Wave-energized diode pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12247540-B2
Application number	US-202217887099-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 12, 2022
Priority date	Feb 23, 2019
Publication date	Mar 11, 2025
Grant date	Mar 11, 2025

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus that floats at the surface of a body of water over which waves pass. Passing waves cause a nominally vertical axis of the apparatus to tilt away from an axis normal to the resting surface of the body of water. Tilting of sufficient magnitude and duration allows a fluid to flow through a channel that in an un-tilted apparatus would require the gravitational potential energy of the fluid to increase (i.e., to flow uphill), but, because of the tilt allows the fluid to flow through the channel in a downhill direction. Flowing water is trapped at a plurality of levels which in an un-tilted apparatus are higher than the respective levels from which the fluid has flowed. A subsequent tilt of the apparatus in a sufficiently different direction, and of a sufficient magnitude and duration, causes the trapped water to flow to new, yet higher levels. Successive wave-driven tilts of the apparatus incrementally raise water to a height and/or head from which a portion of its gravitational potential energy can be released, and/or converted to electrical power, by causing the water to return to a lower level by flowing through a water turbine thereby energizing an operationally connected generator, or through some other apparatus that performs a useful function when supplied with a flow of high-pressure water.

First claim

We claim:

1. A vessel for floating on a horizontal sea surface, the vessel comprising:
a buoyant platform having:
a deck,
a partial enclosure surrounding the deck, and
a planar bottom surface;

a plurality of pairs of fluidly connected power takeoffs disposed on the deck, each power take off comprising:
a first stack of water chambers including at least a bottom water chamber, an intermediate water chamber, and a top water chamber;
a second stack of water chambers including at least a bottom water chamber and a top water chamber, the second stack of water chambers disposed on the deck opposite to and facing the first stack of water chambers;
a plurality of pipes arranged such that for each chamber in the second stack, a first pipe fluidly connects the chamber to a respective opposite lower chamber in the first stack and a second pipe fluidly connects the chamber to a respective opposite higher chamber in the first stack;
a water turbine fluidly connected to the top water chamber of the first stack;
a generator connected to the water turbine, the generator configured to generate electricity when the connected water turbine is actuated by a water flow from the top water chamber of the first stack; and
an inflow pipe extending from the bottom water chamber of the first stack through the partial enclosure;

wherein two first pairs of the plurality of pairs of power takeoffs are connected by pipes aligned in a first plane perpendicular to the horizontal sea surface and two second pairs of the plurality of pairs of power takeoffs are connected by pipes aligned in a second plane perpendicular to the horizontal sea surface, said first plane being orthogonal to said second plane; and
wherein rocking of the vessel in the first plane causes sea water to enter the inflow pipes of the two first pairs of power take offs and elevates the sea water through the respective water chambers and respective pipes of the two first pairs of power take offs to actuate the water turbines of the two first pairs of power take offs to thereby generate electricity; and
wherein rocking of the vessel in the second plane causes sea water to enter the inflow pipes of the two second pairs of power take offs and elevates the sea water through the respective water chambers and respective pipes of the two second pairs of power take offs to actuate the water turbines of the two second pairs of power take offs to thereby generate electricity.

2. The vessel of claim 1 , wherein each first stack contains an odd number of water chambers and each second stack contains an even number of water chambers.

Assignees

• Lone Gull Holdings Ltd

Inventors

• Moffat Brian Lee
• Sheldon-Coulson Garth Alexander

Classifications

• F03B13/22

  using the flow of water resulting from wave movements to drive a motor or turbine {(F03B13/144 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• Y02E10/30

  Energy from the sea, e.g. using wave energy or salinity gradient · CPC title

• F05B2240/93

  on a structure floating on a liquid surface · CPC title

• F05B2240/13

  to collect or cause flow towards or away from turbines · CPC title

• F03B13/144

  which lifts water above sea level · CPC title