Devices for extracting energy from waves
AssigneeThe Secretary of State for Energy in Her Britannic Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
InventorsCecil A. Comyns-Carr, Michael J. Platts
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a device for extracting energy from waves, the device having a pump or a number of pumps arranged to be operated by relative motion between hingedly connected members of the device in response to waves so as to displace a fluid. The device according to the invention is provided with a vane pump having a pump chamber defined by one of the members and a vane extending from an adjacent member so as to be displaced in the pump chamber by the relative motion of the members to displace the fluid. The members may be hingedly connected together at a number of locations at which a respective bearing is supported by a resiliently flexible mounting.
Claims11
A device for extracting energy from waves on a liquid, comprising two members hingedly connected one to another so as to allow angular relative motion between the members in response to waves, at least one of the members being of buoyant construction, and pump means between said hingedly connected members for displacing fluid in response to said relative motion, wherein the improvement comprises, said pump means comprising a vane pump having a pump chamber defined by one end of one of the hingedly connected members, and a vane defined by the adjacent end of the other hingedly connected member and extending therefrom into said pump chamber so as to be displaced angularly in said pump chamber by said relative motion, thereby to displace said fluid.
A device for extracting energy from sea waves and comprising,
- (a) two leading pontoons aligned in parallel relationship;
- (b) a rear pontoon;
- (c) hinge means connecting the two leading pontoons in parallel relationship to the rear pontoon, the hinge means comprising, a plurality of hinge bearings, and a resilient mounting for each hinge bearing and comprising elastomeric material of annular form about said each hinge bearing;
- (d) each leading pontoon defining a respective chamber adjacent to the rear pontoon, the chamber being of sectoral cross-section and defined from an axis co-axial with the axis of the hinge bearings;
- (e) two vanes extending from the rear pontoon one into each chamber, each vane having a portion thereof of cylindrical form co-axial with the hinge bearing axis and being of hollow form so as to define an even plurality of channels therethrough;
- (f) sealing means secured to each leading pontoon adjacent to and about the cylindrical portions of the vanes;
- (g) an inlet duct means for seawater in the rear pontoon adjacent to each vane and downwardly extending therefrom and connected at one end to alternate channels in the vanes;
- (h) non-return valve means in the inlet duct means;
- (i) ports connecting the channels in an alternate manner to opposite sides of the vanes, so that adjacent channels have ports into opposite sides of the respective chamber;
- (j) discharge ducts connected to the other alternate channels of each vane;
- (k) non-return valve means in the discharge ducts to permit the flow of the seawater from the channels through the discharge ducts;
- (l) a manifold for each vane and connected to the discharge ducts of said each vane;
- (m) a reservoir having an open top and extending above the manifolds and to which the manifolds are connected;
- (n) a turbine disposed below the reservoir;
- (p) a duct connecting the reservoir at the bottom thereof to the turbine, and
- (r) an electric generator drivable connected to the turbine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.