1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to lunar tide powered hydroelectric plants which are non-polluting and versatile in size range. The plants generate electricity from the kinetic energy obtained by the action of wave and tide motion and collected by torsion spring cells aggregated in banks which are coordinated by a computer to release its stored mechanical and potential energy in a controlled system to convert the stored mechanical energy to electrical power.
2. Description of the Related Art
The related art shows various water-powered devices to produce electricity. Power generation plants are known to pollute the environment because of the burning of fossil fuels. Nuclear power plants create toxic waste. Dams with water turbines block off waterways and interfere with migratory or spawning fish runs. The present invention permits a wide range in size from a land-based unit to a much larger floating plant with no environmental pollution and no disruption of the waterway. The art of interest will be discussed in the order of their perceived relevance to the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,286 issued on Nov. 29, 1983, to Lisbon Scott describes a wave and tidal energy driven electric generator comprising a walking beam or boom type drive arm with a float on one end and an adjustable counterbalance weight on the opposite end. The drive arm is shaped like a tuning fork with the handle pivoting on a wave energy transducer based on a float platform. The energy storage portion and the electricity generation portion are based on another platform supported by piling. By using a universal ratchet clutch on both ends of the main power shaft, the shaft is engaged when the float drops and rises. There are only three large double spring combinations wherein each doubled spring has an increasing diameter and the springs are arranged in alternating fashion in terms of diameter. The springs are geared together at both ends. The last spring with a worm gear prevents excessive torque but gives a constant RPM input. The larger diameter end of the third spring is connected to a beveled gear which drives a smaller beveled drive gear of a hydraulic torque converter. The torque converter reduces the high RPM of the drive gear to a low speed of 900 RPM and a high torque output to the generator. The system can produce 875,000 ft.-lb./min at an output of 1 megawatt/day. There is no suggestion for increasing the number of springs from the three doubled springs. The springs have eccentric diameters and are arranged in a specific manner. The present invention utilizes multiple columns of cells which are controlled by a bottom control cell, do not require a yoke and counterweight arrangement, and can vary greatly in terms of spring banks.
France Patent No. 2,343,135 issued on Sep. 30, 1977, to R. Pouges describes a wave energy converter using a float mounted between two vertical guides anchored to a sea bed. A vertical rod from the float has a side with a rack which engages a pinion gear mounted on a horizontal shaft. A ratchet drive and a cogged plate permit only rotation of the drive shaft of the generator in one direction as the float travels up and down. There is no suggestion for obtaining work energy from the float's total movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,663 issued on May 25, 1976, to Joseph V. Rusby describes a tide-powered electrical generator comprising a generator mounted float constrained between four jack bars (pilings) raised with successive incoming tides until the maximum height of at least twice the normal tidal differential, e.g., six feet, is obtained setting off an alarm. The weighted float is then allowed to descend to convert the potential energy to electrical energy by the generator. No gearing systems are shown. This reference is distinguished by failing to utilize the downward motion of the waves and the tides for generation of power.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,098,208 issued on May 26, 1914, to James R. Abbott describes a wave and tide motor system installed on a pier or wharf. A barrel float is confined between pier pilings and attached to a vertical rack along which a pinion gear traverses up and down with the wave motion. The reciprocating motion is converted to a rotary motion by positioning the pinion gear on a crankshaft containing two cranks underneath the pier. The cranks operate two reciprocating rods with underlying teeth which operate two cooperating clutch mechanisms to maintain the same rotation on a flywheel which connects a generator shaft apparently by a drive belt. The crankshaft and clutch mechanisms do not suggest the reversible gear system of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,746,875 issued on Jul. 17, 1973, to Joseph Donatelli describes an electrical power plant driven by ocean tides and waves. The object is to obtain energy from: (1) the two-directional flow of water up and down from changes in the levels of waves and tides; and (2) the two-directional flow of ocean waves and tides towards and away from shore. A non-planar floating platform is contained by a slotted fixed piling enclosure and a sloped roof with. The floating platform is constructed to have a landward edge portion and a seaward edge portion which slope inward toward the center so as to form first and second paths of water. Paddle wheels are mounted in the paths to generate electricity to four electrical generators housed on the floating platform adjacent to the floats or air filled tanks. Another set of two generators housed on the roof accept mechanical energy from two gear posts, each having two spur gears to mesh with the double racked posts. The reference utilizes a conventional switching arrangement to sum up in phase the electricity generated from both the up and down movement of the gear post and from the floating platform. Apparently the rotational changes of the paddle wheels on each side of the floating platform are not considered, because only one-way flow of seawater from each side is used to generate electricity, whereas the rack and gear generated electricity is derived from an up and down motion. The reference is distinguished because it does not contemplate the use of reverse gearing to correct the rotational change involved with the up and down motion of seawater.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,484 issued on Sep. 3, 1985, to Louis F. Suggs describes a wave and tide powered generation apparatus comprising a rectangular float with a rotatable drum located at each corner. The float is confined in a frame fixed to the sea bottom. Each drum has a line wound around it. One end of the line is connected to an upper frame element and the opposite end is anchored to a projection from a leg of the frame. The drum is attached to a first clutch assembly at one end to a first drive gear which drives a first driven gear on the power shaft of an electric generator. The opposite end of the drum is attached to a second clutch assembly which further connected to a second gear assembly consisting of five idler gears to drive a second driven gear of the power shaft. A third clutch assembly, an overrunning clutch, is located between the first gear assembly and the flywheel on the power shaft to permit the free rotation when the second gear assembly is operating. The operation of the second gear assembly allows the power shaft to rotate in the opposite direction as the second drive gear. This arrangement allows the power shaft to be driven in one direction by rotation of the drum in either direction due to the rise and fall of the float or barge. This gearing arrangement is structurally different from the reverse gearing mechanism of the present invention. Moreover, the drum and frame arrangement is structurally different from the rack and pinion gear arrangement of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,901 issued on Aug. 18, 1981, to A. Marcel Giguere describes an apparatus for utilizing tidal variation to generate electricity. The apparatus comprises a floating power unit which ascends and descends a fixed column mounted on the ocean floor. Three embodiments are shown. The first embodiment of FIG. 1 has a floating island on a pair of gear connected racked posts of a foundation on a sea floor. The island includes a system of five interconnected sprocket wheels for each post driving a generator. One post system operates only for rising tides while the other post system operates only for falling tides. The second embodiment of FIG. 2 provides a floating island including a chamber oscillating on a base pedestal which includes turbine systems which utilize the water flow into and out of the floating island's chamber to drive a generator. An air compressor-air motor-generator system operates to create electricity from the flow of pressurized air in the floating island's chamber and stored in an air reservoir for slack tides. FIGS. 3 and 4 show a third embodiment wherein a floating island is attached to a post on a gimbal and having a helical track. It is unclear how the floating island is attached to the post, other than surrounding a collar system which traverses the helical post and drives a generator as the floating island rotates up and down. These three embodiments are all structurally different from the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,544,849 issued on Oct. 1, 1985, to In K. Choi describes a method and apparatus for tidal electric power generation using the buoyancy energy of the tide. An intricate system of two water reservoirs operated by a 4-way valve system provides for the addition or drainage of sea water to a buoyant container confined between piling. The buoyant container (similar to a ballast tank) having a pinion gear moves up and down a fixed rack. A pair of beveled gears meshed to the pinion gear operate a moving (up and down) power transmission apparatus controlled within by manual means. The power transmission apparatus includes a pair of conic helical gears which control the 4-way valve system. This involved apparatus by virtue of the buoyant container and the attendant intricate power transmission is unlike the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,858 issued on Jul. 15, 1986, to Joseph P. La Stella et al. describes an ocean wave energy device and a method of using the device to obtain electricity. A rack and pinion gear apparatus has the power shaft connected to a wave frequency detector and a brake disc-caliper at one end and a D.C. generator with rectifying means on the other end. This rack and pinion apparatus is mounted between platforms supported by four pillars at each corner. The rack has a buoy on the bottom which oscillates with the wave frequency. The disc brake is manually or automatically monitored to hold or release the power shaft and consequently the buoy at predetermined intervals to increase the upward and downward oscillation. The apparatus is not utilized during slack tide and little wave action. This feature along with the matching of frequencies of the wave motion and the buoy motion is inconsistent with the present invention which accumulates electrical power with spring banks.
U.S Pat. No. 3,974,652 issued on Aug. 17, 1976, to August O. Lovmark describes a device for converting wave energy to electrical power. A pier supports a fulcrum which has four vertical arms with floats at one end at various levels and ratchet driving sprocket wheels at the opposite end to drive respective ratchet wheels mounted on one shaft on the pier. A gear box increases the drive shaft's RPM from 200 to 400 faster than the drive shaft's RPM. The drive shaft drives a pump which pressurizes a recycled fluid (oil or ocean water) to a high pressure reservoir which also receives air from a compressor. The pressurized fluid then drives a motor which drives a generator to create electricity. The fluid from the motor is recycled through a fluid reservoir to the pump. This involved additional apparatus on the pier is not required in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,336 issued on Jan. 22, 1980, to John Lamberti describes a water-wave energy transducer system wherein a boat containing a transmission gear box is connected to a swing block in the boat traversing a vertical rack suspended from a frame anchored to the sea floor. The rack passes through the boat and is pivotally anchored. The swing block has beveled gearing transmitting rotary motion to the transmission gear box which contains over-running clutches and a journaled output shaft. The output shaft only rotates in one direction to drive a generator inside the boat. The size and location of this installation appears to be limited to shallow water. Moreover, there is no suggestion for substituting a spring means for storing the mechanical energy derived from wave motion.
United Kingdom Patent Application No. GB 2,279,113 A published on Dec. 21, 1994, for Bahram Momeny describes a wave power generator wherein a heart-shaped buoyant housing having a concrete or water weighted tip cylinder at the apex is counterbalanced by a larger weighted cylinder which contains the generation apparatus. The counterweight cylinder is moored to the sea bed at its ends. The housing consequently is rotated up and down by wave motion. The oscillatory motion is converted to one rotational movement which is transmitted through a system of gearing to a coiled spring or a set of dual compression springs by differential gearing to a slip clutch and generator, which elements are all inside the cylinder. The installation is small in size compared to the large installations contemplated in the present invention because the housing must rotate up to 100.degree. with each wave motion.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a lunar tide powered hydroelectric plant solving the aforementioned problems is desired.