TWM661706U - Elastic blades and oscillating water column wave energy generation system for power generation - Google Patents

Abstract

A flexible blade for power generation includes at least: a first blade body having a blade edge; a second blade body, the second blade body being arranged on the other side opposite to the blade edge and having two blade surfaces; the first blade body and the second blade body being fixed together by a fixing member; the second blade body being selected from a flexible material, so that the second blade body is passively deformed from an original angle of attack to a first angle of attack or a second angle of attack; thereby, the flexible material is selected to passively change the blade surface angle of attack, so that energy conversion is more efficient, and through the simplified structural design of the flexible blade, the blade energy capture efficiency can be increased, and the performance of potential energy conversion into electrical energy can be improved; in addition, a vibrating water column type wave energy power generation system is combined, which has the advantages of the flexible blade for power generation, and can effectively reduce costs and reduce marine pollution.

Description

Elastic blades and oscillating water column wave energy generation system for power generation

The present invention relates to an elastic blade and an oscillating water column wave energy power generation system used for power generation, in particular to an elastic blade that can passively change to increase the angle of attack and reduce the blade projection area, an elastic blade with elastic restoring force, and an oscillating water column wave energy power generation system having the elastic blade.

Currently, renewable energy technologies are becoming more and more diverse. Common types of renewable energy include: solar power generation, wind power generation, hydropower generation, biomass power generation, geothermal power generation, and wave power generation.

The principle of wave power generation is to use the potential difference between the high and low points of the sea surface and the kinetic energy of the impact force or buoyancy difference generated by the reciprocating motion of the sea water to drive the generator to generate electricity. In other words, it is a way of generating electricity by intercepting waves and capturing the energy therein and then gradually converting it into electrical energy. Common types of wave power generation include wave attenuation, point absorption, wave swing impact, oscillating water column, over-the-top, immersed pressure difference, serpentine wave, rotating mass, etc. Among them, the oscillating water column wave power generation system (Oscillating Water Column OWC) is commonly seen with Wells turbines. The application of the turbine is a symmetrical airfoil blade, which can be pushed in a bidirectional flow field and has a single rotation direction. However, this also limits the blade angle of attack, and the energy conversion efficiency is significantly lower than that of a unidirectional turbine. In addition, the Wells turbine is already a very mature technology, and most companies use the existing structure. Therefore, in order to increase its power generation efficiency, most people make improvements to the blade shape and the fixed angle of the blade facing the wind. In addition, most existing blades are made of hard materials such as aluminum and iron, which limits the angle of attack and makes it difficult to increase the blade conversion efficiency.

In addition, with climate change, users' electricity demand has increased significantly, and environmental awareness has risen. Therefore, how to reduce the use of nuclear power and increase the use of natural energy to achieve the goal of sustainable energy is the ultimate goal advocated by all sectors. However, as a country surrounded by the sea, Taiwan has abundant marine resources and can use the ocean as the main source of energy supply. Therefore, how to use marine resources and develop them into an important source of national energy supply, and how to effectively optimize the conversion efficiency of the existing Wells Turbine, are issues that both academia and industry need to overcome.

In view of this, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an elastic blade for power generation, and through the second blade body being selected from an elastic material, the second blade body is passively deformed from an original angle of attack to a first angle of attack or a second angle of attack; accordingly, the blade surface angle of attack is passively changed by selecting an elastic material to make energy conversion more efficient, and through the simplified structural design of the elastic blade, the blade energy capture efficiency can be increased, thereby improving the performance of potential energy conversion into electrical energy.

The second purpose of the present invention is to provide an oscillating water column wave energy power generation system, which is combined with the elastic blades used for power generation. When the elastic blades are used to improve the conversion efficiency, the cost can be effectively reduced and the marine pollution can be reduced.

The elastic blade used for power generation can achieve the above-mentioned new purpose. The elastic blade used for power generation at least includes: a first blade body having a blade edge; a second blade body, the second blade body is arranged on the other side opposite to the blade edge, and the second blade body has two blade surfaces; the first blade body and the second blade body are connected and fixed by a fixing member; wherein the second blade body is selected from elastic material, so that the second blade body can be passively deformed from an original angle of attack to a first angle of attack or a second angle of attack.

Optionally, in the above embodiment, the first attack angle or the second attack angle is between 0 degrees and 45 degrees.

Optionally, in the above embodiments, the elastic material is one or a combination of thermoplastic polyurethane material (TPU), polyolefin elastic material (TPO), dynamically vulcanized polyolefin elastic material (TPV), polystyrene elastic material (TPS/TPR), polystyrene elastic material (TPEE) or polyamide elastic material (TPA).

Optionally, in the above embodiment, one end of each of the two blade surfaces is connected to the first blade body, and the other ends of each of the two blade surfaces are connected to each other to form the second blade body.

Optionally, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the two blade surfaces of the second blade body can withstand a turbulent airflow and form an elastic deformation force, so that the original angle of attack is passively deformed into the first angle of attack or the second angle of attack.

Optionally, in the above embodiment, the fixing member is a first engaging member, and the first engaging member is formed by engaging a concave and a convex structure.

Optionally, in the above embodiment, the fixing member is a second engaging member, and the second engaging member is formed by engaging a concave and a convex structure to form a T-shaped structure.

Optionally, in the above embodiment, the fixing member is a second engaging member, and the second engaging member is formed by engaging a concave and a convex structure to form a trapezoidal structure.

Optionally, in the above embodiments, the blade edge is one of an arc-shaped blade edge, a flat blade edge, a pointed blade edge or a rounded blade edge.

The oscillating water column wave energy power generation system can achieve the above-mentioned new purpose. The oscillating water column wave energy power generation system at least comprises: a Wells turbine having a blade support shaft, the blade support shaft is fixedly connected to a plurality of elastic blade embodiments applied to power generation as described above, and when the elastic blade is passively deformed, it pushes to form an actuation direction; a semi-submersible structure having a chamber, and the chamber has a oscillating water column and a oscillating air flow at the same time. The oscillating water column is connected to a water injection port to receive wave energy of a plurality of waves, and the oscillating air flow is oscillating due to the oscillation. The up and down vibration of the water column forms an ascending airflow and a descending airflow, wherein the chamber is connected to one side of the Wells turbine, and a vent is provided on the other side of the Wells turbine; when the vibrating water column rises, the ascending airflow passes through the chamber and the Wells turbine in sequence, and is finally discharged from the vent; conversely, when the vibrating water column descends, the descending airflow enters from the vent in sequence, passes through the Wells turbine, and finally enters the chamber, so that the vibrating airflow drives the Wells turbine to rotate, thereby generating electrical energy and providing power generation.

Optionally, in the above embodiment, the semi-submersible structure is surrounded by at least a coast, a seabed and a front wall to form a hollow structure.

Optionally, in the above embodiment, the semi-submersible structure further includes: a generator electrically connected to the Wells turbine.

Optionally, in the above embodiment, the semi-submersible structure further includes: a pressure regulating pipe, the pressure regulating pipe is sleeved on the outside of the Wells turbine and is connected to the chamber and the vent.

Optionally, in the above embodiment, the pressure regulating tube is a venturi structure.

In summary, the elastic blades and oscillating water column wave energy power generation system used for power generation of the present invention, through the second blade body is selected from elastic material, so that the second blade body is passively deformed from the original angle of attack to the first angle of attack or the second angle of attack; accordingly, the elastic material is selected to passively change the blade angle of attack, so that the energy conversion is more efficient, and through the simplified structural design of the elastic blade, the blade energy capture efficiency can be increased, and the efficiency of potential energy conversion to electrical energy can be improved. In addition, the present invention combines the elastic blades used for power generation with the oscillating water column wave energy power generation system, and improves the conversion efficiency through the elastic blades, while also effectively reducing costs and reducing marine pollution.

Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a first schematic diagram of an elastic blade for power generation according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a second schematic diagram of an elastic blade for power generation according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the elastic blade 10 for power generation according to the present invention comprises a first blade body 11 having a blade edge; a second blade body 12, the second blade body 12 being arranged on the other side opposite to the blade edge, and the second blade body 12 having two blade surfaces 121; the first blade body 11 and the second blade body 12 are fixedly connected by a fixing member 13; wherein the second blade body 12 is selected from an elastic material, so that the second blade body 12 is passively deformed from an original angle of attack θ to a first angle of attack θ1 or a second angle of attack θ2.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the first angle of attack θ1 or the second angle of attack θ2 is between 0 and 45 degrees. In another embodiment of the present invention, the elastic material is one of thermoplastic polyurethane material (TPU), polyolefin elastic material (TPO), dynamically vulcanized polyolefin elastic material (TPV), polystyrene elastic material (TPS/TPR), polystyrene elastic material (TPEE) or polyamide elastic material (TPA) or a combination thereof; in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the elastic material is thermoplastic polyurethane material (TPU), but not limited thereto; accordingly, the elastic material is selected to passively change the blade angle of attack, so that energy conversion is more efficient, and through the simplified structural design of the elastic blade, the blade energy capture efficiency can be increased, and the performance of potential energy conversion into electrical energy can be improved.

In an embodiment of the present invention, one end of each of the two blades 121 is connected to the first blade body 11, and the other ends of each of the two blades 121 are connected to each other to form the second blade body 12; when the elastic blade 10 applied to power generation is passively deformed, it is pushed to form an actuation direction S, and the actuation direction S is a single rotation direction; it is worth noting that the actuation direction S is to rotate by capturing the energy of the bidirectional oscillating airflow A passing through the elastic blade 10 applied to power generation. Furthermore, since the bidirectional oscillating airflow A can change the angle of attack of the blade 121 when passing through the elastic blade 10 applied to power generation, the thrust generated on the blade 121 is increased. Accordingly, the design of elastic blades can generate additional efficiency gains such as increased angle of attack, reduced blade projected area, and elastic restoring force.

Next, please refer to FIG. 3, which is a schematic diagram of a fixing member of an elastic blade used for power generation in an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3(a), in an embodiment of the present invention, the fixing member 13 is an adhesive, but not limited to this, thereby fixing the first blade body 11 and the second blade body 12 by adhesion. As shown in FIG. 3(b), the fixing member 13 is a first clamping member 131, and the first clamping member 131 is a concave and a convex structure clamped together; that is, the fixing member can be a clamping member or can be clamped and used together with an adhesive to increase the stability of the first blade body and the second blade body. As shown in FIG3(c), the fixing member 13 is a second engaging member 132, which is formed by a concave and a convex structure engaging to form a T-shaped structure; the T-shaped structure increases the contact area to improve the stability of the combination. As shown in FIG3(d), the fixing member 13 is a second engaging member 132, which is formed by a concave and a convex structure engaging to form a trapezoidal structure; accordingly, the stability of the combination is improved through different engaging structures.

Please refer to Figures 3 and 4 together. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the blade edge of the elastic blade used for power generation in the present embodiment. In this embodiment, the blade edge of the first blade body 11 of the elastic blade 10 used for power generation is one of an arc-shaped blade edge 11a (as shown in Figure 3 (a)), a flat blade edge 11b (as shown in Figure 4 (e)), a pointed blade edge 11c (as shown in Figure 4 (f)) or a rounded blade edge 11d (as shown in Figure 4 (g)); for example, the resistance of the flat blade edge 11b is greater than the resistance of the pointed blade edge 11c, and the resistance of the pointed blade edge 11c is greater than the resistance of the rounded blade edge 11d. Accordingly, by changing the shape of the blade edge to change the size of the resistance during operation, the efficiency of adjusting the rotation can be changed.

Please refer to Figures 5 and 6 together. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the elastic blades used for power generation combined with a Wells turbine according to the new embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the oscillating water column wave energy power generation system according to the new embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the oscillating water column wave energy power generation system 1000 comprises at least: a Wells turbine 100 (as shown in FIG. 5 ), having a blade support shaft 20, the blade support shaft 20 being fixedly connected to a plurality of elastic blades 10 for power generation as described in any one of the embodiments of FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 , when the blade surface 121 of the elastic blade 10 for power generation is passively deformed The semi-submersible structure 200 is provided with a chamber 201, wherein the chamber 201 has a vibrating water column S2 and a vibrating airflow A. The vibrating water column S2 is connected to a water injection port 202 to receive wave energy from a plurality of sea waves S1. The vibrating airflow A forms an upflow A1 and a downflow A2 due to the up and down vibration of the vibrating water column S2. Preferably, the semi-submersible structure 200 is made of reinforced concrete, and the Wells turbine 100 is built in the airflow, so that it is not easily affected by extreme weather.

In this embodiment, the chamber 201 is connected to one side of the Wells turbine 100, and a vent 203 is provided on the other side of the Wells turbine 100. When the vibrating water column S2 rises, the rising airflow A1 passes through the chamber 201 and the Wells turbine 100 in sequence, and is finally discharged from the vent 203. On the contrary, when the vibrating water column S2 falls, the descending airflow A2 passes through the vent 203 in sequence. The wave enters the air inlet 203, passes through the Wells turbine 100, and finally enters the chamber 201, so that the oscillating airflow A drives the Wells turbine 100 to rotate, so as to generate electrical energy and provide power generation; it is worth noting that the size of the oscillating airflow A will vary depending on the size of the chamber; accordingly, the wave energy is converted into potential energy and then the potential energy forms an airflow to drive the Wells turbine to rotate to generate electrical energy to form power generation.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the semi-submersible structure 200 of the vibrating water column wave energy power generation system 1000 is surrounded by at least a coast SA, a seabed SB and a front wall SC to form a hollow structure. The semi-submersible structure 200 can be any of floating, bottom-based or shore-based; accordingly, the design of forming an air chamber through the hollow structure of the semi-submersible structure 200 makes the vibration of the vibrating water column S2 resonate, increase the airflow speed of the vibrating airflow A, and thus improve the power generation capacity.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the semi-submersible structure 200 of the oscillating water column wave energy power generation system 1000 further includes a generator 204, and the generator 204 is electrically connected to the Welsh turbine 100; specifically, a rotating shaft (not shown) can be passed through the center of the blade support shaft 20 and electrically connected to the generator 204, so that the oscillating airflow A can drive the Welsh turbine 100 to rotate and generate electrical energy, thereby driving the generator to generate electricity.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the semi-submersible structure 200 of the oscillating water column wave energy power generation system 1000 further includes a pressure regulating duct 205, which is sleeved on the outside of the Wells turbine 100 and connected to the chamber 201 and the vent 203. Preferably, the pressure regulating duct 205 is a venturi structure. Through the design of the venturi structure, the flow rate of the oscillating airflow is effectively changed by changing the size of the airflow channel of the oscillating airflow, thereby improving the power generation efficiency of the electric energy. In addition, when the ratio of the venturi structure to the chamber is different, under the ideal state that the size of the venturi structure remains unchanged, the larger the chamber, the larger the oscillating airflow. Therefore, the design of the venturi structure can also be changed according to the size of the chamber.

In summary, the elastic blades used for power generation of the present invention are selected from elastic materials so that the second blade body is passively deformed from the original angle of attack to the first angle of attack or the second angle of attack; accordingly, the elastic material is selected to passively change the blade angle of attack, so that energy conversion is more efficient, and the simplified structure design of the elastic blades can increase the blade energy capture efficiency and improve the efficiency of potential energy conversion to electrical energy. In addition, the oscillating water column wave energy power generation system of the present invention is combined with the elastic blades used for power generation, and the conversion efficiency is improved through the elastic blades, while the cost can be effectively reduced and the marine pollution can be reduced.

10: Elastic blades for power generation 11: First blade body 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d: Blade edge 12: Second blade body 121: Blade surface 13: Fixing member 131: First engaging member 132: Second engaging member 133: Third engaging member A: Oscillating airflow S: Actuation direction θ: Original angle of attack θ1: First angle of attack θ2: Second angle of attack 20: Blade support shaft 100: Wells turbine 1000: Oscillating water column wave energy power generation system 200: Semi-submersible structure 201: Chamber 202: Water injection port 203: Vent port 204: Generator 205: pressure regulating pipe A1: updraft A2: downdraft SA: coast SB: seabed SC: front wall S1: sea wave S2: vibrating water column

Figure 1 is a first schematic diagram of an elastic blade for power generation according to the present embodiment. Figure 2 is a second schematic diagram of an elastic blade for power generation according to the present embodiment. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a fixing member of an elastic blade for power generation according to the present embodiment. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a blade edge of an elastic blade for power generation according to the present embodiment. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an elastic blade for power generation combined with a Wells turbine according to the present embodiment. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of an oscillating water column wave energy power generation system according to the present embodiment.

10: Elastic blades for power generation

11: First leaf body

12: Second leaf body

121: Leaf surface

13: Fixing parts

A: Oscillating airflow

S: Actuation direction

θ: original angle of attack

θ1: first angle of attack

Claims (14)

A flexible blade for power generation, the flexible blade (10) for power generation at least comprises: a first blade body (11) having a blade edge; a second blade body (12), the second blade body (12) being arranged on the other side opposite to the blade edge, and the second blade body (12) having two blade surfaces (121); the first blade body (11) and the second blade body (12) are fixedly connected by a fixing member (13); wherein the second blade body (12) is selected from an elastic material, so that the second blade body (12) is passively deformed from an original angle of attack (θ) to a first angle of attack (θ1) or a second angle of attack (θ2). The elastic blade used for power generation as described in claim 1, wherein the first angle of attack (θ1) or the second angle of attack (θ2) is between 0 degrees and 45 degrees. A flexible blade for power generation as described in claim 2, wherein the flexible material is one or a combination of thermoplastic polyurethane material (TPU), polyolefin elastic material (TPO), dynamically vulcanized polyolefin elastic material (TPV), polystyrene elastic material (TPS/TPR), polystyrene elastic material (TPEE) or polyamide elastic material (TPA). The flexible blade used for power generation as described in claim 1, wherein one end of each of the two blade surfaces (121) is connected to the first blade body (11), and the other ends of each of the two blade surfaces (121) are connected to each other to form the second blade body (12). The elastic blade used for power generation as described in claim 4, wherein the second blade surface (121) of the second blade body (12) can withstand a turbulent airflow (A) and form an elastic deformation force, so that the original angle of attack (θ) is passively deformed to the first angle of attack (θ1) or the second angle of attack (θ2). As described in claim 1, the elastic blade used for power generation, wherein the fixing member (13) is a first engaging member (131), and the first engaging member (131) is formed by engaging a concave and a convex structure. As described in claim 1, the elastic blade used for power generation, wherein the fixing member (13) is a second engaging member (132), and the second engaging member (132) is formed by engaging a concave and a convex structure to form a T-shaped structure. As described in claim 1, the elastic blade used for power generation, wherein the fixing member (13) is a second engaging member (132), and the second engaging member (132) is formed by engaging a concave and a convex structure to form a trapezoidal structure. The flexible blade used for power generation as described in claim 1, wherein the blade edge is one of an arc-shaped blade edge (11a), a flat blade edge (11b), a pointed blade edge (11c) or a rounded blade edge (11d). An oscillating water column wave energy power generation system, the oscillating water column wave energy power generation system (1000) at least comprises: A Wells turbine (100) having a blade support shaft (20), the blade support shaft (20) being fixedly connected to a plurality of elastic blades (10) used for power generation as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, and when the elastic blades (10) used for power generation are passively deformed, they are pushed to form an actuation direction (S); A semi-submersible structure (200) has a chamber (201) in which a vibrating water column (S2) and a vibrating airflow (A) are simultaneously provided. The vibrating water column (S2) is connected to a water injection port (202) to receive wave energy from a plurality of sea waves (S1). The vibrating airflow (A) forms an ascending airflow (A1) and a descending airflow (A2) due to the up and down vibration of the vibrating water column (S2). The chamber (201) is connected to one side of the Wells turbine (100), and the other side of the Wells turbine (100) is provided with a a vent (203); when the vibrating water column (S2) rises, the rising airflow (A1) passes through the chamber (201) and the Welsh turbine (100) in sequence, and finally is discharged from the vent (203); conversely, when the vibrating water column (S2) descends, the descending airflow (A2) enters from the vent (203) in sequence, passes through the Welsh turbine (100), and finally enters the chamber (201), so that the vibrating airflow (A) drives the Welsh turbine (100) to rotate, thereby generating electrical energy and providing power generation. As described in claim 10, the semi-submersible structure (200) is surrounded by at least a coast (SA), a seabed (SB) and a front wall (SC) to form a hollow structure. As described in claim 10, the semi-submersible structure (200) further includes: a generator (204), which is electrically connected to the Wells turbine (100). As described in claim 10 or 12, the semi-submersible structure (200) further includes: a pressure regulating duct (205), which is mounted on the outside of the Wells turbine (100) and is connected to the chamber (201) and the vent (203). In the oscillating water column wave energy power generation system as described in claim 13, the pressure regulating duct (205) is a venturi structure.

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