Title of Invention

A TRANSPORTABLE MARINE CURRENT POWER INSTALLATION

Abstract The present invention relates to a transportable marine current power installation unit comprising: a housing; a generator within the housing, the generator including a generator rotor and a generator stator, wherein the generator is driven by means of a rotor which is connected to the generator rotor and has a rotational axis, wherein the rotor of the power installation has at least one rotor blade which carries the generator rotor and has at least one cavity which can be flooded selectively with water, and wherein the power installation is arranged in an extensive marine current with the rotational axis of the rotor being substantially parallel to the marine current.
Full Text

The invention concerns a transportable marine current power installation unit. This involves not just a known tidal power installation which makes use of the energy of tidal ebb and flow, but a power installation which takes energy from marine currents which constantly occur over all oceans.
Such marine currents are usually large-area stationary current systems, the production of which can be decisively attributed to the thrust force of the wind at the surface of the sea (drift current), internal pressure forces (gradient current) and the rotation of the Earth (Orioles force) and the topography of the ocean bottom and the coasts. As the most important marine currents mention may be made by way of example of the North and South Equatorial Currents, the Kuroshio, the East Australian current, the Gulf Stream, the Brazil Current, the Agulhas Current, the North Pacific Current, the North Atlantic Current, the West Wind Drift, the Caledonian Current, the Humboldt Current, the Canary Current, the Benguela Current, the Western Australian Current, Equatorial Countercurrents, the Alaska Current, the Norwegian Current, the West Spits Bergen Current, the East Greenland Current, the Labrador Current, the Irminger Current, the Oyashio and the Falklands current. Besides the known surface currents in the oceans there are pronouncedly in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans the Equatorial Sub-currents (up to 2.5 m/sec flow speed) which at a depth of around 100 m (or deeper) flow eastwards directly onto the Equator under the westward directed South Equatorial Current.
The invention proposes designing a marine current power installation which takes kinetic energy of flow from the marine current and converts the taken energy into electrical energy. In that case the marine current water power installation according to the invention is used below the water level, for example more than 50 m below the water level, and can make a relatively large amount of power available even when the flow speed of the marine current is relatively low, for example in the region of 1.5 m/sec or less. That is achieved in that the water power installation has a water

wheel or a rotor (turbine or propeller) which is of a diameter of for example 10 m or more, preferably between 30 m and 120 m.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a transportable marine current power installation unit comprising: a housing; a generator within the housing, the generator including a generator rotor and a generator stator, wherein the generator is driven by means of a rotor which is connected to the generator rotor and has a rotational axis, wherein the rotor of the power installation has at least one rotor blade which carries the generator rotor and has at least one cavity which can be flooded selectively with water, and wherein the power installation is arranged in an extensive marine current with the rotational axis of the rotor being substantially parallel to the marine current.
Figure 1 shows by way of example a view in cross-section of a marine current water power installation according to the invention. This power installation has an annular housing 10 which enjoys a very high level of strength. At the same time the annular housing is in the form of a concentrator (duct casing) 24, 23 so that the flow speed of the water passing into the ring is increased and provided in the central region of the housing is a water wheel or rotor 14 which - driven by the flow speed of the water - rotates and in so doing at the same time drives a generator rotor 20 of a generator. In this case the generator is not coupled with a shaft to die turbine but the pole wheel of the generator rotor 20 is fixed extremely to the water wheel. Accordingly, the water wheel or the rotor of the power installation carries the generator rotor 20 which is surrounded by a generator stator 18 in the housing 23, 24 of the water power installation. The forces acting on the water wheel are carried by bearings which rest on a support spider 13 which passes through the housing ring.

Preferably the rotor or the water wheel and/or the housing of the water power installation has cavities which can be flooded so that a condition of equilibrium of the water power installation in relation to the water occurs. That ensures that the bearing arrangement of the water power installation only has to still carry the thrust of the flowing water.
The cavities can be filled with air when transporting the water power installation to the position of installation. A ship can then transport the water power installation in a floating condition to the position of installation. As soon as the water power installation has reached its intended position of installation the cavities - according to the requirements involved - are flooded with water, preferably sea water, so that the water power installation can slowly sink to the bottom. If conversion of the water power installation or repair should be necessary, the water can be urged out of the flooded cavities again.
It is possible for the water power installation to be both directly anchored to the bed and/or to be fixed at a certain spacing from the ocean floor by suitable cables or chains which are arrested on the ocean floor, or other structures.
The energy which is produced by the generator is carried away by means of cables and fed directly into the energy network. It is also possible for the energy produced by the marine current water power installation to be used to supply power to sea water desalination plants.
Even if marine currents involve relatively low flow speeds, the following numerical example can make it clear that very large amounts of electrical energy (and a corresponding power of more than 500 KW) can be produced, depending on how high the respective marine current speed is and how large the diameter of the water wheel of the power installation is.
Thus, it is for example possible to already produce a power output of 500 KW with a marine current speed of 1.5 m/sec and a water wheel diameter of 25 m. If the diameter of the water wheel is increased to 80 m

a power output of 5 MW is possible. With a water wheel diameter of 36 m a power output of 1 MW is still possible.
If the marine current speed rises then the amount of electric power rises with the third power in relation thereto.
The particular advantage of the marine current power installation according to the invention is that it can be used where in practice the power installation itself does not adversely affect the environment. At the same time the marine current power installation can make available an energy source which is almost inexhaustible and the behaviour of which is very accurately predictable. In spite of the size of the marine current water power installation, by virtue of flooding of the cavities or by virtue of expelling the water from the cavities, the power installation can be very accurately positioned in the marine currents where it does not have any adverse influence on shipping because it is below the usual draughts of sea-going vessels.
It should be noted that the marine current power installation according to the invention can also be employed to make use of ebb and flow currents which regularly occur with a tide. For that purpose it is desirable for the rotor blades to be so designed that they can convert flows from both sides (rotation in two different directions) or can preferably turn with a change in the flow direction.


I CLAIM:
1. A transportable marine current power installation unit comprising: a housing; a generator within the housing, the generator including a generator rotor and a generator stator, wherein the generator is driven by means of a rotor which is connected to the generator rotor and has a rotational axis, wherein the rotor of the power installation has at least one rotor blade which carries the generator rotor and has at least one cavity which can be flooded selectively with water, and wherein the power installation is arranged in an extensive marine current with the rotational axis of the rotor being substantially parallel to the marine current.
2. The marine current power installation unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one cavity of the rotor blades is configured to be capable of regulating the amount of water in the cavity by flooding the cavity with water or removing all or part of the water.
3. The marine current power installation unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing of the power installation is formed at least in part as a concentrator, by means of which the flow speed of the water passing into the power installation is increased.
4. The marine current power installation unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing of the power installation has closed cavities which are capable of regulating the amount of water in the cavity by flooding the cavity with water or removing all or part of the water.

5. A transportable marine current power installation unit substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.


Documents:

in-pct-2002-0475-che abstract.pdf

in-pct-2002-0475-che claims.pdf

in-pct-2002-0475-che correspondence-others.pdf

in-pct-2002-0475-che correspondence-po.pdf

in-pct-2002-0475-che description (complete).pdf

in-pct-2002-0475-che form-1.pdf

in-pct-2002-0475-che form-19.pdf

in-pct-2002-0475-che form-26.pdf

in-pct-2002-0475-che form-3.pdf

in-pct-2002-0475-che form-5.pdf

in-pct-2002-0475-che pct.pdf

in-pct-2002-0475-che petition.pdf


Patent Number 236266
Indian Patent Application Number IN/PCT/2002/475/CHE
PG Journal Number 43/2009
Publication Date 23-Oct-2009
Grant Date 14-Oct-2009
Date of Filing 03-Apr-2002
Name of Patentee WOBBEN, Aloys
Applicant Address Argestrasse 19, D-26607 Aurich
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 WOBBEN, Aloys Argestrasse 19, D-26607 Aurich
PCT International Classification Number F03B13/10
PCT International Application Number PCT/EP00/07665
PCT International Filing date 2000-08-08
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 199 48 198.9 1999-10-06 Germany