WO2007051932A1

WO2007051932A1 - Equipment for producing electrical or mechanical energy

Info

Publication number: WO2007051932A1
Application number: PCT/FR2006/002474
Authority: WO
Inventors: Raphaël MENARD
Original assignee: Oth Consult
Priority date: 2005-11-07
Filing date: 2006-11-07
Publication date: 2007-05-10
Also published as: FR2893089A1; EP1952019A1; FR2893089B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a piece of equipment (1) for producing electrical or mechanical energy. The invention is of the type which includes a space (4) that is defined by a roof (8) and the ground (16) and which is used to produce heated air by means of solar radiation. The aforementioned space (4) opens onto the exterior at at least one air inlet (5) on the surface of the ground (16) and at at lest one air discharge duct (6). The invention also includes at least one turbine (7) which is disposed between the roof (8) and the air discharge duct (6) and which is intended to transform the kinetic energy of the air at the junction of the space (4) and the air discharge duct into electrical or mechanical energy. The inventive piece of equipment (1) is characterised in that the air discharge duct (6) is formed by a duct that extends at least partially alongside a natural relief that rises up above the space (4).

Description

Equipment for producing electrical or mechanical energy

The invention relates to the field of the production of electrical or mechanical energy.

The invention relates more particularly to equipment for producing electrical or mechanical energy from the solar flux and whose operation is based on that of solar towers.

Solar towers exploit two natural phenomena, the aim being to create a solar wind: the greenhouse effect on the one hand, and natural convection on the other. To do this, they comprise a collector equipped with a vertical chimney for evacuating the air collected by said collector. The latter, associated with a greenhouse located near the ground, captures solar radiation, direct and diffuse, and "traps" this energy flow. The volume of air in the collector heats up so. As the air at the bottom (i.e. at the collector) is warmer and therefore less dense than the air at the outlet of the chimney, a pressure gradient is created. The air coming from the collector is then subjected to the buoyancy of Archimedes and tends to create a natural wind at the base of the chimney. The kinetic power of the air obtained in this zone is then converted into electricity by means of turbines arranged in this same zone.

Such solar towers, however, have several disadvantages.

First of all, the efficiency of the solar towers is linked, besides the solar potential of the site, to the height of the chimney and the surface of the collector. However, building a very large tower presents technical and constructive difficulties, which are accentuated in areas subject to earthquakes and / or strong winds.

Then, the construction of a solar tower has particularly harmful consequences both for the ecology of the site and for the landscape (for example, a tower of 1 kilometer is visible more than 100 kilometers on a flat territory). Finally the investment cost of such tours is particularly expensive.

In an attempt to overcome some of these drawbacks, it has been proposed in the international patent application WO04036039 solar towers made with lightweight materials of low cost. Said turns are maintained in a substantially vertical position by introducing into their structure, or in a chamber attached to their structure, a gas lighter than air. The towers thus constructed can then have significant heights. In addition, the use of flexible materials allows the structure of a tower to bend under the effect of the force of the wind.

It has also been proposed in the international patent application WO05045245 a modular type of site cover system for very large areas. This system comprises at least one air supply chimney and at least one air exhaust chimney respectively for supplying air to the zone situated under the roofing system and for evacuating the air from this zone. in a targeted way.

The installation of towers or solar energy generator as described in international patent applications WO04036039 and WO05045245 remains however problematic vis-à-vis the visual and ecological impacts on the landscape.

The invention aims in particular to overcome the disadvantages of solar towers previously described by providing equipment for producing electrical or mechanical energy, said equipment adapting to the site in which it is installed so as to have a limited impact on the landscape and ecology of the site.

For this purpose, and according to a first aspect, the invention relates to equipment for producing electrical or mechanical energy, of the type comprising a space defined by a cover on the one hand and the ground on the other hand, for the production of air heated under the effect of solar radiation, this space opening on the outside by at least one air inlet at the ground surface and at least one air exhaust duct, the equipment comprising at least one turbine disposed between said cover and said exhaust air duct, said at least one less turbine being intended to transform the kinetic power of the existing air at the junction of said space and of the exhaust duct into electrical or mechanical energy, said equipment being characterized in that the exhaust duct is formed by a conduit at least partially along a natural relief rising above the space.

In this way, the evacuation duct benefits from the relief of the site for its supports. Thus, not only the technical constraints related to the construction of a high-rise air exhaust duct are removed, but also the visual impact on the landscape is improved to the extent that the exhaust duct "Marry" the relief.

Preferably, the space is made in a modular manner and comprises one or more juxtaposed cover modules defining a covered ground zone, each module comprising a membrane maintained at a regular distance from the ground by holding means, so as to present a shape substantially following the relief of the ground.

The space formed by a juxtaposition of roof modules thus makes it possible to adapt its shape to the zone in which it is built, so as to limit the damage on the site, as well as its extent according to the desired yield.

In this context, it will then also be preferred to provide an air exhaust duct constituted by a plurality of unitary ducts arranged successively one after the other and fixed respectively at the ground level so as to form a duct. evacuation along the ground. It is thus possible to modulate the length of the exhaust duct according to not only the desired yield, but also the elevation of the site. Advantageously, the means for maintaining the membrane at a distance from the ground are constituted by pillar members stabilized on the ground, said pillar elements being evenly distributed around the periphery of the membrane.

Advantageously, the cover module is further maintained on the ground by means of retaining the membrane towards the ground. These retaining means comprise, for example, a pocket filled with water so as to constitute a ballast of the covering module, in particular with respect to its stabilization at horizontal forces and / or lifting forces, said pocket preferably being positioned centrally. under said membrane.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the elements forming pillars on the ground constituting the cover module are stabilized by means of the water pocket of said cover module and at least one water pocket arranged in a zone adjacent to the area covered by said cover module, each pillar member being connected to a water pocket by means of a stabilizing cable.

It can then be provided that the water bag (s) disposed in the area adjacent to the area covered by said cover module constitute (s) weights of cover modules adjacent to said cover module.

Advantageously, the pillar elements are made of an inflatable material, of ovoidal shape so as to avoid the buckling of the pillar elements under the weight of the membrane.

Advantageously, the membrane consists of a sheet or several superimposed sheets made of ETFE or an equivalent material having qualities of non-opacity to solar flux, lightness and mechanical strength, the number of sheets being a function of the insulation membrane and therefore its ability to heat the air under said membrane. Moreover, and in order to preserve the hydrology of the site, it can also be provided that the membrane is made of a material permeable to water or by implementation of the membrane allowing the collection of rainwater.

According to a particular configuration of the invention, each cover module has dimensions that make it possible to cover approximately an area 12 meters long and 12 meters wide. Such a dimension has the advantage of having a covering module having a low weight and a minimal bulk of the material to be transported on site.

According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a covering module for the production of an equipment as described above, said module being constituted by a membrane maintained at a regular distance from the ground by holding means comprising at least three pillar elements stabilized on the floor.

According to a third aspect, the invention relates to a method for producing electrical or mechanical energy consisting in placing on a terrain having a relief zone, equipment as described above, said space being defined by a cover of a part and the ground on the other hand, and said air exhaust duct being formed by a conduit at least partially along said relief zone.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, made with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation in perspective of an installation generating electrical energy comprising equipment according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary partial perspective view of an equipment according to the invention;

- Figure 3 illustrates a partial cross sectional view of the equipment of Figure 2; FIGS. 4 and 5 show schematic views respectively from above and in perspective of a covering module according to the invention; and

FIG. 6 is an evolutionary diagram of the equipment according to the invention shown in FIG.

In relation to FIGS. 1 to 6, there is described a device 1 intended to produce electricity, said equipment 1 being connected to at least one power plant 2 equipped with an electrical network 3 for conveying the electricity obtained. In the embodiment described, said equipment 1 is made in a modular manner so that it is possible to adapt its shape according to the relief and the vegetation of the site on which it is implanted, as well as to adapt its extent according to the desired yield.

Said equipment 1 comprises a space 4 defined by a cover 8 on the one hand and the ground 16 on the other hand. Said space 4 opens on the outside, in the illustrated example, by means of seven air inlets 5 and an air outlet, said outlet being characterized by an exhaust duct 6 along the relief of the site. In order to transform the kinetic power of the air existing at the junction of said space 4 and the air exhaust duct 6 with electrical or mechanical energy, at least one turbine 7 disposed between said space 4 and said evacuation duct 6 air.

To obtain a better performance of the equipment, the space (4), the turbine (s) (7) and the air exhaust duct (6) are advantageously arranged in a stepped manner. More particularly, the exhaust duct (6) is arranged to rise, as a whole, above the space (4), along the relief.

Said cover 8 is constituted by a plurality of cover modules juxtaposed to each other, each module comprising a membrane 9 maintained at a regular distance from the ground 16 by means of holding 10 adapted. The coverage modules will then be given the coverage reference. In the embodiment described, the cover module 8 is square in shape, and is dimensioned so that the cover module 8 covers an area having a length and a width respectively of 12 meters.

It is of course obvious that this is a particular embodiment of the invention, the covering module according to the invention is not limited to this geometry or to these dimensions. In particular, it will be possible to provide a triangular shaped cover module.

In order to capture the solar radiation, direct and diffuse, and thus confer space 4 its greenhouse function by heating the air disposed under the membrane 9, it is made of a transparent or translucent material.

Moreover, in order to preserve the hydrology of the site on which the modular equipment 1 is installed, the membrane 9 allows in its material or its implementation a permeability to rainwater.

Preferably, said membrane 9 is made of a fluorinated resin of the ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene) type.

Similarly, in order to increase its insulating properties, provision may be made to produce a membrane 9 formed by a superposition of sheets, preferably ETFE sheets.

The means 10 for keeping the membrane 9 at a substantially constant distance from the ground 16 consist of pillar elements 11, each of the pillar elements 11 being held vertically on the ground 16 by means of a base 12.

These pillar elements 11 are evenly distributed on the periphery of the membrane 9. In the embodiment described where the membrane 9 is of square shape, said cover modules 8 comprise four pillar elements respectively disposed at one corner of the membrane 9 . Moreover, and according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, said pillar elements 11 are made of an inflatable material, of ovoid shape. Indeed, the pillar elements thus formed have the advantage of resisting buckling under the weight of the membrane 9.

Advantageously, the pillar elements 11 have a height of between 1, 5 and 4 meters, and preferably of the order of 3 meters. Such a height of the pillar elements 11, and therefore of the membrane 9 forming each of the covering modules 8, has the advantage and to allow the passage of an individual. This last feature may indeed be of interest in the context of secondary uses of the space 4, at least in the vicinity of the air inlets 5, for example in the context of horticultural use (space used for greenhouse culture).

Each covering module 8 further comprises retaining means 13 of the membrane 9 in the direction of the ground 16. According to the embodiment described, the retaining means 13 comprise a pocket 14 filled with water, said pocket constituting a ballast. said membrane 9, vis-à-vis including lifting forces generated by the wind.

Advantageously, said water pocket 14 is arranged so as to be central with respect to said membrane 9.

Thus, because of its construction, the roofing module 8 exploits the structural lightness of the structures with double reverse curvature, the pillar elements 11 providing the high points of the membrane 9, and the water pockets 14 pulling and anchoring the point. At the same time, the covering module 8 being subjected essentially to tensile stresses, the only compressed parts being air and water contained respectively in the pillar elements 11 and the pockets 14, a space 4 built with this type of coverage modules has the advantage of not being subject to instabilities related to the compressed material. According to a particular configuration of the invention, the pockets 14 of each of the covering modules 8 are constituted by an outer casing made of black polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or other material having similar mechanical characteristics. Thus, in parallel with their function of ballast membranes 9 of each of said cover modules 8, said water pockets 14 play a role of heat accumulator. These pockets of water 14 make it possible, by the release at night of the heat stored during the day, to constitute equipment providing energy at any time and whatever the degree of sunshine.

Furthermore, each pillar element 11 of a covering module 8 is stabilized at ground level 16 by means of stabilization cables 15 held in the ground 16 by water pockets 14 distributed around said pillar element. Each stabilizing cable 15 connecting a pillar element 11 to a water bag is fixed at one of its ends to the head of said pillar element 11, the other end being connected to one of said pockets 14. .

Specifically, a pillar member 11 of a cover module 8 is stabilized at ground level 16 via the water pockets surrounding said pillar member: the central water pocket 14 of said cover module 8 in question and the water pockets 14 cover modules adjacent to said cover module 8 and for which said pillar member 11 is a common holding means.

Thus, in the embodiment described, in which the membrane 9 is square in shape, each pillar element 11 is stabilized on the ground 16 by means of four water pockets 14, preferably distributed over a circle and angularly spaced apart. another 90 degrees. It is of course obvious that this arrangement is chosen according to the shape of the membrane 9. Also, for a membrane having a shape other than square, it may be chosen a different distribution of the pillar elements.

The formation of space 4 is performed as follows. A first cover module 8, as shown in Figure 5, is installed. This first module comprises a membrane 9 maintained at a distance from the ground 16 by four pillar members 11 disposed at each corner of said membrane 9. Each pillar element 11 provided with connecting cables 15 is stabilized by four water pockets 14, one of the pockets constituting the central ballast of said membrane 9, the other pockets being disposed outside the area covered by the membrane 9. It should be noted that on the three pockets "outside" the covered area, two will respectively serve for the stabilization of Another pillar element 11 of said cover module 8. In the embodiment described, the pockets concerned are the pockets referenced under the numbers 141 to 144. A second roof module is then installed, the membrane of this second module being juxtaposed with the membrane 9 of the first module 8 so that: i) two of the pillar elements of the first cover module constitute two of the elements forming pillars of the second roof module; ii) one of the water pockets disposed outside the area covered by the first module is in turn a central ballast of the membrane of the second cover module. And so on.

It should be noted that the rainwater collected by the first module optionally provides the material to achieve the ballast of the second module. The two roofing modules constructed then make it possible to re-collect the water required for the anchoring ballast of the other two modules. And so on.

Moreover, the components of the equipment are compacted to facilitate their transport and thus facilitate the construction but also the demolition: the roof modules are sized to be easily transportable; the pillar elements 11 are inflated; the compression elements, namely the water disposed in the pockets and the air of the pillar elements, are potentially recoverable fluids on site.

In order to adapt the efficiency of the equipment 1 to the energy requirements, the air evacuation duct 6 is advantageously constituted by a plurality of unitary ducts 60 successively arranged one after the other and fixed respectively to the floor level 16, so as to form a discharge duct of length adapted to the desired yields and the difference in level of the site in which said equipment is implanted. Advantageously, the single ducts 60 rest directly on natural supports constituted by the relief of the site.

In order to improve the efficiency of the supply of energy, it will also be advantageous to provide the modular equipment in a site where the relief allows the construction of an air exhaust duct 6 with a height of more than 2000 meters.

This performance can be further improved by the choice of the location of space 4. In fact, it has been found that the yield obtained will be greater according to the inclination given to the cover 8 with respect to a flat floor. Thus, it will be advantageous to provide a space on a floor whose cover 8 constituted by a plurality of cover module 8 has an inclination of between 0 degrees and 45 degrees, and preferably between 10 degrees and 25 degrees for latitudes between 10 ° and 45 ° in absolute value.

The invention is described in the foregoing by way of example. It is understood that the skilled person is able to achieve different variants of the invention without departing from the invention.

Claims

1. Equipment (1) for producing electrical or mechanical energy, of the type comprising a space (4) defined by a cover (8) on the one hand and the floor (16) on the other hand, for the production of heated by the effect of solar radiation, this space (4) opening on the outside by at least one air inlet (5) to the surface of the ground 16 and by at least one exhaust duct air (6), the equipment comprising at least one turbine (7) disposed between said cover (8) and said exhaust duct (6), said turbine (7) being intended to transform the kinetic power of the air existing at the junction of said space (4) and the exhaust duct (6) with electrical or mechanical energy, said equipment (1) being characterized in that the air exhaust duct (6) ) is formed by a conduit at least partially along a natural relief rising above the space (4).

2. Equipment (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the space (4) is made in a modular manner and comprises one or more juxtaposed cover modules (8) defining a covered ground area, each module comprising a membrane (9) maintained at a regular distance from the ground by holding means (10), so as to have a shape substantially following the relief of the ground.

3. Equipment (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the holding means (10) of each cover module (8) at a distance from the ground (16) comprise at least three pillar elements (11) stabilized on the ground (16).

4. Equipment (1) according to claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that the cover module (8) is further maintained on the ground by means of retaining means (13) of the membrane (9) towards the ground ( 16).

5. Equipment (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the retaining means (13) comprise a pocket (14) filled with water so as to constitute a ballast of the cover module (8), said pocket (14). ) being preferably positioned centrally under said cover module (8).

6. Equipment (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said pocket (14) comprises an outer casing of PTFE.

7. Equipment (1) according to claim 5 or claim 6, characterized in that the means for stabilizing the pillar elements (11) on the floor (16) of the cover module (8) comprise the water pocket ( 14) of said cover module (8) and at least one water pocket disposed in an area adjacent to the area covered by said cover module (8), each pillar member (11) being connected to a water pocket by means of a stabilizing cable (15).

8. Equipment (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the or water pockets disposed (s) in the area adjacent to the area covered by said cover module (8) constitute (s) of the module weights cover adjacent to said cover module (8).

9. Equipment (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that the pillar elements (11) are made of an inflatable material, ovoid shape.

10. Equipment (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that the pillar elements (11) have a height between 1, 5 and 4 meters, and preferably of the order of 3 meters .

11. Equipment (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 10, characterized in that the membrane (9) is made either by a material permeable to water or by an implementation allowing the collection of rainwater to the right of the anchorage with the vertical tie.

12. Equipment (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 11, characterized in that the membrane (9) is constituted by a sheet or several superimposed sheets made of ETFE.

13. Equipment (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each covering module (8) has dimensions to cover an area of about 12 meters long by 12 meters wide.

14. Equipment (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cover module (8) has an inclination relative to the ground (16) between 0 degrees and 45 degrees, and preferably between 10 degrees and 25 degrees.

15. Equipment (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air evacuation duct (6) is constituted by a plurality of unit ducts (60) arranged successively one after the other and respectively fixed at ground level (16) so as to form a discharge duct along the floor (16).

16. Cover module (8) for the production of equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that it consists of a membrane (9) maintained at a regular distance from the ground (16) by holding means ( 10) comprising at least three pillar members (11) stabilized on the floor (16).

17. Application of equipment according to claim 1 for greenhouse culture in space (4).

18. A method of producing electricity consisting in implanting on a terrain having a substantially flat area and a raised area, an equipment according to claim 1, said space (4) being defined by a cover (8) on the one hand and the floor of the substantially flat area on the other hand, and said air evacuation duct (6) being formed by a duct at least partially along said zone having the natural relief.