Power generating device and operation method thereof based on ocean temperature difference

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11988199-B2
Application number	US-202218010808-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 11, 2022
Priority date	Sep 1, 2021
Publication date	May 21, 2024
Grant date	May 21, 2024

Abstract

The invention discloses a power generating device and an operation method thereof based on ocean temperature difference, which belong to the field of ocean energy utilization, and include a negative thermal expansion body, a rope and a generator. The negative thermal expansion body is connected to the rope, and the rope is connected to the generator simultaneously. The negative thermal expansion body is in a contracted state when in the hotter upper seawater close to the sea surface, and the difference obtained by deducting buoyancy from gravity is relatively large. The negative thermal expansion body is in an expanded state when in colder deep seawater, and the difference obtained by deducting buoyancy from gravity is relatively small. The unbalanced force on the rope will drive the rope to move, and the generator will be driven to generate power through the rope.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power generating device based on an ocean temperature difference, comprising:
a negative thermal expansion body, a rope, and a generator, wherein the negative thermal expansion body is connected with the rope, and the rope is connected with the generator,
the negative thermal expansion body is in a contracted state in hotter upper seawater close to a sea surface, and a difference of gravity minus buoyancy is relatively large, the negative thermal expansion body is in an expanded state in colder deep seawater, and the difference the gravity minus the buoyancy is relatively small,
during an operation process, the negative thermal expansion body in the colder deep seawater becomes expanded and buoyant after a heat exchange, and become expanded and gradually become fully expanded when floating up in order to be able to gradually increase the buoyancy in the process of floating up, when the negative thermal expansion body floats up to the hotter upper seawater, after the heat exchange, the negative thermal expansion body changes back to a contracted state, the buoyancy becomes smaller, and the negative thermal expansion body sinks back into the deep seawater,
during the floating process and the sinking process, a total work done by a resultant force of the gravity and the buoyancy is positive, and the negative thermal expansion body floats or sinks in seawater to drive the rope to move, and the generator is pulled by the rope to realize power generation.

2. The power generating device based on the ocean temperature difference according to claim 1 , wherein the negative thermal expansion body comprises a flexible and elastic deformable container, and a phase-change material accommodated in the deformable container and crystallized when cooled and being able to change from a liquid state to a solid state, the liquid phase-change material has a soluble gas dissolved therein, a crystallization temperature of the phase-change material is between 4° C. and 40° C.,
the phase-change material is crystallized when its temperature is lowered, and the soluble gas in the phase-change material is emitted, which causes a total volume of the deformable container expands, the crystallized phase-change material melts into a liquid state when its temperature rises, and dissolves and absorbs the emitted gas into the phase-change material itself, which causes the total volume of the deformable container to contract.

3. The power generating device based on the ocean temperature difference according to claim 2 , wherein the phase-change material is one or more of sulfolane, ethylene carbonate, capric acid, dimethyl sulfoxide, lauryl alcohol and low-melting point paraffin, and the low-melting point paraffin refers to C18 paraffin.

4. The power generating device based on the ocean temperature difference according to claim 3 , wherein the soluble gas comprises one or more of carbon dioxide, methane, ethane and propane, a mass of the dissolved and absorbed soluble gas is greater than 20% of a maximum solubility of the soluble gas at a melting point of the corresponding phase-change material.

5. The power generating device based on the ocean temperature difference according to claim 2 , wherein the deformable container is an aluminum-plastic film, a rubber bag or a syringe needle.

6. The power generating device based on the ocean temperature difference according to claim 5 , wherein the phase-change material is a gel at a set temperature, and there is a liquid at a microscopic level in the gel.

7. The power generating device based on the ocean temperature difference according to claim 6 , wherein the deformable container is further accommodated with a porous material, and the phase-change material is filled in pores of the porous material.

8. The power generating device based on the ocean temperature difference according to claim 2 , wherein further comprising a fixing pulley and a heavy object, wherein the generator is disposed on a ship or a floating platform, a plurality of the fixing pulleys are fixed on the sea surface, one end of the rope is connected to the generator, the rope is wound on the plurality of the fixing pulleys and the other end thereof is connected to the negative thermal expansion body, the heavy object is connected to a terminal end of the end, and serves to keep the rope in a tensioned state.

9. An operation method for the power generating device based on the ocean temperature difference according to claim 2 , wherein during the operation process, the negative thermal expansion body is in the relatively hot upper seawater near the sea surface, the phase-change material is in a liquid state, and the soluble gas is dissolved therein, the negative thermal expansion body is in the contracted state as a whole with a small volume and small buoyancy, the difference between the gravity and the buoyancy remains constant, and the difference is large, in the colder deep seawater, the phase-change material crystallizes, the soluble gas is emitted, the soluble gas is compressed by the deep seawater, and a volume of the entire negative thermal expansion body changes slightly, as the negative thermal expansion body gradually floats up, a seawater pressure decreases, a volume of the compressed soluble gas gradually expands, the buoyancy increases, and the difference between the gravity and the buoyancy decreases gradually.

10. A power generating device based on an ocean temperature difference, comprising a fixing pulley, negative thermal expansion bodies, a rope, and a generator, wherein both ends of the rope are respectively provided with similar negative thermal expansion bodies, the rope is wound on the fixing pulley and drives the fixing pulley to rotate, the fixing pulley is connected to the generator, the negative thermal expansion body is in a contracted state in hotter upper seawater close to a sea surface, and a difference of gravity minus buoyancy is relatively large, the negative thermal expansion body is in an expanded state in colder deep seawater, and the difference of the gravity minus the buoyancy is relatively small,
during an operation process, the negative thermal expansion bodies on the both sides of the rope have varied differences obtained by the gravity minus the buoyancy due to their temperature differences, thus driving the rope to move, and then drives the fixing pulley to rotate to realize power generation.

11. The power generating device based on the ocean temperature difference according to claim 10 , wherein each of the negative thermal expansion bodies is connected with a heavy object, and an average density of a combination of the heavy object and each of the negative thermal expansion bodies is always greater than a density of the seawater, the fixing pulley and the generator are set above and near the sea surface,
during an initial power generation process, the negative thermal expansion bodies at the both ends of the rope are located at the ocean surface and in the deep ocean respectively, the negative thermal expansion body on one side of the rope is in the ocean surface with a higher temperature, after a heat exchange, the negative thermal expansion body is at a relatively high-temperature state, its volume shrinks, which makes its own buoyancy smaller, the negative thermal expansion body on the other side of the rope is located in the deep ocean, after a heat exchange, the negative thermal expansion body is at a relatively low-temperature state, its volume is expanded, which makes its own buoyancy larger, and results in unbalanced force on the both sides of the rope, making the rope move and realize power generation, the above process is repeated to make the rope move up and d

Assignees

• Univ Huazhong Science Tech

Inventors

• Shen Yue
• Duan Jiangjiang
• Meng Jintao
• Deng Zhe
• Liu Xueting

Classifications

• F03B17/02

  using hydrostatic thrust · CPC title

• F03G7/05 Primary

  Ocean thermal energy conversion, i.e. OTEC · CPC title

• Y02E10/30

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

• F03G7/06

  using expansion or contraction of bodies due to heating, cooling, moistening, drying or the like (using thermal expansion of non-vaporising liquids F01K) · CPC title

• F03B17/00

  Other machines or engines · CPC title