TIDAL CURRENT GENERATING UNIT

Abstract

A tidal current generating unit, including a turbine, a hub, a generator, a bearing set and a fixed flange. The turbine is connected to the rotor of the generator through the hub, and the rotor is rotatably mounted on the outer circumference of the stator of the generator via the bearing set, and the turbine drives the rotating component to rotate to generate electricity. A density of a blade is much smaller than a density of the seawater, such that the blade has a sufficient buoyancy that offsets the gravity of the rotating component in seawater, and the load of the bearing sets is reduced. The blade is a backswept blade and the hydrodynamic central axis of the blade is inclined from a flange central axis of the blade at a first angle, and the blade is able to automatically change the pitch without relying on an external force.

Claims

1. A tidal current generating unit, comprising: a turbine, a hub, a generator, a bearing set and a fixed flange; wherein the generator comprises a stator and a rotor; the turbine is connected to the rotor of the generator by the hub; the rotor is rotatably mounted on an outer circumference of the stator of the generator via the bearing set; the stator of the generator is fixedly connected to the fixed flange; a rotating component comprises the hub and the rotor; and the turbine drives the rotating component to rotate to generate electricity; the turbine comprises a blade, and a density of the blade is much smaller than a density of seawater, such that the blade has sufficient buoyancy that offsets gravity of the rotating component in the seawater, and a load of the bearing set is reduced; the turbine further comprises a pitch limiter, a forward pitch regulator and a reverse pitch regulator, the pitch limiter, the forward pitch regulator and the reverse pitch regulator are all arranged inside the hub, and the pitch limiter, some parts of the forward pitch regulator and some parts of the reverse pitch regulator rotate with the blade; the pitch limiter comprises a first limiting edge and a second limiting edge connecting with the first limiting edge, the first limiting edge and the second limiting edge are protruding, and surround a rear end of the blade stem; under an action of a forward tidal current, the first limiting edge cooperates with the forward pitch regulator to limit the pitch angle of the blade to a corresponding angle; and under an action of a reverse tidal current, the second limiting edge cooperates with the reverse pitch regulator to limit the pitch angle of the blade to a corresponding angle.

2. The tidal current generating unit of claim 1, wherein the blade is a backswept blade, and a hydrodynamic central axis of the blade is inclined from a flange central axis of the blade at a first angle; and the blade is hollow and is filled with a light filler inside.

3. The tidal current generating unit of claim 2, wherein when a flow rate of a tidal current is higher than a threshold value to cause an overload of the generator, a pitch is automatically adjusted by the turbine through a mechanical structure, such that a pitch angle of the blade is adjusted to limit output power of the generator.

4. The tidal current generating unit of claim 3, wherein the turbine further comprises a blade stem, and a blade stem bearing; a root of the blade is fixedly connected to the blade stem; the blade stem is radially and rotatably mounted to the hub via the blade stem bearing; and a rear end of the blade stem is connected to the pitch limiter.

5. The tidal current generating unit of claim 4, wherein the forward pitch regulator comprises a forward baffle, a forward spring and a forward pin; a side of one end of the forward baffle abuts one end of the forward spring; a middle of the other end of the forward baffle is rotatably mounted to the hub by the forward pin, and the forward baffle is rotatable around the forward pin; and the other end of the forward spring abuts the hub; and the reverse pitch regulator comprises a reverse baffle, a reverse spring and a reverse pin; a side of one end of the reverse baffle abuts one end of the reverse spring; a middle of the other end of the reverse baffle is rotatably mounted to the hub by the reverse pin, and the reverse baffle is rotatable around the reverse pin; and the other end of the reverse spring abuts the hub.

6. The tidal current generating unit of claim 5, wherein a fixed dome is fixed at a front of the stator, and a rotatable draft tube is provided on an outside of the rotor, and rotates with the turbine and the rotor; the bearing set comprises a reverse thrust bearing, a forward thrust bearing, a front guide bearing and a rear guide bearing; and the reverse thrust bearing is mounted between a front end of a central shaft of the stator and a front bracket of the rotor, and the forward thrust bearing is mounted between a rear end of the central shaft of the stator and a rear bracket; and an axial round hole is provided at a center of rear bracket and mounted with the rear guide bearing.

7. The tidal current generating unit of claim 6, wherein a blade stem hole is radially distributed on the hub, and the blade stem is rotatably mounted in the blade stem hole by the blade stem bearing, and the blade stem is rotatable around the flange central axis of the blade in the blade stem hole; the axial round hole is provided on a center of the hub and mounted with the front guide bearing.

8. The tidal current generating unit of claim 7, wherein the generator is of an open structure without a sealed compartment; and a sealing layer is respectively provided on electrical surfaces of the stator and rotor.

9. The tidal current generating unit of claim 8, wherein an outer ring of the reverse thrust bearing is provided with a sediment control ring to prevent sediment from entering the reverse thrust bearing; and an outer ring of the forward thrust bearing is provided with the sediment control ring to prevent the sediment from entering the forward thrust bearing.

10. The tidal current generating unit of claim 9, wherein a sediment discharge hole is respectively provided on two opposite ends of an outer wall of the rotor, so that the sediment is discharged outside the generator under a centrifugal force when the rotor rotates.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings of the embodiments will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and other drawings can be obtained according to the structures shown in the drawings without any creative work by the skilled in the art.

[0027] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a tidal current generating unit of the present invention;

[0028] FIG. 2 is a front view of a turbine of the tidal current generating unit of the present invention;

[0029] FIG. 3 is a side view of the turbine of the tidal current generating unit of the present invention;

[0030] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of FIG. 2 along A-A direction;

[0031] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a backswept blade of the tidal current generating unit of the present invention;

[0032] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a blade pitch is changed to limit the blade of the tidal current generating unit of the present invention under a weak forward stream;

[0033] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the blade pitch is changed to limit the tidal current generating unit of the present invention under a strong forward stream;

[0034] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the blade pitch is changed to limit the blade of the tidal current generating unit of the present invention under a weak reverse stream;

[0035] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the blade pitch is changed to limit the blade of the tidal current generating unit of the present invention under a strong reverse stream; and

[0036] FIG. 10 is a front view of a generator of the tidal current generating unit of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0037] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in the following with reference to the drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by the skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative works fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0038] It should be noted that terms such as up, down, left, right, front, rear in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative position and movement, etc. and such terms will change with the change of the specific position.

[0039] In addition, terms first, second, and the like in the present invention are used for description only, and are not intended to indicate or imply their relative importance or the number of technical features, which explicitly or implicitly indicates that one or more features defined by first or second may be included in the present invention. In addition, the technical solutions of various embodiments may be combined to form other embodiments which are considered to fall within the claimed scope.

[0040] In the present invention, unless specified, terms connect, fix and the like should be understood broadly. For example, fix may result in a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integrated configuration of elements. The elements may be connected mechanically or electrically; or directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. Alternatively, two elements may be in communication or interact with each other unless specified. For the skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific conditions.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 10, the tidal current generating unit of the present invention comprises a turbine 1, a generator 2, a bearing set (comprising a reverse thrust bearing 3, a forward thrust bearing 4, a front guide bearing 5, and a rear guide bearing 6), a fixed dome 7, a rotatable draft tube 8 and a fixed flange 9; the turbine 1 is directly connected to a rotor 22 of the generator 2 by the hub 17, and the rotor 22 is rotatably mounted on the outer circumference of a stator 21 of the generator 2 via the bearing set (comprising the reverse thrust bearing 3, a forward thrust bearing 4, a front guide bearing 5, and a rear guide bearing 6), and the stator 21 is fixedly connected to the fixed flange 9 which fixes the tidal current generating unit 100 to an external carrier platform. A fixed dome 7 is fixedly mounted at the front end of the stator 21 to reduce the flow resistance, and a rotatable draft tube 8 is fixedly mounted on the outer circumference of the rotor 22 to reduce the flow resistance, and the rotatable draft tube 8 rotates with the turbine 1 and the rotor 22.

[0042] As shown in FIGS. 2-3, the turbine 1 comprises a blade 11, a blade stem 12, a blade stem bearing 13, a pitch limiter 14, a forward pitch regulator 15, a reverse pitch regulator 16 and a hub 17; a root of the blade 11 is fixedly connected to the blade stem 12; a blade stem hole 171 is radially distributed on the hub 17, and the blade stem 12 is rotatably mounted in the blade stem hole 171 via the blade stem bearing 13 and is rotatable around the flange central axis of the blade 11 in the blade stem hole 171; a rear end of the blade stem 12 is connected to the pitch limiter 14; and an axial round hole 172 is provided on the center of the hub 17 and mounted with the front guide bearing 5.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 4, the pitch limiter 14 comprises a first limiting edge 141 and a second limiting edge 142 which are protruding. The first and second limiting edges 141, 142 surrounds the end of the blade stem 12. Under an action of a forward tidal current, the first limiting edge 141 cooperates with the forward pitch regulator 15 to limit the pitch angle of the blade 11 to a corresponding angle; under an action of a reverse tidal current, the second limiting edge 142 cooperates with the reverse pitch regulator 16 to limit the pitch angle of the blade 11 to a corresponding angle.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 5, the blade 11 is a backswept blade and a hydrodynamic central axis 113 of the blade is inclined from a front edge 111 to a rear edge 112 by a first angle from a flange central axis 114 of the blade 11. The blade 11 is hollow and filled with a light filler 115 inside, such that the blade 11 has large buoyancy in the seawater due to the density of the blade 11 is much smaller than the density of the seawater to offset the gravity of the rotating component such as the hub 17, the rotor 22, etc., and thus the load of the front guide bearing 5 and a rear guide bearing 6 is greatly reduced. In other embodiments, the blade 11 can be designed to have sufficient rather than excessive buoyancy in the seawater to offset the gravity of the rotating component.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 6, the forward pitch regulator 15 comprises a forward baffle 151, a forward spring 153 and a forward pin 152. The side of one end of the forward baffle 151 is connected to/abuts one end of the forward spring 153, and the middle of the other end of the forward baffle 151 is rotatably mounted to the hub 17 by the forward pin 152; the forward baffle 151 is rotatable around the forward pin 152; and the other end of the forward spring 153 is connected to/abuts the hub 17.

[0046] As shown in FIGS. 5-6, when the blade 11 is pushed by weak forward tidal currents, the hydraulic torque obtained at the rear edge 112 of the blade corresponding to the flange central axis 114 is greater than the hydraulic torque obtained at the front edge 111 of the blade corresponding to the flange central axis 114 due to the backswept blade. The blade 11, blade stem 12 and pitch limiter 14 are clockwise rotatable around the flange central axis 114 of the blade; the first limiting edge 141 is in contact with the forward baffle 151 so that a pressure is generated and transferred to the forward spring 153, and the forward spring 153 is compressed and shortened; the forward baffle 151 is clockwise rotatable around the forward pin 152; and the pressure is eventually balanced by the reaction force of the forward spring 153, so that the pitch angle of the blade 11 is changed and maintained at a forward angle . The tidal energy captured by the turbine 1 rotates counterclockwise around the center of the turbine, so that the electricity is generated by directly driving the generator 2.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 7, when the blade 11 is pushed by strong forward tidal currents, the pressure generated by the hydraulic torque increases, and the forward spring 153 is further compressed and becomes shorter; the forward baffle 151 continues to rotate clockwise around the forward pin 152; the blade 11, blade stem 12 and pitch limiter 14 continue to rotate clockwise around the flange central axis 114 of the blade; and the increased pressure is eventually balanced by the reaction force of the forward spring 153, and the pitch angle of the blade 11 continues to change and is eventually maintained at an angle of (+). The tidal energy captured by the turbine 1 rotates counterclockwise around the center of the turbine, so that the electricity is generated by directly driving the generator 2. The tidal energy increases exponentially as the forward tidal current increases, and the energy captured by the turbine 1 also increases exponentially when the pitch angle of the blade 11 is remained at , such that the generator is operated in an overload condition; at the same time, the pitch angle of the blade 11 increases automatically from to (+) and the energy captured by the turbine 1 is reduced accordingly, which limits the overload of the generator and ensures a safe and reliable operation.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 8, the reverse pitch regulator 16 comprises a reverse baffle 161, a reverse spring 163, and a reverse pin 162. The side of one end of the reverse baffle 161 is connected to/abuts one end of the reverse spring 163 and the middle of the other end of the reverse baffle 161 is rotatably mounted to the hub 17 by the reverse pin 162, and the reverse baffle 161 is rotatable around the counter pin 162, and the other end of the reverse spring 163 is connected to/abuts the hub 17.

[0049] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, when the blade 11 is pushed by weak reverse tidal currents, the hydraulic torque obtained at the rear edge 112 of the blade corresponding to the flange central axis 114 is greater than the hydraulic torque obtained at the front edge 111 of the blade corresponding to the flange central axis 114 due to the backswept blade. The blade 11, blade stem 12 and pitch limiter 14 are counterclockwise rotatable around the flange central axis 114 of the blade; the second limiting edge 142 is in contact with the reverse baffle 161 so that a pressure is generated and transferred to the reverse spring 163, and the reverse spring 163 is compressed and shortened; the reverse baffle 161 is counterclockwise rotatable around the reverse pin 162; and the pressure is eventually balanced by the reaction force of the reverse spring 163 so that the pitch angle of the blade 11 is changed and maintained at a reverse angle . The tidal energy captured by the turbine 1 rotates counterclockwise around the center of the turbine, so that the electricity is directly generated by driving the generator 2.

[0050] Even though the angle is used to represent the forward angle which is the pitch angle of the blade 11 and the reverse angle which is the pitch angle of the blade 11, but the values of the may be different and varies according to the actions of the tidal currents. Similarly, the values of the forward angular rotation of + and the reverse angular rotation of + may also be different. The letters is only illustrative and does not necessarily represent an equal value, and the value of is determined by the material and structure of the components such as the forward pitch regulator 15, the reverse pitch regulator 16 and the hub 17, etc.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 9, when the blade 11 is pushed by strong reverse tidal currents, the pressure generated by the hydraulic torque increases, and the reverse spring 163 is further compressed and becomes shorter; the reverse baffle 151 continues to rotate counterclockwise around the reverse pin 162; the blade 11, blade stem 12 and pitch limiter 14 continue to rotate counterclockwise around the flange central axis 114 of the blade; and the increased pressure is eventually balanced by the reaction force of the reverse spring 163, and the pitch angle of the blade 11 continue to change and is eventually maintained at an angle of (+). The tidal energy captured by the turbine 1 rotates counterclockwise around the center of the turbine, and the electricity is directly generated by driving the generator 2. The tidal energy increases exponentially as the reverse tidal current increases, and the energy captured by the turbine 1 also increases exponentially when the pitch angle of the blade 11 is remained at , such that the generator is operated in an overload condition; at the same time, the pitch angle of the blade 11 is increased automatically from to (+) and the energy captured by the turbine 1 is reduced accordingly, which limits the overload of the generator and ensures a safe and reliable operation.

[0052] The adaptive mechanical structure of the turbine 1 of the above embodiment automatically adjusts the pitch, so the pitch angle of the blades is adjusted to limit the output power of the generator. The adaptive mechanical structure of the turbine 1 can be realized by the turbine comprising the blade stem, the blade stem bearing, the pitch limiter, the forward pitch regulator and the reverse pitch regulator, and it can also be realized by a deformable material or a designed mechanical structure that produces elastic deformations and recoveries from the deformation, so it is not limited herein.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 10, the generator 2 comprises the stator 21 and the rotor 22; the reverse thrust bearing 3 is mounted between a front end of central shaft 211 of the stator and the front bracket 221 of the rotor, and the forward thrust bearing 4 is mounted between a rear end of central shaft 211 of the stator and the rear bracket 222 of the rotor; an axial round hole is provided on the center of rear bracket 222 and mounted with a rear guide bearing 6; and sediment discharge holes 223 are provided on both ends of the rotor 22 to discharge the sediment outside the generator 2, which prevents the generator 2 from the damages caused by the sediment deposition.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 10, the generator 2 is of an open structure without a sealed compartment, and no sealing member is required. The electrical surfaces of the stator 21 and the rotor 22 each are covered with a sealing layer 23 to ensure the electrical protection of the generator 2. The seawater flows through the inside of the generator 2, so that the heat is taken away to achieve the cooling effect. The unit capacity of the tidal current generating unit in the prior art has been developed to the megawatt level, but due to the sealed generator room, the sealing structure and heat dissipation of the generators have been a technical problem. However, the present invention overcomes such technical problem.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 10, the outer ring of the reverse thrust bearing 3 is provided with a sediment control ring 31 to prevent sediment from entering the reverse thrust bearing 3; the outer ring of the forward thrust bearing 4 is provided with a sediment control ring 41 to prevent the sediment from entering the forward thrust bearing 4.

[0056] In summary, the tidal current generating unit of the embodiment of the present invention is a horizontally arranged two-way passive direct-drive horizontal axis tidal current generating unit with a self-variable pitch. The tidal current generating unit of the embodiment of the present invention automatically changes the pitch under the forward or reverse tidal currents without relying on an external force such as a hydraulic pressure or electricity, and the tidal energy of the forward or reverse tidal current is captured by the blade 11 of the turbine 1 and the electricity is directly generated by driving the generator 2; when the flow rate of the tidal currents is higher than designed value and the generator is overloaded, the output power of the generator is limited by the automatic adjustment of the pitch, such that a safe and reliable operation of the generator is guaranteed. The generator is of the open structure with no requirement for sealing, and the heat of the generator is directly taken away by the seawater flowing through the inside of the generator, which overcomes the problems of sealing and heat dissipation of the generator.

[0057] The above embodiment is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The equivalent structural variations based on the present invention and the contents of the accompanying drawings, or the direct or indirect applied other related technical fields shall fall within the scope of the present invention.