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US 6,109,863 AGranted
Submersible appartus for generating electricity and associated method
OwnerLarry D. Millikeninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fully submersible apparatus for generating electricity from liquid flow as in an ocean or river current. A buoyant structure is fully submersible and has at least one pair of counter-rotating side-by-side motors with a plurality of angularly spaced radial vanes each having a plurality of rotatable subvanes such that current impinging upon the motor will impinge on a closed or solid vane to effect rotation of the motor and its shaft during a first phase of the rotational cycle and will impinge on open vanes for free passage therethrough on the return or second phase of rotation of the motor. Motors may also be provided with vanes in overlying and underlying relationship. An associated method is provided.
Claims38
A fully-submersible apparatus for generating electricity from generally liquid flow, comprising:
- a buoyant structure having a liquid receiving chamber, a first side portion, a relatively spaced second side portion, a top portion attached to said first and second side portions, and a bottom portion attached to said first and second side portions,
- at least two pairs of counter-rotatable motors, each of said pairs having two motors being in relative overlying and underlying relationship, said overlying and underlying motors having a common rotatable shaft and a plurality of generally radially oriented vanes each having a plurality of rotatable subvanes, whereby said liquid flow will effect rotation of said vanes and said shaft,
- vanes of said overlying motor are angularly displaced from said vanes of said underlying motor,
- said subvanes structured to rotate between a closed position wherein the vane will provide a generally continuous wall which resists liquid flow therethrough and an open position wherein said vane will have openings permitting passage of liquid therethrough, and
- generating means responsive to liquid flow established rotation of said shaft to generate electricity.
2 more elements
A fully-submersible apparatus for generating electricity from generally liquid flow, comprising:
- a buoyant structure having a liquid receiving chamber, a first side portion, a relatively spaced second side portion, a top portion attached to said first and second side portions, and a bottom portion attached to said first and second side portions,
- at least one pair of counter-rotatable motors each having a rotatable shaft and a plurality of generally radially oriented vanes each having a plurality of rotatable subvanes, whereby said liquid flow will effect rotation of said vanes and said shaft,
- said subvanes structured to rotate between a closed position wherein the vane will provide a generally continuous wall which resists liquid flow therethrough and an open position wherein said vane will have openings permitting passage of liquid therethrough, and
- generating means responsive to liquid flow established rotation of said shaft to generate electricity,
- said liquid receiving chamber having a liquid entry opening for receiving said liquid flow and a liquid discharge opening for discharge of liquid which has flowed through said motor, and
- said entry opening being of smaller area than said discharge opening.
3 more elements
A fully-submersible apparatus for generating electricity from generally liquid flow, comprising:
- a buoyant structure having a liquid receiving chamber, a first side portion, a relatively spaced second side portion, a top portion attached to said first and second side portions, and a bottom portion attached to said first and second side portions,
- at least one pair of counter-rotatable motors each having a rotatable shaft and a plurality of generally radially oriented vanes each having a plurality of rotatable subvanes, whereby said liquid flow will effect rotation of said vanes and said shaft,
- said subvanes structured to rotate between a closed position wherein the vane will provide a generally continuous wall which resists liquid flow therethrough and an open position wherein said vane will have openings permitting passage of liquid therethrough,
- generating means responsive to liquid flow established rotation of said shaft to generate electricity,
- said motor having an upper support plate fixedly connected to said shaft adjacent said upper portion thereof,
- said motor having a lower plate oriented generally parallel to said upper support plate and fixedly connected to said shaft adjacent said lower portion thereof,
- a centrally-located hollow cylinder having an inner diameter greater than the outer diameter of said shaft and being secured to said upper plate and to said lower plate such that said shaft is centered therein and a cylindrical void is created between the outer diameter of said central shaft and the inner surface of said cylinder,
- at least one array of generally radially-oriented vertical rigid vanes, and
- each said vane comprising two or more overlapping generally vertical subvanes each having a vertical edge pivotally attached at its upper end to said upper plate and at its lower end to said lower plate and a movable vertical edge that overlaps a vertical edge of the next adjacent subvane when said vane is moving in the direction of fluid flow.
6 more elements
A fully-submersible apparatus for generating electricity from generally liquid flow, comprising:
- a buoyant structure having a liquid receiving chamber, a first side portion, a relatively spaced second side portion, a top portion attached to said first and second side portions, and a bottom portion attached to said first and second side portions,
- at least one pair of counter-rotatable motors each having a rotatable shaft and a plurality of generally radially oriented vanes each having a plurality of rotatable subvanes, whereby said liquid flow will effect rotation of said vanes and said shaft,
- said subvanes structured to rotate between a closed position wherein the vane will provide a generally continuous wall which resists liquid flow therethrough and an open position wherein said vane will have openings permitting passage of liquid therethrough, and
- generating means responsive to liquid flow established rotation of said shaft to generate electricity,
- having at least one pair of counter-rotatable motors each rotating about generally, parallel axes,
- said axes being generally vertically oriented, and
- the outermost subvane of each said vane is mechanically stopped from moving beyond the circumference line of said motor.
4 more elements
A fully-submersible apparatus for generating electricity from generally liquid flow, comprising:
- a buoyant structure having a liquid receiving chamber, a first side portion, a relatively spaced second side portion, a top portion attached to said first and second side portions, and a bottom portion attached to said first and second side portions,
- at least one pair of counter-rotatable motors each having a rotatable shaft and a plurality of generally radially oriented vanes each having a plurality of rotatable subvanes, whereby said liquid flow will effect rotation of said vanes and said shaft,
- said subvanes structured to rotate between a closed position wherein the vane will provide a generally continuous wall which resists liquid flow therethrough and an open position wherein said vane will have openings permitting passage of liquid therethrough,
- generating means responsive to liquid flow established rotation of said shaft to generate electricity,
- said buoyant structure comprises:
- said hollow first side portion being hollow and bounded by an outer wall, an inner wall, a front edge and a rear edge,
- said hollow second side portion being hollow and bounded by an outer wall, an inner wall, a front edge and a rear edge,
- said top portion being hollow, and
- said bottom portion being hollow.
6 more elements
A fully-submersible apparatus for generating electricity from generally liquid flow, comprising:
- a buoyant structure having a liquid receiving chamber, a first side portion, a relatively spaced second side portion, a top portion attached to said first and second side portions, and a bottom portion attached to said first and second side portions, and
- at least one pair of counter-rotatable motors each having a rotatable shaft and a plurality of generally radially oriented vanes each having a plurality of rotatable subvanes, whereby said liquid flow will effect rotation of said vanes and said shaft,
- said subvanes structured to rotate between a closed position wherein the vane will provide a generally continuous wall which resists liquid flow therethrough and an open position wherein said vane will have openings permitting passage of liquid therethrough,
- generating means responsive to liquid flow established rotation of said shaft to generate electricity,
- said liquid receiving chamber having a liquid entry opening for receiving said liquid flow and a liquid discharge opening for discharge of liquid which has flowed through said motor, and
- the area of said entry opening is generally equal to one half the area of said discharge opening.
3 more elements
A fully-submersible apparatus for generating electricity from generally liquid flow, comprising:
- a buoyant structure having a liquid receiving chamber, a first side portion, a relatively spaced second side portion, a top portion attached to said first and second side portions, and a bottom portion attached to said first and second side portions,
- at least one pair of counter-rotatable motors each having a rotatable shaft and a plurality of generally radially oriented vanes each having a plurality of rotatable subvanes, whereby said liquid flow will effect rotation of said vanes and said shaft,
- said subvanes structured to rotate between a closed position wherein the vane will provide a generally continuous wall which resists liquid flow therethrough and an open position wherein said vane will have openings permitting passage of liquid therethrough, and
- generating means responsive to liquid flow established rotation of said shaft to generate electricity, and
- at least one keel extending from the bottom wall of said bottom portion to facilitate in maintaining proper orientation of said apparatus with respect to the direction of liquid flow.
2 more elements
A method of generating electricity comprising
- providing a buoyant structure having a liquid inlet and liquid outlet and at least two pairs of counter-rotatable motor elements, each of said pairs having two motors being in relative overlying and underlying relationship, said overlying and underlying motors having a common shaft, and each having a plurality of radially oriented vanes which in turn have a plurality of rotatable subvanes, said vanes of said overlying motor are angularly displaced from said vanes of said underlying motor,
- submersing said apparatus within a body of moving liquid,
- introducing said liquid into the entry opening to establish rotation of said motor,
- maintaining said subvanes in a closed position when said vanes are moving generally in the same direction as said current and maintaining said subvanes in an open position when said vanes are moving generally opposed to the direction of said current, and
- employing the output of a shaft fixedly secured to said motor to generate electricity.
2 more elements
A method of generating electricity comprising:
- providing a buovant structure having a liquid inlet and liquid outlet and at least one pair of counter-rotatable motor elements each having a plurality of radially oriented vanes which in turn have a pluralitv of rotatable subvanes,
- submersing said apparatus within a body of moving liquid,
- introducing said liquid into the entry opening to establish rotation of said motor,
- maintaining said subvanes in a closed position when said vanes are moving generally in the same direction as said current and maintaining said subvanes in an open position when said vanes are moving generally opposed to the direction of said current,
- employing the output of a shaft fixedly secured to said motor to generate electricity,
- providing said structure with a pair of side-by-side counter-rotatable motors each rotating about a shaft to which it is fixedly secured and oriented generally parallel with respect to the adjacent said motor, and
- providing said inlet opening with an area substantially smaller than the liquid outlet opening.
4 more elements
A method of generating electricity comprising
- providing a buoyant structure having a liquid inlet and liquid outlet and at least one pair of counter-rotatable motor elements each having a plurality of radially oriented vanes which in turn have a plurality of rotatable subvanes,
- submersing said apparatus within a body of moving liquid,
- introducing said liquid into the entry opening to establish rotation of said motor,
- maintaining said subvanes in a closed position when said vanes are moving generally in the same direction as said current and maintaining said subvanes in an open position when said vanes are moving generally opposed to the direction of said current, and
- employing the output of a shaft fixedly secured to said motor to generate electricity,
- providing a divider wall to subdivide said chambers such that side-by-side motors will be separated from each other in respect of liquid flow therethrough, and
- increasing the velocity of flow of said liquid as it passes through said apparatus as compared with the rate of liquid current flow prior to entry into said apparatus.
4 more elements
A method of generating electricity comprising:
- providing a buoyant structure having a liquid inlet and liquid outlet and at least one pair of counter-rotatable motor elements each having a plurality of radially oriented vanes which in turn have a plurality of rotatable subvanes,
- submersing said apparatus within a body of moving liquid,
- introducing said liquid into the entry opening to establish rotation of said motor,
- maintaining said subvanes in a closed position when said vanes are moving generally in the same direction as said current and maintaining said subvanes in an open position when said vanes are moving generally opposed to the direction of said current,
- employing the output of a shaft fixedly secured to said motor to generate electricity,
- providing said structure with a pair of side-by-side counter-rotatable motors each rotating about a shaft to which it is fixedly secured and oriented generally parallel with respect to the adjacent said motor, and
- each said motor having an upper array of said vanes and an underlying lower array of said vanes.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.