Patent Publication Number: US-2012024972-A1

Title: Method and apparatus for reducing cyclone intensity

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for reducing cyclone intensity, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for reducing the intensity of tropical storms, tropical cyclones, typhoons, and hurricanes over water. 
     Cyclones produce severe and wide spread destruction and death throughout the world each year. Cyclones occur when air traveling over warm ocean water flows into a low pressure, rotating air mass. The air picks up heat and humidity as it travels over the ocean toward the low pressure area at the center of cyclone. The heated air increases speed and rises as it reaches an eyewall of the cyclone. As the air rises, its pressure drops, cooling the air and causing the water vapor in the air to condense to liquid. The condensed liquid falls to earth as rain. When the ocean temperature is sufficiently warm, the air traveling over the ocean picks up enough heat to substantially increase the wind speed, raising the cyclone intensity to that of a hurricane or typhoon. 
     Such a cyclone C develops the circulatory pattern illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Rising air forms an eyewall designated by the character E in  FIG. 1 . The rising air cools, falling toward a surface S of the water W where it is again heated and rises. The falling air current induces a counter-rotating convective circuit outside the circuit forming the eyewall. Other successively smaller circuits are formed outside the first counter-rotating convective circuit. Warm water temperatures (i.e., temperatures greater than about eighty Fahrenheit at the surface S) feed the convective circuits, strengthening the cyclone C. There is need for an apparatus and method for reducing cyclone intensity to prevent or reduce the strength of cyclones such as hurricanes or typhoons. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention relates to apparatus for reducing intensity of a cyclone over water comprising a body having buoyancy sufficient to float in a fluid. The apparatus also includes a conduit extending from the body into water to an inlet at a depth where the water has a temperature of at least forty degrees Fahrenheit below that of water at the surface. A pump is in fluid communication with the conduit for drawing water from the depth. A sprayer operatively connected to the pump for spraying droplets of water drawn from the depth into air above the water. 
     The present invention also relates to apparatus for reducing intensity of a cyclone over water comprising a body having buoyancy sufficient to float in a fluid and a conduit extending from the body into the water to an inlet at a depth of at least 250 feet. Further, the apparatus includes a pump in fluid communication with the conduit for drawing water from the depth and a sprayer operatively connected to the pump for spraying droplets of water drawn from the depth into the air above the water. 
     In addition, the present invention includes apparatus for reducing intensity of a cyclone over water. The apparatus comprises a ship having a body adapted to float in water and a propulsion system mounted on the body having power sufficient to move the body through the water at a speed of at least about thirty miles per hour. A conduit extends from the body of the ship into the water to an inlet at a depth of at least 250 feet. The apparatus includes a pump in fluid communication with the conduit for drawing water from the depth and a sprayer mounted on the ship. The sprayer is operatively connected to the pump for spraying droplets of water drawn from the depth into rising air above the water at an eyewall of the cyclone. 
     Still further, the present invention includes a method for reducing intensity of a cyclone over water comprising drawing water from a depth where the water has a temperature of at least forty degrees Fahrenheit below that of water at the surface and spraying water drawn from the depth into rising air above the water at an eyewall of the cyclone. 
     Moreover, the present invention includes a method for reducing intensity of a cyclone over water comprising drawing water from a depth of at least 250 feet, atomizing the water drawn from the depth into droplets of a size sufficient to rise with rising air at an eyewall of the cyclone, and introducing the atomized water into rising air above the water at an eyewall of the cyclone. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic elevation of convective circuits in a cyclone; and 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic elevation of apparatus of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , apparatus for reducing intensity of a cyclone over water is designated generally by the reference number  10 . In one embodiment, the apparatus  10  includes a ship, generally designated by  12 , having a body  14  adapted to float in water and a propulsion system  16  mounted on the body having power sufficient to move the body through the water at a speed equivalent to that of a cyclone C ( FIG. 1 ) so the ship  12  stays in a vicinity of an eyewall E of the cyclone. In one embodiment, the propulsion system  16  can move the body  12  at a speed of at least about thirty miles per hour. For example, the propulsion system  16  may include a propeller driven by a gas turbine or diesel engine. The body  14  has buoyancy sufficient to float in a fluid. In one embodiment, the buoyancy is sufficient to float in sea water W. As the features of a ship of the type used in this apparatus are well known to those skilled in the art, the ship  12  will not be described in further detail. 
     A conduit  20  extends downward from the body  14  of the ship  12  into the water W. The conduit  20  extends downward to an inlet  22 . Although the inlet  22  may be at other depths without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the inlet depth is more than about 250 feet below a surface S of the water W. In one embodiment, the inlet  22  has a depth in a range from about 250 feet to about 500 feet. Although the water at the inlet  22  may have other temperatures without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the water at the inlet has a temperature of at least forty degrees Fahrenheit below that of water at the surface S. Although the conduit  20  may have other configurations, such as being a flexible hose, without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the conduit is a telescopic rigid pipe that may be retracted when not in use. Further, the telescopic pipe may be extended and retracted to change the depth of the inlet  22 . The conduit  20  may include an auxiliary propulsion system  16 ′ for driving the conduit through the water W. 
     The apparatus  10  also includes one or more pumps  30  in fluid communication with the conduit  20  for drawing water through the inlet  22  and upward through the conduit. In one embodiment, the apparatus  10  includes one pump  30  mounted on the body  14  of the ship  12 . The pump  30  is selected to have sufficient power to draw water through the conduit  20  from the inlet  22 . In some embodiments, auxiliary pumps (not shown) are spaced along the conduit  20  to assist in drawing water through the conduit. The apparatus  10  may also include filtering systems (not shown) to remove solids from the water traveling through the conduit  20 . 
     As further shown in  FIG. 2 , the apparatus  10  includes a sprayer, generally designated by  40 , operatively connected to the pump  30  and mounted on the ship  12  for spraying droplets of water drawn from the depth into rising air at the eyewall E of the cyclone C. Although other types of sprayers  40  may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the sprayer includes an atomizing spray nozzle  42  having an orifice sized for spraying droplets of a size sufficient to rise with rising air at an eyewall E of the cyclone C. The air at the eyewall E has the highest rotational velocity and vertical speed. Therefore, the eyewall is an optimal location for introducing cooling water into the cyclone. Further, the droplets are sized so that their terminal downward velocity due to gravity is less than a velocity of the rising air mass. This sizing results in minimal water falling back to the water before its thermal energy is transferred to the cyclone. Thus, cooling is maximized. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, a plurality of nozzles may be present in a single apparatus to increase droplet distribution. 
     When using the apparatus  10  described above to reduce intensity of a cyclone C over water, water from a depth where the water has a temperature of at least forty degrees Fahrenheit below that of water at the surface. In some embodiments, the water has a temperature in a range from about forty degrees Fahrenheit to about fifty degrees Fahrenheit or more below that of the water at the surface. In some embodiments, the water is drawn from a depth of at least 250 feet. The water is drawn from a depth in some embodiments in a range from about 300 feet to about 500 feet. The water drawn from the depth is sprayed as atomized water into rising air above the water at the eyewall of the cyclone. As the cyclone moves, the propulsion system moves the ship to stay at the eyewall. Over time, introducing the colder water droplets into the rising air will cool the air mass and reduce the energy availably to the cyclone. Reducing the available energy results in reducing the intensity of the cyclone. In some instances, it is envisioned that prolonged application over several days will be required to accomplish the desired effect. 
     Other variants are envisioned as being within the scope of the present invention. For example, several apparatus  10  may deployed in a fleet of ships or in a stationary group of platforms spaced at sea. Further, rather than having conventional ocean going surface ships, airships and submersibles are also envisioned as falling within the scope of the present invention. 
     The term cyclone as used throughout this document is intended to include tropical storms, tropical cyclones, typhoons, and hurricanes. 
     Having described the invention in detail, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims. 
     When introducing elements of the present invention or the preferred embodiment(s) thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the”, and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising”, “including”, and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. 
     As various changes could be made in the above constructions, products, and methods without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.