Seafloor power station
OwnerW. Z. (Zack) Hayman, IIIinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The Seafloor Power Station is one or more unmanned electric power generating Units (2) sending power to and operated from existing coastal sites by a manned facility (1) by connecting lines and hoses (3) delivering power to a grid by lines (4). Each Unit's hull (11) maintained in a vacuum, contains both nuclear steam and electricity generating systems. The hull functions as overpressure containment and as condenser in the event of a loss of coolant accident or other steam release. The Units operate submerged in very cold water, with depth set by remotely controlled vertical mooring systems, mounted on gravity mats (27). A Unit must be surfaced by its mooring system to refuel the reactor, an action both conspicuous and public, enabling international oversight of the fuel disposition.
Claims14
A coastal electric power generating station with one or more nuclear reactor powered generating units for operation and situation offshore on a floor of a large body of water, comprising:
- at least one unmanned buoyant submersible hull structure comprising a containment for nuclear steam and electricity generators;
- at least one mooring element removably attached to said at least one unmanned buoyant submersible hull structure, said at least one mooring element being adapted to moor said at least one unmanned buoyant submersible hull structure to said floor;
- and
- a surface facility disposed above and isolated by said large body of water from said at least one buoyant submersible hull structure and said at least one mooring element, said surface facility controlling the operation of said one or more nuclear reactor powered generating units including said at least one mooring element and said at least one unmanned buoyant submersible hull structure.
A coastal electric power generating station with one or more nuclear reactor powered generating units for operation and situation offshore on a floor of a large body of water, comprising:
- at least one unmanned buoyant submersible hull structure comprising a containment for nuclear steam and electricity generators;
- at least one mooring element removably attached to said at least one unmanned buoyant submersible hull structure, said at least one mooring element being adapted to moor said at least one unmanned buoyant submersible hull structure to said floor via a plurality of cables and further adapted to balance the tension of said plurality of cables between said unmanned buoyant submersible hull structure and said mooring element;
- and
- control means to control one or more aspects of said unmanned buoyant submersible hull structure disposed above and isolated by said large body of water from said at least one buoyant submersible hull structure and said at least one mooring element.
A coastal electric power generating station with one or more nuclear reactor powered generating units for operation and situation offshore on a floor of a large body of water, comprising:
- at least one unmanned buoyant submersible hull structure comprising a containment for nuclear steam and electricity generators;
- at least one mooring element attached to said at least one unmanned buoyant submersible hull structure, said at least one mooring element further comprising at least one seafloor element and at least one controllable restraining element mounted thereon, said at least one controllable restraining element being adapted to permit controlled variation of the relationship between said at least one seafloor element and said at least one unmanned buoyant submersible hull structure;
- control means to control one or more aspects of said unmanned buoyant submersible hull structure disposed above and isolated by said large body of water from said at least one buoyant submersible hull structure and said at least one mooring element;
- and
- a tensioning system for maintaining cable tension on a plurality of vertical cables removably attached to said at least one unmanned buoyant submersible hull structure, comprising:
- a plurality of winches driven by, or reversely driving, a fluid, and wherein each of said plurality of winches are coupled to respective elements of said vertical cables,
- at least one pair of manifolds adapted to distribute said fluid under pressure to and between said plurality of winches;
- at least one hydraulic pump unit coupled to said at least one pair of manifolds, said at least one pump adapted to discharge said fluid under pressure to at least a portion of said plurality of winches for reeling in thereof;
- and
- at least one flow resisting subsystem coupled to said at least one pair of manifolds, said at least one flow resisting subsystem adapted to receive said fluid under pressure from said plurality of winches for reeling out thereof;
- wherein said fluid under pressure is distributed to and between said plurality of winches substantially in proportion to said tension placed on each of said plurality of winches by its respective cable;
- wherein at least a portion of said plurality of winches are adapted to balance the tension applied to each of said winches by its respective cable by driving fluid through said at least one pair of manifolds to or from other ones of said plurality of winches.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.