DAMLESS HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT

Abstract

A damless hydroelectric power plant can be used in installations for converting the kinetic energy of a gravity flow of water into electrical energy. A part of the housing of the hydroelectric power plant, in which the bladed wheel is placed, is in the form of an annular tunnel. Annular support guides on which the bladed wheel is supported are fixed in several rows on vertical struts of the tunnel inside the latter on both sides thereof. The annular tunnel structure is connected to a central bushing through tension members and to the containers, some of which contain a constant volume of air, while the others contain an adjustable volume of air. In each wheel sector, the bladed wheel comprises several rows of support rollers fixed on the vertical struts on the outside of the outer and inner wheel rims and having both horizontal and vertical rotation axes and provided with springs through which the wheel cooperates with the annular support guides of the tunnel, and gear sectors arranged in several rows fixed on the vertical struts of the outer wheel rim on each wheel sector and allowing for pulling the chains kinematically connected with a rotation multiplier and an electric power generator when rotating the bladed wheel.

Claims

1. A damless hydroelectric power plant with a housing containing an annular support guide supporting a bladed wheel with a vertical rotation axis and rotary blades, a driven sprocket support of chain transmission, diffusers for forming a flow of water passing through the bladed wheel, a container of an adjustable volume of air and anchor gears, wherein a part of the housing of the hydroelectric power plant, in which the bladed wheel is placed, is in the form of an annular tunnel, the annular support guides, on which the bladed wheel is supported by means of support rollers, are fixed in several rows on vertical struts of the tunnel inside the latter on both sides thereof, while the annular tunnel structure is connected to a central bushing through tension members similar to bicycle wheel spokes, and to the containers, some of which contain a constant volume of air, thereby providing the hydroelectric power plant with buoyancy, which is a bit lower than zero buoyancy, and the others contain an adjustable volume of air, allowing for locating the hydroelectric power plant inside the flow of water, wherein, in each wheel sector, the bladed wheel comprises several rows of the support rollers fixed on the vertical struts on the outside of the outer and inner wheel rims and having both horizontal and vertical rotation axes and provided with springs through which the wheel cooperates with the annular support guides of the tunnel, and gear sectors arranged in several rows fixed on the vertical struts of the outer wheel rim on each wheel sector and allowing for pulling the chains kinematically connected with a submersible rotation multiplier and a submersible electric power generator when rotating the bladed wheel.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The further essence of the provided technical solution is explained by means of the drawings illustrating the following:

[0019] FIG. 1a schematic top view of parts of a damless hydroelectric power plant and functional units thereof;

[0020] FIG. 2a schematic side view of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] The provided damless hydroelectric power plant comprises a housing 1 with an annular part provided in the form of a tunnel 2 for receiving a bladed wheel 3 with rotary blades 4. On vertical struts 5 of the tunnel 2, annular support guides 6 are provided supporting the bladed wheel 3 by means of support rollers 7 with springs, having both horizontal and vertical rotation axes. On vertical struts 8 of the bladed wheel 3 outer rim, in the zone of the flow of water passing through the bladed wheel 3, gear sectors 9 are provided for pulling a step chain 10 of the first stage of the kinematic scheme for the torque transmission from the bladed wheel 3 to sprockets 11 provided on a shaft 12. The tension of the branches of the step chain 10 is controlled by a tensioning device 13. At the upper end of the shaft 12, there is a frame 14 with the gear sectors 9 that act as a large diameter drive sprocket of the second stage of the kinematic scheme for the torque transmission with the chain 15 to a driven sprocket 16 attached to the shaft of a rotation multiplier 17 wherefrom the rotation is transmitted to an electric power generator 18.

[0022] Rigidity of the annular part of the damless hydroelectric power plant housing 1 made in the form of a tunnel 2 is reinforced with a beam tension members 19 similar to bicycle wheel spokes connecting beam struts of the tunnel 2 with a central bushing 20.

[0023] The housing 1 of the damless hydroelectric power plant is provided with barriers 21 acting as a diffuser, which forms a flow of water passing through the bladed wheel 3, sealed containers 22 of a constant volume of air, whose total buoyancy force is numerically somewhat less than the weight of the whole damless hydroelectric power plant, and sealed containers 23 of a variable volume of air, allowing for placing the damless hydroelectric power plant within the flow of water. Keeping the damless hydroelectric power plant at the same place within the flow of water is provided by anchor gears with flexible connections of any known design (not shown).

[0024] The provided damless hydroelectric power plant is operated as follows.

[0025] The damless hydroelectric power plant with the blades 4 fixed in the disabled state, is towed in floating configuration to its operation place where the anchor gears have been previously mounted, when containers 23 of a variable volume of air are completely filled with air. At the operation place the hydroelectric power plant is connected with anchor gears by means of flexible connections, and is oriented against the flow (against the arrow A in FIG. 1), the blades 4 are unblocked, the electric power generator 18 is connected to the cable and, through adjusting the tension of the flexible connections of the anchor gears and due to the adjustable water supply of the container 23, the damless hydroelectric power plant is submersed up to the required depth. Keeping the hydroelectric power plant at this depth is performed by means of the flexible connections of the anchor gears that prevent the hydroelectric power plant from moving caused by the current pressure and the excessive lifting force generated by the containers. The flow of water penetrating through the barriers 21 (the diffuser) (in the direction of arrow A) into the bladed wheel 3, affects the blades 4 of the active part of the bladed wheel 3 and swings them around an axis 24 in such a way that they abut by their movable end against stops 25 located on vertical struts 26 of the inner rim of the bladed wheel 3, thus forming a bucket space in the sectors of the bladed wheel 3 (the sides of the sector are closed with a sheet, and the blade 4 covers the bottom of the sector), and thereby increasing the force action of the flow of water on the bladed wheel 3 in the tunnel 2 around its geometric rotation axis. In addition, the blades 4, which are in the passive part of the bladed wheel 3 rotating in the direction opposite to the direction of the flow of water, rotate about their axis 24 each in its sector in such a way that the bucket bottom turns open, resulting in a decreasing resistance to rotation of the bladed wheel 3.

[0026] When the impeller 3 rotates, the gear sectors 9 attached to the vertical struts 8 of the of the bladed wheel 3 outer rim pull the branches of the step chain 10, thereby causing the rotation of the driven sprockets 11 attached to the shaft 12, which rotation is kinematically transmitted to the electric power generator 18.

Technological Advantages of the Invention

[0027] The technical result of the provided solution consists in widening of the field of application and increasing of the technological and economical characteristics of the damless hydroelectric power plant due to improvement of force interaction between contact units, increasing technological effectiveness of manufacturing, assembling and adjustment, as well as maintenance and reparation at the operation place of the damless hydroelectric power plant.