Patent Application
20140044490
The present invention relates to a more precise control of buoyancy, but not exclusively, for attachment to large structures being lower, lifted, positioned and transported on the ocean. The present invention relates to controlling the depth and motion of a structure underwater. The invention generally applies to offshore floating structures used in the exploration and production of offshore minerals, such as semi-submersible vessels, tension leg platform and spur type platforms, more particularly to offshore floating structures having vertically spaced buoyancy capsules enclosed within an open cross-braced jacket framework or truss support structure including large floating offshore windmills. This invention further relates to generating clean electricity with the aid of buoyancy in pools, lakes and ocean, with precise buoyancy control and gravity to regulate accurate frequency required to generate AC power continuously.
Firstly there are many way of lifting and transporting a heavy structures in the ocean with certain amount buoyancy control, of these are pressurized air or gas inflated balloons and barges but non with a more precise control and rapid response in slowing down the lifting as the structure comes to the surface or maintaining a level float on the ocean surface.
Secondly there are many way to generate electricity today, among these are nuclear power, coal power, and gas power. However none of them is clean or reusable energy, these non-reusable fossil fuel resources such as liquefied natural gas, coal nor oil which will inevitably run out. Furthermore the fossil fuels environmental impact is causing serious cultural, socio-economic and climate crisis around the globe, not to mention the safety and costs of the nuclear power. Therefore, many domains that use fossil fuel are gradually adding reusable energy to curve the environmental impact such as solar energy wind power. However, with limitations and restrictions such as topography, climate and geographical locations, causes inconsistencies in power generation, additionally wind power and solar power has high construction, upkeep and power transport costs (power lines).
Thus to overcome the abovementioned problems of prior art, the present invention has provided practicability after deliberate design, calculations evaluation and experience, developed and design to combine the related art.
It is a primary object of the present invention mainly provides repeated buoyancy control and generating AC electrical power continuously maintaining required rpm/frequency to the generator constantly.
The present invention concerns an apparatus which generates electrical power from a combination of gravity forces and inherent buoyancy forces of a hollow body immersed in fluid, preferably water and control of weights sliding on a main lever arm. This is accomplished through a combination of switches and valves controlled by computer and hydraulic pump. The apparatus is mounted on the platform elevated above the ground which contains main shaft with a one way clutch assembly, the said shaft is extended to the gearbox/transmission thereby generator, furthermore the said one way clutch is fixed at midpoint to the main lever arm that reciprocates as a seesaw. The buoyancy force and the gravity forces simultaneously act on the said main shaft in a one way rotational direction. The main lever arm is mounted with a two hydraulic cylinder at one end of the said main lever arm. The said hydraulic cylinders rods are combined with a common block that is fixed to a gear rack on roller bearings that slides thus as the said gear rack slides thereby operate the small involute gear. This said involute gear turns thereby turns the larger sprocket gears in turn smaller sprocket gears as the sprocket chain transports the mass weights back and forth as a conveyer. The said hydraulic cylinders piston rods operate simultaneously thereby turning a sprocket gears mounted directly above the said gear rack. The lower main active hydraulic cylinder's hydraulic pipes are connected to a control valve (controlled by the computer) to a hydraulic pump whereby the hydraulic tank. The top hydraulic cylinder is a slave cylinder filled with hydraulic fluid to operate the buoyancy hydraulic cylinder filled with hydraulic fluid mounted on a steady structure located at variable buoyancy chamber to displace water in the pool or to take in water. As the sprocket gears rotates the sprocket chains follows on both side of the involute gear driven by the gear rack thus moving the attached weights that are fixed to the said chain. The said weights are on bearing running on the main lever arm from midpoint of the said main lever arm to other outer end of the said main lever arm, at the same time the buoyancy hydraulic cylinder is operated by the slave hydraulic cylinder to displace water or taking in water in the variable buoyancy chamber.
In the present invention the following is complete operating cycle of each long main arm as it reciprocates as a seesaw transferring rotational force in one direction to the gearbox/transmission thereby the generator. As the hydraulic control valve controlled by the computer directs hydraulic fluid that's pumped to the (lower) active hydraulic cylinder on the main lever arm when the main lever arm's position (on the weights side of the said arm) is lifted and (on the variable buoyancy chamber side) is lower, gradually the hydraulic piston rod of the said main active hydraulic cylinder pushes outwards along with the top slave hydraulic piston rod that operating simultaneously since said both rods are attached to the gear rack that is on roller bearing. There two vital actions taking place simultaneously as the two hydraulic cylinders piston rods are pushed out on the main lever arm;
Firstly as the gear rack on bearings is pushed outwards turning the involute gear and larger sprocket gear since they are rotating as a unit. The lower track portion of the sprocket chain on the sprocket gears is clamp with a dead weight sliding on bearings from the midpoint to the outer end of the main lever arm as a conveyer, this action is caused by the sliding of the gear rack moving back and forth as the sprocket gears rotate clockwise or counterclockwise changing the location of the dead weights as the sprocket chain moves on the sprocket chain route back and forth. By applying gravity force on the main lever arm when weights are extended outwards thus the positive action of the one way clutch at midpoint on the main lever arm is turning the apparatus main shaft thereby the gearbox shaft whereby the generator and when the dead weights are withdrawn to the center to tilt the main lever arm in opposite location since there is no drive shaft load on the main lever arm at this point and the weight on buoyancy side of the main arm has increased due to water entered the buoyancy chambers and the excess weight on buoyancy side of the main lever arm, thus resetting the main lever arm.
Secondly as the two hydraulic cylinder piston rods on the main lever arm that is operating simultaneously since both are tied together. As the (lower) main active hydraulic cylinder piston rod pushes out the fluid in the top hydraulic cylinder piston forces into the buoyancy hydraulic cylinder, this action is taking place because the top hydraulic slave cylinder and the buoyancy hydraulic cylinders are full of hydraulic fluid causing each other to displace hydraulic fluid, the sealed disc/diaphragm in the variable buoyancy chamber to displace water or take in water by the buoyancy hydraulic cylinder thus applying buoyancy force repeatedly on the main lever arm.
The two vital actions as explained earlier apply enormous force at both end of the main lever arm transferring these forces at mid-point thus turning the main shaft. By attaching additional unit of the main lever arms to the main shaft operated in sequence completes the 360 degrees continuous rotation with constant turning force on the main shaft to the gearbox whereby the generator. To maintain a constant turning torque force and maintain specified rpm within generator tolerances at the said generator end the computer can control each valve separately to each main active hydraulic cylinder thereby applying constant turning force thus to keep up and maintain the required torque and maintain rpm at the generator end as demand for power increases or decreases, thus this apparatus can be used for many application other than generating electrical power.
The invention is better understood by reading the following Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawing figures.
The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for the purpose of illustration and description only; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form described.
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