Devices and systems for fluid storage and transport

Systems and devices for storing a fluid in a reinforced bladder is disclosed. A flexible bladder is configured to store the fluid. An exoskeleton is configured to conform to and protect the flexible bladder on all sides. The combination of the flexible bladder and the exoskeleton results in the reinforced bladder.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to devices and systems for fluid storage and transport.

BACKGROUND

Significant areas of the world experience annual flooding even as equally significant portions of the world experience drought. The ability to mitigate both conditions is of great importance to the world.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect, the disclosure provides a device for storing a fluid. The device has a flexible bladder and an exoskeleton that surrounds the flexible bladder on all sides.

In a second aspect, the disclosure provides a system for storing a fluid in a reinforced bladder. A flexible bladder is configured to store the fluid. An exoskeleton is configured to conform to and protect the flexible bladder on all sides. The combination of the flexible bladder and the exoskeleton results in the reinforced bladder.

In a third aspect, the disclosure provides a system for power load balancing. A flexible bladder at a high elevation is configured to receive a fluid by pumping from a fluid source at a low elevation during low power load. An exoskeleton is configured to conform to and protect the flexible bladder on all sides, the combination of the flexible bladder and the exoskeleton resulting in a reinforced bladder. The reinforced bladder is configured to return the fluid through a turbine to the fluid source to produce power during high power load.

Further aspects and embodiments are provided in the foregoing drawings, detailed description and claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Definitions

As used herein, piping includes penstock, tubing, or any other means of transporting enclosed fluids.

As used herein, an exoskeleton is a structure that provides external rigidity, structure, and protection to a flexible inner object, and further is not a contiguous material, as in a cloth bag or tank, but rather set of discrete supports that are connected to support what is inside the exoskeleton. Examples include a mesh, a lattice, grid, grill, grate, net, frame, skeleton, carapace, or similar. The exoskeleton may be rigid or flexible

Water systems are one of the great resource balancing acts of the modern age. While food resources have easily kept ahead of population growth, limited only by supply chains and logistics, water is not a commodity that is simple or energetically favorable to transfer from areas of abundance to areas of need. With a sufficient power supply, such as nuclear or other renewable power, the present invention is able to easily overcome this water balancing act.

Flexible bladders by themselves are not able to be deployed in the wilds of the U.S. or other countries because of the ease at which the bladders can be popped by rocks, sticks, wild animals, and even hail. The present invention overcomes this by deploying the flexible bladders with an exoskeleton that supports and reinforces the bladders, providing external rigidity, structure, and protection to the bladders. As such, these can be deployed either as long term or short-term storage systems into even the most remote areas of the wilds.

With these reinforced bladders now available due to the present invention, multiple benefits can be realized. The water systems of the world can be balanced. Local power grids can be load balanced. And rather than build reservoirs that permanently alter the landscape, these reinforced bladders can be deployed with no modification to the local environment and be removed when the demand is complete, leaving no trace behind.

In the case of load balancing of energy grids, the reinforced bladders can be used at elevation to provide low demand electricity storage as potential energy storage of water and then conversion of the potential energy back into electricity during high demand, generating revenue for local investors.

During times of flooding, water can be moved via a series of reinforced bladders. A pump can send the flood water to the first reinforced bladder, placed near the flooding area. The series of reinforced bladders each has a pump that pumps the water on. The flood water can thereby be pumped rapidly through the bladders to another destination, preferably a drought area or another water demand area, mitigating the flood while also putting the water somewhere that it is useful and not harmful. This is the embodiment that would most benefit from nuclear power or renewable power that can provide the energy needed to pump the large quantities of water a flood produces. Once the flood is over, the reinforced bladders can be removed and the landscape returned easily to its pre-utilization condition. In a preferred embodiment, the first bladder or first few bladders may be filled directly from spillway runoff, minimizing pumping requirements. Capture of spillway runoff before flood waters form prevents flooding and minimizes power use.

Further, the same concept of a series of reinforced bladders with pumps can be used to pump water to wilderness areas, either from flood waters or from another water source. The water can be utilized in the wilderness area for supplying water to fire fighters or other wilderness demands. Other utilization options are detailed below.

The wilderness areas utilized may be unused federal or state lands and permitting should be relatively simple as no permanent damage to the land will occur by the occupancy. No concrete should be required, and no overburden needs to be moved to accommodate the system. The overall system is minimally environmentally invasive, as the removal of the bladder removes the change to the environment.

The flexible bladders can easily be made out of environmentally safe geomembranes, preventing the waters pumped from being polluted further by undesirable chemicals. Further, geomembranes are typically puncture resistant, meaning the reinforcement from the exoskeleton will make the reinforced bladders extremely durable. This invention can be leak proof and evaporation proof.

Any type of water can be utilized, as detailed below. This can include pumping from underground aquifers, reservoirs, rivers, or similar. Further, other fluids can also be utilized, including brine, wastewater, contaminated water, hydrocarbons, ammonia, nitrogenous compounds, non-organic fluids, and combinations thereof.

Now referring toFIG.1,FIG.1is a side view with cutaway of a reinforced bladder that may be used in one embodiment of the present invention. At100, a flexible bladder102is contained inside of and supported by an exoskeleton104. A fluid106inside the bladder102fills the bladder until it reaches the extent of the exoskeleton104. In one embodiment, the exoskeleton104is rigid and retains shape while the bladder102expands and contracts as the fluid106is pumped in. In other embodiments, the exoskeleton104is not as rigid and at least partially collapses as the bladder102is emptied. In other embodiments, the bladder102is attached to the exoskeleton104and retains the shape of the exoskeleton104as the fluid106flows in and out of the bladder102. In this last embodiment, air is allowed to enter and exit to retain pressure.

In some embodiments, the fluid is selected from a group consisting of water, brine, wastewater, contaminated water, hydrocarbons, and combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the flexible bladder comprises a material selected from HDPE (high-density polyethylene), LDPE (low-density polyethylene), MDPE (mid-density polyethylene), blended plastic polymers, metal, and combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the exoskeleton comprises a metal mesh, a fabric mesh, a plastic mesh, or a composite mesh.

In a preferred embodiment, the flexible bladder fully encloses the fluid.

FIG.2is a process flow diagram of a system for storing and transporting fluids that may be used in one embodiment of the present invention, as shown at200. A first reinforced bladder202is at elevation212. A second reinforced ladder204is at a higher elevation214. The power grid210has peaks of consumption and low consumption periods. During peak periods, demand is high and power is required and more expensive. During low periods, demand is low and power is not required and is less expensive. During the low periods, a fluid is pumped from reinforced bladder202by pump/turbine206using power211through piping201to reinforced bladder204. This stores the cheaper power as potential gravitational energy in reinforced bladder204. During peak periods, valve208is then opened and pump/turbine206is used to produce power211and send it back to the power grid210.

In some embodiments, the first or second reinforced bladders can be replaced by a water source such as a river or reservoir.

FIG.3is a process flow diagram of a system for storing and transporting fluids that may be used in one embodiment of the present invention as shown at300. A series of reinforced bladders extend from a low elevation stepwise to a higher elevation. The first reinforced bladder302receives a fluid301through valve332.

In a first embodiment, fluid301is flood water and the user desires the flood water to be transported to an area in need of water, such as a drought area or navigable river below navigation depth. In this embodiment, the fluid301is pumped by pump/turbine312through piping301to the second reinforced bladder304. The fluid301is pumped by pump/turbine314through piping303to the third reinforced bladder306. The fluid301is pumped by pump/turbine316through piping305to the last reinforced bladder306. The fluid301is then released as fluid311through valve338to the area in need of water.

In this embodiment, fluid301may also be removed from the second and third reinforced bladders304and306through valves334and336as fluid307and309, respectively. This water may be used for firefighting, irrigation, campers, emergency responders, or combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the reinforced bladders are at the same or similar elevations. In a preferred embodiment, the first reinforced bladder302is at the elevation of a water source such as a flooding river and the last reinforced bladder308is at the elevation of water sink, such as a drought area or a river that is below navigable levels.

In an alternative embodiment, the system may be used for storing power during low power usage and producing power during high power usage, as inFIG.2. In this embodiment, the fluid301is pumped as described previously during low power usage and is then allowed to drain back down through valves322,324, or326during high power usage through pump/turbines312,314, and316to produce power313,315, and319, respectively.

In an alternative embodiment, the fluid source is a pipeline and the fluid is a compressed gas such as natural gas. The fluid301is allowed to enter the first reinforced bladder302through valve332while the pipeline is at a high pressure, allowing for increased storage capacity of the pipeline fluid. The fluid301is discharged back into the pipeline by valve332when the pipeline is at a low pressure, allowing for balancing of fluid supply in the pipeline.

In some embodiments, a pit is configured to contain the reinforced bladder.

In some embodiments, the reinforced bladder is configured to receive spills, including toxic waste, industrial runoff, flood waters, spilled oil, rain, and combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the exoskeleton is a metal mesh made of fine gauge wires. In other embodiments, the metal mesh is made of heavier gauge wires. In some embodiments, the mesh may be made from composite wires.

Now referring toFIG.4,FIG.4is a side view with cutaway of a reinforced bladder that may be used in one embodiment of the present invention. At400, a flexible bladder102is contained inside of and supported by an exoskeleton404. The exoskeleton404is a Kevlar fabric mesh that supports the bladder when fully expanded with both structural strength and physical protection. At400, a fluid406has filled the bladder402to the extent of the flexibility of the exoskeleton404. At401, the bladder is being drained (or filled) and the exoskeleton404collapses as it is not required to support the bladder during filling or deflation.

In all embodiments, the tensile strength of the bladder and exoskeleton combination is sufficient to support the column of water that is produced by filling the bladder. In a preferred embodiment, this is at least 20 to 30 feet of water, though greater heights can be accommodated. In some embodiments, the exoskeleton provides rigidity and structure and the bladder merely fills or empties the space inside the exoskeleton. In other embodiments, the exoskeleton collapses when the bladder is not full.

In some embodiments, the exoskeleton consists of a fabric, such as Kevlar, configured to protect the flexible bladder from puncture, and a metal mesh or plastic mesh to provide support to the flexible bladder.

In some embodiments, bypass lines with appropriate valving are provided and configured to enable bypassing one or more reinforced bladders in the series of bladders. This allows repair, removal, inspection, and safety along the system.