US 10,612,590 B2Granted

Buoyancy-enhanced helical loop drive system

AssigneeNew-Field Energy, LLC

InventorsNorman Raymond Neufeld, Clifton E. Scott

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Abstract

A buoyancy-enhanced loop drive system includes upper and lower gears, a helical drive loop extending around and rotatably engaging the upper and lower gears, and a tank configured to retain a liquid medium. An ascending side of the drive loop extends through the tank. In some embodiments, the drive loop includes a plurality of sections, and adjacent sections are rotatable with respect to each other about an axis normal to an end face of the sections. Additionally or alternatively, the ascending side of the drive loop advances through an inlet seal via an exit port defined in an exit wall oriented perpendicular to the exit direction. Additionally or alternatively, an intermediate plate is coupled to an inlet housing for rotation about a vertical axis, and to a stationary support structure for bi-directional translation.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A buoyancy-enhanced helical loop drive system comprising:

an upper gear;
a lower gear;
a stationary support structure configured to support said upper gear and said lower gear for rotation with respect to said stationary support structure;
a drive loop extending in a closed loop around said upper gear and said lower gear and rotatably engaging said upper gear and said lower gear, said drive loop comprising a plurality of sections coupled together serially and defining a helical shape, each of said plurality of sections extending from a male end to an opposite female end, said female end comprising an end face;
a tank configured to retain a liquid medium, said tank comprising a lower end and an opposite upper end, wherein an ascending side of said drive loop extends through said tank from said lower end to said upper end, and wherein said male end of each of said plurality of sections is configured to couple to said female end of an adjacent one of said plurality of sections in a face-to-face relationship, such that said adjacent sections are rotatable with respect to each other about an axis normal to said end face of said female end;
an inlet housing coupled to said lower end of said tank, said inlet housing is rotatable about a vertical axis with respect to said stationary support structure;
and
an intermediate plate coupled to said stationary support structure for bi-directional translation with respect to said stationary support structure, said intermediate plate is coupled to said inlet housing such that said inlet housing is rotatable about the vertical axis with respect to said intermediate plate.

5 more elements

A buoyancy-enhanced helical loop drive system comprising:

an upper gear;
a lower gear;
a stationary support structure configured to support said upper gear and said lower gear for rotation with respect to said stationary support structure;
a drive loop extending in a closed loop around said upper gear and said lower gear and rotatably engaging said upper gear and said lower gear, said drive loop defining a helical shape;
a tank configured to retain a liquid medium, said tank comprising a lower end and an opposite upper end, wherein an ascending side of said drive loop extends through said tank from said lower end to said upper end;
and
an inlet housing coupled to said lower end of said tank, said inlet housing is rotatable about a vertical axis with respect to said stationary support structure, said inlet housing comprising an inlet seal, said inlet seal comprising an exit wall and an exit port defined in said exit wall, wherein the ascending side of said drive loop is receivable from beneath said inlet housing, through said inlet seal, through said exit port, and into said tank, wherein the ascending side of said drive loop advances through said exit port in an exit direction, and wherein said exit wall is oriented perpendicular to the exit direction.

4 more elements

A buoyancy-enhanced helical loop drive system comprising:

an upper gear;
a lower gear;
a stationary support structure configured to support said upper gear and said lower gear for rotation with respect to said stationary support structure;
a drive loop extending in a closed loop around said upper gear and said lower gear and rotatably engaging said upper gear and said lower gear, said drive loop defining a helical shape;
a tank configured to retain a liquid medium, said tank comprising a lower end and an opposite upper end, wherein an ascending side of said drive loop extends through said tank from said lower end to said upper end;
an inlet housing fixedly coupled to said lower end of said tank, said inlet housing is rotatable about a vertical axis with respect to said stationary support structure, said inlet housing comprising an inlet seal, wherein the ascending side of said drive loop is receivable from beneath said inlet housing, through said inlet seal, and into said tank;
and
an intermediate plate coupled to said stationary support structure for bi-directional translation with respect to said stationary support structure, said intermediate plate coupled to said inlet housing such that said inlet housing is rotatable about the vertical axis with respect to said intermediate plate.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/252,019Filed 18 Jan 2019 · us provisional application
Priority: 24 Jan 2018
Published: US 2019/0226524 A125 Jul 2019
Granted: 7 Apr 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

F16C 29/0638
Whereby the return paths are provided as bores in a main body of the U-shaped carriage, e.g. the main body of the U-shaped carriage is a single…:…
B63G 8/22
Control of attitude or depth: adjustment of buoyancy by water ballasting; Emptying equipment for ballast tanks
F03B 17/04
Using hydrostatic thrust: alleged perpetua mobilia
F16C 29/0604
Details of the bearing body or carriage or parts thereof, e.g. methods for manufacturing or assembly: of the load bearing section