AU627205B2

AU627205B2 - Wave energy conversion device

Info

Publication number: AU627205B2
Application number: AU39502/89A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Ingo Dorfstatter
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-08-17
Filing date: 1989-08-11
Publication date: 1992-08-20
Anticipated expiration: 2009-08-11
Also published as: AU3950289A

Description

6 2 0 1) P/00/011 Form PATENTS ACT 1952-1 973 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE Class: Int. Cl: .01 :Application Number: D Lodged: :",:Complete Specification-Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priorty: Roe.

:Related Art: o PC 00 C~ 00 o o, 0 OR TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant:InoDrszte 0 :Address of Applicant: a 13 Katoomba Street, Moorabbin, 3189. Victoria.

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Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Ingo Dorfstatter 13 Katoomba Street, Moorabbin, 3189. Victoria.

Complete Specification for thri invention entitled- WAVE ENERIGY CONVERSION- UEME The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- 0 *Note: The description is to be typedin double spaci~g, pica type face, in an area not exceedin'g25ernm in depthi and 160 mm in width,' on tough Wuc paper of good quality and it is to be inserted insic~e 6hin form.

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THE COMMISSIONER OF PATENTS.

(IMPORTANT Cross out inapplicable words in the above Form.) 1 This invention relates to an apparatus for extracting the energy stored in waves, produced in fluid bodies, by natural forces, for i example ocean waves, and converting this energy into useful energy, such as electricity.

Prior art utilises either lifting forces to produce up and down movements, horizontal forces to produce horizontal or turning moments, or the flow of fluids to provide turning moments.

All the above extract only a small percentage of the available energy, and in addition require a fixed structure, thus 0 presenting vast engineering problems and very large capital ao. costs.

Other types, namely floating devices, suffer from most of the above problems and because of complexity and lack of efficiency 8 are still not cost effective.

It is the object of this invention to provide an apparatus that utilises the lifting forces exerted by a wave on a buoyant device, as well as the impact forces exerted on the same device by the same wave, and to accomplish these objectives in the most direct and cost effective manner.

In accordance with the invention I provide a device for converting the energy inherent in fluid waves, comprising two buoyant members that are rigidly connected together at the ends

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r 1992 P. ;i i. .Il (i~.llili ~-lilii iL;: i~ I.""'YLYL-ILII-Xtl. i X i~i~ilil by connecting beams, said beams being pivotally connected to reaction arms which are normally substantially at 90 degrees to the connecting beams, but are free to oscillate about the axis of the pivotal connection, the reaction arms each having a longer and shorter portion and are so disposed that the longer portion of the arm is directed downwardly from the connecting beam and is submerged in the fluid, and the shorter portion is above the connecting beams, means interposed between the shorter portion of the reaction arm and the connecting beam to convert the relative movement between said members into useful energy, the longer portion of each reaction arm submerged in the fluid being anchored by conventional anchor means to thereby fix the longer part of each reaction arm and provide means against which rotational fs :ces about the pivotal connection can act.

An embodiment of this invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

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FIGURE 1. Is an isometric representation of a particular embodiment in which two buoyant members are rigidly connected. together by two connection beams Said connection beams carry pivot means Attached to the connection beams by the pivot means are reaction arms Substantially at degrees to the connection beams but with the ability to oscillate. The ends of the reaction arms furthest away from the pivot means (and in practice deepesft immersed in the fluid where the device floats) are connected together by a reaction arm connection beam Said connection beam is then anchored by conventional anchor means.

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a It will be appreciated that the buoyant members may be connected by a plurality of beams and that a plurality of reaction arms may be utilized depending on the size and output requirements of any particular installation. Also shape o:'f the buoyant members shown as cylinders in Figure 1, may be any other suitable form depending on engineering requirements and materials used for construction.

j in practice the device is anchored by its anchor means [6] substantially with one of the buoyant members .SPC\ll June 1992 3 facing the direction of wave propagation.

Power take-off is between the short end of the reaction arm [4] (ie. the opposite end to the connection between reaction arm [4] and reaction arm connection beam and on the other side of the pivot means and the buoyant member connection beam The power take-off would most simply consist of a piston pump of prior art design, and is therefore not shown. Alternatively the rotational forces in the axle of the pivot means may be used, again in a conventional manner to drive a pump that would in turn power conventional turbines, or other mechanical connections to ^i convert the extracted energy into useful energy.

Furthermore it will be appreciated that maximum output of any i Sfloating device is RESERVE BUOYANCY (ie. Total buoyancy minus self weight minus safety margin) times LEVER ARM LENGTH providing always that the reaction forces of equal magnitude are provided.

Therefore the present invention aims to provide basic configuration of a device to utilize maximum output from minimum pi :a'td complexity and therefore cost.

The operation of the device is anchored by conventional means in a depth of water less than half P51\SPEC\DORFSTAT.SPC\11 June 1992 TO

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sel w miu sft mri ti LV A LG proid.i ng I-~U UII the estimated wave length. (ie. area where the waves are said to "FEEL THE BOTTOM") In these conditions water particle movement changes From an orbital path, (as in deep water waves) to a back and forth movement, commonly called a "SURGE".

FIGURE 2. Under these conditions large impact forces are experienced on the "LEADING" buoyant member and reaction arm EC4 being restrained 6 9 at its lower end by the "LEADING" anchor I* means E63 it rotates about pivot means [33 and thereby providing a "POWER STROKE".

FIGURE 3. As the waves move closer to the shore the "leading" buoyant member starts to be liFted 08 to the crest of the wave (HEAVE FORCES) and bo i* 0 the angle of the reaction arm C43 relative to o the buoyant member connection beam [23 -%lbo changes to the opposite direction. With reaction forces now being provided by both the LEADING and TRAILING anchor means [63, it S" provides another (opposite direction) "POWER

STROKE"

When the leading buoyant member is in the "Trough" of the wave, again an opposite reaction takes place.

A further embodiment of this invention is shown in 2S Figure 4. This is particularly devised for DEEP WATER

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1 r: -i INSTALLATIONS, where the cost of conventional anchor means, to provide reaction forces, are prohibitive.

FIGURE 4. Depicts the device substantially the same as shown in Figure 1, with the addition of a reaction weight [7] mounted on the reaction arm connection beam This weight is the shape of a plate or plate like member, so that in addition to the gravitational force it provides, it also provides "Drag" forces. These drag forces will help to extract the relatively small percentage of SURGE movement found in deep water waves (ie. depth more than wave length). This device would be anchored by conventional anchor means for STATION KEEPING reasons only.

It will be appreciated that the relative power output for a given 7 device, (ie. size and spacing of buoyant members) is less S.. than that of the same device without reaction weight and anchored as depicted in Figures 2 and 3.

o* ea Furthermore, it will also be seen that dimensions, shape of Sbuoyant members, length of beams, and the like, would be designed separately for each given set of requirements to power output, and also be designed with due consideration to a wave spectrum analysis for pWP51\SPEC\DORFSTAT.SPC\:t June 1992 r .r i r

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any g~iven location, and that any nu.mber of the devices may be stationed, dependingc on output requiLremnlrts and navig catijonal restrai nts.

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Claims

1. A device for converting the energy inherent in fluid waves, comprising two buoyant members that are rigidly connected together at the ends by connecting beams, said beams being pivotally connected to reaction arms which are normally substantially at 90 degrees to the connecting beams, but are free to oscillate about the axis of the pivotal connection, the reaction arms each having a longer and shorter portion and are so disposed that the longer portion of the arm is directed downwardly from the connecting beam and is submerged in the flu.d, and the shorter portion is above the connecting beams, means interposed between the shorter portion of the reaction arm and the connecting beam o to convert the relative movement between said members into useful energy, the longer portion of each reaction arm submerged in the fluid being anchored by conventional .,anchor means to thereby fix the longer portion of each eo -reaction arm and provide means against which rotational forces about the pivotal connection can act.

A device as claimed in Claim 1, comprising of a plurality i S :of buoyant member connecting beams and a plurality of reaction arms.

3. A device as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which some, or all the ends of the longer portions of the reaction arms are connected together by one or a plurality of reaction arm connection beams. Siwp51\spec\dorfstat.c1s 11 June 1992 0I \r I; 8

4. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, where the shape of the buoyant member is a cylinder, or a plurality of cylinders connected longitudinally to form a rigid member.

A device as claimed in any preceding claims where each reaction arm or reaction arm connecting beam, is equipped with a weight to provide a relatively fixed member against which the rotational forces about the pivotal connection can act.

6. A device as claimed in Claim 5 where the weight is connected to the reaction arm connecting beam and is in the form of a plate or plate like member.

7. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the rotational forces about the axis of the pivotal connection is utilised to provide energy for conversion by conventional means.

8. A device as claimed in Claim 7 wherein a plurality of devices are used and some or all of the respective pivotal connections are interconnected and the rotational forces utilised for energy conversion means.

9. A device for converting wave energy substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in any of the accompanying drawings. 4 1 a S DATED this day of 1992. INGO DORFSTATTER By His Patent Attorneys A. TATLOCK ASSOCIATES \wp51\spec\dorfstat,cls 11 June 1992