KR-20260064672-A - Integrated Multi-Cylinder Fluid-Driven Wave Power Generation Apparatus

KR20260064672AKR 20260064672 AKR20260064672 AKR 20260064672AKR-20260064672-A

Abstract

The present invention relates to an integrated multi-cylinder fluid-driven wave power generation device equipped with a self-maintenance function, comprising: a plurality of pistons that reciprocate in conjunction with waves, currents, water head, pressure changes, or other external forces generated by seawater, freshwater, or other fluids; an integrated engine block body in which a plurality of cylinder bores accommodating the plurality of pistons are integrally formed as a single casting; a water flow-driven rotating blade that rotates solely by water flow and is physically separated from the piston within each cylinder bore, and a self-cleaning screw coupled thereto; a unidirectional discharge trap provided within the cylinder bore to automatically discharge sediment when the piston descends; and a water pressure-sensitive phase control valve installed in the flow path between the plurality of cylinder bores to automatically adjust the phase difference in response to changes in water pressure. According to the present invention, perfect self-maintenance is possible through an operating mechanism in which the water flow generated by the reciprocating motion of the piston rotates the screw to clean the inner wall, discharges foreign matter through the trap, and automatically corrects the phase in response to changes in pressure. Additionally, it provides the additional effect of being able to produce fresh water directly on board using pressurized fluid.

Inventors

이호근

Assignees

이호근

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20260417

Claims (13)

A plurality of pistons that reciprocate in conjunction with waves, currents, hydrostatic head, pressure changes, or other external forces generated by seawater, freshwater, or other fluids, and An integrated engine block body in which a plurality of cylinder bores, each accommodating a plurality of pistons, are integrally formed as a single casting, and A structure that forms fluid flow inside each cylinder bore by the reciprocating motion of the above piston, and A water-driven rotary blade disposed within the cylinder bore and rotated by the fluid flow while physically separated from the piston, and A self-cleaning screw that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the above-mentioned water flow-driven rotating blade while in close contact with the inner wall of the cylinder bore, and removes marine organisms and foreign substances attached to the inner wall to maintain the gap between the piston and the cylinder bore, and A unidirectional discharge trap provided within the cylinder bore and which opens when the internal pressure increases due to the piston's descent to discharge foreign matter and sediment removed by the self-cleaning screw to the outside and block the backflow of external fluid, and It includes a hydraulic pressure-sensitive phase control valve disposed on a passage connecting multiple cylinder bores to each other and automatically adjusting the opening area of the passage in response to changes in internal pressure of each cylinder bore, thereby controlling the phase difference of the reciprocating motion between the multiple pistons. The water flow generated by the reciprocating motion of the piston drives the water flow driving rotor blade, causing the self-cleaning screw to remove foreign matter from the inner wall of the cylinder, and The removed foreign matter is discharged to the outside through the above discharge trap, and The phase control valve is operated by the pressure change occurring in the above process to automatically correct the operating phase between multiple cylinders, and is configured in a sequential manner, and at the same time, The reciprocating motion of the above piston is converted into rotational motion or other mechanical output through a power transmission unit and transmitted to an external load or power generation device, characterized by Integrated multi-cylinder fluid-driven wave power generation device equipped with self-maintenance function.
In paragraph 1, An integrated multi-cylinder fluid-driven wave power generation device characterized in that the above-described water flow-driven rotating blade is formed with a spiral blade structure to rotate in a first direction by an upward water flow introduced when the piston rises, and to rotate in a second direction opposite to the first direction by a downward water flow introduced when the piston descends, so that the self-cleaning screw is configured to perform bidirectional cross-rotation cleaning on the inner wall of the cylinder bore.
In paragraph 1, An integrated multi-cylinder fluid-driven wave power generation device characterized by the self-cleaning screw being positioned in contact with or close to the inner wall of the cylinder bore and removing deposits by friction or flow while rotating.
In paragraph 1, An integrated multi-cylinder fluid-driven wave power generation device, characterized in that the outer surface of the piston is further provided with an automatic gap compensation ring having at least two materials having different coefficients of thermal expansion alternately laminated thereon, and the automatic gap compensation ring expands or contracts according to changes in fluid temperature to automatically compensate for the gap between the piston and the inner wall of the cylinder bore.
In paragraph 1, The integrated engine block body further includes a micro pressure leakage groove formed on the inner wall surface of the cylinder bore to leak a portion of the hydraulic pressure, wherein the micro pressure leakage groove is arranged to open only when the piston reaches a specific height, thereby assisting in the formation of a phase difference between the plurality of pistons by intentionally delaying the speed of the piston, and is characterized by an integrated multi-cylinder fluid-driven wave power generation device.
In paragraph 1, An integrated multi-cylinder fluid-driven wave power generation device characterized in that the above-described unidirectional discharge trap is formed in a cup shape or a structure equivalent thereto, with a plurality of fine discharge holes formed in the lowest central part and the periphery thereof, thereby forming a vortex when the piston descends and concentrating sediment into the fine discharge holes to maximize discharge efficiency.
In paragraph 1, An integrated multi-cylinder fluid-driven wave power generation device characterized by the above-mentioned hydraulic pressure-sensitive phase control valve including a diaphragm or a similar pressure-sensitive member to continuously adjust the opening area of the flow path.
In paragraph 1, An integrated multi-cylinder fluid-driven wave power generation device characterized in that the integrated engine block body has a multi-cylinder structure in which a plurality of cylinder bores are integrally formed as a single casting, and the pistons within the cylinders are arranged and operated to have a set phase difference by the action of the hydraulic pressure-sensitive phase control valve.
In paragraph 1, An integrated multi-cylinder fluid-driven wave power generation device characterized by further including a mechanical safety mode structure within the integrated engine block body that detects extreme wave height or excessive water pressure and temporarily limits or fixes the reciprocating motion of the piston.
In paragraph 1, An integrated multi-cylinder fluid-driven wave power generation device characterized in that the floating body transmitting the above external force is freely positioned at the inner upper, inner lower, or outer part of the cylinder bore, and the connection method between the piston and the floating body includes at least one of a direct coupling, a rope, a chain, a link structure, or a hydraulic conversion structure.
In paragraph 1, An integrated multi-cylinder fluid-driven wave power generation device, characterized in that the power transmission unit is located on the upper part of the integrated engine block body and is positioned above the water surface, and includes at least one of a crankshaft, a gear, a flywheel, a hydraulic converter, or a power converter, and the piston extends downward from the power transmission unit and is positioned in the reverse direction within the cylinder bore.
In the device of paragraph 1, The above device is an integrated multi-cylinder fluid-driven wave power generation device characterized by supplying energy to a fluid treatment system, a desalination system, or other external facilities using energy generated by the reciprocating motion of the piston.
In paragraph 1, The integrated engine block body is formed as either a structure formed integrally as a single casting or a modular multi-cylinder structure in which a plurality of individual cylinder modules are assembled by bolts, welding, flange joining, or other mechanical fastening means, and in the case of the modular multi-cylinder structure, a fluid communication channel and a hydraulic pressure-sensitive phase control valve are arranged between each cylinder module, characterized in that the integrated multi-cylinder fluid-driven wave power generation device.

Description

Integrated Multi-Cylinder Fluid-Driven Wave Power Generation Apparatus The present invention relates to a marine wave power generation device, and more specifically, to a wave power generation device that produces energy by converting the vertical motion of a buoyant body floating on the sea surface due to waves into the reciprocating motion of a plurality of pistons, wherein a water flow-driven self-cleaning screw, a backflow prevention discharge trap, and a water pressure-sensitive phase control valve are provided inside an engine block in which a plurality of cylinders are integrated into a single casting, thereby enabling self-maintenance without separate external power, and furthermore, capable of producing fresh water using pressurized fluid. Recently, due to the depletion of fossil fuels and environmental pollution issues, research on marine energy, particularly wave power generation, is actively underway. Point absorber wave power generation devices, which produce hydraulic or mechanical energy by converting the vertical motion of a buoy caused by waves into the reciprocating motion of a piston, are widely known. However, conventional wave power generation devices have the following serious limitations. First, prolonged exposure to the marine environment leads to biofouling, where marine organisms such as barnacles attach between the inner wall of the cylinder and the outer wall of the piston, increasing frictional resistance. This results in a sharp decline in power generation efficiency and equipment failure. Second, sediments such as sand or fine shell fragments mixed in seawater accumulate at the bottom of the cylinder, reducing the piston's stroke and, in severe cases, causing piston jamming. Third, when an engine unit is constructed by assembling multiple cylinder modules with bolts or the like, structural fatigue failure easily occurs due to loosening of the fasteners or penetration of seawater caused by continuous wave loads and vibrations. Fourth, if mechanical parts (generators, crankshafts, etc.) are placed underwater, a perfect watertight housing is required, which causes manufacturing costs to skyrocket, and maintenance costs increase exponentially because divers or ROVs must be deployed in the event of a breakdown. Fifth, existing wave power-based desalination devices use a method of transporting high-pressure seawater to land via underwater pipelines using submersible pumps and passing it through reverse osmosis membranes, which has the disadvantage of incurring excessive infrastructure construction costs and being highly dependent on land. Second, when the floating body is placed at the bottom inside the cylinder bore, the cylinder surrounds the floating body to protect it from wave impact and drifting debris, and blocks lateral forces to induce stable vertical movement. Third, by applying a fluid-driven screw separated from the piston, biofouling of the cylinder wall can be permanently prevented solely by the flow of fluid without a separate power supply or control device, thereby drastically reducing maintenance costs. Fourth, since sand or barnacle residue deposited at the bottom of the cylinder is automatically discharged through a backflow trap, the piston seizing phenomenon is fundamentally prevented, and the lifespan of the system is significantly extended. Fifth, by integrating the multi-cylinder into a single cast, the chronic problems of existing prefabricated modules—such as seawater intrusion at the fasteners, loosening due to vibration, corrosion, and fatigue failure—are prevented, thereby maximizing survivability even in extreme marine environments. Sixth, since immediate reverse osmosis desalination is possible on board using seawater directly pressurized by piston reciprocating motion, an energy-independent offshore water resource production platform can be constructed without costly submarine pipelines or onshore infrastructure. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, the integrated multi-cylinder wave power generation device according to the present invention, equipped with a floating body-linked self-maintenance and desalination function, is largely composed of an integrated engine block body (100), a piston (200), a self-cleaning screw (300), a unidirectional discharge trap (400), a water pressure-sensitive phase control valve (500), a power transmission unit (600), a power conversion unit (700), and a floating body (800). The integrated engine block body (100) has a structure in which a plurality of cylinder bores (110) are integrally formed as a single casting. In this embodiment, a four-cylinder structure equipped with four cylinder bores (110) is exemplified, but is not limited thereto. A fine pressure leakage groove (120) may be formed on the inner wall of the integrated engine block body (100) to help form a phase difference by leaking a portio