US20070258771A1

US20070258771A1 - Using the class #2 simple lever machine system to harvest and transport energy from water waves to shore for electricity and other uses

Info

Publication number: US20070258771A1
Application number: US11/789,684
Authority: US
Inventors: Kenneth Merle Weldon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-05-04
Filing date: 2007-04-25
Publication date: 2007-11-08

Abstract

This project uses the class #2 simple lever machine principal in a simple and unique way to harvest and transport energy from the bottom of an ocean or lake from the action of water waves beyond the shore and up on land. The fulcrum for this lever is an anchor on the seafloor, at the opposite end of this lever, the force, or energy, is an attached water container that rises and falls with water wave action. A water pump anchored to the seafloor and reaching the underside of the water container receives the energy and pumps water continually and harmoniously with the vertical movements of this water container to shore and into a fresh water reservoir.

After the water has lost its energy to do work from its loss of elevation below the reservoir it can be recycled back to the water pump. This application will show the water from the reservoir to be used in the generation of electricity and either recycled back to the water pump, or wasted after use, and a continual supply of fresh water from another source is available for use.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

This final invention has come from ideas I originally conceived in the 1960's while boating in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the states of Oregon and Washington, U.S.A. I then started to develop a way to capture some energy of water wave action to produce electricity. To show an earlier time of conception before today's date, I started mailing certified mailings to myself beginning Feb. 19, 1999 that verifies work progress in the years of 1995 and 1996. I have three certified mailings to myself in 1999, and one mailing in 2001 to show my progress on the invention, plus all drawings, notes, and writings since that time. In earlier conceptions, I was trying to carry an electrical station from a fixed support using the wave, tide, and current actions simultaneously. After that time, I completed an invention, describing a mechanical energy source from a floating ship to produce electricity, then even later, how to use this method hydraulically, instead of mechanical means. I have most recently discovered a new method to transport energy from water waves or swells with fresh water to shore for electricity.
One of my recent discoveries uses the simple class #2 type lever machine in a unique way to harvest and transport water or hydraulic energy from ocean water waves to shore, for use to produce electricity. I shall include this newly discovered method as part of this invention.
The discovery of how to particularly transport the energy using fresh water in a pipe in this new invention came to more perfection late in the year of 2000, and will be verified with some dated drawings and certified mailings to myself in March, 2001. In 2002, I found a better and inventive way to harvest energy for electricity from the weight of objects or containers full of water and placed below the surface of water waves or swells. The enclosed water could then be used directly as weight, or energy and this energy could then be transported to shore in water pipes. In 2003 I found two additional and unique mechanical methods to harvest energy from water waves now used in this invention.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The two main new innovations in this invention are: the unique way to harvest energy from a water wave plus the introduction and use of fresh water only in the entire water pumping and circulating system. All water pumps under the water waves in this invention can use either one pipe or the two pipe method to push water to a reservoir on shore. One pipe means to just push water back and forth in a pipe to shore the same distance as the waves height will allow, and the two pipe method is to allow water to come into the water pump under the water waves in one pipe, and push water to shore in the second pipe from the pump.
This invention is especially unique in its primary way to harvest water wave energy by using the class #2 simple lever machine working under a water wave and having it fulcrum anchored and pivoting on the seafloor. A heavy floating object moving harmoniously with the waves at the end of this lever will move one end of the simple lever up and down to operate a water pump piston attached under this lever. The vertical movement of the water piston in the water pump secured to the seafloor will draw and then push fresh water to shore in pipes to a high water reservoir or to a pressurized water holding tank, and finally, recycle the water back to the water pump if desired.
After the fresh water has been used from the reservoir such as turning the blades of a hydro-turbine located far below, or for a plurality of other uses, it may be returned or recycled back to the water pump area for re-use. The original supply of water may come from a local stream, river, or other location to fill the reservoir and will use water waves to pump it full. Using abundant water from a nearby stream or river for the needed water supply could eliminate the need to recycle this water. A small and constant supply of fresh water is needed for replacing water losses in this project.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Drawing sheet #1

A general view of a class #2 simple lever machine that is used in this invention under the water waves to pump water to shore

Drawing sheet #2

A general view of water being pushed from the sea into an open water reservoir on land.

Drawing sheet #3

A general view of water being pushed from the sea into a pressurized water holding tank on shore.

Drawing sheet #4

A view showing a rigid board being used to pump and recycle water to shore

Drawing sheet #5

A frontal view showing a large float being used to pump and recycle water to shore

Drawing sheet #6

A side view similar to drawing #5, showing a large float and parts of the water pump and the pipes and valves to recycle water using two pipes

Drawing sheet #7

A view similar to drawing #6, except the use of the one water pipe method to shore using the “push and pull” or “back and forth” motion of water to the shore

Drawing sheet #8

A view showing the intersection on shore where fresh water is entering the “one pipe”, or “push and pull” system to be pumped to a water reservoir on land

Drawing sheet #9—(two figures)

FIG. 9

Shows how 20 different water pumping stations could work harmoniously together to share the same pipe system to shore

FIG. 10

Sows an example of how an expandable bladder under a wave could pump water to shore

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To pump water from a water wave area at sea to the water reservoir on land, a water pipe will extend directly from the ocean water pump under the water waves at sea to the water reservoir on land. (See drawing sheet #2) The ocean water waves will force water into the pipes at sea by one of (3) basic methods. One method is to use a float on the surface of water or encapsulated within a water wave, or a small object, a barge, or a small ship as part of a simple lever system. (See drawing sheet #5) The floating object receives its energy from the rising water wave, and as gravity pulls the object downward, its weight becomes energy to transport water to shore. This method is a way for harvesting the greatest amount of power from the ocean water waves yet known to mankind.
Another method has a somewhat flat, rigid board attached vertically to the lever and at a right angle to the wave. (See drawing page #4) As the wave pushes on it, it is pushed downward to force the water piston in the water pump to do its work. The last method uses a collapsible bladder (See drawing sheet #9, FIG. 10) to receive and exhale water from either the vertical weight or horizontal force of a water wave. Placed below the wave, it will collapse under the weight of the water wave, and then replenish its water and size as the wave passes. The bladder itself acts as the pump. Another location of the bladder may be on a vertical face or rocky formation on shore being struck directly by the horizontal force of water waves.
A method for using only one pipe to shore before the recycling takes place is to use a simple water plunger under the water wave to push water back and forth all the way to the shore. (See drawing sheet #7) The piston is pushing water up the pipe, and back down in the pipe, in a “back and forth” motion about the same distance as the wave is in height or crest. This “back and forth” water motion will end on shore where this pipe from the sea intersects and receives either the recycled water in a return pipe, or from a constant fresh water supply. This location is where the water is recycled. Pressurized water from the plunger will go up in one pipe toward the reservoir on the forward thrust, and check valves will allow new or recycled water to enter this pipe on its receding plunger action. Again, this method needs only one pipe reaching from the ocean to this water pipe intersection. The use of the one pipe method under a water wave makes it difficult to use or allow multiple stations to be added to the single pipe. (see drawing sheet #6) The two pipe method using two pipes connected to the bottom of the water pump under the water waves at sea does the recycling of water there plus in addition, it can accept multiple stations from multiple waves to share the same two pipes to shore, one of which is gravity fed water from shore, and the other pipe carrying pressurized water to a reservoir on shore. (See drawing sheet #9, FIG. 9)
The exchange of fresh returned water to pressurized water will preferably take place below the water piston enclosed within the vertical pipe casing and just above the floor of the ocean or in deep water, from a structure rising from the floor of the ocean. (See drawing sheet #6) The vertical pipe and vertical movement of water below the piston will be diverted into a horizontal water pipe on the seafloor to shore with one-way check-valves here and at other locations on its way to shore for safety, loss of water or energy. The water piston would be placed inside its round housing vertically between the bottom of the ocean and the bottom of the submerged structure. The water piston will be fixed to the bottom end of the long piston shaft and this shaft will be attached firmly to the bottom of the structure or float, (or on the simple lever extending from structure). A pipe or casing surrounding this piston for its entire length will also be rigidly fixed to the bottom of the submerged structure, as both the piston and this outside casing of the water pump will move harmoniously with the float or structure. This casing will be the outside part of the water pump. The uppermost end of the casing will hold air inside of it and as the piston moves up and down in the water pipe, the changing volume of air will move freely back and forth to the surface through a large air vent in the top of this casing as well as removing unwanted water between the two moving and sliding piston walls.
The base for the pump would be fixed rigidly to the seafloor to accept the great weight of the assembly pushing down on the water piston. The connection at the top end of the vertical water piston and its metal collar at the bottom of the float assembly would have to swivel or rotate in all directions. This pipe at the lower and opposite end of this vertical water pump must rotate in all directions where it is connected to the joint at the sea bottom, or anchoring point. This connection at the seafloor is actually the base of the water pump, where it will recycle the incoming and outgoing water inside the two attached water pipes. It is assumed that the most desired location of the water piston is to be positioned at the float assembly's center of gravity. An engineer may want to place the water pump in some other position on the lever for a different mechanical advantage. When utilizing several working stations, it is desirable to place this base, or joint, receiving the extreme weight or force of the water piston, centrally located as possible between the return and pressurized water pipes to an from shore lying horizontally on the floor of the ocean. A short and perhaps smaller pressurized water pipe will connect each working station to the larger pressurized pipe located nearby at about a 45 degree angle. The fresh water return water pipe needed for this station will be “siphoned” or extracted from the much larger “gravity return” water pipe nearby coming from shore. The return water pipe will end at the last “station” on line, as no further fresh water will be needed. And conversely, the “pressurized” water pipe will only begin or “start” when the first “station” is brought on line, but will continue on into the water reservoir on shore. When each “station” is brought “on line” the fresh water pipe and the pressurized water pipe should be placed far enough apart for the vertical working water piston and pipe can have ample working room plus a consideration for maintenance, probably from a floating barge, to pull out and re-set new water pumps.
To eliminate the need of a large water reservoir located on shore and of high elevation, a small water tank on shore at any elevation could be utilized as an enclosed pressurized water holding tank. (see drawing sheet #3) The water that is forced into a pressurized holding tank must have equal or greater pressure per square inch than that of the tank. The water pressure inside the tank could be increased also by reducing the pressurized water pipes size to a smaller orifice as it enters the holding tank. Preferably the holding tank will operate like a well and water tank in a rural residence that has water with air in the tank. Proper air and water ratio could maintain a very high water pressure for use over very long periods of time. The air pressure in the tank can be regulated by water pressure, external air pumps, or release valves.
There will need to be an original source of fresh water from a nearby stream, lake, river, or other source to fill the water reservoir on land before the energy from this stored water in the reservoir can be used. A small amount of fresh new water is needed constantly for losses in evaporation, absorption, and water loss at the water piston, etc. A geographic location with an abundance of water may eliminate the need to recycled water, consequently, the water from the high reservoir will then be “wasted” and not returned for recycling.

Claims

1. I claim my invention is a new method to harvest and transport energy as water in water pipes from the action of water waves from an ocean or lake to an elevated onshore water reservoir or tank for the primary mission to generate electricity from water turbines below by using the principle of the class #2 simple lever machine (see drawing sheet #1) to do work by using the seafloor or lake bottom as the (fulcrum), or “anchor”, for the “lever arm” extending upwards from this point vertically into the water wave area, preferably at a 45 degree angle, to an attached and heavy container, that becomes the “effort”, or “force” that will push the lever arm down that has the top portion of a water piston with its casing and piston attached to it on the lower side, and having the bottom of this water pump's casing attached to the floor of the body of water, will thusly will pump fresh water continuously to and from shore with its connected water pipes at the base of the water pump with the rising and falling vertical water wave action. (See drawing sheet #6)

2. I claim that the use of a flexible type water pump such as an expandable “bladder” or balloon located below the water wave will push water to shore in a pipe as it draws in and expels its water from the rising and falling water wave is new. (See drawing page #9 FIG. 10) As the wave recedes, the balloon will fill because of less pressure from the water wave and greater “back pressure” of water in the pipe leading to shore. This bladder can also work from the direct force of a water wave when placed on a vertical hard surface of a cliff or rock outcropping area in front of the wave.

3. I claim the weight of a volume or mass of water within a water wave by either being free flowing or encapsulated within an open or closed container, and undulating up and down to pump water to shore in a water pipe is new as well as a plurality of other work projects.

4. I claim a unique use of a fresh water pump working in water and under water waves to push water in a water pipe to an elevated fresh water reservoir on land and then accept fresh water back to this water pump location from a river, stream, or other fresh water source is new.