Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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P E C I F I C A T I 0 N
In the following detailed description of the concept dimensions
are stated which are nominal and would be subject to amendment on _.._...
on teh basis of engineering review and by experiments with ptototyp-
es to determine bptimurn dimensions or which adapt the concept to
particular sites.
There are three a7_ternative versions of the Conveyor Belt Gen-P.
erator, and each of them requires an adequate supply of earth or rock
or other heavy material, perhaps from a rock crushing plant. The
vertical generator and the slopir,~'g generator would require access to
a road fox removal of discharged ballast by truck, or to water for
its removal by barge are perhaps used to form artifical reefs fo r
.:fish habitat. The third application in s mine shaft would not have
those requirements.
The vertical and sloping versions of the generator would both_
require stable soil to support their weight. An optimum cite for the
vertical~Conveyor Eelt Generator would be an L-shaped slot cut into
the side of a hill, which would be one hundred and twenty feet wide.
to -provide room for the conveyor belt, the service elevator, and the
masonry piers, and working room for operation and maintenance. The
height of the installation would be four hundred feet to provide room
fof the conveyor belt, the support for the ballast supply system
above it, and th~~ ramp for the discharge of ballast. The length of
the base of the installation, the base of the L, would depend on the
slope of the hill but would require room for the conveyor belt, the
ascending and descending troughs, rear working space and the ramp,
perhaps one hundred and fifty feet in all.
Drawing member one is an embodiment of the invention consisting
of a side elevation of elements of the vertical conveyor belt genera-
tor in which A is the reinforced;_concrete base of the installation
which includes footings for the steel beams supporting the conveyor
belt and thec'~discharge ramp as well as the masonry piers and side
walls, neither of which are shown in this drawing. B is the reinforc-
ed concrete wall at the rear of.:the installation which is in the
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shape of a horizontal arch based~on the masonry piers, as later
shwon on drawing number twelve. The purpose of the arch is to pro-
vide a stronger rear wall. C are steel beams which extend from the
base to the axle of the upper spindle, and provide support to :it as
well as t~~ bottom spindle, the inner spindles and the generators.
D is the conveyor belt, and E are the upper and lower spindles which
it rotates around. E~~ are the inner spindles, F are the troughs on
the conveyor belt, G is the ramp, and M axe steel support beams for
the ramp. H is the secondary conveyor belt which is part of the bal-
last delivery system.
Dtawing number two is an emb-odirnent of the invention consisting
of a front elevation of the vertical conveyor belt generator. ,It bet-
ter illustrates conveyor belt D, which is made of one inch steel cab=
1es spaced two feet apart, which are stabilized by one inch iron rods
which are welded across them at three foot intervals. The belt would.
have an overall length of 720 feet, but its total length and the dis-
tance between the_troughs subsequently mentioned would have to be div-
isible by 9 so that during the rotation of the belt the bottom edge
of the trough approaching the spindle would exactly meet Qne of the
arms of the spindle in order to factilitate the.smaoth rotation of
the belt around the spindle.
Each cable of the conveyor belt would have at both ends a loop
and a heavy chain twenty feet long joining the two ends so that one
segment of the belt would consist of chains to permit adjustment of .
the length of the belt to take up slack or reduce tension, or to
correct the position of the troughs if they get out of alignment
with the spindles..
As previously mentioned, measurements given are nominal and the
actual size and spacing of the cables would depend on engineering
calculations. A'greater length of the:.b:elt_-_would permit more elec-
tricity to be generated.
I on drawing number two are the side walls, J is the service
elevator, and K are masonry piers forty feet wide, six feet thick
and three hundred feet in height which provide support for rear
wall B as well as superstructure L. which is in effect a steel
bridge thirty feet in height and forty feet wide which spans the
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Z
120 foot width of the installation. From it hang L , the main supp-
orts for the top spindle, which bears the main weight of the conveyor
belt and the troughs with their ballast. It also supports the bal-
last delivery system at the top of the installation. ,
If the portion of the hill above the ~;ris~.tallation is ::..the source
of the ballast, it is possible that the soil conditions might not be
stable enough to allow the L-shaped cavation described above. In
that case;. a shorter excavation might be~ resorted to with a past of
the ballast delivery system being supported by steel beams based on
masonry piers installed at intervals on the slope of the. hill above
the installation.
Drawing number three is an embodiment of the invention consist-
ing of a side elevation of that. type of installation. In this eleva-
tion N are the masonry piers on the slope, and M are steel beams sup-
porting H, the extended base of the ballast delivery system
Drawing number four is an embodiment= of the invention consisting
of a side elevation in cross-ssection of the troughs which hoI_d the
ballast and power the system, and the plate above the trough which
helps to control the delivery of ballast into the trough. The troughs
and plate would be made of steel plate and be 30 feet long and 9 feet
in height and width with the exception of the outer side of the trou-
ghs which is tilted out at the top to avoid spilling the ballast as
it is dumped into the trough at the top of the rotation. There is a
hinge between the plate and the trough to facilitate rotation of the
belt around the spindles. The troughs and plates are welded to the
cables of the conveyor belt at intervals of 72 feet between each unit.
In drawing number four, D is the conveyor belt, F is the trough,
P is the plate, Pl is the bar belt under-the centre of the conveyor
belt which delivers power to the inner spindles, and Ul is the pole
projecting from the trough which activates delivery of the ballast to
the trough
Drawing number five is an embodiment of the invention which con-
sists of a side elevation of.:the 'top spindle and the electricity gen-
erating system. The spindle is 30' wide, and its spokes E rotate
around axle R which is polygon in cross-section to support the spokes
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at their point of contact but its outer ends are round and extend
out to sockets with ball bearings in vertical steel beams C which
ascend both sides of the conveyor belt from the base of the install-
ation to axle R of the top spindle, which is also supported by beams
L2. Steel beams C also support the batttom spindle, the inner spin-
files, the power shafts, and the generators.
The twelve spokes of the spindle-conists of a steel beam :LS' in
length, and their outer ends are nine feet apart, and are points in
the circumference of a circle 36' in diameter. The spokes are rein-
forced by 6" steel beams S welded to them 12' from the axle.
Drawing number six is an embodiment of the invention which con-
sists o- a front elevaiwion of the. top spindle and the electricity
generating system. The opposite end of the spindle would be the
same as shown in drawing number five, ~n.d the opposite ends of the
spokes would be joined by steel beam Y, which is supported by inter-
ior beams Al. There are flanges El at the ends of beam Y with an
outward slant to keep the conveyor belt from sliding off the end of
beam Y. The rotation of the spindles would be synchronized with the
movement of the troughs so that when a trough arrives it would mee t
a beam. Beam Y has notch Fl to accomodate bar belt Pl which deliv-
ers,power to the inner spindles, and notches Z which accomodates
drive belts T which deliver power to power shaft U.
Drawings numbers five and six together show the electricii=y gen-
erating system. The spindle drives belt T connecting to pulley Bl on
power shaft U. Pulleys Cl lon power shaft U deliver power through
belts V to double pulleys C which drive shafts on generators W with
gear boxes D1 allowing gradual addition of generators to the system
as ballast delivery reaches maximum effect. The double pulley allows
transfer of power from one set of generators to the next. The genera
tors are supported by shelves X which are supported by steel beam C.
The bottom spind=~e and the generators it drives are basically
the same as the. top spindle, with the exception that it does not
have to carry the greater weight borne by the top spindle. The
number of generators which can be driven by the system is increased
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by the addition of inner spindles Ybetween the top and bottom spind=
les.
Drawings numbers seven and eight are embodiments of the inven~
lion consisting of front and side elevations of the inner spindles.
Axle I1 is square in its middle to support spokes Hl but is round
at the ends which extend out to sockets with ball bearings in vert-
ical steel beams C. The outer ring G1 has notches in its shoulders''
as shown on drawing number eight which accomodate drive belts T
which service power shafts U both above and below the spindle. In
the centre of the circumference of the outer ring are embedded bla- .~
des Jl which are six inches square and mesh with bar belt Pl, which
consists of nine foot sections of a steel. trough which is welded to
the underside of the conveyor belt and tl:~e troughs and plates with
hinges to match them and meet the top and bottom spindles during
the rotation of the conveyor belt. Steel bars cross Plat intern
als matching the spacing of the blades on the Eircumference of the
inner spindle. The power generation system is the same as for the
;top and bottom spindles.
Drawing number two showed the masonry piers K which on whi~~h is
based superstructure L, which in turn supports the top spindle and a
a platform K1 under secondary conveyor belt H, which delivers the.;
ballast to the system. Drawing number nine is an embodiment of the
invention consisting of a side elevation of the ballast delivery sy-
stem from which the piers and superstructure L are deleted.
L1 is a hopper which is loaded by steamshovel from a ballast
stockpile, and it rides along rail Ml and distributes ballast alongr
conveyor belt H. Conveyor belt H deposits the ballast in trough N1
which has the same capacity as the troughs on the main conveyor belt
Its two steel plate ends are not shown in the drawing. Superstruc-
ture L is the inside wall of trough N1, and its outer wall and 1'~ott-
om, which v:~projects..under its inside wall, is formed by one shee t of
steel plate F2 which is curved at the corner to facilitate dropping
of the ballaste F2 swings out to drop the ballast, and to do.this
it has'hinge~Ql at its top. Hinge Ql conists of a 9 inch steel pipe
welded to the top of Fz, and a steel axle equipped with ball bear:-
ings runs through the pipe to sockets in steel arms G2:p..ojecting
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from superstructure L. These sockets are mounted on heavy springs,
and when the ballast is dumped from the trough, the spings push. the
axle up, completing an electrical connection which activates th.e sec-
ondary conveyor belt which delivers new ballast to the trough, which
again compresaes the spring and breaking the connection, stopping the
conveyor belt.
F2 has at the inner end of its bottom a vertical steel plate S1
which hangs down a distance of 10 feet. It has on its outside on its
bottom counterweight Tl.
In phase one in drawing number nine, a trough F on the main con-
veyor belt is approaching trough Nl, Trough F has a projecting; steel
bar Ul, which strikes plate S1 and pushes; it out, as shown in phase
two, which causes th-e ballast in Nl to drop into trough F and plate
P above it, which has raised sides to help control the flow of ball-
ast into trough F. As trough F proceeds on its way, counterweight T1
causes F2 to return to its original position awaiting the next: deliv-
ery of ballast
drawings numbers ten, eleven and twelve are embodiments of the
invention consisting of side, front, and overhead elevations of the
ballast disposal system. As trough F in drawing number 10 reaches
the bottom of spindle E it drops its ballast onto ramp G, which is
supported by steel beams Wl Raised sides ~l in drawing 10 control the
flow of the ballast. A2 is a wall which divides
tamp G into two sections, each of which receives half the load. Xl
are troughs into which the ballast slides,.and Y1 are openings in the
fiooz~ of troughs Xl leqding into chutes which drop the ballast into
waiting trucks for dispoal. Each of the openings Y1 can be closed
by a motor-driven steel plate on roller bearings so that the chutes
can be used in rotation to receive the ba:Llast.
The second application of the concept of the cpnveyor belt gener-
ator involves an=:,:i~stallation~.on.th~=,slope of a long hill, supported
by structural steel towers which themselves are are based on masonry
piers set at iiztervals on the slope. The gravitational force develop-
ed and the generating capacity -of the system would depend on the
steepness bf the slope and the capacity of the soil to support i:he
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weight of the installation. The~conveyor belt could descend at a
steeper angle than the slope by adjusting the height of the towers.
With a vertical conveyor belt generator the weight of the belt,
the troughs and the ballast is born mainly by the upper spindle.
With a sloping conveyor belt, a large part of .the weight of the trou-
ghs and the ballast would press down on the belt and could cause it .
to sag and pull the spindles together. If that became a potential
problem, it could be dealt with by installing steel rails shaped like
a squared letter U going down each side of the conveyor belt and. hav-
ing axles and wheels on the troughs riding an the rails to support
the weight of the troughs and the ballast. At the upper spindle as
the troughs began the downsward trip they would ride onto the rails
whose beginning would have a modest downward curve to ease the conned
tion, and at the bottom end the rails would end as the troughs reach-
ed the bottom spindle and began to rotate around it
Drawing number thirteen is an embodiment of the invention whichA
~~~~~s.ts of a side elevasion of the slaking conveyor belt generator.
In an actual installation there could be more than one intermediate
tower. Beginning at the top, the ballast delivery system isn't shown
in the drawing but would be the same as with the vertical generator.
Because the weight of the troughs and t~~. ballast is born in part by
the rails and the: intermediate towers, the massive piers and super-
structure L of the vertical generator would not be required. The rail
is B2 on the drawing.
The troughs would have to be redesigned to take into account
the fact that the conveyor belt is installed on a slope, and the pos-
sib le need for two sets of wheels to support'the weight of the ball
ast and the troughs. Drawing number fourteen is an embodiment of th
invention consisting of a side elevation of the trough in which i_t
is assumed that the conveyor belt is installed at an angle of forty-
five degrees. The conveyor belt is D, the rail is Bz, the trough i:
CZ, the.wheels are D~, and the plate above the trough is E2.
Because the ballast delivered to the trough falls onto a forty
five degree slope it would tend to spread out to the sides, and bat
plate Bz and the trough would have raised sides to control the ball
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The top of the sides of the troughs would be horizntal.
wnen the ballast descends into the trough it would descend down
the forty-five degree slope towards the the bottom of the trough, and'
so the bottom of the trough is vertical rather than being at right an-
gles to the conveyor belt to prevent the ballast from running out over
the top of the bottom p?{ate. Because of this, aspect of the'-design of
the trough for the sloping conveyor belt, the discharge of the ball-
ast as it rotates over the bottom spindle would continue longer than
ft would for the vertical conveyor belt, and the discharge ramp would
have to extend further up past the lower spindle to catch all of the
ballast..
The methods of delivery and removal of ballast would be the same
as with the vertical conveyor belt generator, but there is a possible
modification for the sloping installation,. It may prove to be that
there is an optimum length for the efficient generation of electricty
for the sloping installation, which in turn raises the possibility
that there could be two or more installations on one slope, with the
ballast from the uppermost installation being recycled for use in the
installation next below it.
The inner spindles are not shown on drawing number thirteen for
the sloping conveyor belt generator, and there is a possible problem.
The mesh between the blades on the circumference of the inner spindle
and the bar belt would be satisfactory on the upper side of the con-
veyor belt, but the weight of the troughs could cause the conveyor
belt to sag as it returns up the underside of the installation causing
the blades on the underside of the spindle to lose contact with the
bar belt. This could be dealt with by having the troughs a foot nary-
over than the conveyor belt on each side, sa that opposite eqch inner
spindle on the underside there could be a roller which lifts up the
conveyor belt so that firm contact is made.
The third application of the concept is'its installation in a de-
conrnissioned but serviceable mine shaft where supports for the cam-
ponents of the system would be embedded in the walls of the shaf=t.
The disposal of the ballast in the underground galleris of the mine
unless entirely automated would require workers and a means of their
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descent and return which would require a separate shaft, unless the
generating system and a service elevator could be accomodated in the
original shaft. As with the sloping conveyor belt, there is the pos-
sibility that the shaft could contain a series of installations, with
the ballast from the first stage being dumped into a trough which
would function in the same way as trough Nl in drawing number nine.
There is the plus side with the mine shaft generator, and that .__>
is that slag heaps could be cleaned up as ballast. Even settlement
ponds which can be an environmental time bomb might be emptied using
steel drums placed into specially desifned troughs by cranes equipped
with electromagnets.
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LIST OF DRAWINGS
1. Side elevation of elements of the vertical
conveyor belt generator
2. Front elevation of elements of the certical
conveyor belt generator
3. Side elevation of elements of a vertical conveyor
belt generator partly embedded in a hillside
4. Side elevation in cross section of the trough
5. Side elevation of top spindle and electricity
generating system
6. Front elevation of elements of spindles and electricity
generating system
7. Front elevation of inner spindle
8. Side elevation of inner spindle
9. Ballast delivery system
10. Side elevation of ballast discharge system
11. Front elevation of discharge ramp
12. Qverhead elevation of discharge ramp
13. Sloping conveyor belt generator
14. Side elevation of trough of sloping conveyor belt
gewerator
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GLOSSARY OF LETTERS USED IN DR.~WINGS
TO DESTGNATE EI;EMENTS OF THE INVENTION
A. Base
B. Rear Wal1
C. Steel beam
D . Conveyor belt
E. Spindles
F. Troughs
G. Ramp
H. Top conveyor belt
I. Side wal_1
J. Service elevator
K. Masonry piers for superstructure
L. Steel arch or bridge of superstructure
L.2 Supports for top spindle
M. Steel support beams
N. Hillside piers
0. v
P. Plate
Q. Hinge
R. Axle
S. Reinforcing bars
T. Drive belt
U. Power shaft
V. Drive belt to generators
W. Generators
X. Supports for generators
Y. Steel beam coining tops of spindles
Z. Notches for drive belt
Al Steel beams supporting top beam
B1 Pulleys -or drive belt
C1 Pulleys for generators
D1 Gear bores for generators
Continued
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Glossary of Letters Continued
E1 Flang.e.s at ends of spindles to control conveyor belt
F1 Notches for spindle drive belt
GI Inner spindles
HZ spokes for inner spindles
II Axle for inner spindle
J1 Blades on outer rim of inner spindle
Kl Platform for secondary conveyor belt
Ll Hopper
MI Rail for hopper
N1 Ballast trough
01 '~.rms supporting outer side of trough
PlBar belt under centre of conveyor belt delivering
power to inner spindles
Hinge for.-outer.:: side of traugh
R~-~Bottom andoouter- side. of trough
SI Projection of Rl, striker plate and counterweight
Counterweight
U~ Pole projecting from trough
V~ Side of ramp
Wl Steel beams supporting ramp
Xl Troughs at end of ramp
YI Discharge spout from ramp
Z1 Trucks removing ballast
A2 Wall dividing ramp into two sections
B2 Steel rail supporting troughs on sloping conveyor
belt generator
C~ Trough on sloping conveyor belt generator
D~ Wheels running on ra~ls DZ supporting trough C2
E Plate above trough C with sides-
