A submersible hydromotive assembly is provided for an energy storing dam and includes chambers defined in its structural body which can be filled with water to sink the assembly or with gas to float it. Additionally, the hydromotive assembly has a machine hall with auxiliary equipment required to start, maintain in running condition and stop a turbine-generation set. Also included is the method of submerging and positioning the submersible hydromotive assembly at the water passage flow path of a dam.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to hydromotive assemblies for hydroelectric 
plants or pumped storage plants and more particularly to a submersible 
hydroelectric assembly and to an energy storing dam adapted to receive it. 
Hydromotive assemblies for hydroelectric production plants and pumped 
storage plants are, obviously, well known in the art. 
The aim of such hydromotive assemblies, positioned at the inlet or outlet 
of the water passages engineered through hydraulic structures such as 
dams, is to convert the inherent gravitational energy of the water stored 
in the reservoir behind the dam into electric energy. The efficiency of 
this conversion is particularly important in low-head hydroelectric 
plants. 
It is known that in a hydroelectric station the highest efficiency is 
attained when the hydraulic passages which directs the water flow through 
the dam are shaped like rectilinear embodiments. If these passages have 
bands, scrolls, elbow draft diffusers; the efficiency of the energy 
conversion is reduced because of increased friction between the water 
flowing through them and the inner surfaces thereof, thus reducing the 
amount of energy output of the hydroelectric station. 
Furthermore, the erection costs of these civil engineered structures with 
such complicated water passages is highly expensive and puts a great 
financial overburden on the respective enterprises. There are also, great 
constructive delay involvements on these engineered projects before 
putting them in the commissioned operative status. 
It is also known, that the best hydroelectric station engineered project 
must be designed under standardized concepts and mass produced industrial 
components. Furthermore, under operational performance, the concerned 
hydroelectric station must not have shutdown delays for cause of 
maintenance procedures on generators and turbines. 
It must have also, a low investment cost figure in terms of money invested 
per kW. of installed capacity. 
Additionally, the erection time schedule required to install turbines and 
generators and put them in operation must be the shortest possible one. 
All these objectives are claimed to be made possible by means of the 
present invention. 
All these considerations which not only take into account hydraulic 
efficiency but also financial requirements, have not been fulfilled 
because the technology in low-head hydroelectric generation has not been 
advanced enough in efficient terms in recent years, to keep pace with the 
most spectacular and massive nuclear electric generation developments. 
Consequently, less efficient design concepts and erection methods are used 
today although they are very expensive and produce very large engineered 
structures, requiring great delays in commissioning them. 
It is an aim of the present invention to enable the provision of optimum 
erection methods by providing means for manipulating, positioning and 
mounting hydroelectric equipments with relative ease and in a very short 
time, in spite of the cumbersome sizes and heavy weights. 
An additional aim of the present invention has been to provide a novel 
engineering approach in design technology whereby it is possible to 
increase the erection speed of a known hydroelectric project, thus 
minimizing the time delays to be supported until the commissioning date. 
Because of their inherent modernizing trend and cost reducing concepts with 
mass produced interchangeable components to be introduced in hydroelectric 
plant construction designs, horizontal axis capsule-mounted generators 
with propeller fixed blade turbines or reversible Kaplan turbines acting 
as motive machines, which today are limited to very low-head hydroelectric 
projects; will be progressively installed in higher heads and fully 
involved in this novel technique, thus flexibilizing actual engineering 
trends in hydroelectric station designs and providing a better and more 
efficient tool for massive electric power interchanges purposes. 
This statement is also applied to the tubular turbine with a peripheral rim 
mounted generator, first invented by the American Engineer Leroy F. Harza 
some 50 years ago. 
An even further aim of the present invention has been to provide a novel 
engineered arrangement whereby hydraulic structures already built for 
other purposes such as: flood control dams, navigation development 
systems, irrigation intakes, abandoned dikes etc., can be easily converted 
into hydropower generating plants. 
A further aim of the present invention has been to provide a new technique 
designed to modernize actual hydroelectric station operational procedures 
by means of the provision of reversible motor-generator equipment designed 
to be positioned against sluices and flow outlet structures. 
By means of this arrangement, the electric power pattern belonging to the 
electric output of these hydrostations, is flexibilized following a 
combind output-input electric power interchangeable modified methodology. 
This technical fact, permits modernization of obsolete hydrostations, at a 
very reduced cost. 
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a 
substantially hydromotive assembly for an energy transformation purpose to 
be fitted against the structural body of a dam, in coincidence with the 
gated water passages embodied in the dam structure. In the general 
arrangement, the submersible hydromotive assembly is positioned upstream 
of the dam. It has incorporated a water conduit in the structural body, 
defined by a lateral wall surrounding the hydromotive machine and having a 
first open end for water admission and a second open end for discharging 
water entering the first open end. Auxiliary means are available for 
purposes of water flow control and water flow regulation as it is well 
known in the art. 
This submersible hydromotive assembly is provided with, at least, one 
chamber defined in said lateral wall and of a volume at least sufficient 
to cause sinking or floatation of said hydromotive assembly when the 
former is filled with liquid or gas, respectively. Means are also provided 
for filling the chamber with liquid for sinking purposes or with gas for 
floatation purposes. 
Another method for providing sinking or floatation of the hydromotive 
assembly is by means of incorporable or removable ballast weights 
positioned around the structural body of said hydromotive assembly. 
This structural body incorporates also, a machine hall which includes the 
required equipment for the proper operational performance of said 
hydromotive assembly, such as: turbine governors, generator controls, 
compressed air systems, lubrication circuits and treatment systems, water 
refrigeration and treatment systems, emergency energy sources, self 
propulsion for auto-navigation, man-living facilities; and so on. 
According to an even further aim of the present invention a new concept in 
engineering design of hydroelectric plants which flatly avoids the machine 
hall and related powerhouse structures incorporated at the dam, is 
provided. This novelty in engineering design produces a highly 
standardized criteria for dam designs and dam construction procedures, 
mainly because the simplification provided by the suppression of the 
expensive and difficult to build machine hall. 
Maintenance of motive machines is simplified too. Machines which require 
important overhauls are instantly shifted away and replaced by 
operative-ones arriving from the servicenter. In this way, a unique 
service station is provided for the maintenance of a plurality of 
hydroelectric stations, thus revolutionizing maintenance concepts. 
According to an even further aspect of the present invention, a method is 
provided for submerging and positioning a hydromotive assembly against a 
dam having means for producing control of water discharges through it, and 
having means for positioning and securing said submersible hydromotive 
assembly, upstream or downstream of said dam. 
The method comprising the steps of: a). Taking a hydromotive assembly 
having a structural body, a water inlet and a water outlet and at least 
one chamber defined in said structural body; b). Floating the hydromotive 
assembly slighty upstream of said dam and so oriented that the 
longitudinal axis of said body and which extends through said water inlet 
and outlet, is parallel to the axis of said water directing means of the 
dam and positioned substantially thereabove; c). Introducing a liquid into 
said chamber to cause sinking of said submersible hydromotive assembly; 
d). Directing the sinking hydromotive assembly until it slighty rests on 
the bottom slab. e). Displacing the hydromotive assembly along the 
supporting slab to position its water outlet against the inlet of the 
water directing means engineered through the body of the dam. This 
sequence is produced by means of cables trained by cranes, winches, or by 
jacking arrangements, or other devices well known in the art. f). Securing 
the hydromotive assembly in such working position. 
Although references in the specification are applied to rectilinear 
turbine-generator arrangements, it will be obvious to those skilled in the 
art that the teachings of the present invention are independent of the 
specific linear arrangement of both machines, and that such teachings are 
also applicables to hydromotive assembly arrangements in which such 
geometric spatial configuration follows any desired pattern.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
In FIG. 1 there is schematically represented a hydromotive submersible 
assembly comprising the power generation means compounded by the hydraulic 
turbine 1 and the electric generator 2 enclosed inside the capsule 6, and 
joined by the horizontal connecting axis or axle 3. Means are provided for 
providing control of the water actuating flow by means of the fixed 
distribuitor 5 and the moving distribuitor 4. Actuating water flow is 
conveyed through the hydraulic turbine following the annular path limited 
by the walls of the generator capsule 6 and of the water directing conduit 
7. Surrounding the wall of said water conduit 7, we find a plurality of 
chambers 8, 8', 8" . . . , 9, 9', 9" . . . , 10, 10', 10" . . . , which 
surround the periphery of the water passage defined by said structural 
wall 7. These chambers 8, 8', 8" . . . etc. to: 10, 10', 10" . . . etc., 
are positioned one beside another and extend substantially from an intake 
flange end 11 to an outlet flange end 11' as well as annularly around 
structural wall 7. The lateral chambers 8, 8', 8", . . . etc. are 
preferably intended to be filled with liquid to cause sinking of said 
hydromotive assembly or with gas to cause floatation thereof. The upper 
chambers 9, 9', 9", . . . instead, are preferably service chambers and 
house auxiliary equipments such as: governors, compressed air machines, 
water refrigeration systems, generator controls, emergency electric power 
generation, and so on. Bottom chambers 10, 10', 10" . . . are mainly for 
internal ballasting purposes, for stabilizing floatation of the 
transportable assembly when in navigation. 
It has been found that although a single chamber replacing chambers 8, 8', 
8", . . . is adequate for the purposes of the present invention, it is 
preferable to provide a plurality of individual chambers as shown in the 
drawings. 
These chambers are individually connected to a main duct which provides the 
required amount of pressurized gas or compressed air to produce the 
displacement of the liquid enclosed therein for floatation purposes. 
Similarly one inlet for liquid admission for each chamber, and one outlet 
for liquid exhaustion for each chamber are also provided. 
The gross volume of the chambers defined in the periphery of the structural 
wall 7 and adapted to be filled with liquid is at least sufficient to 
cause sinking of the hydromotive transportable assembly when they are 
filled with liquid. 
Likewise, this gross volume is at least sufficient to cause floatation of 
said hydromotive transportable assembly when they are filled with gas or 
with air for transportation purposes. 
Both, sinking and floatation sequences are made in any desired controlled 
position of said hydromotive assembly. 
Another method to provide sinking of the hydromotive assembly is by means 
of incorporable external ballast weights 19, 19'., moved by cranes by 
means of collars 19a, 19'b; and lodged within recesses 20, 20', embodied 
on structural external wall 17, as seen in FIGS. 3 and 2. 
Referring again to FIG. 1, the structural wall 7 defining the hydraulic 
conduit is provided with flanged structures 11' surrounding the intake and 
the outlet of said hydraulic conduit. Removable closing covers 15' could 
be fitted against these flanges. In this way, an auxiliary waterproof 
chamber is provided for purposes of floatation of the assembly when gas is 
admitted into the enclosed chamber defined around capsule 6 wall, and 
inner wall 7 of water conduit. 
This arrangement, provides an alternate means for floatation purposes of 
said hydromotive assembly, so replacing duty performed by chambers 8; or, 
alternatively, serves for purposes of easing the navigation requirements 
of said hydromotive assembly when in transportation, because of the 
reduced draft of the vessel; thus complementing the duty performed by the 
chambers 8. 
The body of the hydromotive submersible assembly comprises an external wall 
17 and a supporting base 18 which rests on a concrete slab, thus 
transmitting the weight of said submerged hydromotive assembly to the 
rocky bottom or to the arranged engineered structure. Once the assembly is 
positioned and rests on the base 18, it is secured against the concrete 
slab by means of bolts (not shown) passing through flanges 13. 
Access means 12 and 14 are provided to enable an operator to approach the 
hydroelectric machines for serving purposes and inspection maintenance 
procedures, as seen in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 and may be provided with 
a closing cover 15". 
According to the present invention it is possible to adapt conventional 
hydraulic structures such as dams; to receive the Transportable and 
Submersible Hydromotive Assembly concept as energy producing mean; or 
energy transformation means, simply by the addition of wall extensions to 
the abutments of those dams with gated passages engineered through the 
bodies of these abutments to complement the structure of the present 
invention. 
These gated water passages could be also, engineered through the main 
structural bodies of those dams. 
It will be understood that improvements may be introduced in the embodiment 
described, without departing from the scope of the invention defined in 
the following claims.