Buoyancy pump power system

• US 7,059,123 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2003
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Patton Boggs LLP (Squire Patton Boggs US LLP)
• Original Assignee: Independent Natural Resources, Inc.
• Inventors: Welch, Kenneth W. Jr., Rothi, Harold L., Rothi, Curtis J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Look, Edward K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LESLIE, MICHAEL S
• Application Number:
  US10/684,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20040131479A1
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• Field of Search: 603/98, 417/337, 417/331, 290/42, 290/53
• US Class Current: 60/398
• CPC Class Codes: F03B 13/187 and the wom directly actuates the piston of a pump
• CPC Class Codes: F03B 13/1895 where the tie is a tension/compression member
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2210/16 Air or water being indistinctly used as working fluid, i.e. the machine can work equally with air or water without any modification
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/30 Energy from the sea, e.g. using wave energy or salinity gradient

Abstract

A system and method generating electricity includes converting wave motion into mechanical power. A fluid matter is driven as a function of the mechanical power to a reservoir. The fluid matter is flowed from the reservoir. At least a portion of a kinetic energy of the flowing fluid matter is converted into electrical energy. The fluid matter may be liquid or gas.

Claims

1. A method for generating electricity, comprising:

adjusting a buoyancy block according to wave size;

converting wave motion into mechanical power using the buoyancy block;

driving a fluid matter as a function of the mechanical power to a reservoir;

flowing the fluid matter from the reservoir; and

converting at least a portion of a kinetic energy of the flowing fluid matter into electrical energy.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said converting wave motion into mechanical power includes moving a member in a first direction and a second direction in response to the wave motion moving the member in the first and second directions, respectively.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said driving the fluid matter further includes:

intaking the fluid matter in response to the wave motion moving the member in the first direction; and

exhausting the fluid matter in response to the wave motion moving the member in the second direction.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said driving the fluid matter includes forcing fluid matter to an increased elevation to the reservoir.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising storing the fluid matter in the reservoir.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising increasing pressure of the fluid matter in the reservoir.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said flowing the fluid matter includes gravitating the fluid matter for converting the kinetic energy of the flowing fluid matter into electrical energy.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said flowing includes utilizing pressure to flow the fluid matter for said converting the kinetic energy of the flowing fluid matter into electrical energy.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said converting the flowing fluid matter includes driving a turbine utilizing the flowing fluid matter.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising applying the electrical energy onto a power grid.

11. A system for generating electricity, comprising:

a plurality of buoyancy pumps located in a body of water, each buoyancy pump having an adjustable buoyancy block operable to reciprocally move in response to wave action to pump an operating fluid using the energy of waves within the body of water, each buoyancy pump being individually anchored to a floor beneath the body of water;

a reservoir disposed on shore adjacent to the body of water and fluidly connected to at least two of the buoyancy pumps to aggregate the operating fluid from the two buoyancy pumps; and

a turbine operable to receive the operating fluid from the reservoir and convert at least a portion of a kinetic energy of the operating fluid into electrical energy.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said pump is portable.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein said reservoir is located on land.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the land is on top of a cliff.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein said reservoir is located over the body of water.

16. The system according to claim 11, wherein said reservoir is located on a boat.

17. The system according to claim 11, wherein the fluid matter is water.

18. The system according to claim 11, wherein said pump is a buoyancy pump.

19. The system according to claim 11, wherein said reservoir is configured for a dual purpose.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the configuration of the reservoir includes a fish hatchery.

21. The system according to claim 11, further comprising multiple pumps configured to each receive approximately the same amount of energy from a wave.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the configuration of the multiple pumps includes a grid for the pumps to be aligned.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the grid includes a plot for each pump, each pump having an empty plot between each other pump.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein the pumps are positionally offset by a row along consecutive columns.

25. The system according to claim 21, wherein the configuration of the pumps forms a pump field, a shoreline located perpendicular to the direction of travel of the wave receiving substantially the same sized wave as if the pump field did not exist.

26. The system according to claim 11, wherein said pump includes at least one adjustable element operable to be altered based on the wave motion.

27. The system according to claim 11, wherein said pump is composed of a plurality of pilings aligned by at least one buoyancy chamber ring.

28. A system for generating electricity, comprising:

means for adjusting a buoyancy block according to wave size;

means for converting wave motion into mechanical power;

means for driving a fluid matter as a function of the mechanical power to a reservoir, said

means for driving functioning in conjunction with said means for converting;

means for flowing the fluid matter coupled to the reservoir; and

means for converting at least a portion of a kinetic energy of the flowing fluid matter into electrical energy, said means for converting operable to receive the flowing fluid matter from said means for flowing.

29. The system according to claim 28, further comprising means for increasing pressure of the fluid matter in the reservoir.

30. The system according to claim 28, further comprising means for applying the electrical energy onto a power grid.

31. A system for generating electricity from a turbine as a function of wave energy from a body of water, said system comprising:

a plurality of buoyancy pump devices configured in the body of water at spacings (i) to enable a wave to substantially re-form after passing at least one first buoyancy pump device and (ii) to drive at least one second buoyancy pump device, said buoyancy pump devices operable to displace a fluid matter to drive the turbine.

32. The system according to claim 31, wherein said buoyancy pumps are configured in a grid arrangement of plots formed of rows and columns.

33. The system according to claim 32, wherein each buoyancy pump is separated by at least one plot along at least one of a row and column.

34. The system according to claim 31, further comprising a reservoir for receiving the displaced fluid matter and flowing the fluid matter to drive the turbine.

35. The system according to claim 31, further comprising power lines coupled to the turbine for distributing electricity generated by the turbine in response to the turbine being driven by the fluid matter.

36. The system according to claim 31, wherein said buoyancy pump devices include at least one component configured to be altered during operation to alter operation of the buoyancy pump devices based on wave parameters.

37. The system according to claim 36, wherein the at least one component is configured to be automatically altered.

38. The system according to claim 31, wherein the number of said buoyancy pump devices is based on an amount of power to be produced based on energy demands.

39. The system according to claim 38, wherein the number is scalable based on energy demands.

40. A system for generating electricity, comprising:

a plurality of buoyancy pumps located in a body of water, each buoyancy pump having a buoyancy block operable to reciprocally move in response to wave action to pump an operating fluid using the energy of waves within the body of water, each buoyancy pump being individually anchored to a floor beneath the body of water, each buoyancy block being sized such that a diameter of the buoyancy block is no less than about one-half a wavelength of an average wave for a region in which the buoyancy pump is operated, each buoyancy block being sized such that the diameter of the buoyancy block is no greater than about the wavelength of the average wave;

a reservoir disposed on shore adjacent to the body of water and fluidly connected to at least two of the buoyancy pumps to aggregate the operating fluid from the two buoyancy pumps; and

a turbine operable to receive the operating fluid from the reservoir and convert at least a portion of a kinetic energy of the operating fluid into electrical energy.