Patent Grant
8007252
1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to float type wave powered pumping devices that use the continuous rising and falling wave action in a body of water to pump a fluid.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that conventional wave powered pumps are typically used in large bodies of water, such as the ocean or the sea, where the operating environment often dictates that the pumps are working in an unsupervised state for long periods of time. Those of ordinary skill in the art will also appreciate that it is desirable for such wave powered pumps to move large quantities of fluid in order to be most productive. Conventionally, large and complex pumps are used in an effort to meet these demands. While this typical construction has been satisfactory in some respects, the complexity of the pumps reduces their appeal and often introduces inefficiencies into the system due to the amount of components involved. Additionally, conventional wave powered pumps suffer from durability issues as many of the components are prone to fail by component breakage or deformation in the unsupervised operation state in the ocean.
According to one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided for pumping a fluid using the continuous rising and falling wave action in a body of water, the apparatus including a cylinder assembly, a piston assembly, an anchor, a drive float, and a tide compensating device. The piston assembly is operably coupled with the cylinder assembly to define an expandable chamber, a fluid inlet communicating with the chamber, and a fluid outlet communicating with the chamber, wherein fluid is drawn into the chamber through the inlet as the chamber expands and fluid is pumped out of the chamber through the outlet as the chamber contracts. The anchor is connected to an anchored one of said cylinder and piston assemblies to position said anchored one of the assemblies below the surface of the body of water and to restrict upward movement of said anchored one of the assemblies. The drive float rides on top of the body of water such that a rising wave lifts the drive float upward and a falling wave lowers the drive float downward. The drive float is coupled to a relatively moveable one of said cylinder and piston assemblies to move the same in an upward direction relative to the anchored one of the assemblies in response to a rising wave lifting the drive float. The piston and cylinder assemblies are interconnected so that the chamber contracts, to thereby pump fluid from the chamber through the outlet, during upward movement of the moveable one of the assemblies, and the chamber expands, to thereby draw fluid into the chamber through the inlet, during downward movement of the moveable one of the assemblies. Finally, the tide compensating device interconnects the drive float and moveable one of the assemblies in such a manner that the amount of upward movement of the moveable one of the assemblies is relatively less than the amount of upward movement of the drive float in response to a rising wave lifting the drive float.
Another aspect of the present invention concerns an apparatus for pumping a fluid using the continuous rising and falling wave action in a body of water, the apparatus including a cylinder assembly, a piston assembly, an anchor, and a drive float. The piston assembly is operably coupled with the cylinder assembly to define an expandable chamber, a fluid inlet communicating with the chamber, and a fluid outlet communicating with the chamber, wherein fluid is drawn into the chamber through the inlet as the chamber expands and fluid is pumped out of the chamber through the outlet as the chamber contracts. The anchor is connected to an anchored one of said cylinder and piston assemblies to position said anchored one of the assemblies below the surface of the body of water and to restrict upward movement of said anchored one of the assemblies. The drive float rides on top of the body of water such that a rising wave lifts the drive float upward and a falling wave lowers the drive float downward. The drive float is coupled to a relatively moveable one of said cylinder and piston assemblies to move the same in an upward direction relative to the anchored one of the assemblies in response to a rising wave lifting the drive float. The piston and cylinder assemblies are interconnected so that the chamber contracts, to thereby pump fluid from the chamber through the outlet, during upward movement of the moveable one of the assemblies, and the chamber expands, to thereby draw fluid into the chamber through the inlet, during downward movement of the moveable one of the assemblies. The piston assembly includes a piston rod slidably coupled to the cylinder assembly to permit generally vertical relative movement therebetween. The cylinder assembly includes an alignment guide that defines in part the chamber and a central pathway. The piston rod is slidably received within the pathway. The alignment guide includes a pressure-activated seal around the pathway. The pressure-activated seal imparts approximately no drag against the piston rod when the moveable one of the assemblies moves downwardly. Finally, the pressure-activated seal is put under pressure against the piston rod as the moveable one of the assemblies moves upwardly to expel the fluid out of the cylinder, such pressure preventing fluid from exiting the chamber through the pathway.
Yet another aspect of the present invention concerns an apparatus for pumping a fluid using the continuous rising and falling wave action in a body of water, the apparatus including a cylinder assembly, a piston assembly, an anchor, and a drive float. The piston assembly is operably coupled with the cylinder assembly to define an expandable chamber, a fluid inlet communicating with the chamber, and a fluid outlet communicating with the chamber, wherein fluid is drawn into the chamber through the inlet as the chamber expands and fluid is pumped out of the chamber through the outlet as the chamber contracts. The fluid inlet includes a check valve permitting one-way fluid flow into the chamber through the inlet. The anchor is connected to an anchored one of said cylinder and piston assemblies to position said anchored one of the assemblies below the surface of the body of water and to restrict upward movement of said anchored one of the assemblies. The drive float rides on top of the body of water such that a rising wave lifts the drive float upward and a falling wave lowers the drive float downward. The drive float is coupled to a relatively moveable one of said cylinder and piston assemblies to move the same in an upward direction relative to the anchored one of the assemblies in response to a rising wave lifting the drive float. The piston and cylinder assemblies are interconnected so that the chamber contracts, to thereby pump fluid from the chamber through the outlet, during upward movement of the moveable one of the assemblies, and the chamber expands, to thereby draw fluid into the chamber through the inlet, during downward movement of the moveable one of the assemblies. The piston assembly includes a rigid support plate having a chamber-defining surface that defines in part the chamber. The support plate presents a plurality of openings that permit fluid to pass through the support plate and into the chamber. The piston assembly further includes a generally fluid impermeable cover shiftably disposed adjacent the support plate for movement into and out of a plate-sealing position, in which the plate sealingly engages the chamber-defining surface and thereby prevents fluid flow through the plate. Thus, the support plate and cover cooperatively form the fluid inlet check valve.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description of the preferred embodiments. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Various other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:
The drawing figures do not limit the present invention to the specific embodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the preferred embodiment.
The present invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms. While the drawings illustrate, and the specification describes, certain preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that such disclosure is by way of example only. There is no intent to limit the principles of the present invention to the particular disclosed embodiments.
The present invention provides an improved float type wave powered pump that uses the continuous rising and falling wave action in a body of water to pump a fluid. The pump includes a piston assembly and a cylinder assembly configured for relative reciprocal movement therebetween. One of the assemblies is anchored to the floor and the other is vertically moveable in response to a drive float riding on a wave. Embodiments of the present invention provide a tide compensating device to reduce the ratio of vertical travel of the moveable assembly relative to vertical travel of the drive float. Embodiments of the present invention also provide a fluid inlet check valve incorporating a rigid support plate of the piston assembly with openings therein and a shiftable cover for the same to quickly reload fluid in the cylinder. Embodiments of the present invention further provide a directional pressure-activated seal at the point of sliding connection between the piston rod and the cylinder.
With initial reference to
It is noted initially, that the environment setting depicted in
Each wave powered pumping apparatus 22 broadly includes a cylinder assembly 38 and a piston assembly 40, as will be discussed in greater detail below. In the illustrated embodiment, the cylinder assembly 38 is fixedly connected to an anchor 42 and the anchor 42 is disposed on the bottom surface 28 underneath the body of water 26. Also in the illustrated embodiment, the piston assembly 40 is moveably connected to a drive float 44 and the drive float 44 is disposed on the top surface 30 of the body of water 26. The cylinder assembly 38 and the piston assembly 40 cooperate to define an expandable chamber 37. The chamber 37 is configured to contain a working fluid 46 that is drawn into the chamber 37 upon expansion of the chamber 37 and is expelled out of the chamber 37 upon contraction of the chamber 37.
As depicted, the wave powered pumping apparatus 22 pumps the fluid 46 out of an outlet 48 in the cylinder assembly 38. In the illustrated embodiment, the fluid 46 pumped by the wave powered pumping apparatus 22 is the same as the body of water 26, although the wave powered pumping apparatus 22 could alternatively pump a different fluid through a closed-loop system without departing from the teachings of the present invention. The fluid 46 is pumped through the outlet 48 into to a conduit 50. In the illustrated embodiment, the conduits 50 of each wave powered pumping apparatus 22 converge into a main passage 52. It is noted, however, that in an alternative embodiment, each conduit 50 could extend individually, rather than converging into the main passage 52, without departing from the teachings of the present invention.
The main passage 52 transports the pumped fluid 46 to a reservoir 54 that holds the pumped fluid 46. The fluid 46 in the reservoir 54 is controllably released from a reservoir outlet 56 to power a hydroelectric generator 58 to produce useful energy, such as electricity. The fluid 46 then passes from the generator 58 to a discharge 60, where it is released through a discharge outlet 62. In the illustrated embodiment, the pumped fluid 46 is the same substance as the body of water 26 and the reservoir 54 is disposed at a location vertically above the top surface 30 of the body of water 26. Thus, as depicted in
It will be recognized that the principles of the present invention are not limited to use with the particular power generating system 24 illustrated in
Turning now to
With particular reference to
A cylinder bottom plate 70 is fixed to the lowermost end of the cylinder body 68 and forms a bottom thereto. The cylinder bottom plate 70 includes a central hole 72 and a plurality of radially extending openings 74. The openings 74 allow the fluid 46 of the body of water 26 to flow through the cylinder bottom plate 70. Similarly, a cylinder top plate 76 is fixed to the uppermost end of the cylinder body 68 and forms a top thereto. The cylinder top plate 76 includes a central hole 78 and a plurality of radially extending openings 80. The openings 80 allow the fluid 46 of the body of water 26 to flow through the cylinder top plate 76. In the illustrated embodiment, the cylinder bottom plate 70 and the cylinder top plate 76 are the same size and shape for ease of manufacture, although such conformity is not necessary. A shiftable sealing element 82 is disposed below and generally coaxial with the cylinder top plate 76. The shiftable sealing element 82 is preferably, although not necessarily, made of leather or other tough, flexible material (such as elastomer), as will be appreciated by one or ordinary skill in the art. The shiftable sealing element 82 is attached to the cylinder top plate 76 with a plurality of fasteners 83, as illustrated in detail in
The cylinder assembly 38 includes the outlet 48, discussed briefly above, that allows the pumped fluid 46 to be expelled out of the cylinder assembly 38 and into the conduit 50 during pumping operation of the wave powered pumping apparatus 22. The conduit 50 includes an outlet check valve 84 that allows the pumped fluid 46 to exit the cylinder assembly 38 through the outlet 48, but not flow back into the cylinder assembly 38, as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The cylinder assembly 38 is connected to the anchor 42 with a chain 86. The chain 86 extends from the anchor 42 and is connected to a pair of eyelet fasteners 88, as depicted in greater detail in
With continued reference to
The piston assembly 40 also includes a rigid support plate 92 fixed at the lower end of the piston rod 90. The rigid support plate 92 includes a central hole 94 and a plurality of radially extending openings 96, as depicted in detail in
A flexible flapper 108 is disposed above the rigid support plate 92 and is generally coaxial with the same. The flexible flapper 108 is preferably, although not necessarily, made of leather or other tough, flexible material (such as elastomer), as will be appreciated by one or ordinary skill in the art. In the illustrated embodiment, the flexible flapper 108 is made of the same leather material as the shiftable sealing element 82 for ease of manufacture. The flexible flapper 108 is made of a generally fluid impermeable material such that, when the flexible flapper 108 is pressed downward against the rigid support plate 92, the fluid 46 in the chamber 37 does not flow out of the plurality of openings 98 in the rigid support plate 92. The flexible flapper 108 can shift out of the way of the plurality of openings 98 in the rigid support plate 92 when the flexible flapper 108 is not pressed downward against the rigid support plate 92. During such shifting, the fluid 46 of the body of water 26 can flow through the plurality of openings 98 in the rigid support plate 92 and into the chamber 37, as will be discussed in greater detail below.
A stopper 110 is attached to the piston rod 90 at a location axially above the flexible flapper 108. A fastener 112, such as a bolt, connects the stopper 110 to the piston rod 90. The stopper 110 prevents the flexible flapper 108 from shifting axially upward along the piston rod 90 past the position of the stopper 110. The stopper 110 also maintains the central portion of the flexible flapper 108 nearest the piston rod 90 in generally close proximity to the rigid support plate 92.
Returning now to
A pair of springs 128 and 130 extend between the lower spring support 116 and the upper spring support 122 on the outside of the cylinder body 68. More specifically, an extension spring 128 extends generally parallel to the axis of the cylinder body 68 from a connection at the end 118 of the lower spring support 116 to a connection at the end 124 of the upper spring support 122. Similarly, an extension spring 130 extends generally parallel to the axis of the cylinder body 68 from a connection at the end 120 of the lower spring support 116 to a connection at the end 126 of the upper spring support 122.
In brief, the piston reloading mechanism 114 provides a downward force to bias the piston assembly 40 in the downward direction, with such downward force being overcome by an upward force as the piston assembly 40 moves upward to expel fluid out of the chamber 37. The springs 128 and 130 preferably, although not necessarily, collectively provide a downward bias force that is approximately ten to twenty percent of the upward buoyant force created by the drive float 44. The downward bias force provided by the springs 128 and 130 can be changed by using alternative springs having a different spring constant, as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. In the absence of an upward force, the piston reloading mechanism 114 return the piston assembly 40 back to the downward position following the fluid expulsion, as will be readily appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art.
It is noted that it is within the ambit of the present invention for the piston reloading mechanism 114 to alternatively comprise another construction, such as a weight and tether. It is further noted that the piston reloading mechanism 114 cooperates with the drive float 44 to provide and maintain a controlled motion of the piston assembly 40. This controlled motion of the piston assembly 40 makes the wave powered pumping apparatus 22 essentially storm resistant. Specifically, the illustrated configuration is particularly useful in eliminating so-called “hammering” of the apparatus, which would otherwise occur in oceanic storms, as will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art.
With continued reference to
The frame members 134, 136, 138, and 140 are connected at the top portion with a frame top plate 142. The frame top plate 142 is fixed to the uppermost ends of the frame members 134, 136, 138, and 140 and forms a top thereto. The frame top plate 142 includes a central hole 144 and a plurality of radially extending openings 146. The openings 146 allow the fluid 46 of the body of water 26 to flow through the frame top plate 142. In the illustrated embodiment, the frame top plate 142 is the same size and shape as the cylinder bottom plate 70 and the cylinder top plate 76 for ease of manufacture, although such conformity is not necessary.
As depicted in
A pulley 164 is disposed above the top of the upper spring support 122 and is housed in a bracket 166 The bracket 166 is connected to the upper end of the piston rod 90 with a fastener 168 for generally vertical movement therewith. As depicted in
The operation of the wave powered pumping apparatus 22 should be evident from the foregoing description. Initially, the wave powered pumping apparatus 22 is placed in a body of water 26. In the illustrated embodiment, the anchor 42 is connected to the cylinder assembly 38 and disposed on the bottom surface 28, while the drive float 44 is connected to the piston assembly 40 and disposed on the top surface 30, as depicted in
As the piston assembly 40 moves upward from the position depicted in
As the passing wave 32 moves beyond the wave powered pumping apparatus 22, the trough 36 of the wave 32 allows the drive float 44 to fall back downward. The downward bias of the stretched springs 128 and 130 pulls the upper spring support 122 downward through the slots 160 and 162, which also moves the piston assembly 40 downward from the position depicted in
As the piston assembly 40 moves downward, the flexible flapper 108 shifts and/or flexes upward relative to the piston rigid support plate 92 and is held in place by the stopper 110. The shifting of the flexible flapper 108 allows fluid 46 from the body of water 26 to flow through the openings 74 in the cylinder bottom plate 70, through the openings 96 in the piston rigid support plate 92, around the shifted flexible flapper 108, and into the expanding chamber 37 to reload the cylinder assembly 38 with additional fluid 46, as depicted in detail in
As another wave crest moves past the wave powered pumping apparatus 22 to cause the drive float 44 to rise up, the wave powered pumping apparatus 22 is in the reloaded condition, depicted in
With reference now to
A tide compensating device 266 interconnects the drive float 244 and the piston assembly 240 such that the amount of the upward movement of the piston assembly 240 is approximately one quarter of the amount of upward movement of the drive float 244. A framework 332 extends around and above the cylinder body 268 and is connected at the top with a frame top plate 342. A pulley 364 is disposed above the top of an upper spring support 322 and is housed in a bracket 366. The bracket 366 is connected to the upper end of a piston rod 290 with a fastener 368 for generally vertical movement therewith. As depicted in
Thus, the operation of the alternative embodiment of the wave powered pumping apparatus 222 is also similar in many ways to the operation described above for the wave powered pumping apparatus 22, with an exception. As a passing wave (not shown in detail) moves by the wave powered pumping apparatus 222, a crest 234 of the wave causes the drive float 244 to rise up, pulling the cable 372 upward, and shortening the length of the cable 372 in the space 370 of the framework 332 of the tide compensating device 266. As the length of the cable 372 in the space 370 shortens, the first pulley 364 and the third pulley 382 move upward, moving the piston assembly 240 upward also, with the amount of the upward movement of the piston assembly 240 being about one quarter of the amount of the upward movement of the drive float, as will be readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art upon review of
With reference now to
A chain 486 connects the anchor 442 to a piston rod 490 at an eyelet fastener 488 to prevent upward movement thereof. A piston rigid support plate 492 is fixed at the upper end of the piston rod 490 and includes a plurality of radially extending openings 496. A piston side seal 502 is attached in a similar manner as in the embodiment described above, but with the opposite vertical orientation, such construction being readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the above description of
Also similar to the embodiment disclosed above, a cable 572 connects the drive float 444 to the cylinder assembly 438 to provide upward movement thereof. The cylinder assembly includes a body 468 and a plate 476 at the bottom end thereof. The plate 476 has a central hole 478 and radially extending openings 480 cooperating with a shiftable seal 482, similar in construction to the embodiment described above, but also with the opposite vertical orientation, such construction being readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the above description of
The cylinder assembly 438 also includes a reload mechanism 514 to bias the cylinder assembly 438 in the downward direction. The cylinder reload mechanism 514 includes a first pulley 576, disposed above the top of the piston rod 490, and a second pulley 578 disposed below the first pulley 576. As depicted, the first pulley 576 is connected to the top of the cylinder assembly 438 and the second pulley 578 is housed in a bracket 580 that is connected to the bottom of the cylinder assembly 438. A cable 582 is connected to the top of the piston rod 490 and extends up and around the first pulley 576, down and around the second pulley 578, and up to a submerged float 584. The submerged float 584 is configured to provide an upward buoyant force that is less than the upward buoyant force created by the drive float 444. The submerged float 584 preferably, although not necessarily, provides an upward buoyant force that is approximately ten to twenty percent of the upward buoyant force created by the drive float 444, such as by using a smaller float of the same material for the submerged float 584 compared to the drive float 444 or by using a different material, as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The submerged float 584 exerts the upward buoyant force that is transmitted through the cable to provide a downward bias on the cylinder assembly 438, as will be readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.
The operation of this embodiment of the wave powered pumping apparatus 422 is also similar in many ways to the operation described above for the wave powered pumping apparatus 22, but with the cylinder assembly 438 being upwardly moveable with the passing of a wave and the piston assembly remaining fixed to the anchor 442. Other details of the operation of this embodiment will be readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the above description regarding the embodiment of
The preferred forms of the invention described above are to be used as illustration only, and should not be utilized in a limiting sense in interpreting the scope of the present invention. Obvious modifications to the exemplary embodiments, as hereinabove set forth, could be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
The inventor hereby states his intent to rely on the Doctrine of Equivalents to determine and access the reasonably fair scope of the present invention as pertains to any apparatus not materially departing from but outside the literal scope of the invention set forth in the following claims.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20090081055 A1 | Mar 2009 | US |
