Underwater device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9816479-B2
Application number	US-201514870776-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2015
Priority date	Apr 3, 2013
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

A pod of an ocean current power generation device which is serving as an underwater floating-type underwater device is provided with a ballast tank and an air storage tank. When discharging water from the ballast tank, by opening a water discharge valve and driving a water discharge pump, water inside the ballast tank is discharged to the outside through a water conduit. When supplying water, by opening a water supply valve while the water pressure outside the pod is greater than the water pressure inside the ballast tank, water is made to flow from the outside of the pod through an aperture portion, and into the ballast tank via the water conduit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An underwater floating-type underwater device comprising:
a buoyancy adjustment unit that adjusts buoyancy by supplying or discharging water;
a water conduit that connects the buoyancy adjustment unit and an outside of the underwater device;
a water discharge pump that is provided at the water conduit and that discharges water from the buoyancy adjustment unit to the outside of the underwater device through the water conduit; and
a gas storage device inside which a compressed gas is stored in advance, and that, when water is being discharged from the buoyancy adjustment unit by the water discharge pump, supplies its internally stored compressed gas to the buoyancy adjustment unit, and that, when water is being supplied to the buoyancy adjustment unit, receives the supplied gas back into its interior.

2. The underwater device according to claim 1 , wherein the underwater device is an underwater floating-type ocean current power generation device further comprising: a turbine that is rotated by a flow of seawater; and a pod that supports the turbine, and wherein the pod houses a power generation unit that generates power using the rotation of the turbine.

3. The underwater device according to claim 1 , wherein
the buoyancy adjustment unit is supplied with water by the external water pressure outside the buoyancy adjustment unit, and,
when this water is being supplied to the buoyancy adjustment unit, the gas that was supplied to the buoyancy adjustment unit is returned to the interior of the gas storage device via the water that is being supplied by the water pressure.

4. The underwater device according to claim 2 , wherein
the buoyancy adjustment unit is supplied with water by the external water pressure outside the pod, and,
when this water is being supplied to the buoyancy adjustment unit, the gas that was supplied to the buoyancy adjustment unit is returned to the interior of the gas storage device via the water that is being supplied by the water pressure.

5. The underwater device according to claim 2 , wherein the water discharge pump performs the water discharge for the buoyancy adjustment unit in accordance with the rotation speed of the turbine.

6. The underwater device according to claim 4 , wherein the water discharge pump performs the water discharge for the buoyancy adjustment unit in accordance with the rotation speed of the turbine.

7. The underwater device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a duct component that includes a telescopic mechanism that is configured to be both extended and contracted, and to be extended as far as the surface of the sea; and
a gas compression device that takes in external air through the duct component and compresses this air, and fills the gas storage device with this compressed air.

8. The underwater device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a duct component that includes a telescopic mechanism that is configured to be both extended and contracted, and to be extended as far as the surface of the sea; and
a gas compression device that takes in external air through the duct component and compresses this air, and fills the gas storage device with this compressed air.

9. The underwater device according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the buoyancy adjustment units are arranged horizontally, and the buoyancy adjustment units can be floated upwards or downwards while maintaining a predetermined attitude by the supply or discharge of water to the individual buoyancy adjustment units by the water discharge pump and the gas storage device.

10. The underwater device according to claim 2 , wherein a plurality of the pods are arranged horizontally and the buoyancy adjustment units are provided in each one of the pods, and
the plurality of pods can be floated upwards or downwards while maintaining their attitude horizontally by the supply or discharge of water to the individual buoyancy adjustment units by the water discharge pump and the gas storage device.

11. The underwater device according to claim 4 , wherein a plurality of the pods are arranged horizontally and the buoyancy adjustment units are provided in each one of the pods, and
the plurality of pods can be floated upwards or downwards while maintaining their attitude horizontally by the supply or discharge of water to the individual buoyancy adjustment units by the water discharge pump and the gas storage device.

12. The underwater device according to claim 9 , wherein each buoyancy adjustment unit is provided with a separator apparatus that separates water that is supplied to the buoyancy adjustment unit from gas that is supplied from the gas storage device to the buoyancy adjustment unit.

13. The underwater device according to claim 10 , wherein each buoyancy adjustment unit is provided with a separator apparatus that separates water that is supplied to the buoyancy adjustment unit from gas that is supplied from the gas storage device to the buoyancy adjustment unit.

14. The underwater device according to claim 1 , wherein said conduit includes a first portion through which water passes from said buoyancy adjustment unit to the outside, and wherein said pump is positioned along said first portion, and
wherein said conduit further includes a second portion through which water passes in a direction from the outside toward the buoyancy adjustment unit, and wherein said second portion of said conduit is arranged to bypass said pump.

15. The underwater device according to claim 14 , wherein a first non-return valve and a discharge valve are positioned along said first portion of said conduit, and a second non-return valve and a supply valve are positioned along said second portion of said conduit.

16. The underwater device of claim 14 , wherein a gas duct connects the buoyancy adjustment unit and the gas storage device, and wherein when water is supplied to the buoyancy adjustment unit, pressure inside the buoyancy adjustment unit causes gas to flow from the buoyancy adjustment unit through the gas duct and into the gas storage device.

Assignees

• Ihi Corp

Inventors

• Handa Norihisa
• Nagaya Shigeki
• Yamane Yoshiyuki

Classifications

• Y02E10/38

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F03B13/264 Primary

  using the horizontal flow of water resulting from tide movement · CPC title

• F03B17/061

  with rotation axis substantially in flow direction · CPC title

• F05B2270/18

  to control buoyancy · CPC title

• F03B17/06

  using liquid flow {with predominantly kinetic energy conversion}, e.g. of swinging-flap type {, "run-of-river", "ultra-low head" (F03B13/264 takes precedence)} · CPC title