High volume tidal or current flow harnessing system

Apparatus for extracting power from ocean tides, ocean currents, or flowing rivers comprising:

• means including a dam interposed in a water flow path for creating a water head between water at one level on one side of the dam and water at another level on the opposite side of the dam;
• and,
• means for cyclically creating gas pressure and a partial vacuum in a rapidly cycled manner responsive to water flow from one side of said dam to another side thereof including a housing having at least one wall thereof sealed to said dam at a vertically oriented line defining a vertically oriented plane through said housing, and having a bottom submerged in water, said housing defining a single chamber having no internal water conveying passageways connected thereto through which water flows to effect the operation of the gas pressure and partial vacuum creating means, with said bottom having two sets of ports at the bottom thereof to either side of said vertical plane so as to substantially open the whole bottom wall of the housing to the surrounding water, two sets of high volume sluice gate means at said bottom ports, each of said sets of sluice gate means being actuated in response to a predetermined water pressure differential thereat, whith the sets of sluice gate means selectively and rapidly occluding different sets of said ports for promoting rapid filling of said housing with water to create a positive gas pressure at the top of said housing and for promoting the production of a partial vacuum at the top of said housing with rapid water outflow and means for sensing said pressure differential and for actuating said sluice gate means.

Apparatus for extracting power from ocean tides, ocean currents or flowing rivers comprising:

• means including a dam interposed in a water flow path for creating a water head between water at one level on one side of the dam and water at another level on the opposite side of the dam;
• and,
• means for cyclically creating positive gas pressure and a partial vacuum responsive to water flow from one side of said dam to another side thereof including a housing having a bottom submerged in water, with said bottom having parts at the bottom thereof, said housing having barrier means for separating the bottom of said housing into two chambers, each with a separate set of ports and means for alternately sealing the top of one chamber while unsealing the top of the other chamber to promote filling of said housing with water to create a positive gas pressure at the top of said housing and to promote the production of a partial vacuum at the top of said housing with water outflow, said alternate sealing and unsealing means including at least one structure having a central axis about which it may be rotated so as to selectively seal one of said chambers and at least another of said structures having a central axis about which it may be rotated so as to selectively seal the other of said chambers, and means for mounting and actuating said structures so as to seal and unseal opposing chambers responsive to the water level in said housing.