Ship lock electrical energy generation
AssigneeGeneral Electric Canada Inc.
InventorsNorman Desy, Pekka Virta
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A ship lock utilizes a hydraulic turbine and/or pump-turbine to regulate the discharge flow rates through the ship lock to an approximate constant value during the majority of the water transfer cycle resulting in a diminishing of total energy of head losses and to enable the recuperation of the unused hydraulic energy for generation as electricity. The difference in water levels on opposite sides of the ship lock constitutes potential hydraulic energy. By regulating the discharge, the total head losses over a given period of time diminish very significantly, thus giving an opportunity for optimization of hydraulic energy recuperation.
Claims16
A system for generating electrical power comprising:
- at least one ship lock for connecting a first body of water and a second body of water, and the ship lock having a pair of spaced gates for permitting passage of ships to and from the ship lock when the gates are alternately opened and closed;
- at least one fluid communicating passageway for coupling the ship lock with at least one of the first body of water and the second body of water to permit water to flow between the ship lock and the at least one of the first body of water and the second body of water;
- a turbine positioned in fluid flow communication with the fluid communicating passageway for generating electrical power when water flows through the at least one fluid communicating passageway between the ship lock and the at least one of the first body of water and the second body of water;
- and
- a turbine operating controller for regulating discharge flow rate of water through the turbine to be within a predetermined range of flow rates determined as a function of one or more of water time transfer requirements, maximum turbine capability and network power requirements.
A system for generating electrical power comprising:
- at least one ship lock for connecting a first body of water and a second body of water at a water level below the first body of water, and the ship lock having a pair of spaced gates for permitting passage of ships to and from the ship lock when the gates are alternately opened and closed;
- at least one first fluid communicating passageway for coupling the first body of water to the ship lock;
- a first turbine positioned in the first fluid communicating passageway for generating electrical power when water flows downstream through the at least one first fluid communicating passageway to raise the level of water in the ship lock to that of the first body of water during a ship lock water level raising cycle;
- at least one second fluid communicating passageway coupling the ship lock to the second body of water;
- a second turbine positioned in the second fluid communicating passageway for generating electrical power when water flows downstream through the at least one second fluid communicating passageway to lower the level of water in the ship lock to the second body of water during a ship lock water lowering cycle;
- and,
- at least one turbine operating controller for regulating discharge flow rate of water through the at least one first and second fluid communicating passageways and corresponding first and second turbines to be within a predetermined range of flow rates determined as a function of one or more of water time transfer requirements, maximum turbine capability and network power requirements.
A method for generating electrical energy with the use of at least one ship lock for connecting a first body of water and a second body of water having respective water levels and having an electrical energy generating turbine positioned in at least one fluid communicating passageway that couples the ship lock with at least one of the first body of water and the second body of water to permit water to flow between the ship lock and the at least one of the first body of water and the second body of water;
- the method comprising:
- changing the water level of the ship lock to the water level of one of the first body of water and second body of water through the electrical energy generating turbine at a predetermined discharge rate range which is a function of one or more of time transfer requirements, maximum turbine capability, and network power requirements.
The method of generating electrical energy with the use of at least one ship lock for connecting a first body of water and a second body of water at a water level below the first body of water;
- comprising:
- raising the water level of the ship lock through a first electrical energy generating turbine to that of the first body of water within a first predetermined discharge rate range as a function of one or more of time transfer requirements, maximum turbine capability, and network power requirements;
- and,
- lowering the water level of the ship lock through a second electrical generating turbine to that of the second body of water within a second predetermined discharge rate range as a function of one or more of time transfer requirements, maximum turbine capability, and network power requirements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.