Wave power utilization device and control method of wave power utilization device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11560871-B2
Application number	US-202117471148-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2021
Priority date	Oct 19, 2020
Publication date	Jan 24, 2023
Grant date	Jan 24, 2023

Abstract

A compression pipe is configured with a wave drawing section and an air compressing section, a gas-liquid introduction on-off valve is disposed in wave drawing section, a gas-liquid introduction on-off valve is opened at an initial stage of a pushing wave, the gas-liquid introduction on-off valve is closed at the same time when a wave that maintains a speed flows into a wave receiving box. Accordingly, the wave is drawn into the air compressing section, is stored in a compressed air storage tank by converting kinetic energy of the wave into compressed air, and can be utilized for power generation and the like.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wave power utilization device comprising:
a wave receiving box having a wave receiving box inlet that receives push and pull of waves of seawater, and having a space filled with the seawater that flows in from the wave receiving box inlet;
a hollow compression pipe connected to communicate with an inside of the wave receiving box, the hollow compression pipe having an upper opening and a lower opening which is set to have a wider flow path cross-sectional area than a flow path cross-sectional area of the upper opening, the hollow compression pipe including a tapered section, a wave drawing section, and an air compressing section, the tapered section connecting the lower opening and the upper opening to each other in a tapered shape, the wave drawing section drawing the waves drawn into the wave receiving box through the tapered section, the air compressing section compressing air by the drawn waves;
a gas-liquid introduction on-off valve which is connected to an upper part of the wave drawing section, and performs an opening operation to allow the air or the seawater to flow in and out;
an air discharge pipe connected to an upper part of the air compressing section and having a check valve that allows a flow of the air only in a downstream direction from the air compressing section;
a compressed air storage tank connected to a downstream side of a flow path of the air discharge pipe, and filled with the air compressed by the air compressing section;
an air introduction unit which introduces the air into the air compressing section;
an air introduction pipe which connects the air introduction unit and the air compressing section to each other; and
an air introduction on-off valve provided in a middle of the air introduction pipe and capable of introducing the air from the air introduction unit into the air compressing section during an opening operation.

2. The wave power utilization device of claim 1 ,
wherein the wave drawing section and the air compressing section are separated from each other by a wall and adjacent to each other in the hollow compression pipe, and
the wave drawing section and the air compressing section communicate with each other only on a lower side of the compression pipe.

3. The wave power utilization device of claim 1 ,
wherein the hollow compression pipe is formed of a double pipe having an inner pipe and an outer pipe,
one of the inner pipe and the outer pipe is the wave drawing section, and the other is the air compressing section,
the wave drawing section and the air compressing section are separated from each other by a pipe wall of the inner pipe and adjacent to each other, and
the wave drawing section and the air compressing section communicate with each other only on a lower side of the hollow compression pipe.

4. The wave power utilization device of claim 1 ,
wherein the gas-liquid introduction on-off valve has a valve body that performs opening and closing operations by a pressure of the air or the seawater drawn into the wave drawing section, and allows the air or the seawater to flow in and out during the opening operation of the valve body.

5. A control method of a wave power utilization device, the wave power utilization device including:
a wave receiving box having a wave receiving box inlet that receives push and pull of waves of seawater, and having a space filled with the seawater that flows in from the wave receiving box inlet,
a hollow compression pipe connected to communicate with an inside of the wave receiving box, the hollow compression pipe having an upper opening and a lower opening which is set to have a wider flow path cross-sectional area than a flow path cross-sectional area of the upper opening, the hollow compression pipe including a tapered section, a wave drawing section, and an air compressing section, the tapered section connecting the lower opening and the upper opening to each other in a tapered shape, the wave drawing section drawing the waves drawn into the wave receiving box through the tapered section, the air compressing section compressing air by the drawn waves,
a gas-liquid introduction on-off valve which is connected to an upper part of the wave drawing section, and performs an opening operation to allow the air or the seawater to flow in and out,
an air discharge pipe connected to an upper part of the air compressing section and having a check valve that allows a flow of the air only in a downstream direction from the air compressing section,
a compressed air storage tank connected to a downstream side of a flow path of the air discharge pipe, and filled with the air compressed by the air compressing section,
an air introduction unit which introduces the air into the air compressing section,
an air introduction pipe which connects the air introduction unit and the air compressing section to each other, and
an air introduction on-off valve provided in a middle of the air introduction pipe and capable of introducing the air from the air introduction unit into the air compressing section during an opening operation, the method comprising:
sucking the air or the seawater from an outside of the compression pipe into an inside of the hollow compression pipe, from the gas-liquid introduction on-off valve during a receding wave, and flowing the waves having a speed into the wave receiving box during a pushing wave; and
compressing the air by the air compressing section by closing the gas-liquid introduction on-off valve when the flowed-in waves push the air in the air compressing section.

6. The control method of a wave power utilization device of claim 5 ,
wherein a pressure detection unit that detects a pressure in the air compressing section is installed in the air compressing section, and
opening and closing of the gas-liquid introduction on-off valve and the air introduction on-off valve are controlled based on the pressure in the air compressing section detected by the pressure detection unit.

7. The control method of a wave power utilization device of claim 5 ,
wherein a water level detection unit that detects a water level is installed in the air compressing section, and
opening and closing of the gas-liquid introduction on-off valve and the air introduction on-off valve are controlled based on the water level detected by the water level detection unit.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kishishita Kensuke
• Segawa Terutsugu
• Takami Fuminori
• Aokura Isamu

Classifications

• F03B13/142 Primary

  which creates an oscillating water column · CPC title

• F03B11/004

  Valve arrangements (F03B3/10 takes precedence; adjustable wicket gates F03B3/183; valves in general F16K) · CPC title

• Y02E10/20

  Hydro energy · CPC title

• F03B11/002

  Injecting air or other fluid (F03D80/40, F03B11/04, F03B15/00 take precedence) · CPC title

• Y02E10/30

  Energy from the sea, e.g. using wave energy or salinity gradient · CPC title