Recirculating inertial hydrodynamic pump and wave engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12435693-B2
Application number	US-202418945404-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2024
Priority date	Jan 17, 2023
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein include buoyant wave energy converters. In an embodiment, the wave energy converter comprises an upper chamber having a first fluid reservoir and a first gas pocket, and a lower chamber having a second fluid reservoir and a second gas pocket. An injection tube is between and fluidly coupled to the upper chamber and the lower chamber, where the injection tube is to impel a fluid from the second fluid reservoir into the first fluid reservoir when the upper chamber, the lower chamber and the injection tube oscillate about a waterline with the upper chamber adjacent to the waterline and the lower chamber below the waterline and vertically beneath the upper chamber. In an embodiment, an effluent tube is fluidly coupled to the upper chamber and the lower chamber, where the effluent tube is to return the fluid from the first fluid reservoir to the second fluid reservoir.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A buoyant wave energy converter, comprising:
an upper chamber having a first fluid reservoir and a first gas pocket;
a lower chamber having a second fluid reservoir and a second gas pocket; and
an injection tube between and fluidly coupled to the upper chamber and the lower chamber, the injection tube to impel a fluid from the second fluid reservoir into the first fluid reservoir when the upper chamber, the lower chamber and the injection tube oscillate about a waterline with the upper chamber adjacent to the waterline and the lower chamber submerged below the waterline.

2. The buoyant wave energy converter of claim 1 , further comprising:
an effluent tube fluidly coupled to the upper chamber and the lower chamber, the effluent tube to return the fluid from the first fluid reservoir to the second fluid reservoir.

3. The buoyant wave energy converter of claim 2 , further comprising:
a pressure-regulator in the effluent tube between the first fluid reservoir and the second fluid reservoir.

4. The buoyant wave energy converter of claim 3 , wherein the pressure-regulator comprises a fluid or hydrokinetic turbine.

5. The buoyant wave energy converter of claim 3 , wherein the pressure-regulator comprises a filter.

6. The buoyant wave energy converter of claim 2 , wherein the effluent tube comprises an annular portion co-axial with the injection tube.

7. The buoyant wave energy converter of claim 2 , further comprising:
one or more additional effluent tubes coupled to the upper chamber and the lower chamber to return the fluid from the first fluid reservoir to the second fluid reservoir.

8. The buoyant wave energy converter of claim 1 , further comprising:
a gas chamber on the upper chamber, wherein the gas chamber is fluidly coupled to the lower chamber by a gas tube.

9. The buoyant wave energy converter of claim 8 , further comprising:
an effluent gas regulation valve in the gas tube, the effluent gas regulation valve to control a flow of gas between the second gas pocket and the gas chamber.

10. The buoyant wave energy converter of claim 1 , wherein the injection tube has a frustoconical constriction portion.

11. The buoyant wave energy converter of claim 1 , wherein the injection tube is a cylindrical tube.

12. The buoyant wave energy converter of claim 1 , further comprising:
a computing system on a platform of the buoyant wave energy converter.

13. The buoyant wave energy converter of claim 12 , wherein the computing system is configured with a plurality of processing systems integrated with each other in order to perform complex computer processing operations.

14. The buoyant wave energy converter of claim 12 , wherein the computing system is configured to implement one or more of data center hosting, implementing block chain mining, training machine learning (ML) algorithms, or training artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms.

15. A method of converting wave energy, the method comprising:
capturing energy from waves of a body of water with a buoyant wave energy converter, the buoyant wave energy converter comprising an upper chamber having a first fluid reservoir and a first gas pocket, a lower chamber having a second fluid reservoir and a second gas pocket, and an injection tube between and fluidly coupled to the upper chamber and the lower chamber, the injection tube to impel a fluid from the second fluid reservoir into the first fluid reservoir when the upper chamber, the lower chamber and the injection tube oscillate about a waterline with the upper chamber adjacent to the waterline and the lower chamber submerged below the waterline; and
using the captured energy to power a computing system coupled to the buoyant wave energy converter.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein using the captured energy to power the computing system comprises producing a digital good.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein using the captured energy to power the computing system comprises executing a computational algorithm.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein executing the computational algorithm produces a proof-of-work mechanism for a cryptocurrency.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein executing the computational algorithm produces a trained machine learning algorithm.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the computing system is on a platform of the buoyant wave energy converter.

21. The method of claim 15 , wherein the computing system is configured with a plurality of processing systems integrated with each other in order to perform complex computer processing operations.

22. The method of claim 15 , wherein the computing system is configured to implement one or more of data center hosting, implementing block chain mining, training machine learning (ML) algorithms, or training artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms.

23. The method of claim 15 , wherein the buoyant wave energy converter further comprises a gas chamber on the upper chamber, the gas chamber fluidly coupled to the lower chamber by a gas tube.

24. The method of claim 15 , wherein the injection tube extends below the second gas pocket.

25. A method of converting wave energy, the method comprising:
capturing energy from waves of a body of water with a buoyant wave energy converter, the buoyant wave energy converter comprising an upper chamber having a first fluid reservoir and a first gas pocket, a lower chamber having a second fluid reservoir and a second gas pocket, and an injection tube between and fluidly coupled to the upper chamber and the lower chamber, the injection tube to impel a fluid from the second fluid reservoir into the first fluid reservoir when the upper chamber, the lower chamber and the injection tube oscillate about a waterline with the upper chamber adjacent to the waterline and the lower chamber submerged below the waterline; and
using the captured energy to generate a chemical.

26. The method of claim 25 , wherein the chemical is hydrogen gas.

27. The method of claim 25 , wherein the chemical is methanol.

28. The method of claim 25 , wherein the chemical is HCl.

29. The method of claim 25 , wherein the buoyant wave energy converter further comprises a gas chamber on the upper chamber, the gas chamber fluidly coupled to the lower chamber by a gas tube.

30. The method of claim 25 , wherein the injection tube extends below the second gas pocket.

Assignees

• Lone Gull Holdings Ltd

Inventors

• Sheldon-Coulson Garth Alexander
• Moffat Brian Lee

Classifications

• F03B13/22 Primary

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

• F05B2240/93

  on a structure floating on a liquid surface · CPC title

• Y02E10/30

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

• F03B13/20

  wherein both members {, i.e. wom and rem} are movable relative to the sea bed or shore · CPC title

• F03B13/148

  using the static pressure increase due to the wave · CPC title