AN ENERGY PRODUCTION SYSTEM Field of invention

The present invention relates to energy production systems generating energy from water waves. Prior Art

In water bodies such as the sea, oceans, lakes etc., water waves are formed on the surface of the water body due to the wind blowing on the water, or because of the underwater currents. A water wave comprises crests above the still water level and troughs below the still water level. Depending on the distribution of the wave crests and wave troughs, the waves are classified in two groups as linear waves and bulk waves. Linear waves are those waves occurring rather in coastal regions, in which the wave crests and wave troughs are regular. Bulk waves, in turn, are those waves occurring rather in offshore waters, in which the wave crests and wave troughs are irregular.

Energy production systems are available for both types of waves according to the prior art. Basically in such systems, motional energy is obtained by means of some components moving in line with the movement of the wave crests and wave troughs. Then, the gained motional energy is converted preferably into electrical energy. However, in this type of systems, since the components which remain in water are mainly made of metals, they wear off in time.

In the patent document US3970415A according the prior art, a system for generating energy using water waves is disclosed. That system comprises a pump, an arm operating the pump and a ball provided at one end of the arm. The arm is actuated by means of the upward/downward movement of the ball along with the waves and the pump is activated accordingly. The activation of the pump supplies water to a turbine so that energy is produced. In that system, however, the components staying in water wear off in time as a result of corrosion. For this reason, the service life of the system is reduced, and it cannot be used in offshore water since it will require constant maintenance.

Brief Description of Invention

An energy production system is developed according to the present invention by which energy is generated from waves occurring in water bodies. The energy production system comprises at least one column, having at least one side remaining in water, and another side which does not stay in water and comprises at least one gas; at least one output valve in the form of a check valve disposed at a part of the column remaining above water and, when a wave crest reaches the column, assumes the open state with the increasing internal pressure of the column and thus allows said gas to flow out of the column; at least one turbine which is provided with at least one turbine inlet and at least one turbine outlet, is in communication with the output valve at the side of the turbine inlet, and which, by taking the gas, which flows out of the column through the output valve, in through the turbine inlet, is actuated and thus generates mechanical energy and releases the gas taken from the turbine inlet through the turbine outlet to the atmosphere; and at least one intake valve in the form of a check valve which is disposed at a part of the column remaining above water, and when a wave trough reaches the column, assumes the open state with the decreasing internal pressure of the column and takes in the gas in the atmosphere and allows it to flow into the column.

In the energy production system developed according to the present invention, only a part of the column remains in water. Since no moving part is left in water and since the parts in contact with water are made of corrosion-resistant materials such as plastics or fiberglass, any problem stemming from the failure of the energy production system due to corrosion is avoided. In other words, the service life of the energy production system is prolonged and the maintenance costs are reduced. Additionally, since the wave crests and the wave troughs actuate the turbine in the same direction, the energy production system is ensured to operate regularly even in case of irregular waves in offshore seas. Object of invention

The object of the present invention is to develop an energy production system for generating energy from water waves.

Another object of the present invention is to develop a long-life energy production system.

A further object of the present invention is to develop an energy production system which is suitable for use in offshore waters.

Description of Figures

Representative embodiments of the energy production system developed according to the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying figures briefly described below.

Figure 1 is an exemplary view of columns provided in an energy production system according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is an exemplary view of an embodiment of the energy production system according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is an exemplary view of an alternative embodiment of the energy production system according to the present invention.

Figure 4 is another exemplary view of the column provided in the energy production system according to the present invention. The parts in the figures are individually designated as following.

Energy production system (R)

Water (S)

Wave (V)

Wave crest (U)

Wave trough (T)

Column (1)

Intake valve (2)

Output valve (3) Output tine (4)

Turbine (5)

Turbine inlet (6)

Turbine outlet (7)

Intermediary output line (8)

Water floor (9)

Weight (10)

Connection member (11)

Support member (12)

Description of Invention

Water waves occurring in water bodies such as the sea, oceans, lakes etc. comprise wave crests above the still water level and wave troughs below the still water level. Waves are suitable for energy production based on the fact that they provide a continuous motion. Therefore, various systems have been disclosed in the prior art for producing energy from the waves. In the systems according to the prior art, however, the movable parts remaining in water wear in time and cause the system to fail. For this reason, a long- life energy production system for generating energy from water waves is developed according to the present invention.

As illustrated in Figure 1, waves (V) comprising a plurality of wave crests (U) and wave troughs (T) occur in waters (S). The wave crests (U) and wave troughs (T) move in a certain direction. When a column (1) in the form of a tube with one closed end is placed into water (S), the air within the column (1) is compressed or vacuumed during the movement of the wave crests (U) and wave troughs (T). For instance, when the column (1) is placed into water (S) so that the level of the water (S) in the column becomes equal to the level of still water (the level of still water is between the wave crest (U) and the wave trough (T)), the effect of the wave crest (U) and the wave trough (T) on the air within the column (1) is illustrated in Figure 1. When a wave crest (U) reaches the column (1), the water (S) within the column (1) compresses the air within the column (1). Therefore, the pressure of air within the column (1) increases, and the level of water (S) within the column (1) remains below the wave crest (U). Similarly, when a wave trough (T) reaches the column (1), the water (S) within the column (1) causes the air in the column (1) to be vacuumed. Based on this vacuum effect, the level of water (S) in the column (1) stays high above the wave trough (T). As illustratively shown in figures 2 to 4, the energy production system (S) developed according to the present invention operates according to the pressure increase and the vacuum effect which are generated by the wave crests (U) and wave troughs (T) in the column (1).

The energy production system (R) according to the present invention comprises at least one column (1), having at least one side remaining in water (S), and another side which does not remain in water (S) and comprises at least one gas (e.g. air); at least one output valve (3) in the form of a check valve disposed at a part of the column (1) remaining above water (S) and, when a wave crest (U) reaches the column (1), assumes the open state with the increasing internal pressure of the column (1) and thus allows said gas to flow out of the column (1); at least one turbine (5) which is provided with at least one turbine inlet (6) and at least one turbine outlet (7), is in communication with the output valve (3) at the side of the turbine inlet (6), and which, by taking the gas, which flows out of the column (1) through the output valve (3), in through the turbine inlet (6), is actuated and thus generates mechanical energy and releases the gas taken from the turbine inlet (6) through the turbine outlet (7) to the atmosphere; and at least one intake valve (2) in the form of a check valve which is disposed at a part of the column (1) remaining above water (S), and, when a wave trough (T) reaches the column (1), assumes the open state with the decreasing internal pressure of the column (1) and takes in the gas in the atmosphere and allows it to flow into the column (1). Said column (1) is preferably made of a material with high corrosion resistance such as reinforced glass, aluminium, plastics or fiberglass. Based on the fact that the column (1) is made from such materials, corrosion due to water (S) and calcification within column (1 ) are prevented. Additionally, since the intake valve (2) and the output valve (3) are not in contact with water, both the intake valve (2) and the output valve (3) are prevented against calcification.

In an exemplary embodiment of the energy production system (R) developed according to the present invention, when a wave crest (U) reaches a column (1), the fluid within the column (1) is compressed and the internal pressure of the column (1) is increased. The increase in the internal pressure of the column (1) causes the output valve (3) to assume its open state and the gas within the column (1) is fed under high pressure to the turbine (5) through the turbine inlet (6). Feeding the gas to the turbine (5) in a pressurized form moves the turbine (5) in one direction (from the turbine inlet (6) to the turbine outlet (7)). The gas fed to the turbine (5) is released through the turbine outlet (7) to the atmosphere. When a wave trough (T) reaches the column (1), in turn, the gas within the column (1) is vacuumed and the internal volume of the column (1) is reduced. Because of the reducing internal volume, the intake valve (2) assumes its open state and the gas is taken in from the atmosphere. The energy production system (R) preferably comprises at least one electric generator (not illustrated in the figures) connected to said turbine (5). Thus, the motional energy gained in the turbine (5) can be converted into electrical energy. In another preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the energy production system (R) comprises at least two columns (1). According to this embodiment, the energy production system (R) comprises at least one output line (4) by which the fluid fed from the output valves (3) disposed in at least two columns (1) (preferably in all columns (1)) is gathered and supplied to the turbine inlet (6).The output line (4) connects the columns (1) to each other in parallel so that the energy to be generated by means of each column (1) is accumulated in a single turbine (5). Preferably, the output line (4) is similarly made of a corrosion-resistant material (e.g. reinforced glass, aluminium, plastic or fiberglass) as is the case with the column (1). In another preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the energy production system (R) comprises at least one support member (12) disposed between two adjacent columns (1) and restricting the movement of said columns (1) relative to each other. By means of the support member (12), the columns (12) are prevented from damaging the output line (4) in their effort to move relative to each other due to the waves (V).

As illustrated in Figure 2, in an exemplary embodiment according to the present invention, the output line (4) is disposed above the columns (1). In the alternative embodiment shown in Figure 3, the output line (4) is disposed below the columns (1). In this embodiment, the energy production system (R) comprises at least one intermediary output line (8) providing the communication between the output valve (3) and the output line (4). The intermediary output line (8) is preferably made of a corrosion-resistant material. According to this embodiment, the output line (4) is passed below the columns (1) (i.e. through water (S)), so that the output line (4) is prevented from becoming exposed and damaged. Additionally, the energy production system (R) is provided with a more aesthetic appearance.

In order to let the energy production system (R) according to the present invention operate efficiently, the column (1) should be restricted against raising and lowering movements due to the waves (V). Otherwise, the pressure and vacuum levels building up in the column (1) decrease. Therefore, the energy production system (R) preferably comprises at least one stopper system restricting the movement of the column (1). According to an exemplary embodiment, the stopper system comprises at least one weight (10) (e.g. an anchor) disposed on the water floor (9) and at least one connection member (11), preferably having the form of a cord and connecting the column (1) to said weight (10). According to this embodiment, since the distance of the column (1) to the water floor (9) is kept constant, the movement of the column (1) at least in the vertical direction is prevented. Additionally, in embodiments involving the use of a plurality of columns (1), the movement of the columns in the horizontal axis is also prevented with each column (1) comprising the stopper system.

In the energy production system (R) developed according to the present invention, only a part of the column (1) remains in water (S). Since no movable part is left in water (S), any problems such as the failure of the energy production system (R) due to corrosion may be prevented. In other words, the service life of the energy production system (R) is prolonged and the maintenance costs are reduced. Additionally, since the wave crests (U) and the wave troughs (T) actuate the turbine (5) on the same direction, the energy production system (R) is ensured to operate regularly even in case of irregular waves (V) in offshore seas.