FR2867147A1 - Floating platform for high sea, has pyramid of prismatic cells, for supporting turbine, fixed together using H-shaped keys, where mechanical energy of turbine is used to produce fluid evaporation to obtain heat for heat engine operation - Google Patents

Abstract

The platform has a pyramid (3) of prismatic cells, and floats attached to the periphery of the pyramid. The prismatic cells are used as frame work support for turbine, machine and housing. The cells are fixed with each other with the help of H-shaped keys. The mechanical energy of the turbine is used for producing fluid evaporation to obtain necessary heat source for operating a heat engine.

Description

The present invention relates to a floating and adjustable device for

  produce energy on the high seas using wind, waves, ocean currents, cold ocean water and low temperature evaporation.

  Tidal turbines and offshore wind turbines are propellers usually attached to supports on the seabed. Possible sites are restricted. Their installation is expensive and difficult. They are fragile and their maintenance is not easy. Processes for capturing wave energy are most often based on upward and downward movements of water. They do not use the power of breaking waves which is considerably larger. Systems designed to collect the thermal energy of the seas are always designed for warm seas. On earth, nuclear power plants will always be dangerous, polluting, space-consuming and very difficult to recycle. They have only their power for them, a power that can be obtained otherwise.

  The device according to the invention overcomes all these disadvantages. It consists, according to a first characteristic, of prismatic cells assembled to form a pyramid. According to a second characteristic, these cells are equipped according to their role and content: to serve as a frame and support for energy sensors, to support machines and homes or to maintain trays reproducing a beach. According to a third characteristic, the device will be floating thanks to floats hooked on the periphery of the pyramid. According to a fourth characteristic, these cells are connected to each other by means of H-shaped keys. According to a fifth characteristic, the sensors equipping the cells are turbines of 2 to 6 vanes used alone or with static screens. Either 6 or 8 flat screens, or 2 curved screens having the shape of an arc. According to a sixth characteristic, the device may contain a heat engine using the energy of the turbines as a hot source and the sea as a cold source.

  According to particular embodiments: É The cells may be halves of prisms and be based on a triangle or a half-polygon.

  The cell assemblies may have pyramidal shapes with a variable number of faces, or the shape of a star with a variable number of branches.

  Tubular floats may have a cylindrical shape or that of any prism.

  Floats in the shape of buoys or barges may also be used to carry the pyramid.

  40. The stiffness of the flat surfaces of the pyramid will be ensured by several layers of cells or with squares.

  The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention: FIG. 1 is a general view of the invention FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a cube-shaped cell and its turbine.

  Figure 3 is an exploded view of a hexagonal cell and its turbine.

  Figure 4 is a top view of the cells at the top of a square pyramid.

  Figure 5 is a top view of the top cells of a hexagonal pyramid.

  Figure 6 is a schematic sectional view of the top of a pyramid.

  Figure 7 is a perspective view of a bracket-shaped reinforcement.

  FIG. 8 shows a reinforcement of the sides by the addition of a second layer of cells, cells which can contain shafts equipped with freewheels, alternators, etc.

  Figure 9 illustrates a method for assembling cells and squares very quickly together.

  Figure 10 shows how to start assembling a pyramid on the open sea.

  Figure 11 is a schematic top view of three Darrieus rotors 60 associated with a stator of 6 flat screens 60.

  Figure 12 shows how these flat screens would be integrated into the structure of a hexagonal cell. To show the diversity of possibilities, the associated rotor is a turbine with 6 flat blades.

  Figure 13 shows 8 flat screens integrated into a square cell.

  Figure 14 shows the effect of an association of 6 square cells equipped with flat screens.

  Figures 15 and 16 show turbines equipped with a curved screen.

  Figure 17 shows 4 remarkable shapes of turbines with 3 and 4 tangential blades.

  Figure 18 shows the method for capturing the energy of breaking waves and some equipment that would increase the efficiency of the device using a heat engine.

  Figure 19 is the block diagram of the heat engine used.

  With reference to these drawings, the device is a floating platform (FIG 1) which can rise very high thanks to a pyramidal construction made from a basic cell having the shape of a prism or a half of prism (Figs 2 and 3). This basic cell being a rigid chassis, it would be made in the chain and in a fully automated way. It could be molded and its cost price would be quite close to the price of the metal alloy used. The same applies to reinforcements (Fig. 7).

  Figure 9 shows their installation. To assemble the cells, we will use keys in the form of an H (8). These keys will join their uprights (9) by a simple rotation of a quarter turn. The tightening of the two amounts resulting from a very slight flaring of the bottom of the holes receiving the keys (10). A slight hollow perpendicular to the hole (11) would ensure perfect immobilization of the key. For ease of positioning of the uprights they may be provided with small conical lugs or conical depressions (12).

  Floats of the device (Fig. 1) are sealed chambers, prismatic, tubular or spherical, provided to attach to each other from the periphery of the base of the pyramid (3). They will be installed as needed, in parallel with the installation of all the elements constituting the power plant. So that the pyramid is not affected by the upward and downward movements of the swell, it will, if necessary, be equipped with springs (2). But its stability will mainly result from its size, its very deep center of gravity and its weight. The device will be moored to piles planted with explosives on the seabed (4).

  The construction of the pyramid would be simultaneously on land and at sea. At sea, sections of about ten pre-installed cells would be deposited (Fig. 10). These sections will float thanks to temporary floats (13). Once linked to each other, they will form a large hexagonal ring in the case of a hexagonal pyramid (Fig. 5) or square if the cells are square (Fig. 4). All levels of the pyramid would be built gradually. The higher it becomes, the more its immersed base will be suspended from floats (Fig. 1) which will supplement or replace the original equipment.

  Different turbines will be used in the device depending on the energies they must capture. Experiments will have to be made to determine which ones have the best performance as a function of the water and air velocities, a yield which can also vary according to the size of the turbines. They are of 2 main types. Turbines equipped with a static screen (14) (Fig. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16) and curved blade turbines (Fig. 17) which do not need a screen.

  The static screens (14) may consist of 6 flat screens forming an angle of 60 (or 8 screens at 450), or quarter-screens as in Figures 15 and 16. The screens will be integrated in the cells (Fig. 12 and 13).

  All rotors that work without a screen can work with screens. But flat blade rotors (Figures 12, 13, 14, 16) can only work with screens. The rotor darrieus, known for its excellent performance, can also be provided with screens (Fig. 11). Rotors having curved blades (FIG 17), tangential (5) (FIG 3) or not, are also excellent because they can have the particularity of accelerating the speed of the fluid that passes through them.

  In order not to have to put one alternator per turbine, they can be connected to each other by shafts and gears equipped with freewheels (7) (Figs 8 and 18).

  The breaking of the swell will be produced by an artificial beach (15) (Fig. 18). The energy of the flow and reflux will be captured by a row of screen turbines, like those of Figures 14 and 15. We will obtain a fluid and continuous rotation of the shaft which will connect them through the freewheels (7).

  The increase in plant output will be produced using the sea as a cold source (Fig.19). We will use the energy of the turbines to heat a coolant (16), for example oil heated to 200 C. The oil will boil ammonia (17) or any other fluid that evaporates at low temperature . The steam produced will operate a steam turbine (18) which will rotate an alternator (19). Pumps (20) will force the steam to pass through a condenser (21) which will condense it through the coolness of the seawater.

  The breaking waves being 3 or 4 times more energetic than the wind and the currents, a power plant of this type would be particularly powerful. Calculations indicate that a very small sea area could provide us with as much energy as a conventional nuclear power plant without the inconvenience. A platform of this type can be gigantic. Its great stability would allow us to conquer this energy. Installed near the coast, cables placed on the seabed would allow us to take advantage of its electricity production. Installed far from the coast, on the seas where winds, waves and currents are the strongest, it would be used to produce hydrogen. Installed near the coast, it could also be equipped with housing and thus become a seaside resort (each cell would be the frame of a home). But the main interest of this device is that it can free us from the nuclear and the myth of the nuclear fusion which makes us take too much risks, considering our ignorance of the magnetism and the forces which animate the infinitely small.

Claims (1)

6 claims   1) Floating device for capturing the energies of wind, waves and sea currents, characterized in that it consists of a pyramidal arrangement of prismatic cells (Fig. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 18) 2) Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it will be floating thanks to floats hooked on the periphery of the pyramid (FIG 1) 3) Device according to claims 1 characterized in that the Prismatic structures can be used as a frame and support for turbines (Fig. 2 and 3), machines (Fig. 18) and houses.   4) Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the prismatic cells can be fixed to each other with the help of H-shaped keys (Figure 9).   5) Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the mechanical energy of its turbines may be used to produce the evaporation of a fluid to obtain the hot source necessary for the operation of a heat engine.   6) Device according to claim 1 characterized in that it uses the sea surface water to condense the steam produced, and it is better to install it in cold seas.