JP2024083162A - Wind power generator - Google Patents

Abstract

To reduce a cost of electric power generation of a wind power generator.SOLUTION: A wind power generator has a rotor 18 (wind turbine) which is provided in a tower 14 and receives wind so as to rotate, a wind power generation part 302 which receives a rotational force of the rotor 18 so as to generate electricity, a floating part 304 which is mounted with the tower 14 and floats on the water, and a wave power generation part 306 which is provided in the floating part 304 and generates electricity with a movable part that receives waves so as to move.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to wind power generation equipment, and in particular to floating offshore wind power generation equipment.

An example of a wind power generation device is the floating offshore wind power generation device described in Patent Document 1.

Chinese Patent No. 110080952

Offshore wind turbines are more efficient at generating electricity and can be made larger than onshore wind turbines, and are becoming more widely used. In particular, floating offshore wind turbines are not subject to the water depth restrictions that fixed-bottom offshore wind turbines have, and they are attracting attention as a renewable energy source with great potential, especially in maritime nations like Japan.

However, the cost of generating electricity with floating wind turbines is higher than with other wind power generation methods due to the high cost of the floating body, the reduced capacity factor caused by the turbine head wobbling due to wave swaying, and the difficulty of maintenance. Design techniques to reduce the cost of the floating body and improve maintainability, as well as control methods to suppress swaying, are known, but these do not contribute to the amount of electricity generated itself.

The present invention aims to reduce the power generation costs of wind power generation equipment.

The wind power generation device according to the first aspect has a wind turbine mounted on a tower that rotates when it receives wind, a wind power generation unit that generates electricity when it receives the rotational force of the wind turbine, a floating body unit that mounts the tower and floats on water, and a wave power generation unit that is mounted on the floating body unit and generates electricity using a movable part that moves when it receives waves.

This wind power generation device has both a wind power generation unit and a wave power generation unit, so it can generate electricity using wave energy as well as wind energy. Therefore, compared to a system that only has a wind power generation unit, the total amount of power generated is improved and power generation costs are reduced.

In the second aspect, in the wind power generation device according to the first aspect, the movable part is disposed below the floating body part, and the wave power generation part generates power by the movement of the movable part in the water.

In this wind power generation device, the wave power generation unit generates power through the movement of a movable part that is placed below the floating body. By absorbing wave energy with the movable part, the rocking of the wind power generation unit caused by waves can be reduced, improving the facility operating rate.

In the third aspect, in the wind power generation device according to the first aspect, the movable part is disposed next to the floating body part, and the wave power generation part generates power by the movement of the movable part on the water surface.

In this wind power generation device, the wave power generation unit generates power through the movement of a movable part that is placed next to the floating body. By absorbing wave energy with the movable part, the rocking of the wind power generation unit caused by waves can be reduced, improving the facility operating rate.

In the fourth aspect, in the wind power generation device according to the second or third aspect, the movement of the movable part is transmitted to the generator of the wave power generation part via a fluid.

In this wind power generation device, the movement of the moving part is transmitted via fluid to the generator in the wave power generation part, generating electricity.

The fifth aspect is the wind power generation device according to the fourth aspect, in which the generator is provided within the tower.

In this wind power generation device, the generator is mounted on the tower, making effective use of the space inside the tower and avoiding the need to install the generator outside the tower.

In the sixth aspect, in the wind power generation device according to the fourth aspect, the generator is shared with the generator of the wind power generation unit.

In this wind power generation device, the generator for the wave power generation section is shared with the generator for the wind power generation section, which reduces the cost of the equipment compared to when separate generators are provided.

The present invention makes it possible to reduce the power generation costs of wind power generation equipment.

1 is a front view showing a wind turbine generator according to a first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the upper part of the tower of the wind turbine generator according to the first embodiment. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a wind turbine generator according to a first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a wind turbine generator according to a second embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a wind turbine generator according to a reference example. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the upper part of the tower of a wind turbine generator according to a reference example. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the arrangement of a secondary floating body of a wind turbine power generation device according to a reference example. FIG. 4 is a side view showing an upper portion of a float of a wind turbine power generation device according to a reference example.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Components indicated with the same reference numerals in each drawing are the same or similar components. Note that duplicated descriptions and reference numerals may be omitted in the embodiments described below. In addition, all drawings used in the following description are schematic, and the dimensional relationships and ratios of each element shown in the drawings do not necessarily match the actual ones. In addition, the dimensional relationships and ratios of each element between multiple drawings do not necessarily match.

The following describes how to implement the present invention with reference to the drawings.

[First embodiment]
1 and 2 , a wind power generation device 300 according to this embodiment has a rotor 18 as a wind turbine, a wind power generation unit 302 , a floating body unit 304 , and a wave power generation unit 306 .

The rotor 18 is a component that is attached to the tower 14 and rotates when it receives wind. As an example, this rotor 18 is a horizontal axis wind turbine called a propeller type, in which blades 18B are attached to a hub 18A.

The wind power generation unit 302 is a part that receives the rotational force of the rotor 18 and generates electricity. A nacelle 16 is provided on the top of the tower 14. The nacelle 16 houses a generator 20 that generates electricity through the rotation of the rotor 18. The tower 14 has a hollow structure, for example, and is made of steel or the like. The inside of the tower 14 is sealed to prevent the intrusion of rainwater, seawater, etc. A wind power generation unit 306 of a conventional general structure can be used.

The floating body section 304 is a section that carries the tower 14 and floats on the water. The floating body section 304 can be made of steel, concrete, rubber, etc. as appropriate. The floating body section 304 can be made of the configuration of the reference example described below.

In Figures 2 and 3, the wave power generation unit 306 is provided on the floating body unit 304 and generates power using a movable part 308 that moves when it receives waves. The movable part 308 is disposed, for example, below the floating body unit 304. The wave power generation unit 306 generates power by the movement of the movable part 308 in the water. The movement of the movable part 308 is transmitted to the generator 320 of the wave power generation unit 306 via the fluid.

In this embodiment, multiple movable parts 308 are provided. Each movable part 308 has a piston 310. The floating body part 304 has a cylinder 312 in which the piston 310 slides. The cylinders 312 are each connected to a pipe 314. The pipes 314 are gathered in one place in the floating body part 304 and supplied to the tower 14. Each pipe 314 is provided with, for example, a check valve 316. This prevents the fluid pressure generated by the movement of one piston 310 from pushing back the other pistons 310.

If the fluid is a gas such as compressed air, an air turbine can be used to operate the generator 320. If the fluid is a liquid (using hydraulic pressure), a PTO (Power Take-Off) can be used to operate the generator 320. The generator 320 is provided, for example, in the tower 14, but is not limited to this and may be shared with the generator 20 of the wind power generation unit 302. In this case, piping (not shown) for supplying the fluid to the wind power generation unit 306 is provided, for example, in the tower 14, and the fluid pressure is used as an auxiliary driving source for the generator 20. If the fluid is compressed air, a nozzle for directing air at the rotor 18 may be provided in the nacelle 16. If the fluid is a liquid (using hydraulic pressure), a PTO may be connected to the generator 20.

(Action)
This embodiment is configured as described above, and its operation will be described below. In Fig. 3, the wind power generation device 300 according to this embodiment has a wind power generation unit 302 and a wave power generation unit 306, so that it can use wave power energy in addition to wind energy for power generation. In other words, wind power generation can be performed by the wind power generation unit 302, and wave power generation can be performed by the wave power generation unit 306.

The wave power generation unit 306 generates electricity by the movement of the movable part 308 arranged below the floating body part 304. The movement of the movable part 308 is transmitted to the generator 320 of the wave power generation unit 306 via a fluid (e.g., compressed air or hydraulic pressure), generating electricity. The fluid is supplied into the tower 14 through the cylinder 312 and piping 314, and operates the generator 320 via an air turbine or PTO. Because this generator 320 is provided in the tower 14, the space within the tower 14 can be effectively utilized, and it is possible to avoid installing the generator 320 outside the tower 14.

In addition, by absorbing wave energy with the movable part 308, the rocking of the wind power generation part 302 caused by waves can be reduced, improving the equipment operating rate. Therefore, compared to the case where only the wind power generation part 302 is provided, the total amount of power generation is improved and the power generation cost is reduced.

When the generator of the wave power generation unit 306 is shared with the generator 20 of the wind power generation unit 302, the cost of the equipment can be reduced compared to when separate generators are provided.

In this way, according to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the power generation costs of a wind power generation device.

[Second embodiment]
4 , in a wind turbine generator 300 according to this embodiment, a movable part 308 is disposed beside a floating body part 304. A wave power generating part 306 generates power by the movement of the movable part 308 on a water surface 322.

The cylinder 312 is disposed above the movable section 308. The piping 314 is connected to the cylinder 312 and passes, for example, above the floating section 304 and is connected to the tower 14. The generator 320 of the wave power generation section 306 is disposed above the connection section 324 between the tower 14 and the piping 314. To increase the power generation efficiency, the tower 14 may be configured so that no fluid flows below the connection section 324. Note that, as in the first embodiment, the piping 314 may be disposed inside the floating section 304.

In this wind power generation device 300, the wave power generation unit 306 generates power through the movement of the movable unit 308 that is arranged next to the floating unit 304. The movable unit 308 absorbs the energy of the wave force, thereby reducing the swaying of the rotor 18 caused by the waves. In particular, because the movable unit 308 is arranged next to the floating unit 304, the swaying of the wind power generation unit 302 caused by the waves can be further reduced. In other words, the sway suppression effect is high. This further improves the facility operating rate.

Other parts are similar to those in the first embodiment, so the same parts are given the same reference numerals in the drawings and the explanation is omitted.

[Reference Example]
A wind turbine generator 10 according to a reference example will be described with reference to Figs. 5 to 8 .

As shown in FIG. 7, the wind power generation device 10 includes, as an example, a support member 12 made of steel or concrete that is circular in plan view.

As shown in Figures 5 and 7, a tower 14 is erected in the center of the support member 12. The support member 12 and the tower 14 are fixed together, for example, by bolts, welding, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 6, a nacelle 16 is provided on top of the tower 14, and the nacelle 16 houses a generator 20 that generates electricity by rotating a rotor 18. As an example, the tower 14 has a hollow structure and is made of steel or the like. The inside of the tower 14 is sealed to prevent the intrusion of rainwater, seawater, etc. The hub 18A and the blades 18B make up the rotor 18. The tower 14, nacelle 16, and rotor 18 make up the wind turbine 11.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the wind turbine 11 in this reference example is, as an example, a horizontal axis wind turbine called a propeller type, in which blades 18B are provided on a hub 18A.

The tower 14, nacelle 16, rotor 18, and generator 20 can be of conventional structure.

As shown in FIG. 7, a float holding member 24 is attached to the support member 12. The support member 12 and the float holding member 24 are fixed together, for example, by bolts, welding, etc.

The float holding member 24 has multiple connecting members 24A (five in this example) extending radially (diametrically outward) from the support member 12, and a large-diameter annular member 24B is fixed to the end of each connecting member 24A. A small-diameter annular member 24C with a smaller diameter than the large-diameter annular member 24B is arranged inside the large-diameter annular member 24B. The small-diameter annular member 24C is fixed to the longitudinal middle of the connecting member 24A.

In this reference example, the center of the support member 12, the center of the large diameter annular member 24B, and the center of the small diameter annular member 24C are aligned.

The connecting member 24A, the large diameter annular member 24B, and the small diameter annular member 24C that constitute the float holding member 24 can be formed, for example, from steel material or the like. The float holding member 24 can also be referred to as a steel skeleton, a float support member, a reinforcing material, etc.

As shown in Figures 5 and 7, in this reference example, a hollow steel float 26 is attached to the center of the lower part of the support member 12.

A plurality of elastic floats 28 are arranged along the circumferential direction on the lower part of the support member 12, the lower part of the large diameter annular member 24B, and the lower part of the small diameter annular member 24C. These elastic floats 28 are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction on the lower part of the support member 12 and the lower part of the large diameter annular member 24B. The elastic floats 28 are an example of a float of the present disclosure.

The elastic float 28 is hollow, and its shape when in use (when filled with air) is, for example, spherical. Note that the shape of the elastic float 28 when in use is not limited to a sphere, and may be a cylinder, a barrel shape with a bulging center, a cube, etc.

The material that constitutes the elastic float 28 is an elastic material, for example, a synthetic resin (elastomer resin) having elasticity such as vulcanized rubber or urethane resin, and is a material with a lower specific gravity than metal. Reinforcing cords, woven sheets, etc. may be embedded in the elastic material that constitutes the elastic float 28.

Each elastic float 28 is detachably attached to the support member 12 and the float holding member 24 using attachment members 32 such as chains, ropes, bands, etc., so that it can be individually replaced. Although not shown in the figure, the elastic float 28 may be attached to the support member 12 and the float holding member 24 using bolts or the like, not limited to chains, ropes, bands, etc.

It is preferable that the mounting member 32 is provided so that the elastic float 28 can be attached and detached on the water, for example, on the support member 12 or the float holding member 24.

The elastic float 28 can expand and contract by changing the amount of air filled in it, in other words, its volume can be changed.

As shown in FIG. 8, an air valve 30 is attached to the elastic float 28, and the air inside the elastic float 28 can be filled with air through the air valve 30, or the air inside the elastic float 28 can be discharged to the outside. In consideration of workability, it is preferable to provide the air valve 30 on a part of the elastic float 28 that is exposed above the water surface WF. Note that the elastic float 28 may be attached or detached in a deflated state after the air inside has been discharged to the outside.

The number and positions of the elastic floats 28 attached to the support member 12 and the float holding member 24 are not limited to the examples shown in Figures 5 and 7, and can be changed as necessary.

In this reference example, the number of elastic floats 28, in other words, the buoyancy, is determined so that at least a portion of the elastic floats 28 is exposed above the water surface WF when the wind power generation device 10 is in use offshore.

As shown in FIG. 5, the wind turbine 10 of this reference example can be moored to the seabed (not shown) by mooring lines 34, similar to conventional floating offshore wind turbines.

In addition, the electricity generated by the generator 20 can be transmitted to land via a power transmission line 36, for example.

(Action, Effect)
The elastic float 28 of this embodiment is made of elastic materials such as rubber and synthetic resin, which have a lower specific gravity than metal, and is therefore lighter than floats made of metal materials. The wind power generation device 10 of this embodiment can have a lighter overall mass than wind power generation devices that obtain buoyancy from metal floats. This makes it possible to increase the size and size of the rotor, and therefore the amount of power generation.

In a floating offshore wind power generation device in which a single metal float is fixed, when maintenance is required for the float or if the float develops a defect (e.g., a crack or a hole), it must be towed away and brought ashore for maintenance or repair, which requires a great deal of effort and cost for maintenance and repair. Furthermore, if water gets inside the metal float, the balance of buoyancy is lost, and there is a risk that the tower will tilt more than necessary.

On the other hand, the wind power generation device 10 according to this reference example uses multiple elastic floats 28, making it possible to provide a fail-safe. For example, even if a malfunction occurs in any of the elastic floats 28, the balance of buoyancy is prevented from being significantly disrupted, and the tower 14 is prevented from tilting more than necessary.

At least a portion of each elastic float 28 is exposed above the water surface WF, and mounting members 32 such as bolts, chains, ropes, bands, etc. are provided so that the elastic float 28 can be attached and detached on the water, for example, on the support member 12 or the float holding member 24, making it easy to maintain a defective elastic float 28 on the water or to replace it with a new elastic float 28. This makes the work easier than maintenance and replacement by towing and landing.

Furthermore, the elastic float 28 can be filled with air or the air inside can be discharged via the air valve 30. The elastic float 28 can be shrunk by releasing the air inside, which makes it easier to transport and attach/detach the elastic float 28.

In addition, since the air valve 30 is attached to the upper part of the elastic float 28, it is easy to connect the air pump hose, etc. to the air valve 30 on the water.

The elastic float 28, made of an elastic material, is detachable and lightweight compared to metal floats, so it is easy to remove the elastic float 28 and rotate it on the ocean. For example, rotating the elastic float 28 and turning the submerged lower part to the top makes it easier to inspect the submerged part and to remove any attached matter from the lower part, making maintenance easier.

In addition, since the elastic material deforms elastically, even if an object hits the elastic float 28, it is unlikely to undergo plastic deformation, and it can also absorb the impact of an object (waves, floating objects, etc.) hitting it.

In the wind power generation device 10 according to this reference example, the elastic floats 28 are detachable, so it is easy to adjust the number and positions of the elastic floats 28 to adjust and balance the buoyancy. It is also easy to balance the buoyancy so that the foundation member on which the tower 14 is mounted is horizontal.

The wind turbine 11 in this reference example was a horizontal axis wind turbine, also known as a propeller type, but the type of wind turbine 11 is not limited to that in this reference example, and may be of other types, such as a vertical axis wind turbine.

[Other embodiments]
Although an example of an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the above embodiment may be appropriately combined with a part of the configuration of the reference example.

14...tower, 18...rotor (windmill), 20...generator, 300...wind power generation device, 302...wind power generation section, 304...floating body section, 306...wave power generation section, 308...moving section, 320...generator, 322...water surface

Claims (6)

A windmill installed on a tower that rotates when it catches the wind.
a wind power generation unit that generates electricity by receiving a rotational force of the wind turbine;
a floating body portion carrying the tower and floating on water;
A wave power generation unit provided on the floating body unit and generating power using a movable part that moves in response to waves;
A wind power generation device having the above structure. The movable portion is disposed below the floating body portion,
The wind turbine generator according to claim 1 , wherein the wave power generating unit generates power by the movement of the movable part in water. The movable portion is disposed beside the floating body portion,
The wind turbine generator according to claim 1 , wherein the wave power generating unit generates power by the movement of the movable part on a water surface. The wind power generation device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the movement of the movable part is transmitted to the generator of the wave power generation part via a fluid. The wind power generation device according to claim 4, wherein the generator is installed inside the tower. The wind power generation device according to claim 4, wherein the generator is shared with the generator of the wind power generation unit.