POWER GENERATION METHOD

[Technical Field]

The present invention relates to a power generation method, especially by converting all or a part of kinetic energy of an object, which is present at a high place in nature, into potential energy and then using the potential energy to generate power in a desired time.

[Background Art]

In recent years, because of the nuclear leakage accident of the nuclear power plant caused by Great East Japan Earthquake, movements to return to the power generation using natural energy have been increased.

Regarding a power generation method using natural energy, following examples were proposed in the past. For example, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Publication JP 2011-91986, a method by breaking down a steep mountain and generating power using potential energy of dirt when transferring the dirt to a low place was proposed. For example, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Publication JP 2010-275992, a method by rotating a bucket conveyor using gravity of water and buoyancy of air bubble to rotate a gear and transferring rotational force of the gear to a power generator to generate power was proposed. For example, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Publication JP H11-266553, a method by lifting high weight object and hold it by a hydraulic jack using natural energy such as wind power and wave power to store potential energy and converting the potential energy into kinetic energy as needed to generate power was proposed.

CN 1 199 140 shows a stone-water potential energy conversion method for electric generation features that the gravitational energy of stone, silt and slags is converted into potential energy of water and the potential energy of water is then used to generate electric energy. It is characterized by low efficiency, so it is only suitable for the place especially lack of electric energy or for large engineering which will result in a great lot of earth work.

[Summery of Invention]

[Technical Problem]

However, in the above described "method of breaking down a steep mountain" and "method of using gravity of water and buoyancy of air bubble", there is no concept of storing energy. On the other hand, in the above described "method of using a hydraulic jack", although energy can be stored, an amount of energy to be stored is limited by performance of the hydraulic jack.

The present invention provides a power generation method capable of storing natural energy without specific limitations and capable of taking out the natural energy as needed to generate power.

[Solution to Problem]

A power generation method according to one aspect of the present invention has a potential energy storage step and a power generation step. In the potential energy storage step, second objects are transferred a low place to a high place by using a rotational force of a rotating body that is rotationally driven by a kinetic energy produced when a first object, which is present at a high place in nature, falls. In the power generation step, the power generator is operated by using the kinetic energy produced when the second objects fall.

In this power generation method, as long as the first object is present at the high place, the plurality of second objects can be transferred from the low place to the high place without specific limitations to store the natural energy of object falling, and the power generator can be operated by falling the second objects at an appropriate timing. Therefore, by using this power generation method, the natural energy can be stored without specific limitations and power can be generated by taking out the natural energy as needed.

Note that in this power generation method, it is preferable that in the potential energy storage step, the second objects are transferred from the low place to the high place by using a portion of the rotational force of the rotating body that is rotationally driven by the kinetic energy produced when the first object falls, at the same time, the power generator can be operated by using the rest of the rotational force. Thus, power can be always generated any time day or night.

[Brief Description of Drawings]

• Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state that kinetic energy produced by a fall of water is converted to potential energy according to a power generation system of an embodiment of the present invention.
• Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state that power is generated by using the stored potential energy according to a power generation system of an embodiment of the present invention.
• Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a power generation system according to a variation example (E).
• Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a bucket shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 3.

[Description of Embodiments]

<Components of power generation system>

A power generation system 100 of an embodiment of the present invention is mainly formed by a bucket conveyor 200, an interrupter 300, a power generator 400, and electric forklifts 500a, 500b as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Hereafter, these components will be explained in detail.

(1) Bucket conveyor

The bucket conveyor 200 is arranged on a downstream side in a flow direction of water WR, which flows from a lake LK into a river RV. The bucket conveyor 200 is mainly formed by a bucket 210, an endless chain EC, an upper gear 220 and a lower gear 230.

As shown in Fig. 4, the bucket 210 is a container having an approximately cubic shape and having a grid cover 215. Namely, an upper side of the bucket 210 is open. One side wall of the bucket 210 is connected with the endless chain EC. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 1, an opening of the bucket 210 faces upward at one side and faces downward at the other side. Note that, in the present embodiment, a plurality of buckets 210 is connected with the endless chain EC as shown in Fig. 1. In addition, a grid interval of the grid cover 215 is smaller than a size of the latter mentioned weight WT so that the weight WT does not pass through the grid cover 215.

The endless chain EC is formed between the upper gear 220 and the lower gear 230.

The upper gear 220 and the lower gear 230 are engaged with the endless chain EC respectively at an upper side and a lower side. Note that both the upper gear 220 and the lower gear 230 are not connected with a driving source. In addition, the lower gear 230 is connected with a bucket conveyor-side shaft SF1 via a not illustrated worm gear. Therefore, when the lower gear 230 is rotated, the bucket conveyor-side shaft SF1 is rotated around its axis.

(2) Interrupter

As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the interrupter 300 mechanically connects and disconnects the bucket conveyor-side shaft SF1 with/from a power generator-side shaft SF2.

(3) Power generator

The power generator 400 is a general power generator. In the present embodiment, the generator is not particularly limited.

(4) Electric forklift

The electric forklifts 500a, 500b are respectively arranged at an upstream side and a downstream side of the bucket conveyor 200. Note that, in the embodiment, the electric forklifts 500a, 500b are driven by a large-size secondary battery that is charged with electric energy produced by the power generator 400.

<Operating method of power generation system>

The power generation system100 of the present embodiment can take two states, i.e., a potential energy storage state and a power generation state. Hereafter, operations of the power generation system 100 in each state will be explained in detail.

(1) Potential energy storage state

In the potential energy storage state, as shown in Fig. 1, the interrupter 300 mechanically disconnects the connection between the bucket conveyor-side shaft SF1 and the power generator-side shaft SF2. In this state, if the water WR flows from the river RV into the bucket 210, the bucket 210 is pushed down by a fall of the water WR, then the endless chain EC starts to rotate and the upper gear 220 and the lower gear 230 are rotated accordingly. When the next bucket 210 is moved to a fall position of the water WR, the water WR flows into the next bucket 210 to rotate the endless chain EC in the same way. The above described state is repeated and the endless chain EC, the upper gear 220 and the lower gear 230 are continuously rotated. Note that the water WR flowing into the bucket 210 is discharged downward at a position immediately below the lower gear 230 because the opening of the bucket 210 faces sideways. In addition, as shown in Fig. 1, when the bucket 210 is moved from the lower side to the upper side, the opening of the bucket 210 faces downward, i.e., a bottom wall of the bucket 210 faces upward.

While the endless chain EC is rotated as described above, the weight WT is placed on an opposite side of the bottom wall of the bucket 210 by the electric forklift 500b of the downstream side in a direction of falling water, the weight WT is removed from the bucket 210 by the electric forklift 500a of the upstream side in the direction of falling water, and the weight WT is stored at the high place. Thus, energy of water falling is stored as the potential energy.

(2) Power generation state

In the power generation state, as shown in Fig. 2, the interrupter 300 mechanically connects the bucket conveyor-side shaft SF1 with the power generator-side shaft SF2. In this state, if the weight WT is placed on the grid cover 215 of the bucket 210 by the electric forklift 500a of the upstream side in the direction of falling water, the bucket 210 is pushed down by a fall of the weight WT, the endless chain EC starts to rotate, and the upper gear 220 and the lower gear 230 are rotated accordingly. When the next bucket 210 reaches a loading position of the weight WT, another weight WT is placed on the grid cover 215 of the next bucket 210 by the electric forklift 500a again and the endless chain EC is rotated. The above described state is repeated to rotate the endless chain EC, the upper gear 220 and the lower gear 230 continuously. Thus, the rotational force of the lower gear 230 is transferred to the power generator 400 via the bucket conveyor-side shaft SF1, the interrupter 300 and the power generator-side shaft SF2, and power is generated. Note that the weight WT placed on the grid cover 215 of the bucket 210 is removed from the bucket 210 at a position near the lower gear by the electric forklift 500b of the downstream side in the direction of falling water, and the weight WT is stored at the low place.

<Feature of power generation system of embodiment>

(1) 

In the power generation system 100 of the present embodiment, the energy of water falling of the water WR can be stored as the potential energy by using a fall of the water WR flowing in the river RV, and the power generator 400 can be operated by falling the weight WT at an appropriate timing. Therefore, by using the power generation system 100, the potential energy can be stored without specific limitations and the potential energy can be taken out as needed to generate power.

total inflow amount (m³/s)

total water discharge amount (m³/s)

water storage amount (km³)

water storage ratio (%)

water storage ratio (%)

78.40

82.85

6410

62.10 (service water capacity)

32.10 (effective capacity)

Meanwhile, Table 1 shows the water discharge amount discharged from Amagase Dam from 19:00:00 to 19:00:01 on June 21, 2011 (total water discharge amount, information distributed on the internet of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism). Before the rainy season in Japan, unless water is discharged from Amagase Dam, there is a risk of burst of the dam and collapse of the house caused by flood and landslide, for example. From Table 1, the water discharge amount per 1 second of the above described period is 82.8 tons. The water discharge amount per 1 month calculated from the above data is 214,617,600 tons (82.8 tons × 60 seconds × 60 minutes × 24 hours × 30 days). It is a waste to leave such a large amount of water continuously flow. Therefore, such a large amount of water can be used efficiently by using the power generation method of the present invention. Although anti-nuclear power plant is acknowledged as a problem today, the inventor of the present invention considers that the problem can be solved by efficiently using that. In general, it is said that it is technologically impossible to store electricity (alternate current) used in a home currently on the earth. However, the impossibility is turned to possibility by using the power generation method of the present invention. In other words, by using the power generation method of the present invention, the potential energy can be permanently and unlimitedly stored and power can be generated immediately at any time. Here, "permanently and unlimitedly" means that rain is made to fall by energy radiated from the sun and the potential energy of the water trapped at the high place by the rain can be converted into the potential energy of the weight WT and stored.

(2) 

In the power generation system 100 of the embodiment, the electric forklifts 500a, 500b are driven by the large-size secondary battery that is charged with electric energy produced by the power generator 400. Therefore, power can be generated by using only natural energy.

<Variation examples>

(A)

In the power generation system 100 of the previous embodiment, the interrupter is in a disconnected state in the potential energy storage state. However, the interrupter can be continuously or intermittently connected. Thus, a part of the energy of falling water of the water WR can be used for the power generation and the other part of the energy can be used for storing the potential energy. As a result, power can be always generated any time day or night.

(B)

In the power generation system 100 of the previous embodiment, the potential energy is stored and power is generated by using the water flowing in the river RV. However, a dirt, a rock or a snow of a mountaintop can be used instead of the water WR. In such a case, it is preferred that the bucket conveyor 200 is obliquely arranged along a mountain surface. Thus, in addition to the above described effects, land formation can be performed.

(C)

In the power generation system 100 of the previous embodiment, height difference of the river RV is used. However, height difference of the dam can be used instead.

(D)

In the power generation system 100 of the previous embodiment, the electric forklifts 500a, 500b are used for transferring the weight WT. However, a forklift equipping a gasoline engine can be used instead.

(E)

Although not mentioned in the previous embodiment, a power generation system 100A shown in Fig. 3 can be used as a power generation system. The power generation system 100A is basically same as the power generation system 100 of the previous embodiment except for the following points: (i) a dirt and a snow is used instead of the water WR; (ii) a bucket conveyor 200B used only for the dirt or the snow and a bucket conveyor 200A used for transferring the weight and generating power are provided together; (iii) an intermediate gear 250 engaged with the endless chain EC is provided between the lower gear 230 and the upper gear 220 of the bucket conveyor 200A used for transferring the weight and generating power; (iv) an interrupter 300A is provided between the bucket conveyor 200B used only for the dirt or the snow and the bucket conveyor 200A used for transferring the weight and generating power; (v) the power generator 400 is connected to the intermediate gear 250; and (vi) an electric shovel car 550 is used for scraping out the dirt or the snow. Regarding the components same as the power generation system 100 of the previous embodiment, the same reference numerals are applied and explanations are omitted.

The bucket conveyor 200B used only for the dirt or the snow is mainly formed by the buckets 210, the endless chain EC, the upper gear 220 and the lower gear 230, as shown in Fig. 3. The bucket conveyor 200B is basically same as the bucket conveyor 200 of the previous embodiment.

The interrupter 300A is in a connected state in the potential energy storage state, and in a disconnected state in the power generation state. Same as the power generation system 100 of the previous embodiment, another interrupter can be arranged between the power generator 400 and the intermediate gear 250.

Same as the electric forklifts 500a, 500b, the electric shovel car 550 is driven by a large-size secondary battery that is charged with electric energy produced by the power generator 400. Note that a shovel car equipping a gasoline engine can be used instead of the electric shovel car 550.

[Reference Signs List]

• 100, 100A Power generation system
• 200, 200A, 200B Bucket conveyor
• 210 Bucket
• 215 Grid cover
• 220 Upper gear
• 230 Lower gear
• 250 Intermediate gear
• 300, 300A Interrupter
• 400 Power generator
• 500a, 500b Electric forklifts
• 550 Electric shovel car
• EC Endless chain
• WR Water
• WT Weight