Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02546897 2009-03-30
DESCRIPTION
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to Water Turbines that are distantly related to water
wheels for the
extraction of energy from currents, to be available for conversion into
electrical energy.
The invention further also relates to renewable energy generation in a near
100% eco- and
bio-friendly way.
The invention further relates to small to large scale renewable energy
generation in a cost
effective way.
Background of the Invention
The search has forever been going on for a system that could make the dreams
of
economical large scale renewable energy generation, and specifically eco-
friendly energy
generation, a reality.
Presently, only energy producing units such as solar and wind seems to be
really eco-
friendly and worldwide applicable although their energy production per m2 is
somewhat low.
Geothermal has its massive eco- and bio-friendly features but its availability
with present
technology is limited to a few isolated spots around the globe.
Water though, with about a 1000 times advantage over wind at the same speed,
seems to
be the most logical medium to address in the serious search for renewable
energy
exploitation.
Currently however, the only significant hydro electric energy contributions
come from large
hydro electric schemes in dams in rivers, with their accompanying devastating
impacts on
the environment in terms of:
1. Its destruction of habitat (eco- and bio-systems), in the areas that is
flooded and
under water,
2. Its displacement of population from the areas,
3. Its destruction of eco-systems along the whole river below the dam,
4. Its production of unacceptable quantities of hothouse gasses such as CO2 as
a
result of rotting vegetation in the dams,
5. Its total prohibition on movement of all aquatic life that used to migrate
up and down
the river system,
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6. Its destruction of virtually all non microscopic animal life that passes
through its
turbines.
Massive research has gone into ways to economically harvest marine current
energy and
wave energy, but up to now their contributions to the energy needs of the
world has been
marginal.
In comparing current energy with wave energy, the following has been found:
1. There are more potential in current energy than in wave energy, but current
marine
turbines employed to generate energy from this source has limitations on their
blade
lengths, their overall efficiencies, and therefore their energy output
potential.
2. Numerous of these turbines will have to be positioned over a very large
area in
order to generate the same amount energy as can be achieved with a few of
these
Water Turbines in a fraction of the area.
3. These marine turbines can also not very effectively be used for energy
extraction
from tidal currents whereas; this Water Turbine, known by its trade name as
the
Water Wall Turbine, is ideally suited for this application.
Solutions offered by this Invention (with and through its application in water
currents):
The rationale behind this Water Turbine, known as the Water Wall Turbine, is
that it has
moved away from the conventional marine turbine approach and design, that
concentrates
on kinetic energy extraction, is offering through its design, a system that
can extract
potential energy from currents
This approach to extract potential energy from currents offers a unique
solution to the
conflicting problems encountered with the environment by renewable energy
extraction
systems such as hydro electrical with dams and barrages, solar, wind, geo-
thermal, etc. as
listed below:
1. Energy extraction and production potential, their
2. Cost effectiveness, and
3. Negative effects on the environment.
A solution offered by the new technology of this Water Turbine is the
introduction and
application of cables that perform dualistic roles, such as providing
stability and strength
enhancement of the superstructure of the water turbine, and thereby making
possible the
design and construction of massive but relative light water turbines that can
create its own
very large hydrostatic pressure gradient across its blades to provide
potential energy for
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extraction, and also to transfer and process these forces that can amount to
hundreds of
tons due to the hydrostatic pressure gradient against the blades, as tensile
stresses in the
cables, to the shaft.
This patent in its solutions, allows for large forces from the current to be
addressed for
energy extraction by the large blade areas that now can be designed and be
produced
through the Water Wall Turbine technology, that makes it possible to design
water turbines
that can transfer forces of many hundreds of tons per blade to the shaft to
convert the
extracted energy into mechanical rotation energy.
The permutations of the Water Turbines' length to diameter are endless and are
therefore
ideal to be applied to various current profiles.
Brief summary of the Invention
1. It is an object of this invention to provide a method for the successful
and efficient
energy extraction from the renewable energy available in water currents for
conversion into electrical energy.
2. It is a further object of this invention to overcome the limitations in
energy extraction
capacity per turbine as currently being experienced.
3. It is therefore a further object of this invention to increase the
efficiency of energy
extraction from currents.
4. It is a further object of this invention to overcome the disadvantages of
current
methods and ways to produce large quantities of energy from the renewable
energy
available in water currents.
5. It is a further object of this Invention to provide a turbine design, where
one turbine
effectively can replace numerous of the windmill type marine turbines in terms
of
energy extraction potential per area.
6. It is another object of this invention to provide a way to overcome the
destructive
negative effect of the fast rotating blades of the current marine turbines on
animal
life.
7. It is another object of this invention to provide a renewable energy
generating
method to make redundant the need to build dams for new hydro electric
generating
systems in rivers.
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8. Similarly it is further another object of this invention to provide a
renewable energy
generating method to make redundant the need to build eco- and bio-unfriendly
barrages in estuaries and tidal streams.
9. It is yet another object of this invention to overcome most of the size and
weight
restraints on the structure by using cables that are under stress, to
stabilize the
blades and shaft structure integrity.
10. It is yet a further object of this invention to provide an uncomplicated,
cost effective,
safe and reliable method to transfer the energy extracted from a water current
on
the blades to the shaft, by means of cables that serves the dual purpose of
transferring forces exerted on the blades by the current, to the shaft as well
as
providing structural stability of the Water Turbine.
11. It is another object of this invention to simplify the manufacturing of
the Water
Turbine by means of modular pre-fabrication.
12.A further object is the advantage offered by the Water Turbine that most of
it can be
constructed with low skilled workers.
13. The further solution and object offered with the Water Turbine is that
most of the
components do not require costly high precision engineering work.
14. It is a further object of this invention is to provide the unique quick
and non-invasive
construction and installation features to ensure minimal negative
environmental
impact around the site during construction and commissioning by means of
modular
pre-fabrication of the Water Turbine off site.
15. It is yet a further object of this invention to provide a method to
minimize the
negative effect of large road making to provide for the transport of very
large units,
by prefabricating the modular sections of the Water Turbine off-site, so it
can be
assembled on site.
16. It is a further object of this invention to provide a simple and cost
effective way of
transporting the modules to the site by incorporating flotation devices in the
modular
blade/shaft sections so they can be floated to their destination, to be
assembled in
situ with minimum eco-damage.
17. It is yet another object of this invention to provide a design that will
minimize the
negative ecological effect during energy extraction from water currents.
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18. It is a further object of this invention to provide a design that will
require much less
time from conception to commissioning than any of the present comparable
energy
generation systems.
19. It is yet a further object of this invention to provide a design for
construction that will
be cost effective.
20. It is another object of this Invention to provide a Water Turbine with
practical and
easy maintenance facilities.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1: This figure shows an end view of a typical design of a Water Turbine
indicating
cables, blades, and shaft.
Fig. 2: This figure shows a side view of a Water Turbine in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3: This figure shows an isometric view of a Water Turbine, showing the
shaft and
blades without cabling.
The embodiments of this invention in which exclusive property or privilege is
claimed are
defined as follows:
With reference to the drawings and, in particular, with reference to Fig. 1
and 2, this Water
Turbine construction consists of a shaft 3, with radiating blades 1 around it,
and these
blades are stabilized by cables 2, and the cables, dualistically, also act as
instruments to
transfer the force exerted by the current on the blades, to the shaft 3.
Glossary of numbers used in drawings:
1. Blade
2. Cables
3. Shaft
4. New water levels as a result of the energy extraction process
5. Normal water level
6. Differences between water levels across the Water Turbine
Detailed Description of the Invention
The Water Turbine known by its trade name Water Wall Turbine:
The Water Turbine is a method and design for the extraction of potential, as
well as kinetic
energy from a water current.
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The Water Turbine structure in the main consists of the shaft, blades and
cables, and
sometimes flotation sections in the blades.
The Water Turbine operates:
1. By means of the submerged blades that restrictively confronts the Current
in order
to extract energy from the current,
2. By transferring this extracted energy to the shaft by means of cables to
rotate the
shaft.
The principles on which the Water Turbine functions:
The hydrostatic pressure difference across the blades forces the blades to
move, and thus
to rotate the Water Turbine.
This hydrostatic pressure gradient represents the potential energy that, as a
force, is
hydraulically propagated across the submerged blade area.
The Water Turbine utilizes the features of water to convert the current
kinetic energy,
virtually lossless, into potential energy, and vice versa, therewith allowing
the current to
build up behind the blades, to be available as potential energy for
harvesting.
The use of cables in the Water Turbine design to transfer the forces on, and
from the
blades to the shaft, enables the construction of relative light Water Turbines
that can
extract large quantities of energy from water currents.
The way the Water Turbine works:
The Water Turbine consists of a shaft with a number of large blades, joined to
the shaft,
parallel to and along the length of the shaft 3, and evenly distributed around
the shaft, and
radiating outwards. (See Fig. 1 and Fig. 2)
The shaft is positioned horizontal and perpendicular to the current, with the
bottom side of
the Water Turbine blades immersed into the current, and with the shaft above
the water
level. (See Fig. 1)
The hydrostatic pressure against the blades, pushes and moves the blades, and
adjacent
blades are continuously rotated into place, to confront the water current
continuous, like
walls, as they rotate around a horizontal axis, allowing for the extraction of
energy from
water currents.
The Water Turbine can operate in shallow to very deep waters, but the optimal
performance, under similar current speeds, will be under conditions where the
blades can
successfully effect a restriction to the flow like a dam wall would, i.e.
distance between floor
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and lowest path of blade tip should be as small as practical possible to
develop the
maximum hydrostatic pressure gradient across the Water Turbine by minimizing
the
current losses around the blades.
As a result of the small relative-speed difference between the blades with
cables, and the
water, cables are used to provide structural stability to these large Water
Turbine Blades
without causing unacceptable resistance losses during operation.
The structural stabilizing cables of the Water Turbine are dualistically
employed to transfer
the force, exerted by hydrostatic pressure gradient on the blades, to the
shaft, for rotation.
The construction of the Water Turbine:
A typical Water Turbine will consist of a shaft with a number of longitudinal
blades radiating
outwards along a length of the shaft, and they are stabilized by means of the
dualistic
nature of the structural and power transferring cables. (See Fig. 1, Fig. 2)
The blades, shaft and cables can be of metal, steel, glass, or polymer fibers,
or
combinations of it.
Large Water Turbines could have, as part of the blade, a section that serves
as floatation
device to neutralize most of the weight that would otherwise have to be borne
by the
bearings.
The manufacturing of the Water Turbine:
The Water Turbine could be pre-manufactured in modules for final assembling in
situ.
Each module of a large Water Turbine can, typically consist of one blade and
one section
of the shaft.
The maintenance of the Water Turbine:
Maintenance in tidal applications can be done during the slack period.
In canals and rivers and in some cases of small ocean applications, the Water
Turbine can
be lifted to allow free flow of current underneath it during maintenance.
Glossary:
"cable" will refer to any "structure", "medium" or "method" to transfer the
current-forces on
the blades by means of "tensile stresses" to the shaft.
"current" refers to currents such as fresh water currents or any marine
currents.
"bio-" refers to the animal domain and animal life that are mostly larger than
micro
organisms.
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"blade" will have the meaning of "turbine blade" or "turbine vein" referring
to that area of the
turbine that collects the energy from the current.
"blade area" refers to the vertical submerged area of the blades at the
specific point in time.
"blade-length" is the maximum submerged length of the blade that has to be
designed for.
"blade width" is the width of the blade measured parallel to the shaft.
"eco-system" maintains its normal definition.
"energy extraction" is the transfer of energy from the current to the Water
Turbine shaft.
"flotation" device or section refers to the three dimensional clad and sealed
sections of the
blades that apart from adding to structural strength will provide floating
capabilities to the
blade module.
"force" maintains its normal definition.
"harvest" will have the same meaning as extract.
"hydrostatic pressure gradient" refers to the artificially induced water level
difference,
across the Water Turbine.
"hydro electric turbines" refers to the turbines used in hydro electric
schemes in dammed
up rivers or barraged water.
"marine turbine" refers to the "windmill type turbines" which are effectively
submerged wind
generator turbines, and are currently in use for energy extraction from marine
currents.
"power" maintains its normal definition.
"The Water Wall Turbine" is the trade name for the described Water Turbine in
this patent.
"stabilize" will have the meaning of "to give structural strength", "to give
structural stability",
and integrity in the engineering context.
"survive" has the meaning of being unhurt or undamaged.
"Water Turbine" is a "cylindrical structure" that is rotated by means of a
water current for
energy extraction.
"tidal zones" are as per normal definition.
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