be far greater than the shortest distance S3, and eventually causes a significant portion of the water flow to escape from the gap between the pod 5 and the rotating area of the blade 31, i.e. the water flow does not strike the blade 31 but passes directly through the pod 5 to the downstream. The disadvantage is that the power generation efficiency is greatly reduced, and the efficiency is reduced by at least 10%.

In actual use, the water level upstream of the tidal current energy power generation device and the water level downstream of the tidal current energy power generation device have a height difference, so that a huge pressure difference is formed. If the diversion cover 5 is not arranged, the pressure difference cannot be effectively utilized to generate power; if most of the water flow passes through the guide cover 5 directly, the power generation efficiency is not effectively improved.

In this embodiment, the cross section 511 of the end of each water guiding portion 51 facing away from the middle portion 52 is rectangular, the cross section of the end of each water guiding portion 51 facing the middle portion 52 is circular, the circular cross section and the rectangular cross section 511 are perpendicular to the horizontal plane P and perpendicular to the water flow direction D, and the area of the circular cross section is smaller than that of the rectangular cross section. Specifically, each of the water guiding parts 51 has a three-dimensional structure having a rectangular shape at one end and then a circular shape at the other end. The area of the circular cross section of the water guiding part 51 may be approximately equal to the area of the circular cross section S of the middle part.

By setting one end of the water guiding portion 51 to be rectangular, seamless connection with the connection end face of the outer frame 1 or the inner frame 2 can be achieved. A cross section of a water facing side of a guide cover used in the existing tidal current energy power generation device is circular. Since the existing frames are rectangular, a gap is created between the round and rectangular shapes during installation. If the gap is not blocked, when tide impact to the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator, a considerable part of water flow can flow from the gap to the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator, even impact to the back of the blade, so that the power generation is greatly reduced. If the gap is blocked by the flat plate, water flow can directly impact the flat plate to form huge stress, and the structure of the whole frame is easy to damage. Particularly, after the flat plate is blocked, the water flow direction can be changed, even the water flow is disturbed, the utilization rate of tidal current energy is seriously reduced, and the power generation power is further reduced.

Through the rectangle transition to the circular that the area is littleer, reduced the rivers passageway, with rivers all concentrate direction horizontal axis hydraulic generator 3 for horizontal axis hydraulic generator 3's blade 31 atress is bigger, the rotational speed is faster, thereby improves generating efficiency. In particular, the two ends of the air guide sleeve 5 in this embodiment are rectangular, and not one end is rectangular, so that the air guide sleeve 5 can realize the air guide effect no matter in the tide.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a structure in which both ends of the water guiding portion are rounded may be applied to the present invention. In this embodiment, the middle part 52 and the two water guiding parts 51 are connected together, respectively, by which the guide casing 5 is formed as a whole so that water flows through the inside of the guide casing 5 without escaping outside the guide casing 5. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it is within the scope of the present invention if there is a gap between the water guiding part 51 and the middle part 52.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view of a pod according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the structures and functions of the outer frame, the inner frame, the horizontal shaft hydro-generator, the rotating shaft and the driving unit are as described in the first embodiment, and are not repeated here. Only the differences will be described below.

As shown in fig. 8, each pod is of an asymmetric configuration. Specifically, each pod also has two water guiding portions 51 'and an intermediate portion 52'. Each of the water guide parts 51' has a three-dimensional structure having a rectangular shape at one end and then a circular shape at the other end. However, intermediate portion 52' is of an asymmetric configuration. Specifically, one of the water guiding parts 51 'has a first central axis A1, the other water guiding part 51' has a second central axis A2, and the second central axis A2 and the first central axis A1 form an included angle that is not zero.

In practical use, the tide flow direction and the tide fall direction are not ideal 180 degrees completely opposite directions. Those skilled in the art easily neglect the deviation of the flow direction of the rising tide and the falling tide in the actual water area, so that the current used fairings are of symmetrical structures. The water flow direction in different water areas during tide rising and water flow direction during tide falling can have a deviation angle which is different from 3 degrees to 20 degrees. If the tidal current energy power generation device adopts a symmetrical guide cover structure, one of the water flows in the two directions of the rising tide and the falling tide can not be guided completely and correctly, so that the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator can not fully utilize the water flows in the two directions to generate power. However, by setting the included angle formed between the second central axis A2 and the first central axis A1 to be the same as the deviation angle between the rising tide direction and the falling tide direction, it is ensured that all the water flows can be correctly guided to the hydro-generator by the guide cover regardless of rising tide or falling tide, thereby maximally utilizing the water flows for generating electricity and improving the generating efficiency.

The term "water flow direction" in the present application refers to the direction of water flow in the case of rising or falling tide, and the direction changed by the water flow hitting the barrier is not the direction of water flow in the present invention. As any component will have a thickness in practice, the "cross-section" of the intermediate portion referred to in this application will in practice be a "ring", and the "radius of the cross-section" referred to in this application will refer to the inner diameter of the ring.

In summary, according to the tidal current energy power generation device provided by the invention, the flow is intensively guided to the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator by arranging the guide cover, so that the blades of the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator are stressed more and rotate at a faster speed, and the power generation efficiency is improved. Through setting up the pivot, innovatively adjust the load of generator through the mode that changes the orientation of whole horizontal axis generator and not the independent change blade angle of attack water for no matter how big generator of water velocity can guarantee always that can normally generate electricity in safe load, greatly improved generating efficiency. In addition, through setting up rotatable pivot for no matter rise tide or fall tide, horizontal axis hydraulic generator's blade can be all the time towards rivers, thereby ensures maximum generating power. By arranging the guide cover with a specific size, all water flows passing through the power generation device are gathered to be flushed towards the blades, so that the pressure difference between the upstream water level and the downstream water level is fully utilized, and the power generation efficiency is greatly improved. The pod of the present invention restricts water flow from directly exiting the gap between the pod and the blade turning area to ensure high efficiency.

Although the invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but rather may be modified and varied by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A tidal current energy power generation device, characterized by comprising:

a frame;

the rotating shaft is rotatably arranged on the frame and is provided with an axis, and the direction of the axis is perpendicular to the horizontal plane;

at least one driving unit positioned on the water surface and connected with the rotating shaft to drive the rotating shaft to rotate;

at least one horizontal shaft hydro-generator fixed to the rotating shaft, the horizontal shaft hydro-generator comprising blades and a generator, the horizontal shaft hydro-generator having a central axis, the direction of the central axis being parallel to a horizontal plane;

at least one pod secured to the frame, the pod including two water guiding portions and a middle portion, the middle portion being located between the two water guiding portions;

the center point is the intersection point formed by the axis of the rotating shaft and the central axis of the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator, the distance between any point on the inner surface of the middle part and the center point is a first distance, one end point of the blade farthest from the center point is a farthest end point, the distance between the farthest end point and the center point is a second distance, and the first distance is larger than the second distance;

the cross sections of the two ends of the middle part facing the two water guide parts are circular, the plane of the cross section is perpendicular to the horizontal plane and the water flow direction, and the radius of the cross section is slightly larger than the shortest distance between the most far end point and the central axis;

the intermediate portion is arc-shaped in a section parallel to the horizontal plane P.

2. The tidal current energy power generation device of claim 1, wherein the distances from any point on the inner surface of the intermediate section to the center point are equal.

3. The tidal current energy power generation device of claim 2, wherein a distance from any point on an inner surface of the intermediate portion to a center point is slightly greater than the second distance.

4. The tidal current energy power generation device according to claim 1, wherein a cross section of an end of each water guiding portion facing away from the middle portion is rectangular, a cross section of an end of each water guiding portion facing the middle portion is circular, the circular cross section and the rectangular cross section are perpendicular to a horizontal plane and perpendicular to a water flow direction, and an area of the circular cross section is smaller than an area of the rectangular cross section.

5. The tidal power generation device of claim 1, wherein the frame comprises an outer frame and at least one inner frame, the inner frame being detachably disposed within the outer frame.

6. The tidal current energy power generation device of claim 5, wherein at least two horizontal axis hydro generators are fixed to one mounting shaft and aligned in a direction perpendicular to a horizontal plane within the same inner frame.

7. The utility model provides a kuppe, is applied to tidal current energy power generation facility, tidal current energy power generation facility includes at least one horizontal axle hydraulic generator and at least one pivot, horizontal axle hydraulic generator is fixed in the pivot, the pivot has the axis, and the direction of axis is perpendicular to the horizontal plane, horizontal axle hydraulic generator includes blade and generator, horizontal axle hydraulic generator has the central axis, and the direction of central axis is parallel to the horizontal plane, its characterized in that, the kuppe includes: two water guiding parts; a middle part positioned between the two water guiding parts; the center point is the intersection point formed by the axis of the rotating shaft and the central axis of the horizontal shaft hydraulic generator, the distance between any point on the inner surface of the middle part and the center point is a first distance, one end point of the blade farthest from the center point is a farthest end point, the distance between the farthest end point and the center point is a second distance, and the first distance is larger than the second distance; the cross sections of the two ends of the middle part facing the two water guide parts are circular, the plane of the cross section is perpendicular to the horizontal plane and the water flow direction, and the radius of the cross section is slightly larger than the distance between the most far end point and the central axis; the intermediate portion is arc-shaped in a section parallel to the horizontal plane P.

8. The pod of claim 7, wherein the distance between any point on the inner surface of the middle portion to the center point is equal.

9. The pod of claim 7, wherein the cross-section of the end of each of the water directing portions facing away from the middle portion is rectangular, the cross-section of the end of each of the water directing portions facing the middle portion is circular, the circular cross-section and the rectangular cross-section are perpendicular to the horizontal plane and perpendicular to the direction of the water flow, and the area of the circular cross-section is less than the area of the rectangular cross-section.

10. The pod of claim 7, wherein the pod is of an asymmetric configuration.