Patent Grant
11680552
The present invention pertains generally to systems that operate by using renewable energy from the earth's gravitational field. More particularly, the present invention pertains to systems and methods for employing the effect of gravity on a power module as it falls through air to generate electricity, and the effect of the module's buoyancy as it rises through water to an elevated start point for a subsequent work cycle. The present invention is particularly, but not exclusively, useful for maintaining two different water levels in a bi-level tank to establish the water portion of an air/water pathway for a power module during its work cycle.
A displacement device disclosed for the present invention is intended primarily, but not exclusively, for use as a mechanism to operate a bi-level tank. As envisioned for the present invention, a bi-level tank will preferably have a structure such as is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/788,683, which was filed on Feb. 12, 2020, by Townsend for an invention entitled “Machine for Driving an Electric Generator” (hereinafter referred to as the “Machine”).
In overview, as disclosed in the '683 Application, the Machine moves a power module(s) along a vertically oriented air/water pathway. On the air portion of the pathway, the power module engages with a linear electric generator and falls under the influence of gravity to generate electric energy. The power module then falls into a bi-level water tank where it is directed along the water portion of the pathway. In the water tank, the power module is raised by its buoyancy back to an elevated start point where it begins another cycle.
Briefly, the bi-level tank of the Machine includes both an upper “tower tank” and a lower “transfer tank”. Different water levels for the upper and lower tanks are maintained by the operation of a valving system in the bi-level tank. This valving system also allows the tanks to be either connected in fluid communication with each other or, alternatively, isolated from each other. Importantly, during these change-over operations, the tanks are connected in fluid communication with each other only during the time that is needed for a power module to transit through the lower “transfer tank”. Once the module leaves the lower tank and enters the upper tank, the upper and lower tanks are again isolated from each other. During the event, water levels in the respective upper and lower tanks must be controlled. For the present invention, this control is established by a water displacement device that accounts for the passage of a power module through the lower tank.
An operation of a displacement device for the Machine will be best appreciated by considering what must be accomplished during the passage of a power module through the lower tank. Of particular importance, is the need for its control over the water level in the lower tank. Specifically, as a power module falls into the lower tank, the upper and lower tanks are isolated from each other and the water level in the lower tank rises. At the same time, access into the lower tank is sealed and closed behind the power module. As the power module passes along an unobstructed water pathway into the upper tank, water from the upper tank replaces the water volume previously occupied by the power module in the lower tank. The water level in the lower tank, however, does not drop because the lower tank has remained closed. Note: as the power module transited the lower tank, the displacement device was activated to displace a volume of water from the lower tank and move it into the upper tank. Thus, once the module has vacated the lower tank the water level in the lower tank will be lowered. Nevertheless, the valving system in the bi-level tank is operated to isolate the lower tank from the upper tank. The displacement device can then be deactivated to lower the water level in the lower tank for receiving the next module.
To control the separate water levels of the upper and lower tanks in the bi-level tank, it is necessary for the displacement device to cyclically lift a large volume of water from the lower tank, and into the upper tank. This lifting is done under very high pressures from water in the upper tank, and it must be accomplished within a relatively short period of time (e.g. several seconds). In effect, the work required to lift this water is the preponderance of the input power required to operate the Machine. On the other hand, as a separate consideration, the output power of the Machine comes from an interactive engagement of the power module with a linear electric generator as the module falls through air outside the bi-level tank.
Both the input and output power requirements for operating the Machine will be best appreciated by identifying the physical aspects that are involved with its operation. Of particular importance is the relationship between the input power provided by the displacement device, and the output power generated by a power module. In this context, the forces of gravity and buoyancy dominate for determining the resultant output power.
First, with specific regard to the power module and the output power of the Machine, the relationship between gravity and buoyancy is important. Buoyancy is a force that does not nullify the force of gravity. Buoyancy and gravity do, however, act on the power module in directly opposite directions. This relationship is typically quantified by a so-called buoyancy factor B. Mathematically, B equals the weight (mass) of an object relative to the weight (mass) of a same volume of the medium (e.g. water or air) in which it is submerged. In the context of the present invention, a power module will have a different B when falling through air while engaged with a linear generator, than when it is submerged in the bi-level tank of the Machine. For purposes of the present invention, the module's buoyancy factor B in air is considered negligible (i.e. B>>1). In water, however, for disclosure purposes only, B is considered equal to 0.7.
Another physical consideration of great importance for the present invention is the First Law of Thermodynamics. Simply stated, the First Law requires that the total energy in a closed system can be neither created nor destroyed. The present invention, however, is not a closed system and therefore the First Law is not a concern. This is so merely because the Machine requires an input power for its operation.
As a practical matter, it happens that the present invention incorporates two different energy systems. One system, in effect, drives the other. Specifically, one energy system involves the work that is done by a power module to generate an output power under the influence of the forces of gravity and buoyancy. The other involves the work that is cyclically done by the displacement device to reconfigure the bi-level tank with a water pathway for the power module as it transits through the bi-level tank. Neither the first energy system nor the second energy system can be considered as a closed system.
Although they operate separately, both the first and second energy systems can be evaluated within the same time interval Δt. For purposes of the present invention, Δt is defined by the interval of time required for a displacement device to complete a duty cycle. Thus, Δt is defined in the operational context of an operation of the displacement device. Nevertheless, Δt must also be considered in the operational context of the power module. Specifically, the power module must remain engaged and work with the electric generator continuously through the entire time interval Δt.
For purposes of this disclosure, a volume of water, Vw, in the lei-level tank is determined based on the displacement volume of a power module, Vm. Thus, they are equal to each other (Vw=Vm). The mass, mm, of the module volume Vm, however, is less than the water mass mw of the water volume Vw. This is quantified by the module's buoyancy factor B (i.e. mm=Bmw). In accordance with this relationship, the mass of the water volume Vm will hereinafter be referred to merely as “m”, and the mass of the module will be referred to as “Bm”. It then follows that for the present invention, the energy in a volume of water will be equal to mgH, where g is the effect of gravity and H is a head height distance which is established by the water level in the upper tank of the bi-level tank. Similarly, the energy in a power module will be considered equal to BmgH.
Power is defined as work, U, per unit of time. Thus, the input power to operate the displacement device is U/Δt=mgH/Δt, and the output power generated by a power module is BmgH/Δt.
With the above in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a displacement device that will maintain different water levels in a bi-level tank for the purpose of establishing a water pathway on which a power module can transit by its buoyancy to an elevated start (launch) point from where it can be dropped to generate electricity under the influence of gravity. It is another object of the present invention to provide a system by which the output power of the Machine is developed by an output energy system, and the input power for running the Machine is developed by a separate input energy system. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for driving a Machine that will generate electricity under the influence of the forces of gravity and buoyancy, and which is easily manufacturable, is simple to use, and is cost effective.
A displacement device is provided for driving a Machine that has a pneumatic component, a mechanical component, an hydraulic component and an electromagnetic component. Of these components, the focus for the displacement device of the present invention is on the combination of the pneumatic and mechanical components which establish an input energy system.
Structurally, the displacement device includes, in sequence, a Skirt (enclosure), a piston plate, a bellows, an exhaust chamber, a receiver tank for holding high-pressure compressed air, and an air compressor. Functionally, compressed air from the receiver tank is pulsed through the bellows to push upwardly against the underside of the piston plate, and thereby expand the skirt. The pulse of compressed air below the piston plate is then exhausted to the atmosphere to lower the piston plate for a next duty cycle.
The skirt (enclosure) of the displacement device is preferably made of a flexible, non-stretchable, material which will allow it to expand radially outwardly from a central axis that is defined by the cylindrical shape of the skirt. The upper end of the skirt is affixed to an inside wall of a water tank, and the lower end of the skirt is attached to the perimeter of the piston plate. In this combination, a skirt volume Vs is created within the skirt between the inside wall of the water tank and the piston plate. This skirt volume Vs is then filled with water having a predetermined pressure H. Importantly, both the skirt volume Vs and the pressure H remain constant during an operation of the displacement device.
In detail, the piston plate has an upper surface with a circular flat plate area A that is surrounded by the plate's perimeter. The underside of the piston plate also has an area A that is surrounded by the plate's perimeter. In its connection with the skirt, the piston plate defines an axis which is essentially coaxial with the central axis of the skirt.
The cylindrical shaped bellows of the displacement device has a hollow interior and open ends. The upper end of the bellows is connected to the perimeter of the piston plate with the underside of the piston plate facing into the hollow interior of the bellows. Also, the open lower end of the bellows is connected directly in fluid communication with the exhaust chamber. In this combination, the bellows is coaxially aligned with the piston plate and due to the axially directed flexibility of the bellows, the piston plate is able to move in an axial direction either away from or toward the exhaust chamber. Specifically, it is to be appreciated that as the piston plate is raised to move away from the exhaust chamber and toward the skirt, it will reconfigure the skirt with a radially outward expansion. On the other hand, when the piston plate is lowered to move in the direction toward the exhaust chamber, it will reconfigure the skirt to a generally cylindrical shape.
During sequential duty cycles of the displacement device, an air compressor operates continuously to maintain an elevated pressure for compressed air in the receiver tank. Importantly, this elevated pressure is within a pressure range equal to H′±, where H′± is greater than the pressure H in the skirt volume Vs noted above. This is important because during each duty cycle of the displacement device, a predetermined volume of compressed air ΔVc is pulsed from the receiver tank and into the exhaust chamber. From the exhaust chamber, this pulse of compressed air is directed onward through the bellows and against the underside of the piston plate to perform the work that is required by the piston plate to lift the predetermined volume of water Vw in the hi-level tank. Specifically, as noted above, the volume of water to be lifted in the bi-level tank Vw is dimensionally the same as the volume of a power module Vm. Furthermore, the volume of compressed air ΔVc that is pulsed from the receiver tank at a pressure H′± will also be equal to the volume Vm of the power module (ΔVc=Vw=Vm).
The exhaust chamber of the displacement device is essentially the combination of a pressure valve and an exhaust valve which are located at the lower end of the bellows. Operationally, these valves are operated separately to be selectively OPEN or CLOSED in accordance with a predetermined schedule. According to this schedule, an elevated air pressure H′ is established in the interior of the bellows against the underside of the piston plate when the pressure valve is OPEN and the exhaust valve is CLOSED. On the other hand, when the pressure valve is CLOSED and the exhaust valve is OPEN, the previously increased pressure against the underside of the piston plate is decreased to atmospheric pressure as air is exhausted from the exhaust chamber.
As mentioned above in the context of the Machine, the general purpose of the displacement device is to create and maintain a water pathway for a power module through the Machine's bi-level tank. This water pathway, however, is only a portion of a closed loop air/water pathway that is followed by a power module as it generates output electrical power for the Machine. It is an important consequence of the present invention that from an energy/power perspective, separate evaluations of input power and output power are possible. This is so because the displacement device and the power module interact independently of each other in the water of the bi-level tank, during a same duty cycle Δt.
As a separate consideration from an evaluation of the output power, the duty cycle Δt of the displacement device to generate input power can be considered as having three phases. These phases are: i) a power phase during which the piston plate works to lift a volume of water; ii) a holding phase wherein the piston plate is held stationary at its raised location; and iii) an exhaust phase during which the piston plate is lowered to begin another duty cycle for the displacement device. It is important to keep in mind that this entire operation of the displacement device is accomplished absent any direct contact between the displacement device and a power module.
When considering an operation of the displacement device for the Machine, it is helpful to understand the assumptions that have been made. Specifically, these assumptions are:
When considering energy and power, the work to be done by the piston plate during the duty cycle time interval Δt of the displacement device equals mgH. Recall, the mass of water m is determined by the volume of water Vw that is being lifted, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and H is the head height of the tower tank in the bi-level tank of the Machine. Also note, the head height H of the upper tank is the same H as is established for water in the skirt volume Vs of the displacement device.
To do the work of the displacement device, the piston plate must be raised through a distance s, where sA=Vw=Vm. After being raised, the piston plate is then held stationary for a short interval of time, until the module has time to leave the lower tank and enter the upper tank. The piston plate is then lowered and reset for its next duty cycle. Although work is required to raise the piston plate, work is not required as the piston plate is held stationary, nor is work required as the piston plate is lowered to restart the next duty cycle.
As noted above, a receiver tank for holding compressed air at a pressure H′± is selectively connected in fluid communication with the lower side of the piston plate. More specifically, this connection is provided by valves of the exhaust chamber that either; i) establish a direct pathway from the receiver tank to the lower side of the piston plate, or ii) separate the receiver tank from the exhaust chamber while compressed air in the exhaust chamber and bellows is held and then exhausted into the atmosphere. It is when there is an open pathway from the receiver tank to the piston plate that a pulse of compressed air can be taken from the receiver tank at a pressure H′±>H to rake the piston plate. As noted above, the work required to raise the piston plate is equal to mgH. Importantly, this work is done during only a portion 1/xΔt of the displacement device duty cycle Δt, where 1/x<1.
By definition, power is the time-rate of doing work. For purposes of the present invention, power requirements are considered separately for the input energy system and the output energy system. In the input energy system, consideration is given to the air compressor, the receiver tank, and the piston plate of the displacement device. The air compressor must do work at least equal to mgH during Δt. Thus, to maintain the pressure in the receiver tank, the air compressor must be operated continuously at a power equal to or greater than mgH/Δt. Recall, the piston plate of the displacement device must do the same amount of work mgH as the air compressor. The piston plate, however, does its work in response to pulses of compressed air from the receiver tank during only a portion of the duty cycle Δt (e.g. 1/xΔt). Specifically, as noted above, the piston plate works only as it lifts water in the bi-level tank. Thus, the piston plate operates with a power equal to mgH/1/xΔt. Stated differently, although the air compressor and the piston plate each do the same amount of work (mgH), the air compressor can work with less power for a longer period of time.
For the input energy system and for the output energy system, the same period of time Δt is considered. The work harvested by the linear generator from the power module, however, will be dependent on the buoyancy factor B of the power module. Accordingly, the work harvested from the power module during Δt is BmgH, and the output power will thus be BmgH/Δt.
The benefit of considering the air compressor with the piston plate, as the means for providing input power for the Machine, is three-fold. For one, although they do the same amount of work, the air compressor and the piston plate work through different intervals of time during the duty cycle Δt. For another, the work done by the air compressor and the receiver tank is directly transferred as work for operating the piston plate. For another, both the air compressor and the power module work continuously during the same duty cycle Δt.
By way of example, assume B=0.7 and that the portion of time 1/xΔt for raising the piston plate is 0.3 Δt. A mathematical calculation for net energy produced by the Machine requires only a comparison of output power (module)−input power (air compressor)=net power. In this example the result is:
0.7 mgH/(Δt)−0.3 mgH/(Δt)=0.4 mgH/(Δt) for 40% net power
The novel features of this invention, as well as the invention itself, both as to its structure and its operation, will be best understood from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description, in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts, and in which:
Referring initially to
Still referring to
The bellows 44 is a hollow cylindrical shaped structure with open ends. An upper end of the bellows 44 is connected to the periphery around the area A on the underside 42 of the piston plate 34. The lower end of the bellows 44 is connected to an exhaust chamber 46. With its connections between the piston plate 34 and the exhaust chamber 46, the bellows 44 is coaxially aligned with the skirt 32. Thus, with the action of the bellows 44, the piston plate 34 can be moved up and down along the axis 36 through the distance s shown in
With specific reference to the exhaust chamber 46,
In
It is also shown in
The understanding of an operation for the displacement device 30 will be best appreciated by first considering the sequence of side drawings which are shown respectively in a
With reference back to
As shown in
For a review of the air pressures against the underside 42 of the piston plate 34,
A breakdown of the work done by individual components of the displacement device 30 is shown sequentially in
A power comparison between the output power 68 and the input power 66 of the Machine 10 will be best appreciated by considering the specific power that is, and is not, required during the duty cycle Δt.
At the time t0, the start time of a duty cycle Δt, the receiver tank 60 of the displacement device 30 holds compressed air at a pressure H′±. With the pulsing of a volume of compressed air Vc from the receiver tank 60 during the first interval 1/xΔt, the power to raise the piston plate 34 is equal to mgH/1/xΔt. After the first pulse, however, no more work is done by the piston plate 34 for the remainder of the duty cycle Δt. It is important to remember that the work 1/xmgH has been done by the air compressor 58 during each interval 1/xΔt within the duty cycle Δt. On the other hand, from a power perspective, during the entire duty cycle Δt, the piston plate 34 receives an input power 66 from the receiver tank 60 that is equal to mgH/Δt. Stated differently, the piston plate 34 does the same amount of work, mgH, during the pulse, 1/xΔt, as it does during the entire duty cycle Δt. Accordingly, the input power 66 requirement from the receiver tank 60 for the Machine 10 can be compared with 1/xmgH/1/xΔt.
With reference to
While the particular Energy Balanced System for Generating Electric Power as herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of obtaining the objects and providing the advantages herein before stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown other than as described in the appended claims.
This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 17/118,012, filed Dec. 10, 2020, which is currently pending. The contents of application Ser. No. 17/118,012 are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20160215753 | Westmoreland | Jul 2016 | A1 |
| 20190249643 | Townsend, IV | Aug 2019 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20220186701 A1 | Jun 2022 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17118012 | Dec 2020 | US |
| Child | 17537953 | US |
