Patent Application
20180149131
This application was prepared with financial support from the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission, and in consideration therefore the present inventor(s) has granted The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia a non-exclusive right to practice the present invention.
This disclosure relates generally to a power generating system. More particularly the present disclosure relates to generating power using gravity effect and buoyancy effect.
Power systems generate power by converting one form of energy such as mechanical, hydraulic, potential energy of water in dam, wind, solar, kinetic, etc. into electric energy. The electrical energy can be used for various purposes such as powering household devices and charging batteries.
A typical hydraulic power plant includes a dam build around a water body. The water passes through pipes to a turbine to rotate the turbine and generate power. In another application, a system can employ a buoyant element floating on a water surface. The buoyant element moves up and down along with a water tide. The movement of the buoyant element is then converted, using a mechanical system and a generator, into electrical energy.
Some power systems burn fossil fuels to produce energy, for example, a coal power plant. Such power plant produce harmful gases that can pollute the air, water, soil causing long term environmental damages.
Although there are several forms of power producing devices, an efficient and pollution free power producing devices are required. For example, devices that can generate power from naturally occurring power sources such as gravity, and buoyancy effect.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a power generating system. The system includes a movable tank filled with a liquid having an inlet and an outlet with a first outlet door configured to move vertically, a piston driven by the movable tank via a piston rod, a first cylinder filled with the liquid, and connected to the piston at a top end and a turbine at a bottom end, wherein the piston reciprocates in the first cylinder pushing the liquid from the first cylinder into the turbine causing the turbine to rotate and produce power, a stationary tank having an inlet and an outlet with a second outlet door, wherein the inlet of the stationary tank is connected to an outlet of the turbine to receive the liquid from the turbine when the movable tank descends, and the outlet of the stationary tank is connected to the inlet of the movable tank to discharge the liquid in the movable tank when the second outlet door is open. The system further includes a second cylinder connected to the movable tank and the first cylinder, wherein the second cylinder receives the liquid from the outlet of the movable tank when the first outlet door is open and a balloon filled with gas connected to a top portion of the movable tank, wherein the balloon lifts the movable tank from a bottom position to a top position when the movable tank is empty.
The forgoing general description of the illustrative implementations and the following detailed description thereof are merely exemplary aspects of the teachings of this disclosure, and are not restrictive.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate one or more embodiments and, together with the description, explain these embodiments. The accompanying drawings have not necessarily been drawn to scale. Any values dimensions illustrated in the accompanying graphs and figures are for illustration purposes only and may or may not represent actual or preferred values or dimensions. Where applicable, some or all features may not be illustrated to assist in the description of underlying features. In the drawings:
The description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter and is not necessarily intended to represent the only embodiment(s). In certain instances, the description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the disclosed embodiment(s). However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed embodiment(s) may be practiced without those specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components may be shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the disclosed subject matter.
Reference throughout the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout the specification is not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Further, it is intended that embodiments of the disclosed subject matter cover modifications and variations thereof.
It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context expressly dictates otherwise. That is, unless expressly specified otherwise, as used herein the words “a,” “an,” “the,” and the like carry the meaning of “one or more.” Additionally, it is to be understood that terms such as “left,” “right,” “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “rear,” “side,” “height,” “length,” “width,” “upper,” “lower,” “interior,” “exterior,” “inner,” “outer,” and the like that may be used herein merely describe points of reference and do not necessarily limit embodiments of the present disclosure to any particular orientation or configuration. Furthermore, terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., merely identify one of a number of portions, components, steps, operations, functions, and/or points of reference as disclosed herein, and likewise do not necessarily limit embodiments of the present disclosure to any particular configuration or orientation.
Furthermore, the terms “approximately,” “proximate,” “minor,” and similar terms generally refer to ranges that include the identified value within a margin of 20%, 10% or preferably 5% in certain embodiments, and any values therebetween.
The movable tank 101 is a storage tank having an inlet 101in on a top side and an outlet 101out at a bottom side. The movable tank 101 can be filled with a liquid (e.g., water) via the inlet 101in. The outlet 101out includes a first outlet door 101d that opens and closes the outlet 101out. The liquid in the movable tank 101 can be discharged from the outlet 101out by opening the first outlet door 101d. The first outlet door 101d can be spring actuated and operated mechanically. Alternatively or in addition, the first outlet door 101d can be electronically controlled.
The movable tank 101 is configured to move up and down in a vertical direction. Such a movement can be enabled in several ways, for example, the movable tank 101 can be attached with wheels or other sliding attachment that can slide up and down along a rail disposed vertically.
The bottom of the movable tank 101 is connected to the piston 105 driven by the movable tank 101 via a piston rod 115. As the movable tank 101 moves in the vertical direction, the piston 105 reciprocates in the first cylinder 106. The first cylinder 106 is filled with a liquid (e.g., water) and the piston is located at a top end above the liquid. The first cylinder 106 is also connected to the turbine 110 at a bottom end.
The turbine 110 includes a set of turbine blades 110a that rotate to produce power. The turbine 110 receives the liquid from the first cylinder 106, when the piston 105 moves downward in the first cylinder 106 ejecting the liquid onto the turbine blades 110a causing the turbine 110 to rotate and produce power. The rotation of the turbine blades 110a can be converted into electric energy via a generator (not illustrated). The electricity produced can be used for various purposes such as charging batteries, powering household devices such as bulbs, television, mixer, etc. Alternatively, the power produced by the turbine 110 can be used to compress air or move a load, for example, by connecting the turbine 110 to a jack. Several other utilities can be found to extract and use the power produced by the turbine 110. Further, the outlet of the turbine 110 is connected to the stationary tank 120 via a pipe 130.
The stationary tank 120 is a storage tank having an inlet 120in on a top side and an outlet 120out at a bottom side. The stationary tank 120 is located above the top position of the movable tank. The stationary tank 120 can be filled with a liquid (e.g., water) via the inlet 120in and the liquid can be discharged from the outlet 120out. The inlet 120in of the stationary tank 120 is connected to the outlet of the turbine 100 via the pipe 130 to receive the liquid from the turbine 110 when the movable tank descends.
The outlet 120out of the stationary tank 120 includes a second outlet door 120d that opens and closes the outlet 120out. The liquid in the stationary tank 120 can be discharged from the outlet 120out by opening the second outlet door 120d. The second outlet door 120d is spring actuated that is operated mechanically. Alternatively or in addition, the second outlet door 120d can be electronically controlled. Further, the outlet 120out of the stationary tank 120 is connected to the inlet 101in of the movable tank 101 via a first flexible tube 111 to discharge the liquid in the movable tank 101 when the second outlet door is open.
The system 10 further includes the second cylinder 116 connected to the movable tank 101 to receive the liquid from the outlet 101out of the movable tank 101 upon opening of the first outlet door 101d.
The movable tank 101 is also connected to the balloon 102 at the top side of the movable tank 101. The balloon 102 is filled with gas such as helium. The gas-filled balloon 102 is configured to lift the movable tank 101 from a bottom position to a top position when the movable tank 101 is empty.
The system 10 also includes a first lever 151 and a second lever 152 to open the outlet doors 120d and 101d, respectively. The first lever 151 and the second lever 152 can be a L-shaped bracket made of metal or other stiff material such as plastic. The first lever 151 is connected at the inlet 101in of the movable tank 101 and projects out of the inlet 101in. The first lever 151 can push the second outlet door 120d upward to open the second outlet door 120d when the movable tank 101 is at the top position. The second lever 152 is connected at the top end of the second cylinder 116. The second lever 152 can push the first outlet door 101d upward to open the outlet 101 of the movable tank 101 when the movable tank 101 reaches the bottom position.
The system 10 also includes a locking and unlocking mechanism to lock the movable tank 101 in the top position (in
The top lock 101a can be a spring loaded mechanically actuated lever. The actuation of the top lock 101a is provided by a top float 131, which is connected to the top lock 101a by, for example, a cable 131a. The top float 131 is a float that rises and falls as a liquid in the stationary tank 120 comes in contact with the top float 131. The top float 131 is located inside at the bottom of the stationary tank 120. When the top float 131 rises, it pulls the cable 131a causing the lever of the top lock 101a to retract away from the locked position (move toward the right) and disengage the top lock 101a to attain an unlocked state. When the top float 131 falls, the spring of the top lock 101a is released causing the lever to move toward the locked position (move to the left) and to engage the top lock 101a to attain a locked state.
Similarly, the bottom lock 101b can be a spring loaded mechanically actuated lever. The actuation of the bottom lock 101b is provided by a bottom float 132, which can be connected to the bottom lock 101b via a cable 132b. The bottom float 132 is a float located inside the second cylinder 116 that rises and falls as a liquid in the second cylinder 116 comes in contact with the bottom float 132. The bottom float 132 is located inside at the top end of the second cylinder 116. When bottom float 132 rises as the liquid level in the second cylinder rises 116, the bottom float 132 pulls a cable 132a causing a lever of the bottom lock 101b to retract away from the locked position (move towards right) and disengage the bottom lock 101b to attain an unlocked state. When the bottom float 132 falls, the spring of the bottom lock 101b is released causing the lever to move toward the locked position (move to the left) and engage the bottom lock 101b to attain a locked state.
The system 10 can operate in multiple steps to produce power, as discussed with respect to
As shown in
At the end of the step 501, the top float 131 is at the bottom, the first lock 101a is unlocked and the movable tank 101 starts moving downward along with the balloon 102. The movable tank 101, filled with the liquid, moves downward due to the gravitational force, which is greater than an upward buoyant force exerted by the balloon 102. For example, the downward force exerted by the movable tank 101 can be 50 N while the buoyant force and the resistance offered by the piston 105 acting upward can be 25 N; as such the downward force is greater than the upward force causing the movable tank 101 to move downward. The shape and size of the movable tank 101, the amount of liquid filled in the movable tank 101, the balloon 102 filled with gas, and the first cylinder 106 can be designed such that the net downward force is greater than the upward force in the initial stage.
As the downward force is greater, the movable tank 101 starts pushing the piston 105 downward, forcing the liquid from the first cylinder 106 onto the blades of the turbine 110 causing the turbine 110 to rotate. The movable tank 101 continues to move downward until the movable tank 101 reaches the bottom position and is locked in the bottom position by the bottom lock 101b.
Referring back to
As the second cylinder 116 starts filling with the liquid from the movable tank 101, the bottom float 132 rises upward as a liquid level in the second cylinder 116 rises and unlocks the bottom lock 101b when the movable tank 101 is empty.
Referring back to
Referring back to
Referring back to
If external energy is not supplied, the process continues until friction causes the system 10 to stop, at which point external energy can be supplied to either push the movable tank 101 downward or upward, pump water into the stationary tank 120, or other appropriate input energy to restart the power generation process.
In one embodiment, at the step S509 of the process 500, the determination of whether to supply input energy can be made automatically based on one or more input energy criteria using a power controller 40, illustrated in
The hardware elements, in order to achieve the power controller 40, may be realized by various circuitry elements, known to those skilled in the art. For example, CPU 400 may be a XENON or Core processor from INTEL of America or an Opteron processor from AMD of America, or may be other processor types that would be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art. Alternatively, the CPU 400 may be implemented on an FPGA, ASIC, PLD or using discrete logic circuits, as one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize. Further, CPU 400 may be implemented as multiple processors cooperatively working in parallel to perform the instructions of the processes described above with respect to
The power controller 40, in
As can be appreciated, the network 420 can be a public network, such as the Internet, or a private network such as an LAN or WAN network, or any combination thereof and can also include PSTN or ISDN sub-networks. The network 420 can also be wired, such as an Ethernet network, or can be wireless such as a cellular network including EDGE, 3G and 4G wireless cellular systems. The wireless network can also be WiFi, BLUETOOTH, or any other wireless form of communication that is known.
An I/O interface 412 interfaces with the sensors 450, the pump 200 and the motor 300 to send and receive inputs or to send activation signal to the pump 200 or the motor 300.
The storage controller 424 connects the memory 402 with communication bus 426, which may be an ISA, EISA, VESA, PCI, or similar device, for interconnecting all of the components of the power controller 40. A description of the general features and functionality of the storage controller 424, network controller 406, and the I/O interface 412 is omitted herein for brevity as these features are known.
The power generation using the power generating system 10 has several advantages. The power generating system 10 operates on naturally occurring forms of energy particularly the gravitational and the buoyancy energy. As such, the power generating system 10 does not emit any harmful gases or other harmful materials that cause environmental pollution. The liquid used in the system 10 is recirculated within the system 10; hence no addition of the liquid is necessary during the power generation process. The power generating system 10 can be used to produce power in locations where solar, wind, hydro or other natural energy source are not available. The power generating system 10 can be installed above the ground or below the ground and does not need special settings that may be required in solar, wind or hydro power plants. For example, the solar power plants need an environment with exposure to sun for an extended period of time, and the solar panels should be configured to collect solar energy. The wind power plants require environment with high speed wind and wind turbines should be directed to intersect the path of the wind.
While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Indeed, the novel apparatuses and systems described herein can be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the apparatuses and systems described herein can be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosures. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.
