Abstract:
A method of collecting water and generating electricity by a reservoir in the air or on the water is disclosed. The method includes the steps of providing hollow buoyant members under the reservoir as support; providing steel ropes; driving piles into the ground and securing same to the steel ropes; forming gate; building hydroelectric generators; building a waterworks; and providing tubes connected from the gates to the waterworks through the hydroelectric generators. Rain collected and stored in the reservoir is transferred to the hydroelectric generators. Further, the waterworks is adapted to receive water from the hydroelectric generators. Moreover, sprinklers, drive devices, and oblique plates for directing rain and decreasing evaporation may be provided.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of Invention  
         [0002]     The present application relates to a method for supplying fresh water and electric power by the reservoirs in the air and the reservoirs on the water.  
         [0003]     2. Related Art  
         [0004]     Conventionally, a dam is built in an upstream or midstream of a river to hold back flowing water to form a reservoir. Water collected and stored in the reservoir can be utilized to supply fresh water or generate electricity. However, reservoirs have a number of drawbacks. For example, people living in downstream of the river may be exposed to danger. Further, water collection efficiency may be low if rain does not fall in the water collection areas. Furthermore, it may adversely affect ecology of a river. In addition, a reservoir has an elevation drop no more than several tens meters. Thus, it is desirable to provide a novel method of collecting water and generating electricity in order to overcome the inadequacies of the prior art and contribute significantly to the advancement of the art.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of collecting water and generating electricity comprising the steps of: 
        forming one or more reservoirs for collecting rainwater;     providing one or more of hollow buoyant members under each reservoir for supporting said reservoirs floated in the air or on the water;     providing a plurality of steel ropes each having one end secured to the reservoir for traction;     providing a plurality of piles each driven into the ground and secured to the other end of the steel rope for fixing the reservoir and buoyant members;     forming one or more of gates for controlling water yield therein;     providing one or more of tubes each having one end in fluid communication with each reservoir through the gate for guiding flows of water;     building one or more hydroelectric generators in intermediate portions of the tubes for electricity generation; and     wherein rain collected and stored in each reservoir is adapted to transfer to the hydroelectric generators through the gates and the tubes for generating electricity.        
 
         [0014]     In one aspect of the present invention the method further comprises providing one or more of sprinklers each between two adjacent buoyant members, the sprinklers being adapted to downwardly spray a portion of stored water in each reservoir in the air or on the water; providing one or more drive devices on each reservoir in the air or on the water, the drive devices being adapted to move each reservoir in the air or on the water; and providing one or more oblique plate on each reservoir in the air or on the water for directing rain into each reservoir in the air or on the water and decreasing evaporation of water stored in each reservoir in the air or on the water.  
         [0015]     In a further aspect of the present invention the method further comprises providing one or more pumps each adapted to transfer water to a conventional reservoir or the waterworks if water stored in each reservoir on the water is less than a predetermined quantity.  
         [0016]     The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]      FIG. 1  schematically depicts a system of collecting water and generating electricity by a reservoir in the air or a reservoir on the water according to either preferred embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0018]     One type of low clouds is nimbostratus having an elevation of about 600 meters. Another type of clouds is cumulonimbus as a source of heavy rain having an elevation of about 1,200 meters. Thus, it is envisioned by the invention to fully utilize such elevation drop of several hundreds meters rather than elevation drop of several tens meters of a conventional reservoir.  
         [0019]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a system of collecting water and generating electricity by a reservoir in the air in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown. The system comprises a reservoir  82  formed of materials having properties of low density, high strength, and being corrosion resistant such as FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastics), one or more of hollow buoyant members  81  filled with gas having a density less than air (e.g., helium) and formed under the reservoir  82  as means for supporting the reservoir  82  floated in the air, a plurality of steel ropes  83  each having one end fastened at bottom of the reservoir  82 . The reservoir  82  and buoyant members  81  are secured to a plurality of piles  84  driven into the ground, through the plurality of steel ropes  83  so as to prevent the reservoir  82  from being blown away by strong wind. The reservoir  82  is provided with one or more of gates  85  and tubes  86 . The tubes  86  each has one end in fluid communication with water stored in the reservoir  82  through the gate  85 . One or more hydroelectric generators  87  is built on the ground for collecting water from intermediate portions of the tubes  86  and a conventional reservoir or waterworks  88  is built on the ground for collecting water from the other ends of the tubes  86 .  
         [0020]     One or more of sprinklers  89  may be provided between two adjacent buoyant members  81  and adapted to spray water (i.e., as rain) on plants grown under the reservoir  82  and soil thereunder so as to lower any potential ecology damage of that area to a minimum.  
         [0021]     One or more driving devices  90  may be provided on sides of the reservoir  82  and adapted to move the reservoir  82  to a desired area for collecting water if such need arises.  
         [0022]     The reservoir  82  may be provided with one or more oblique plates  91  for directing rain to flow into the reservoir  82  through gaps between the plate  91  and a top of the reservoir air  82 . The plate  91  also has the effect of decreasing evaporation of water stored in the reservoir  82 .  
         [0023]     The hydroelectric generator  87  is adapted to generate more electricity as compared with a conventional hydroelectric power station since elevation drop of several hundreds meters (i.e., a vertical distance from bottom of the reservoir  82  to the hydroelectric generator  87  is several hundreds meters) is utilized by the hydroelectric generator  87 . The conventional reservoir or waterworks  88  is adapted to bring a water supply to a city, factories, or farmland. Preferably, the reservoir  82  is constructed above a watershed. For example, a conventional reservoir is constructed at one side (i.e., water collecting area) of a ridge. That is, the other side of the ridge is not a water collecting area. In a case of lack of rain (i.e., the reservoir has a small quantity of stored water), it is possible of activating the drive device  90  to move the reservoir  82  to the air over the other side of the ridge so as to collect water. Water collected by the reservoir  82  is then directed to the conventional reservoir through the tubes  86 . As a result, more water is collected by the reservoir by dynamically increasing water collecting areas thereof. In another case of the reservoir having a large quantity of stored water, it is possible of activating the drive device  90  to move the reservoir  82  to the air over one side of the ridge so as to collect water. Water collected by the reservoir  82  is then directed to the non-water collecting area through the tubes  86 . As a result, less water is collected by the reservoir by dynamically decreasing water collecting areas thereof.  
         [0024]     It is understood that large quantity of rain falls on the sea rather than on the land. That is, typically less water is collected for use. It is thus envisioned by the invention to fully utilize rain falling on the sea or the like. Rain is collected and stored by a novel floating reservoir on the water. Water stored in the reservoir on the water can be utilized to generate electricity if its quantity is sufficient. Also, water can be further utilized to bring a water supply to a city, factories, or farmland.  
         [0025]     Referring to  FIG. 1  again, a system of collecting water and generating electricity by a reservoir on the water in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention is shown. The system is built on the sea in this embodiment. However, the system can be also built on a lake or a conventional reservoir in other embodiments. The system comprises a reservoir  82  on the water formed of FRP having properties of low density, high strength, and being corrosion resistant, one or more of hollow buoyant members  81  filled with materials having a density less than water (e.g., cork) and formed under the reservoir  82  as means for supporting the reservoir  82  on the water, a plurality of steel ropes  83  each having one end fastened at bottom of the reservoir  82 . The reservoir  82  and buoyant members  81  are secured to a plurality of piles  84  driven into sea bed, through the plurality of steel ropes  83  so as to prevent the reservoir  82  from being drifted away by waves. The reservoir  82  is provided with one or more of gates  85  and tubes  86 . The tubes  86  each has one end in fluid communication with water stored in the reservoir  82  through the gate  85 . One or more hydroelectric generators  87  is built on the intermediate portions of the tubes  86 , and a conventional reservoir or a waterworks is  88  built on the ground for collecting water from the other ends of the tubes  86 . Note that pumps may be additionally installed in the position of the gates  85  in order to transfer water to the conventional reservoir or the waterworks  88  if only small quantity of water is stored in the reservoir  82 .  
         [0026]     One or more of sprinklers  89  may be provided between two adjacent buoyant members  81  and adapted to spray water (i.e., as rain) on area under the reservoir  82  so as to lower any potential ecology damage of that area to a minimum.  
         [0027]     One or more driving devices  90  may be provided on sides of the reservoir  82  and adapted to move the reservoir  82  to a desired area for collecting water if such need arises.  
         [0028]     The reservoir  82  may be provided with one or more oblique plates  91  for directing rain to flow into the reservoir  82  through gaps between the plate  91  and a top of the reservoir air  82 . The plate  91  also has the effect of decreasing evaporation of water stored in the reservoir  82 . Moreover, the plate  91  can be implemented as solar collector for additionally generating electricity. The conventional reservoir or waterworks  88  is adapted to bring a water supply to a city, factories, or farmland. The reservoir  82  thus has the following advantages including no land occupation, no potential ecology damage, and being served as solar power station, artificial reef, or breakwater.  
         [0029]     For example, the reservoir on the water is built on a conventional reservoir or on the sea. Water collected and stored in the reservoir on the water is relatively clean with low turbidity. Thus, there is no need of worrying water with high turbidity being supplying as experienced in a conventional reservoir when heavy rain falls on the water collecting areas thereof.  
         [0030]     In another example of lacking rain (i.e., the conventional reservoir has a small quantity of stored water), it is possible of activating the drive device  90  to move the reservoir on the water  82  to a specific sea area with heavy rainfall so as to collect water. Water collected by the reservoir  82  is then directed to the conventional reservoir or waterworks  88  through the tubes  86 . As a result, more water is collected by the conventional reservoir by dynamically increasing water collecting areas thereof.  
         [0031]     While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.