JP7530623B2 - Hydroelectric generating equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a hydroelectric power generation device, and in particular to a device that automatically changes the position of the water turbine in response to fluctuations in the amount of water falling from a water dam to achieve optimal power generation efficiency. It also relates to a device that can automatically move the water turbine to a sheltered position in the event of an abnormality in the water level or system.

This patent relates to a hydroelectric power generation device that converts the energy of water falling from a weir or fast-flowing water into the rotation of a water wheel with blades on its circumference, and then transmits the torque to a generator via a gearbox to generate electricity. This device is generally called an undershot water wheel because the water passes under the water wheel. The amount and level of water in a water supply is not always constant and is affected by the weather. There are times when the flow rate is low due to drought, and other times when the water level rises due to flooding. There is a demand for a hydroelectric power generation device that can respond to the constantly changing water amount and water level and has optimal power generation efficiency under all conditions. However, in most conventional examples, the position of the water wheel is fixed and cannot respond to changes in the water amount or water level, and optimal power generation efficiency has not been achieved. Alternatively, although there are few examples, there are prior art documents that show the function of moving the water wheel, as shown below.

JP 2015-58944 A JP 2006-132494 A JP 2017-166332 A

In the invention of Patent Document 1, the water wheel is rotatably attached to the tip of an arm that is supported so that it can swing around a fulcrum, and the lower half of the water wheel is submerged below the water surface and responds to fluctuations in the water level by using buoyancy. In this case, it is possible to respond to fluctuations in the water level, but in the event of a flood or a system abnormality, the water wheel cannot be evacuated to a safe position and the water wheel device may be damaged.
The invention in Patent Document 2 involves a method in which each water turbine on the upstream and downstream sides has a hollow drum, and the water turbines rotate and generate electricity even when the water level fluctuates due to buoyancy in response to changes in the water level. However, with this method, the water turbines cannot be retracted to a safe position during times of high water levels such as flooding or when a system abnormality occurs.
The invention of Patent Document 3 is a method in which the water wheel is structured with screws and nuts on the upstream and downstream sides, and the position of the water wheel can be changed by a handwheel according to the water level. This also has the same problems as the two examples mentioned above.

The object of the present invention was made in consideration of solving such problems, and is to provide a hydroelectric power generation device that can automatically set the turbine position to maximize power generation efficiency in response to fluctuations in the water level, and can automatically evacuate the turbine to a safe position in the event of flooding or a system abnormality.

The above object is to provide a system that includes a water turbine 1, water turbine bearings 2 and 3, a gearbox 4, a generator 5, a shaft coupling 6 that connects the water turbine shaft and the gearbox, a driving side bogie 7 that supports the water turbine bearing, a driven side bogie 8, four support rollers 9 that support each of the bogies so that they can rotate freely, a lower rail 11 and an upper rail 12 that are attached to a frame 10 at an angle to the horizontal as a guide for the support rollers, upper sprockets 13 and 14 of the rails, lower sprockets 15 and 16 that are attached to the driving side and driven side bogies, respectively, and a chain that is arranged to form a closed loop. This is achieved by a water turbine generator consisting of a pair of sprockets 17, 18, a hollow worm reducer 19 output shaft 20 with a pair of upper sprockets attached to the middle, bearings 21, 22 that rotatably support the output shaft, a transmission means 24 that transmits the drive of the motor 23 to the input shaft side of the worm reducer, an upper detector 25 attached to one of the rails, multiple lower detectors 26, 27, 28 attached to the lower side, dogs 29 attached to the carriage side at positions that abut against each of the detectors, a water level detector 30 attached upstream of the installation position of the water turbine, and an electrical control unit 31.

According to the present invention, the position of the water turbine with the highest power generation efficiency can be automatically set according to the water level of the water supply, and the position of the water turbine can be automatically selected, so that it is always possible to respond to the amount and level of water that are affected by the weather. In addition, when the water level rises due to flooding, the water level detector automatically detects the upper limit of the water level, and the water turbine can be automatically evacuated to a position where it is not hit by the flowing water above. Furthermore, if an abnormality occurs in the power generation control system, the control unit automatically detects the abnormality and automatically moves the water turbine to a safe evacuation position. The above requirements are necessary functions that a water turbine power generation device should have in order to achieve stable operation, even when unmanned, day or night, and even when the weather suddenly changes and the water level fluctuates drastically.

1 is a front view illustrating a hydroelectric power generation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a front view illustrating a hydroelectric power generation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a front view illustrating a hydroelectric power generation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a plan view illustrating a hydroelectric power generation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side view illustrating a hydroelectric power generation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side view illustrating a hydroelectric power generation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side view illustrating a hydroelectric power generation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes a hydroelectric power generation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, using Figures 1 to 7. Note that in all of the following drawings, the dimensions and ratios of each component are appropriately changed to facilitate understanding.

Figure 1 is a front view of the hydroelectric power generation device 100, showing the turbine in the upper retracted position, Figure 2 is a front view of the hydroelectric power generation device 100, showing the position of the turbine when the water level below the turbine is medium. Figure 3 is a front view of the hydroelectric power generation device 100, showing the position of the turbine when the water level below the turbine is low. Figure 4 is a plan view of the hydroelectric power generation device 100, Figure 5 is a side view of the hydroelectric power generation device 100, Figure 6 is a side view of the hydroelectric power generation device 100, and Figure 7 is a side view of the hydroelectric power generation device 100.

As shown in FIG. 1, the hydroelectric power generation device 100 comprises a water turbine 1, water turbine bearings 2 and 3, a gearbox 4, a generator 5, a shaft coupling 6 connecting the water turbine axle of the water turbine 1 and the gearbox 4, a driving side bogie 7 supporting the water turbine bearings 2 and 3, a driven side bogie 8, four support rollers 9 supporting the driving side bogie 7 and the driven side bogie 8 so that they can rotate freely, a pair of left and right rails (the rails are composed of a lower rail 11 and an upper rail 12) attached to a frame 10 at an angle to the horizontal as a guide for the support rollers 9, upper sprockets 13 and 14 attached to the driving side bogie 7 and the driven side bogie 8, respectively, and arranged above the rails, and lower sprockets 14 attached to the driving side bogie 7 and the driven side bogie 8, respectively, and arranged below the rails. The system includes sprockets 15, 16, chains 17, 18 arranged to form a closed loop, an output shaft 20 of a hollow worm reducer 19 to which a pair of upper sprockets are attached and whose middle part is connected, bearings 21, 22 to rotatably support the output shaft 20, a transmission means 24 to transmit the drive of a motor 23 to the input shaft side of the worm reducer 19, an upper detector 25 attached to the upper side of the driving rail, lower detectors 26, 27, 28 attached to the lower side of the driving rail, a dog 29 attached to the driving carriage 7 at a position where it abuts against the upper detector 25 and the lower detectors 26, 27, 28, a water level detector 30 attached upstream of the installation position of the water turbine, and an electric control unit 31. In this example, the pair of left and right rails consisting of the lower rail 11 and the upper rail 12 are configured to extend in a straight line in an obliquely upward direction, but may have other configurations. For example, a rotation axis may be provided near the center of each of the lower rail 11 and the upper rail 12, and the lower rail 11 and the upper rail 12 may be configured to rotate simultaneously from 0° (horizontal) to 90° (vertically upward). Also, the rails of the lower rail 11 and the upper rail 12 may be configured with a portion that extends diagonally upward and a portion that extends horizontally, and the portion connecting the two may be a portion that has a curved shape of approximately 1/4 to 1/8 of a circle.

(Description of Operation of Hydroelectric Power Generation Device 100)
As an initial condition before operation, the water turbine 1 is in a position where it abuts the upper detector 25 in the evacuation position, and even if the water level rises due to flooding, the water turbine will stop rotating and will not generate electricity because it is not in a position where the water will hit the water turbine (see Figure 1).
First, the current water level is measured by the water level detector 30, and the signal is sent to the electrical control unit 31, which automatically sets the positions below the multiple water turbines. The signal is transmitted to the motor 23, which rotates the motor 23, transmitting driving force from the worm reducer 19 to the output shaft 20 via the transmission means 24, and then from the upper sprockets 13, 14 to the chains 17, 18, and then to the driving side bogie 7 and driven side bogie 8 attached via the bearings of the water turbine 1. When the dog 29 abuts the set position of the detectors 26, 27, 28, which are set according to the water level, the movement of the water turbine 1 stops, the blades of the water turbine 1 receive water and begin to rotate, and the rotating force of the water turbine 1 rotates the generator 5 via the shaft coupling 6 and the speed increaser 4, generating electricity.
The electrical control unit 31 can also use a manual switch to move the water turbine 1 from the position of the upper detector 25 to the set position of the lower detectors 26, 27, 28.
In addition, when an abnormal signal is input to the electrical control unit 31 from sensors attached to various devices or from various devices, or when error processing is performed in the control system of the electrical control unit 31, the electrical control unit 31 executes processing to move the water turbine 1 to the above-mentioned evacuation position.

The above-mentioned embodiment is a preferred example of the present invention, and various technically preferable limitations are attached, but the scope of the present invention is not unduly limited by the above description. Furthermore, all of the configurations described in the above-mentioned embodiment are not essential components of the present invention. Furthermore, the configurations described in the above-mentioned embodiment may be added to or combined with each other.
In the present invention, even if the setting position of the water turbine of a water turbine power generating device is not automatically measured and set by a water level detector, the electrical control unit may be configured so that a person can visually check the water level and manually use a select switch to select the optimal position of the water turbine from a number of water turbine position settings.

The present invention can be widely used in power generation devices that use water turbines.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Water turbine 2 Water turbine bearing 3 Water turbine bearing 4 Speed-up gear 5 Generator 6 Shaft coupling 7 Driving side bogie 8 Driven side bogie 9 Support roller 10 Frame 11 Lower rail 12 Upper rail 13, 14 Upper sprocket 15, 16 Lower sprocket 17, 18 Chain 19 Worm reducer 20 Output shaft 21, 22 Bearing 23 Motor 24 Transmission means 25 Upper detector 26, 27, 28 Lower detector 29 Dog 30 Water level detector 31 Electrical control unit

Claims (3)

A water turbine portion having a plurality of blades around its periphery and supported rotatably near both ends of the shaft;
A generator,
a generator drive unit having a shaft coupling and a speed increaser for transmitting rotation of the shaft of the water turbine unit to the generator;
A frame-shaped housing;
a pair of rails extending obliquely on both sides and attached to the housing;
A pair of movable carriage units movably supported on the pair of rails on both sides;
A transmission means unit that moves the movable carriage unit;
a moving carriage driving unit including a motor and a reducer for driving the transmission means;
A water level detector;
An electrical control unit is provided,
The water turbine unit is supported by the pair of movable carriage units and is movable on the pair of rails on both sides,
A plurality of position detectors are attached to the upper and lower positions of the rail on one side,
A water turbine power generating apparatus , wherein the position of the water turbine section is set by a water level detector connected to a control system . The water turbine power generation device as described in claim 1, having a function of automatically moving the water turbine section to the position of the detector at the upper position by the mobile carriage drive section and the transmission means section and retreating therefrom if the water level detector detects an abnormal rise in water level or if an abnormality occurs in the control system of the electrical control section. A water turbine power generation device as described in claim 2, in which the water turbine is moved by a drive unit that moves the water turbine on an angled rail and a transmission unit, and the angle of the rail, i.e., the angle at which the water turbine moves, can be any angle including horizontal and vertical .

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