Energy generation from compressed fluids

• US 8,080,895 B1
• Filed: 08/11/2008
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brian B. Williams, Thomas J. Burns
• Original Assignee: Brian B. Williams, Thomas J. Burns
• Inventors: Williams, Brian B., Burns, Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuevas, Pedro J
• Application Number:
  US12/189,535
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: 290/1.R, 290/4.R, 290/44, 290/55, 290/54, 603/98, 606/98
• US Class Current: 290/54
• CPC Class Codes: F03B 11/002 Injecting air or other fluid F03D80/40, F03B11/04, F03B15/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F03B 13/00 Adaptations of machines or engines for special use; Combinations of machines or engines with driving or driven apparatus if the apparatus aspects are predominant, see the relevant subclasses for such apparatus, e.g. H02K7/18; Power stations or aggregates incorporating only machines or engines of positive-displacement type F03C; hydraulic engineering aspects E02B; combinations with wind energy converters F03D9/008
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 15/03 having permanent magnets
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1853 driven by intermittent forces
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/20 Hydro energy

Abstract

A method and system to use compressed fluids to generate electrical energy or an equivalent useful form of energy. A first embodiment uses pressurized air that can be stored to selectively and directly generate energy as required. A second embodiment uses a pressurized working fluid that can be stored to selectively and directly generate energy as required. A third embodiment uses at least one compressible floor module to compress at least one working fluid that can be stored to selectively and directly generate energy as required. The working fluid in various embodiments of the invention can be air, steam, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, commercially available Freons, carbon dioxide, methane, ethane, propane, butane, various types of natural gas, ammonia, an equivalent type of gas, or an appropriate liquid.

Claims

1. A method to produce energy from the compression of at least one working fluid, said method comprising:

compressing at least one working fluid to produce a pressurized working fluid in a compressor module;

storing the pressurized working fluid in at least one storage module for storage of the pressurized working fluid;

releasing a portion of the pressurized working fluid from the at least one storage module through at least one power module;

converting a mechanical energy from a moving pressurized working fluid into a rotational energy; and

generating a usable form of energy from the at least one power module by a motion of the portion of the pressurized working fluid, wherein the at least one power module can generate a usable form of energy from a source of energy and a means of converting the source of energy into a rotation of at least one turbine disk having a plurality of magnets in the at least one power module, wherein the at least one turbine disk has a plane of rotation and the at least one power module has a plurality of EMF coils each having a center axis in proximity to the plurality of magnets in the at least one turbine disk, with the center axis of each EMF coil substantially perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the at least one turbine disk.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the power module includes at least one turbine disk having a circumference with a plurality of grooves capable of at least 70% energy conversion efficiency in converting the kinetic energy of the pressurized working fluid into rotational energy of the at least one turbine disk.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one working fluid is water from a body of water and the pressurized working fluid is air.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one working fluid and the pressurized working fluid are both atmospheric air in composition.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one working fluid and the pressurized working fluid are different fluids.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the motion of the at least one working fluid is at least partially induced by the compression of a plurality of floor modules when at least one person walks over the plurality of floor modules.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the compressor module is located in a body of water and a motion of the body of water compresses a working fluid.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the pressurized working fluid is also selectively coupled directly to the at least one power module.

9. A method to produce energy from the compression of at least one working fluid, said method comprising:

converting the motion of a fluid into a rotational energy, wherein the rotational energy is coupled to a compressor module with at least one working fluid and a compressor to compress the at least one working fluid;

compressing the at least one working fluid in the compressor module to produce a pressurized working fluid;

storing the pressurized working fluid in at least one storage module for storage of the pressurized working fluid;

releasing a portion of the pressurized working fluid through at least one power module, wherein the at least one power module can generate a usable form of energy; and

generating a usable form of energy from a source of energy and a means of converting the source of energy into a rotation of at least one turbine disk having a plurality of magnets in the at least one power module by a motion of the portion of the pressurized working fluid, wherein the at least one turbine disk has a plane of rotation and the at least one power module has a plurality of EMF coil assemblies each having a center axis in proximity to the plurality of magnets in the at least one turbine disk, with the center axis of each EMF coil substantially perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the at least one turbine disk.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the power module includes at least one turbine disk having a circumference with a plurality of grooves capable of at least 70% energy conversion efficiency in converting the kinetic energy of the pressurized working fluid into rotational energy of the at least one turbine disk.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the motion of the fluid is at least partially induced by the compression of a floor module when a weight is placed on the floor module.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the fluid and the working fluid are both atmospheric air in composition.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the fluid and the working fluid are different fluids.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the motion of the fluid is at least partially induced by the compression of a plurality of floor modules when at least one person walks on top of the plurality of floor modules.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein converting the motion of a fluid into a rotational energy includes utilizing at least one windmill.

16. A system to produce energy from the compression of at least one working fluid, comprising:

a compressor module with at least one working fluid with means to compress the at least one working fluid to produce a pressurized working fluid by utilizing a motion of a fluid;

a storage module for storage of the pressurized working fluid produced by the compressor module; and

a power module to generate a usable form of energy from a source of energy and a means of converting the source of energy into a rotation of at least one turbine disk having a plurality of magnets by releasing a portion of the pressurized working fluid through the at least one power module, wherein the at least one turbine disk has a plane of rotation and the at least one power module has a plurality of EMF coils each having a center axis in proximity to the plurality of magnets in the at least one turbine disk, with the center axis of each EMF coil substantially perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the at least one turbine disk.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the power module includes at least one turbine disk having a circumference with a plurality of grooves capable of at least 70% energy conversion efficiency in converting the kinetic energy of the pressurized working fluid into rotational energy of the at least one turbine disk.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the motion of the fluid is partially induced by the compression of a floor module when a weight is placed on the floor module.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the fluid and the working fluid are both atmospheric air in composition.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the fluid and the working fluid are different fluids.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the motion of the fluid is at least partially induced by the compression of a plurality of floor modules when at least one person walks on top of the plurality of floor modules.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the compressor module is located in a body of water and a motion of the body of water compresses a working fluid.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the power module directly produces electrical energy from the rotation of a disk rotated by the motion of the pressurized working fluid.

24. A system to produce energy from the compression of at least one working fluid, comprising:

a compressor module with at least one working fluid and a compressor to compress the at least one working fluid to produce a pressurized working fluid by utilizing a motion of a fluid;

a storage module for storage of the pressurized working fluid produced by the compressor module; and

a power module to generate a usable form of energy from a source of energy and a means of converting the source of energy into a rotation of at least one turbine disk having a plurality of permanent magnets by releasing a portion of the pressurized working fluid through the at least one power module, wherein the at least one turbine disk has a plane of rotation and the at least one power module has a plurality of EMF coils each having a center axis in proximity to the plurality of magnets in the at least one turbine disk, with the center axis of each EMF coil substantially perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the at least one turbine disk.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the power module includes at least one turbine disk having a circumference with a plurality of grooves capable of at least 70% energy conversion efficiency in converting the kinetic energy of the pressurized working fluid into rotational energy of the at least one turbine disk.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the motion of the fluid is at least partially induced by the compression of a floor module when a weight is placed on the floor module.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the fluid and the working fluid are both atmospheric air in composition.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the fluid and the working fluid are different fluids.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein the motion of the fluid is at least partially induced by the compression of a plurality of floor modules when at least one person walks on top of the plurality of floor modules.

30. The system of claim 24, wherein the power module directly produces electrical energy from the rotation of a disk rotated by the motion of the pressurized working fluid, and wherein the disk is a turbine disk having a plurality of magnet holes for the placement of permanent rare-earth magnets.