River high pressure energy conversion machine

• US 8,231,327 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2011
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Albert H. Davis Jr, Frances T. Davis, Lisa Davis, Paul Davis
• Original Assignee: Albert Hamilton Sr. Davis
• Inventors: Davis, Albert Hamilton Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Look, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRAGER, JESSE M
• Application Number:
  US13/104,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20110204642A1
• Time in Patent Office: 448 Days
• Field of Search: 415/4.3, 415/906, 415/202, 415/75, 290/42, 290/43, 290/53, 290/54
• US Class Current: 415/3.1
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 7/04 using pressure differences or thermal differences occurring in nature F03G7/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 415/906 having specific features for water current

Abstract

A river high pressure energy conversion machine which has no moving parts, comprising a machine (or pump) having a pipe attached to a river bed, with a flexible pipe to an enlarged water inlet attached to the underside of a float, to assure entrance of water just below the river water surface. A discharge pipe from the machine rises above the river bank to a water-driven accessory, through a stop valve and a pressure regulating valve. The discharge pipe from the accessory discharges river water back to the river. Water stacks up inside the sloping machine pipe on the river bed, and creates higher water pressure at the machine pipe outlet for driving the accessory. This is a continuous process, generating electricity twenty-four hours every day, using only gravity as the pressurizing force on water to generate electricity, without using fossil, nuclear or artificial energy forces.

Claims

1. A gravity powered above-ground river high pressure energy conversion machine, comprising:

a mainline pipe running longitudinally down the river;

an inlet to the mainline pipe to allow water to fill the pipe at an upriver origination point of the mainline pipe;

one or more accessory supply pipes, each having a first end connected to the mainline pipe and a second end terminating above land;

stop valves and pressure regulating valves in the accessory supply pipes;

provisions at the second ends of the accessory supply pipes for connection to above ground water driven accessories;

discharge pipes, each having a water-tight connection on a first end to one of the above ground water driven accessories and an opposite second end through which water from the accessories can be discharged back into the river;

feeder river machines that collect water and discharge it into the mainline pipe; and

backflow prevention valves in the feeder river machines;

wherein the accessory supply pipes and discharge pipes are located throughout the extents of the main pipeline.

2. The gravity powered above-ground river high pressure energy conversion machine according to claim 1:

wherein the above ground water driven accessories are turbogenerators.

3. The gravity powered above-ground river high pressure energy conversion machine according to claim 1:

wherein the provisions at the second ends of the accessory supply pipes for connection to above ground water driven accessories are flanges.

4. The gravity powered above-ground river high pressure energy conversion machine according to claim 1:

wherein the water-tight connections on the first ends of the discharge pipes include flanges.

5. The gravity powered above-ground river high pressure energy conversion machine according to claim 1, wherein:

the accessory supply pipes are formed from rigid sections having orientations selected from the group comprising vertical, horizontal, diagonal and curved, and attached to extend from the mainland pipe to the above ground water driven accessories.

6. The gravity powered above-ground river high pressure energy conversion machine according to claim 1, wherein:

the above ground water driven accessories are manifolded together and mounted on one or more foundations.

7. The gravity powered above-ground river high pressure energy conversion machine according to claim 1, wherein:

the discharge pipes are formed from rigid sections having orientations selected from the group comprising vertical, horizontal, diagonal and curved, and attached to extend from the above ground water driven accessories to the river where the water from the accessories is discharged.

8. The gravity powered above-ground river high pressure energy conversion machine according to claim 1, wherein:

the accessory supply pipes and the discharge pipes are flexible.

9. The gravity powered above-ground river high pressure energy conversion machine according to claim 1, wherein:

the accessory supply pipes and the discharge pipes are made up of a combination of rigid and flexible components.

10. The gravity powered above-ground river high pressure energy conversion machine according to claim 1, wherein:

an opening is provided in the downstream end of the mainline pipe to allow discharge of debris.

11. The river high pressure energy conversion machine according to claim 1, further comprising:

a single inlet funnel in the inlet to the mainline pipe, having an enlarged end for receiving water from a flowing river and an opposite small end, with the funnel orientated so that its enlarged end directly faces the incoming current;

a flexible pipe connected to the small end of the inlet funnel;

a float riding on a surface of the flowing river, with the flexible pipe attached to the underside of the float, so that the pipe holds a top of the enlarged end of the inlet funnel below the river surface;

wherein the flow of the river is unobstructed between the location of the inlet funnel and the location of the second end of the discharge pipe.

12. The river high pressure energy conversion machine according to claim 11, further comprising:

a strainer and a filter on the enlarged end of the inlet funnel.

13. The river high pressure energy conversion machine according to claim 11, further comprising:

a post attached to a foundation on the river bed, with the float being attached in a slot of the post, allowing the inlet funnel to slide up and down when the river surface rises or falls.

14. The river high pressure energy conversion machine according to claim 11, wherein:

the above ground water driven accessories are turbogenerators manifolded together and mounted on a foundation.

15. The river high pressure energy conversion machine according to claim 11, wherein:

the second end of the discharge pipe drops vertically to several inches above the normal high water level of the river surface.