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US 11,447,218 B2Granted
Dynamic buoyancy control
AssigneeL3Harris Open Water Power, Inc.
InventorsDavid Harvie Porter, Thomas Bradford Milnes, Ian Salmon McKay, Jeffrey Michael Smith
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Underwater apparatuses and methods of operating underwater apparatuses. The apparatus includes a power source such as an aluminum-water cell. Waste product from the power source may be channeled into various portions of the apparatus to adjust the buoyancy of the apparatus, the center of buoyancy of the apparatus, and/or the trim of the apparatus.
Claims20
An underwater apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
- a power source that produces a gaseous waste product;
- a forward buoyancy chamber and an aft buoyancy chamber, wherein the forward buoyancy chamber and the aft buoyancy chamber are configured to adjust a trim of the underwater apparatus;
- and
- a control system configured to direct the gaseous waste product and a ballast into the forward buoyancy chamber and the aft buoyancy chamber to adjust
- the center of buoyancy of the underwater apparatus,
- wherein when the forward buoyancy chamber and the aft buoyancy chamber comprise equal amounts of the gaseous waste product and the ballast, the underwater apparatus is under a neutral trim;
- wherein when the forward buoyancy chamber comprises more gaseous waste product than the aft buoyancy chamber, the underwater apparatus is under a positive trim;
- wherein when the aft buoyancy chamber comprises more gaseous waste product than the forward buoyancy chamber, the underwater apparatus is under a negative trim;
- and
- wherein the trim and the buoyancy of the underwater apparatus are independently configurable.
7 more elements
The underwater apparatus 1 wherein the power source is an aluminum-water fuel cell.
A method of operating an underwater apparatus, the method comprising:
- operating a power source that produces a gaseous waste product;
- and
- directing the gaseous waste product and a ballast to a forward buoyancy chamber and an aft buoyancy chamber of the underwater apparatus to adjust the center of buoyancy of the underwater apparatus,
- wherein when the forward buoyancy chamber and the aft buoyancy chamber comprise equal amounts of the gaseous waste product and the ballast, the underwater apparatus is under a neutral trim;
- wherein when the forward buoyancy chamber comprises more gaseous waste product than the aft buoyancy chamber, the underwater apparatus is under positive trim,
- wherein when the aft buoyancy chamber comprises more gaseous waste product than the forward buoyancy chamber, the underwater apparatus is under negative trim;
- and
- wherein the trim and the buoyancy of the underwater apparatus are independently configurable.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.