Patent Application
20170260031
The present apparatus and process are capable of delivering useable power or mechanical lifting work by generating and using a buoyancy force to drive one or more means suitable for lifting, such as a cable and pulley system, gear, pump, or shaft. The main driving forces in the apparatus is the buoyant force of a chamber of gas displacing a denser liquid at a low submerged position inside of a body of the said liquid and subsequently rising to the top of that denser liquid and producing a lifting force in the process. Specifically, the apparatus is capable of leveraging the lifting force produced by liquid displacement in order to lift heavy objects to specified heights. The heavy object itself initially serves as a force for drawing the gas into the collapsible chamber. Once the heavy object moves into position onto the lifting platform, assisted by sensors and mechanical triggers, the first movement of the lifting platform is downward as the weight of the object by mechanical means pulls on the bottom of the collapsible chamber part of the displacement vessel, drawing in gas so it inflates. Once the gas has sufficiently filled the displacement vessel, the lighter gas will cause the displacement vessel to begin its ascension through the denser liquid utilizing the power of buoyancy. The displacement vessel pulls upward on the same mechanical lifting energy transfer devise that extends outside of the body of liquid to the lifting platform. Once the displacement vessel has inflated and triggered the sensors, the lifting platform is released and the heavy object situated on the heavy platform will then begin its ascent along with the inflated displacement vessel. Once the displacement vessel reaches the top of the liquid the ascension of the heavy object is complete and it can be removed from the lifting platform, which can be secured to an upper apparatus for unloading. Once unloaded, a gas release valve is triggered and the gas escapes from the displacement vessel. The weight of the empty displacement vessel allows it to descend back down to the bottom of the body of liquid. The lifting platform simultaneously descends to its lower level in the position that is ready to receive more heavy objects so the process can be repeated.
With reference to the drawings, the invention will now be described with regard for the best mode and the preferred embodiment. In general, the invention is an apparatus and a process of producing mechanical work and useable lifting energy by recovering and converting liquid displacement forces into a lifting energy form. The embodiments disclosed herein are meant for illustration and not limitation of the invention. An ordinary practitioner will understand that it is possible to create many variations of the following embodiments without undue experimentation. The critical driving component of the apparatus and process is the buoyant force generated when a displacement vessel ascends and causes upward pulling energy to a transfer mechanism such as a cable and pulley system, gear, pump, piston, lever, or shaft that is secured to a lifting platform and resulting in the elevation of that lifting platform and any heavy objects that may be riding on it. The liquid can be any liquid with a viscosity suitable for ascension and descent of objects within it, and in most applications the liquid will be water or a solution of water and some other substance to make it denser. The body of liquid can be any tank, room, silo, pool, container, reservoir, or large enclosed area that can hold the necessary amount of liquid needed for adequate liquid displacement in the lifting process. The transfer mechanism can be any means of transferring the lifting energy to the lifting platform, such as a cable 30 and pulley 20 system, or other means not illustrated such as a gear, pump, piston, lever, or shaft. It can either pass through the bottom of the body of liquid through a water-tight hole 36, or it can make its way up through the inside of the body of liquid and transfer out of the top, which is not illustrated. Its course can be internally, externally, or a combination of both, through the liquid, either directly under the body of liquid, in an S curve pulley system, or by use of levers, gears, pumps or some combination of the aforementioned means that will adequately transfer the lifting force. The collapsible displacement vessel can be any compartment that can hold gas as it is submerged in the liquid which has the ability to hold sufficient quantities of gas for lifting the needed amount of weight and collapsing to hold far less to no gas. The collapsible compartment of the displacement vessel can be made of many materials suitable for collapsing depending on design, including rubber, cloth, plastic, or other alloys, membranes, and mixture of materials.
The displacement vessel apparatus is composed of an upper portion of a table-like shell or cavity mainly composed of the top platform of the apparatus 35 which has leg-like structures 32 that extend downward to rest on the floor of the body of liquid 11. The table-like shell or cavity apparatus has secured to its bottom side the top of the displacement vessel 10 and secured to its top side the gas input canal 16 and gas release valve 12. At the bottom of the displacement vessel 10 is a bottom platform 37 which is connected on its top side to the lower part of the displacement vessel 10 and on the bottom side of the lower platform center 14 it is connected to the transfer mechanism 30. Once the lifting platform 24 and displacement vessel apparatus 10 is in their initial position such as the example shown in
The apparatus will require periodic service and maintenance as required by the particular application and environmental conditions. More frequent service and maintenance may be required where the system operates in harsh environmental conditions, such as in liquid solutions that can be corrosive over time.
As a specific hypothetical example of a heavy object lifting embodiment which will serve as the preferred method of the embodiment, salt water is used for the liquid inside of a tank and atmospheric air will be used as the gas for the displacement vessel apparatus. There are 75,000 gallons of salt water in the tank and the displacement vessel apparatus is able to hold 15,000 gallons of air. Since one gallon of salt water weighs approximately 8 lbs., then 15,000 gallons of salt water displaced will be equal to 120,000 lbs. of buoyant force.
The equation is as follows:
15,000 gallons×8 lbs. buoyant force=120,000 lbs. of buoyant force
Based on these equations, the amount of weight-lifting buoyant force that will be supplied to the lifting mechanism will be up to 120,000 lbs. For every gallon of salt water that is displaced by the displacement vessel apparatus, there is up to 8 lbs. of lifting force that will be supplied to the mechanical transfer pulleys 20 and cables 30 or other transfer means for lifting purposes.
This is just one example of a lifting apparatus utilizing methods described above. There are numerous other embodiments, amounts, and types of liquids, gases, displacements, and leverage for the lifting mechanism. For example, the apparatus could comprise several similar lifting transfer mechanisms simultaneously, as desired. Also, multiple apparatuses could be used in combination to drive one or more energy transfer devices capable of harnessing the collective power and energy output from the multiple devices. Consequently, it is understood that equivalents and substitutions for certain elements and components set forth above are part of the invention, and therefore the true scope and definition of the invention is to be as set forth in the following claims.
