Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ENERGY GENERATING APPARATUS AND METHOD
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
10001] An energy generating apparatus for converting energy from a fluid in
a fluid source into usable energy
2. Description of the Prior Art
[0002] It is well known to use water, or other fluids, to produce usable
energy. For example, hydroelectric dams usually include a turbine which
harnesses energy
from water flowing from an upper body of water to a lower body of water. While
hydroelectric dams are very effective, they can only be used in limited
places, i.e. on rivers.
[0003] Another energy generating apparatus that harnesses energy from a
fluid is shown in U.S. Patent No. 6,803,670, issued to Jean Peloquin on
October 12, 2004
(hereinafter referred to as "Peloquin `670"). The apparatus of Peloquin '670
includes a tank
for holding a fluid and having a bottom. A conduit is in fluid communication
with the tank
for conveying the fluid into and out of the tank to raise or lower the fluid
level in the tank.
A closed body that is buoyant in the fluid is disposed in the tank for moving
in a vertical
direction between an upper position and a lower position. The body is
mechanically
connected to an energy transmitting device, shown as a rotating shaft, for
receiving energy
in response to the body moving between the upper and lower positions and for
powering an
electric generator. In operation, the tank of the Peloquin `670 apparatus
fills with water, and
the buoyant body rises upwardly to the upper position. Once the body reaches
the upper
position, the tank is drained, and the energy from the falling body is
harnessed through a
clutch mechanism and a tether member.
[0004] While the Peloquin `670 apparatus is able to harness energy when the
body falls downwardly from the upper position to the lower position, it is
incapable of
harnessing energy when the buoyant body is raising upwardly in the tank from
the lower
position to the upper position. This is because of the use of a tether and
clutch mechanism
and because buoyant body is weighted to maximize the return of energy during
the falling
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movement. Any attempt at harnessing energy from the buoyant body when the body
moves
upwardly from the lower position to the upper position would either yield an
insignificant
amount of energy, if it yielded any energy at all.
[0005] There remains a significant and continuing need for an energy
generating apparatus that can more efficiently produce usable energy from a
wide variety of
fluid sources.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND ADVANTAGES
[0006] The present invention is for an energy generating apparatus for
converting energy from a body moving in both the downward direction from the
upper
position to the lower position and the upward direction from a lower position
to an upper
position. The invention accomplishes this because the body is a container
having an open
interior for receiving the fluid from the tank when the container is in the
upper position and
for dispensing the fluid out into the tank when the container is in the lower
position. In
other words, when the tank is full of fluid, the container fills with fluid to
increase its
potential energy. This potential energy is harnessed by an energy transmitting
device when
the tank is drained and the container falls downwardly from the upper position
to the lower
position. Upon reaching the lower position, the container discharges the fluid
back into the
tank to decrease the weight and increase the buoyancy of the container. This
increased
buoyancy of the container allows energy from the movement of the container
from the lower
position to the upper position to be harnessed by the energy transmitting
device.
[0007] The energy generating apparatus of the present invention is
significantly more efficient than the devices of the prior art because it is
capable of
harnessing energy from both directions of movement of the container. Only a
very small
amount of energy is required to fill and empty the container, and this small
investment
greatly increases the output of the energy generating apparatus.
[0008] Additionally, the energy generating apparatus of the present invention
can be powered with any type of liquid fluid from a wide variety of fluid
sources including
but not limited to a river, a tidal pool, a stream, a lock in a waterway, a
water treatment
plant, a sewage treatment plant or any other fluid source. The present
invention also has
none of the disadvantages of other energy production methods. Specifically,
the present
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invention consumes no water and does not produce any emissions or byproducts
of any kind
other than usable energy.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[00091 Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated,
as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed
description
when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
[00101 Figure I is a perspective view of a first exemplary embodiment of the
energy generating apparatus;
[0011] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a plurality of the first energy
generating apparatuses interconnected with one another; and
[00121 Figure 3 is a perspective view of a second exemplary embodiment of
the energy generating apparatus.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ENABLING EMBODIMENTS
[00131 Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate
corresponding parts throughout the several views, an energy generating
apparatus 20 for
converting potential energy in a fluid 22 from a fluid source 24 into
electricity is generally
shown in Figure 1. The fluid 22 used could be fresh water, salt water, storm
water, sewage
water or any other liquid. The fluid source 24 could be a river, a tidal pool,
a stream, a lock
in a waterway, a water treatment plant, a sewage treatment plant or any other
fluid source
24.
[00141 The energy generating apparatus 20 includes a tank 26, generally
indicated, having a bottom 28 for holding the fluid 22. In the exemplary
embodiments, the
tank 26 has a square-shaped cross-section, but it should be appreciated that
the tank 26 could
by cylindrical or it could have any desired cross-section. Depending on the
site conditions
and the application the energy generating apparatus 20 is being used for, the
tank 26 could
be formed of metal, concrete, plastic, or any other material strong enough to
hold the fluid
22. The tank 26 could be disposed above or below ground, and could have any
desired size.
100151 An inlet pipe 30 is in fluid 22 communication with the fluid source 24
and the tank 26 for conveying the fluid 22 from the fluid source 24 to the
tank 26. In the
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exemplary embodiment, the inlet pipe 30 extends downwardly almost to the
bottom 28 of
the tank 26, but it should be appreciated that the inlet pipe 30 can be placed
anywhere in or
above the tank 26. The inlet pipe 30 includes an inlet valve 32 having an open
position for
allowing the fluid 22 to flow into the tank 26 and a closed position to
prevent fluid 22 from
flowing from the fluid source 24 into the tank 26.
[0016] The energy generating apparatus 20 also includes a conduit 34 in fluid
22 communication with the tank 26 for conveying the fluid 22 out of the tank
26. The
conduit 34 is preferably placed adjacent to the bottom 28 of the tank 26 for
allowing gravity
to drain the fluid 22 out of the tank 26. A conduit valve 36 is disposed in
the conduit 34 for
selectively allowing the fluid 22 to flow out of the tank 26. The conduit 34
of the exemplary
embodiment includes an outlet 38 for dispensing the fluid 22 outside of the
energy
generating apparatus 20. In addition to dispensing the fluid 22 outside of the
energy
generating apparatus 20, as will be discussed in further detail below and
shown in Figure 2,
the conduit 134 could convey the fluid 22 from one tank 26 to another tank 26.
In other
words, the energy generating apparatus 20 could include more than one tank 26
with the
conduit 34 interconnecting the tanks 26.
[0017] In the exemplary embodiments, a turbine 40 is disposed in the conduit
34 between the tank 26 and the outlet 38 for harnessing energy from the force
of the water
being discharged out of the energy generating apparatus 20. The turbine 40 is
preferably
connected to a first electric generator 42 for converting the harnessed energy
into electricity.
However, it should be appreciated that the turbine 40 could be connected to
any other device
for storing or using energy.
[0018] A body 44, generally indicated, is disposed in the tank 26 for moving
in a vertical direction between an upper position spaced a first predetermined
distance from
the bottom 28 of the tank 26 and a lower position spaced a second
predetermined distance
from the bottom 28 of the tank 26. The first predetermined distance is greater
than the
second predetermined distance, i.e. the upper position is higher in the tank
26 than the lower
position. The movement of the body 44 between the upper and lower positions is
dictated
by the amount of water in the tank 26. Specifically, the body 44 floats
upwardly from the
lower position to the upper position when the fluid 22 level in the tank 26 is
raised, and the
body 44 falls downwardly from the upper position to the lower position when
the fluid 22
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level in the tank 26 is lowered. Although not shown, the tank 26 could include
at least one
guide rail for guiding the movement of the container 44 between the upper and
lower
positions. The raising and lowering of the fluid 22 level in the tank 26 will
be discussed in
greater detail below.
[0019] The body 44 of the exemplary embodiments is a container 44, or a
vessel, having an open interior. The container 44 includes a container valve
46 for
selectively allowing the fluid 22 to flow into the open interior of the
container 44 or for
discharging the fluid 22 out of the open interior of the container 44. As will
be discussed in
greater detail below, when the container 44 is in the upper position, the
container valve 46 is
opened to fill the container 44 with fluid 22 to increase the potential energy
of the container
44, and when the container 44 is in the lower position, the container valve 46
is opened to
discharge the fluid 22 out of the open interior of the container 44 to
increase the buoyancy of
the container 44. The container valve 46 is preferably closed when the
container 44 is
moving between the upper and lower positions.
[0020] In the exemplary embodiment of Figure 1, the container 44 includes a
plurality of legs 48 extending downwardly toward the bottom 28 of the
associated tank 26.
When the tank 26 is drained of fluid 22, the legs 48 support the container 44
in the lower
position. Additionally, the bottom 28 of the tank 26 includes a raised portion
50 to support
the container 44 in the lower position. In the second exemplary embodiment of
Figure 3, the
bottom 28 of the tank 26 includes a different type of raised portion 50 than
the first
exemplary embodiment. The second exemplary embodiment also includes a stop 52
for
holding the container 44 in the upper position.
[0021] Preferably, the volume of the tank 26 below the container 44 when the
container 44 is in the lower position is greater than the volume of the open
interior of the
container 44. Thus, when the tank 26 is drained of fluid 22 and the container
44 is resting in
the lower position, the container valve 46 can be opened to all of the fluid
22 in the
container 44 can be discharged into the tank 26. This fluid 22 does not have
to be
discharged out of the tank 26 and is preferably saved for when the filling
process of the tank
26 is restarted.
[0022] The energy generating apparatus 20 further includes a controller 54
operably connected to the inlet valve 32 and the conduit valve 36 for
controlling the flow of
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fluid 22 into and out of the tank 26. The controller 54 is additionally
operably connected to
the container valve 46 for controlling the flow of the fluid 22 into and out
of the open
interior of the container 44. The controller 54 could be connected to the
inlet, conduit and
container valves 32, 36, 46 through wired or wireless connections.
[0023] An energy transmitter 56, generally indicated, is interconnected with
the container 44 for harnessing energy from the movement of the container 44
between the
first and second positions and for transmitting that energy to a second
electric generator 58.
Figures 1 and 2 show a first exemplary embodiment of the energy transmitter
56, and Figure
3 shows a second exemplary embodiment of the energy transmitter 56. However,
it should
be appreciated that other devices could be used to harness the energy from the
movement of
the container 44 between the first and second positions.
100241 In the first exemplary embodiment of the energy transmitter 56, which
is shown in Figures 1 and 2, a rotatable shaft 60 is disposed above the tank
26. A shaft
sprocket 62 disposed on the shaft 60 and is aligned with the tank 26, and a
tank sprocket 64
is disposed in the tank 26. The tank sprocket 64 is spaced vertically from the
shaft sprocket
62. A chain 66 interconnects the shaft 60 and tank sprockets 64 and engages
the container
44. When the container 44 moves between the upper and lower positions, the
chain 66
applies a torque on the shaft sprocket 62 to rotate the shaft sprocket 62 and
the shaft 60. The
shaft 60 is preferably connected to a second electric generator 58 for
producing electricity.
A gear box 68 may be disposed between the shaft 60 and the second electric
generator 58 to
step up or step down the rotational velocity of the shaft 60, depending on the
intended use of
the output of the energy generating apparatus 20. It should be appreciated
that the second
electric generator 58 could be replaced with any other device for storing or
using energy.
Additionally, a belt and pulley system or any other device for transferring
the motion from
the container 44 to the shaft 60 could be employed in place of the chain 66
and sprocket
system shown in Figures I and 2.
100251 As discussed above, the fluid 22 level of the tank 26 can be raised and
lowered by operating the inlet valve 32 and the conduit valve 36 respectively
with the
controller 54. When the tank 26 is full or mostly full of fluid 22, the
container 44 will be
floating in the fluid 22 in the upper position. At this point, the controller
54 opens the
container valve 46 to fill the container 44 with fluid 22 from the tank 26.
This effectively
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increases the mass and potential energy of the container 44. Once the open
interior of the
container 44 is full of fluid 22, the controller 54 closes the container valve
46 and opens the
conduit valve 36 to drain the fluid 22 out of the tank 26 through the conduit
34. In response
to the draining tank 26, the container 44 falls downwardly from the upper
position to the
lower position, which causes the chain 66 to rotate the sprockets 62, 64 in a
first direction.
The shaft 60 rotates in the same direction as the shaft sprocket 62. The gear
box 68 transfers
this rotation from the shaft 60 to the second electric generator 58, thereby
generating
electricity. Preferably, the fluid 22 in the tank 26 is drained at a faster
rate than the
container 44 falls in order to maximize the amount of energy harnessed. The
container 44
falls downwardly in the tank 26 until it reaches the lower position, i.e. with
the legs 48 of the
container 44 abutting the bottom 28 of the tank 26 and the raised portion 50
of the bottom 28
of the tank 26 supporting the container 44. Additionally, the turbine 40
harnesses any
additional energy remaining in the fluid 22 as the fluid 22 is flowing from
the tank 26 to the
outlet 38 of the conduit 34. This harnessed energy is converted to electricity
by the first
electric generator 42.
[00261 Once the tank 26 is substantially drained of fluid 22, the controller
54
opens the container valve 46 to drain the fluid 22 out of the container 44 and
into the tank
26, thus decreasing the weight and increasing the buoyancy of the container
44. When the
container 44 is drained of fluid 22, the controller 54 closes the container
valve 46 and opens
the inlet valve 32 to raise the fluid 22 level of the tank 26. While the fluid
22 level of the
tank 26 rises, the container 44 floats upwardly from the lower position to the
upper position,
which causes the chain 66 to rotate the sprockets 62, 64 in a second direction
opposite of the
first direction. The gear box 68 also transfers this rotation from the shaft
60 to the second
electric generator 58, thereby generating electricity. The process of
alternately filling and
emptying the container 44 can be repeated as many times as desired to produce
electricity.
100271 Figure 3 shows the second exemplary embodiment of the energy
generating apparatus 120. The second embodiment includes a hydraulically
powered energy
transmitter 156 including a plurality of lower pistons 70 extending downwardly
from the
container 144 and a plurality of upper pistons 72 extending upwardly from the
container
144. The lower and upper pistons 70, 72 are generally indicated in Figure 3
and each
includes an cylinder 74 and an inner ram 76. In the second exemplary
embodiment, the
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rams 76 of the lower pistons 70 are connected to the container 144 and the
cylinders 74 of
the lower pistons 70 are sealed to the tank 26. A check valve 78 is disposed
on each of the
cylinders 74 of the lower pistons 70 for only allowing the fluid 22 to flow
from the tank 26
into the cylinder 74. Also in the second exemplary embodiment, the rams 76 of
the upper
pistons 72 are connected to the top of the container 144 and the cylinders 74
are connected
to the container 144. A check valve 78 is disposed on each of the cylinders 74
of the upper
pistons 72 for only allowing fluid 22 to flow from the container 144 into the
cylinder 74. In
the second exemplary embodiment, a hose 80 extends from each of the cylinders
74 of the
lower and upper pistons 70, 72 to a hydraulic motor 82, or a hydraulic pump,
to convert
hydraulic pressure from the pistons 70, 72 into a rotational output. This
hydraulic motor 82
is connected to a second electric generator 58 for generating electricity.
[00281 Like the first exemplary embodiment, the second exemplary
embodiment produces energy in response to the container 144 rising and falling
between the
upper and lower positions. When the container 144 is in the upper position,
the controller
54 opens the container valve 46 to fill the open interior of the container 144
with fluid 22
from the tank 26. Once the container 144 is full of fluid 22, the controller
54 closes the
container valve 46 and opens the conduit valve 36 to drain the fluid 22 out of
the tank 26
through the conduit 34. In response to the fluid 22 level of the tank 26
lowering, the
container 144 falls downwardly from the upper position. Simultaneously, the
rams 76 in the
lower pistons 70 push fluid 22 out of the cylinders 74 of the lower pistons 70
through the
hoses 80 to power the hydraulic motor 82 and the rams 76 in the upper pistons
72 raise
upwardly relative to the cylinders 74 to create a vacuum in the cylinders 74.
The vacuum in
the cylinders 74 of the upper pistons 72 pulls fluid 22 from the container 144
into the
cylinders 74 through the check valves 78. In other words, while the lower
pistons 70
discharge fluid 22 to power the hydraulic motor 82, the upper pistons 72 fill
with fluid 22.
[00291 Once the container 144 reaches the lower position and the tank 26 is
drained of fluid 22, the controller 54 opens the container valve 46 to drain
all of the
remaining fluid 22 in the container 144 into the tank 26, thus decreasing the
weight and
increasing the buoyancy of the container 144. When the container 44 is drained
of fluid 22,
the controller 54 closes the container valve 46 and opens the input valve to
raise the fluid 22
level in the tank 26. While the fluid 22 level of the tank 26 rises, the
container 144 floats
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upwardly from the lower position to the upper position. Simultaneously, the
rams 76 in the
upper pistons 72 push fluid 22 out of the cylinders 74 of the upper pistons 72
through the
hoses 80 to power the hydraulic motor 82 and the rams 76 in the lower pistons
70 raise
upwardly relative to the cylinders 74 to create a vacuum in the cylinders 74.
The vacuum in
the cylinders 74 pulls fluid 22 from the tank 26 into the lower pistons 70
through the check
valves 78. In other words, while the upper pistons 72 discharge fluid 22 to
power the
hydraulic motor 82, the lower pistons 70 fill with fluid 22. The process of
alternately filling
and emptying the tank 26 can be repeated as many times as desired to produce
electricity, or
any other usable form of energy, through the hydraulic motor 82.
[0030] It should be appreciated that other configurations of the hydraulic
pistons 70, 72 could also be used. For example, in Figure 3, the second
exemplary
embodiment is shown with four upper pistons 72 and four lower pistons 70.
However, any
desired number of upper and lower pistons 72, 70 could be employed.
Additionally, in the
second exemplary embodiment, the rams 76 of the lower pistons 70 and the
cylinders 74 of
the upper pistons 72 are attached to the container 44. However, this
configuration could be
reversed, or alternatively, both sets of rams 76 or cylinders 74 could be
attached to the
container 44.
[00311 Figures 1 and 3 show the energy generating apparatus 20 as being one
tank 26 with one container 44, 144 disposed therein. However, any number of
these tanks
26 could be used, and those tanks 26 could be fluidly connected to one another
with the
conduit 134. For example, as shown in Figure 2, four tanks 26 with four
cylinders 74
disposed therein are disposed in a longitudinal configuration to produce
additional
electricity. The tanks 26 could each have their own generator 58, or they
could be arranged
on a single shaft 160 to all work together to power the same generator 58. One
additional
advantage to having multiple tanks 26 is the conduit 34 can extend between the
tanks 26 to
allow the fluid 22 from one tank 26 to drain into another tank 26. Thus, the
same water can
be used to produce usable energy a number of times by flowing from one tank 26
to another
before ultimately being discharged out of the energy generating apparatus 20
through the
outlet 38. If the tanks 26 are disposed on the same level as one another,
gravity can only
equalize the fluid 22 level of the fluidly connected tanks 26. However, if one
or more tanks
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26 are disposed below other tanks 26, then more fluid 22 could conveyed from
the higher
tanks 26 to the lower tanks 26.
(0032) Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present
invention are possible in light of the above teachings and may be practiced
otherwise than as
specifically described while within the scope of the appended claims. These
antecedent
recitations should be interpreted to cover any combination in which the
inventive novelty
exercises its utility. The use of the word "said" in the apparatus claims
refers to an
antecedent that is a positive recitation meant to be included in the coverage
of the claims
whereas the word "the" precedes a word not meant to be included in the
coverage of the
claims. In addition, the reference numerals in the claims are merely for
convenience and are
not to be read in any way as limiting.
