Changing buoyancy based on combining a liquid with a substrate
AssigneeBoston Engineering Corporation
InventorsMark W. Smithers, David Alfred Simm, Katherine Conner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A technique for varying buoyancy of an apparatus includes providing a substrate configured to produce gas on demand when exposed to a liquid, exposing the substrate to such liquid, and capturing the gas produced by the substrate to increase the buoyancy of the apparatus within a fluid. In some examples, the liquid and the fluid contain the same material, such that gas may be produced using fluid already in the environment.
Claims16
A method of varying buoyancy of an apparatus surrounded by fluid, comprising:
- providing a substrate within the apparatus, the substrate configured to produce gas on demand when exposed to a liquid, the substrate initially not exposed to the liquid;
- exposing the substrate to the liquid, the substrate thereby producing gas;
- and
- capturing the gas produced by the substrate to increase buoyancy of the apparatus within the fluid,
- wherein, prior to exposing the substrate to the liquid, the apparatus contains a volume of fluid, wherein both the liquid and the fluid are composed at least in part of liquid water, and wherein the method further comprises displacing at least some of the volume of fluid out of the apparatus when capturing the gas such that the apparatus becomes more buoyant and rises within the fluid.
A method of varying buoyancy of an apparatus surrounded by fluid composed primarily of liquid water, comprising:
- providing a substrate within the apparatus, the substrate configured to produce gas on demand when exposed to the liquid water, the substrate initially not exposed to the liquid water;
- exposing the substrate to the liquid water, the substrate thereby producing gas;
- and
- capturing the gas produced by the substrate to increase buoyancy of the apparatus within the fluid,
- wherein, prior to exposing the substrate to the liquid water, the apparatus contains a volume of fluid, and wherein the method further comprises displacing at least some of the volume of fluid out of the apparatus when capturing the gas such that the apparatus becomes more buoyant and rises within the fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.