Apparatus for underwater environmental energy transfer with a long lead zirconate titanate transducer
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorDerke R. Hughes
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Abstract
The invention as disclosed is an underwater based electric energy production system. A cable having a piezoelectric core is attached on one end thereof to a floating buoy and on the other end thereof to an anchor. The system is deployed in the water such that the cable extends vertically through a water column. Movement of the cable due to water current generates electric power that can be harvested and stored. The floating buoy can be at or near the water's surface and the anchor can but need not rest on the sea floor.
Claims10
An underwater electric energy production system comprising:
- a buoy, wherein said buoy is situated on a surface of a large body of water so as to float on the surface;
- a cable capable of surrounding a core, said cable having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of said cable is joined to said buoy;
- a lead zirconate titanate core surrounded by said cable, wherein said lead zirconate titanate core functions as a piezoelectric transducer capable of generating electricity from vibrations from underwater currents;
- an anchor joined to said second end of said cable submerged in the large body of water, wherein said anchor is used to keep the tension on the lead zirconate titanate core within the cable, such that a fixed string configuration embodies a mathematical representation for the cable wherein the strain on the cable is expressed as S=sET+dE and the charge density is expressed as D=dT+eTE, wherein the vertical configuration is adjustable to generate a variety of levels of energy because the draft on the anchor and buoy can be regulated to produce different amounts of tension on the cable, wherein the coupling efficiency of the mechanical to electrical energy conversion for the vibrating lead zirconate titanate core is expressed as
- k
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- d
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- s
- E
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- ɛ
- T
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- a voltage regulator joined to said lead zirconate titanate core that receive an alternating current of electricity and regulates the voltage of the alternating current;
- an alternating current to direct current converter joined to said voltage regulator for the purpose of converting the electrical current generated by said lead zirconate titanate core from alternating current to direct current;
- a battery joined to said alternating current to direct current converter to capture and store the converted current;
- and
- a microprocessor and data acquisition board joined to said battery wherein said microprocessor and data acquisition board compiles and processes data generated in the form of voltage measurements from the lead zirconate titanate core.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.