Compressed gas buoyancy generator powered by temperature differences in a fluid body
OwnerDouglas C. Webbinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A compressed gas buoyancy generator powered by temperature differences in a fluid medium having a thermal gradient which includes a body having an inflatable chamber connected thereto for rendering the body buoyant at a surface of the fluid medium and a mechanism for inflating the inflatable chamber with a gas, the inflating mechanism including a mechanism for inflating the inflatable chamber with the gas by obtaining energy from the thermal gradient within the fluid medium. The inflating mechanism includes a mechanism for absorbing heat at a surface portion of the fluid medium and for converting the absorbed heat at a predetermined depth of the fluid medium into a mechanical work for inflating the inflatable chamber when the body is at the surface of the fluid medium.
Claims7
A compressed gas buoyancy generator powered by temperature differences in a fluid medium having a thermal gradient, which comprises:
- a body having an inflatable chamber connected thereto for rendering said body buoyant at a surface portion of said fluid medium;
- a gas source;
- an inflater connected to said body and in communication with said gas source for inflating said inflatable chamber with gas from said gas source by obtaining energy from said thermal gradient within said fluid medium wherein said inflator comprises an apparatus for absorbing heat at a surface portion of said fluid medium and for converting the absorbed heat at a predetermined depth of said fluid medium into mechanical work for inflating said inflatable chamber when said body is at the surface portion of the fluid medium.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.