Description of the invention

The subject matter of the invention is floating water turbine of a high efficiency hydroelectric power plant consisting of a floating module with mechanical parts necessary for subtracting water flow, a mechanism for converting rectlinear to circular motion, a mechanism for proper optimal blade guidance, an electric generator, assembly and placement.

Field of technology

Following the International Patent Classification (IPC), the present invention is designated F03B9 I 00 and relates to driving engines with an endless chain driven by a water flow.

Technical problem

The technical solutions known to date in the field of conversion of the kinetic energy of water flow into electrical energy only partially extract the energy of fluid movement, because they fail to achieve the required significant drop and flow through the water turbine. Therefore, the efficiency of such machines is low, being calculated by the ratio of the extracted electrical power and the power of the river flow per unit area of the blade.

The proposed design of the hydrokinetic floating power plant by means of its structural elements - the transmission mechanism and the blade guiding mechanism and the sliding ramp ensures efficient power extraction, ie more efficient energy conversion.

State of the art

The document, published under number WO 2011101693, describes a floating hydraulic module with the tunnel, the working part where energy extraction occurs, in which multiple blades moving rectilinear and perpendicular to water flow direction along almost the entire length produce the significant difference in the water height in front of and behind the blades, at a significant flowrate of water through the tunnel. In the same document, the feed parts of the turbine - confuser and the discharge part of the turbine - diffuser are optimized together with the distance t between two adjacent blades. In addition, the cited document brings improvements related to the selection of:

1) the size of the gap between the blades and the surfaces of the working channel,

2) the angles of inclination of the surfaces of the confuser and diffuser in relation to the corresponding surfaces of the working channel,

3) blade speeds in relation to the speed of undisturbed river flow,

4) the ratio of the inlet cross-sectional area of the confuser or the outlet cross-section of the diffuser and the cross-sectional area of the working channel.

The cited state of the art defines the inclination range of the side surfaces of the confuser in relation to the plane of the side surfaces of the working channel in the interval from 20° to 30°; the inclination range of the bottom surface of the confuser in relation to the plane of the bottom surface of the working channel as an interval from 10° to 30°; and that the inclination range of the side surfaces of the diffuser in relation to the plane of the side surfaces of the working channel in the range from 10° to 20°, while the gap size is defined between 2 and 10% of the total length of the working channel wherein for the optimal number of blades in the working channel is specified in the interval between 2 and 6.

However, the proposed solution is flawed because it does not ensure efficient transfer of kinetic energy of water and thus does not provide efficient power extraction, or efficient energy conversion. Namely, the proposed solution does not provide the necessary difference in the water level on both sides of the blades in the tunnel, and thus sufficient hydraulic force for the extraction of mechanical energy from the kinetic energy of the water flow. This is because there is less resistance to the movement of the water when touring the working tunnel and blades than when entering the tunnel and directing it to the blades. Another reason for insufficient efficiency is the excessive water resistance at the vertical entry of the blade in relation to the surface of the water at the beginning of the working tunnel. Both of these effects have the consequence of preventing efficient blade movement. According to the cited document, the floating hydroelectric power plant was tested in October 2013 along the Drava river canal and did not turn at all.

Thus, the cited document does not solve the problem of increasing the degree of efficiency, ie the problem of efficient power extraction and efficient energy conversion. The essence of the invention

The present invention of a floating hydroelectric power plant consists of a design of the drive engine with a certain range of its optimal parameters and a proposed placement in the water flow. It is many times better than previous similar drive engines because it achieves the required water fall and flow of water through the working part of the machine, thus ensuring the absorption of sufficient water energy in the form of mechanical energy of rotation of the generator shaft. It does not disturb the water flow upstream and downstream of our floating power plant, which allows a combination of placing several such floating power plants in parallel in one cross-section of the water flow and in several downstream locations. Represents the green energy because it does not require major interventions in the environment and allows the smooth passage of flora and fauna through the drive engine and around the floating power plant.

Proof of the physical parameters of the proposed drive engine was given through a 3D simulation of water flow through the drive engine, and the development and testing of a model of the drive engine at a scale of 1 : 10.

The details of the elements of the drive engine assembly that contribute to the improvement of the degree of efficiency of the floating hydroelectric power plant are as follows:

1. installation of a lowered moving ramp from the inlet edge of the confuser to the bottom of the water flow, to direct the maximum possible amount of water into the working tunnel of the device,

2. construction of guides to ensure immersion of the blade in the water at the beginning of the tunnel and the end of the tunnel at the angle of least disturbance of the water flow.

Optimal parameters such as the size of the gap between the blades and the surfaces of the working channel, the angles of the surface inclination of the confuser and diffuser in relation to the corresponding surfaces of the working channel, the speed of the blades in relation to the speed of uninterrupted river flow, and the ratio of the area of the inlet cross-section of the confuser or the outlet cross-section of the diffuser and the cross-sectional area of the working channel are described in the previously cited state of the art, channels are described in the previously cited state of the art, and there is no need to list them separately. In principle, they are the same as in the previously cited patent application. The only difference with regard to the cited state of the art is the number of blades in the working channel. According to the present invention, the number of blades must not exceed 3, as this causes significant energy loses.

The following is a brief description of the drawings, the meaning of the reference numbers and a detailed description of the invention.

Fig.l - location of the propulsion device of the floating hydrokinetic power plant in the water flow shown in perspective and side view

Fig.2 - view of the drive engine with part markings

Fig.3 - detail view of the front (inlet) part of the hydrokinetic power plant with the mechanism of guiding the immersion of the blade in the water

Fig.4 - view of the details of the rear (output) part of the hydrokinetic power plant with the mechanism of guiding the emergence of the blade from the water.

Fig. 5 - a curve of the dependence of the output power of a hydrokinetic power plant on the velocity of flowing water for the construction of a floating hydrokinetic power plant (a) according to the cited state of the art, (b) only with blades immersed in water flow at an angle of 110° to 130° and without sliding ramp; and (c) only with a sliding ramp and without blades which are vertically immersed in the water flow, (d) for a power plant with a sliding ramp and blades which are immersed in the water flow at an angle of 110° to 130°.

Reference numerals:

I - floating hollow box-shaped pontoons of square shape

2- connecting horizontal plate

3- trapezoidal confuser of horizontal cross section

4- sliding ramp

5 - trapezoidal diffuser of horizontal cross section

6 - supporting structure of the drive machine

7- the preguide of the blade guidance mechanism in the guides 7a and 7b

7a- external guides

7b- internal guides

8- blade

9- chain

10- wheel-shaped sprocket

I I - electromotor

12- anchor and anchor chain 13- river bottom

14- water flow level

15- water flow

16- wheel carrier for blade guidance

17- blade shaft

18- wheel for blade preguiding

19- wheel for blade guiding

Detailed description of the invention

The drive engine of a floating hydrokinetic power plant consists of a floating box pontoon, which consists of two lateral (1) and one horizontal part (2). The inner vertical sides of the lateral parts (1) of the pontoon and the upper plate of the horizontal part (2) of the pontoon form a tunnel. A confuser (3) of the trapezoidal horizontal cross-section with a sliding ramp (4) lowered to the bottom of the river, which with its one end remains at the bottom regardless of the water level, and a diffuser (5) on the flowing side, are connected to the outflow side of the tunnel. The floating hydrokinetic power plant according to the invention also comprises a mechanism that allows the blades (8) to be immersed to the water surface at an angle of 110° to 130°, and to exit the water an angle of 50° to 70° to the water surface minimizing resistance to water flow.

The role of the confuser (3) with the sliding ramp (4) is to force as much water flow as possible through the working tunnel. The floating hydrokinetic power plant is positioned in the watercourse with an anchor and anchor chain system (12), whereby the anchor can also replace a concrete block of designed weight or any other means that enables its stationary position.

The supporting structure of the drive engine (6) with the preguides (7), the external guides (7a) and the internal guides (7b) of the blades (8) lean on the pontoons (1). The blades (8) are chained over a chain (9) which moves on two sprockets in the shape of a wheel (10), one of which is a drive and is connected to an electric motor (1 1). The blades (8) pass through the tunnel in a vertical position carried by the incoming water and absorbing part of the water energy create the necessary driving torque to drive the electric motor (11). The preguides (7) and the external guide (7a) and the internal guide (7b) of the blades (8) are designed to provide the minimum resistance that the blades (8) provide to the water flow at the time of immersion at the beginning of the tunnel and emerging at the end of the tunnel.

The following is a detailed description of the invention. In the upper part of the sprocket (9) the blades (8) move in a vertical position. The vertical position of the blade (8) is provided by the horizontal position of the carrier (16) guided by the internal guide (7b). The rotation of the blade (8) begins with the wheel for blade preguiding (18) of the blade (8) entering the preguide (7) until the wheel for blade guiding (19) of the wheel carrier for blade guiding (16) enters the front guide (7a). The external guide (7a) and the internal guide (7b) provide rectlinear movement of the blade (8) and rotational movement of the blade (8) around the shaft (17) to immerse the blades (8) with minimal resistance to water flow (15). The minimum resistance to water flow (15) is defined by minimizing the difference between the blade speeds (8) and the water flow speed (15). It has surprisingly been shown that the resistance of the blades (8) to the water flow (15) is significantly reduced if the blades (8) are immersed in the water flow

(15) at an angle between 110° and 130°, preferably 120° to the water flow. The required rectlinear and rotational movement of the blades (8) guided by the preguides (7) and the external guide (7a) and the internal guide (7b) is enabled via the blade shaft (17) which is tightly bound to the wheel carrier for blade guidance (16). From the moment of the vertical position of the blade (8) in the tunnel, the full takeover of power from the water flow and the rotation of the wheel-shaped sprocket (10) begins. A tight bond between the blade shaft (17) and the wheel carrier for blade guidance (16), with the horizontal guidance of the wheel (19) with the external guide (7a), ensures a constant vertical position of the blade (8) in the tunnel. When the blade (8) exits the tunnel, the external guide (7a) and the internal guide (7b) ensure rectlinear and rotational movement of the blade (8) over the wheel carrier for blade guidance

(16) reducing the resistance to water flow (15) in the tunnel by ensuring blade (8) exit from the water stream at an angle of 70° - 50°, preferably 60 ° in a preferred embodiment of the invention. After the wheel for blade guiding (19) of the wheel carrier for blade guidance (16) exits the external guide (7a) and the internal guide (7b), the wheel for blade preguiding (18) enters the preguide (7) by aligning the blade (8) in a vertical position. The wheel carrier for blade guidance (16) is then in a horizontal position and the wheelfor blade guiding (19) enters the internal guide (7b) thus completing one cycle. An important role for the extraction of hydrokinetic energy from the water flow, in addition to the described cycle and construction has a sliding ramp (4) whose role is to ensure the amount of water inflow into the tunnel is sufficient to achieve the required difference in water levels between the front and rear side of the blade (8) for efficient water flow energy extraction.

The present invention relates not only to a hydrokinetic power plant but also to a process for extracting the hydrokinetic energy of a watercourse through a floating hydrokinetic power plant, as well as to a mechanism to ensure immersion and exit of blades (8) at an angle to the water surface that minimazes water flow resistance.

Full scale prototype tests have also proved that there is not enough water in the tunnel without a sliding ramp (4). The importance of the sliding ramp (4) for directing as much free flow of water through the tunnel as possible is shown by the measurement results. Water at a depth greater than 60% of the tunnel depth, when flowing without a ramp, does not enter the tunnel but is submerged under the pontoon (1) of the hydrokinetic power plant. Without a ramp, only about 60% of the depth and about 70% of the width of the confuser water from the free crosssection of the channel enters the tunnel, which looking at the total cross-section of the riverbed makes about 20%. All other water circulates the floating hydrokinetic power plant.

Comparative tests of the output power of the present invention were performed with the cited state of the art, as well as in the case when the hydrokinetic power plant uses a sliding ramp (4) paired with blades that are vertically immersed in the water flow, or in the case when without a sliding ramp (4) use blades (8) which by the mechanism described above are immersed in the water flow at an angle of 110° to 130°. The tests were performed on a machine model scaled 10 times. The tests were performed in compliance with the norms and recommendations of the IEC Commission (International Electrotechnic Commission), which enabled the conversion of measurement results from a reduced model to the performance of the full scale prototype. The working surface of the blades (8) of the model was 0.5m x 0.2m, which corresponds, respecting IEC standards, to the surface of the blades (8) of the design in the right size 5m x 2m. The tests were performed at various speeds of the flowing water flow (15). The test results for full scale prototype are shown in Figure 5 which shows the dependence of the power on water flow velocity (15).

In conclusion, the following statements are imposed: - a significant synergistic effect between sliding ramp (4) and the blades (8) immersing in the water flow (15) at an angle of 110° to 130° is achieved due to the above-described mechanism for guiding the blades (8);

- the speed of movement of the blades (8) in the channel ranged from 0.14 m/s to 0.48 m/s, with the corresponding speeds of movement of the blades (8) of the full scale prototype from 0.44 m/s to 1.52 m/s;

- the maximum value of the number of revolutions of the wheel-shaped sprocket (10) of the turbine model was 53.69 revolutions per minute which corresponds to 17 revolutions per minute of the full scale prototype;

- the maximum measured power was 40.94 W at a water velocity in the channel of 0.44 m/s; the corresponding values on the full scale prototype are 129.46 kW at a water speed of 1.39 m/s, and 160 kW at a water speed of 1 .5 m/s.

These results refer to a power plant with a sliding ramp (4) and blades (8) that are immersed in the water flow at an angle of 110° to 130° marked as d) in Figure 5. When compared to other cases of hydropower plants: (a) according to the cited state of the art, (b) only with blades which are immersed in the water flow at an angle of 1 10 ° to 130 ° and without a sliding ramp; and (c) only with a sliding ramp and without blades which are immersed vertically in the water flow, the corresponding forces are significantly lower as shown in Figure 5, in particular in case (b) the output power at a water speed of 1.5 m/s was 24 kW, and in case (c) 72 kW, while in case (a) the output power is negligible.