Patent Publication Number: US-2009230687-A1

Title: Electrical generation from water power

Description:
This concept relates to a process for generating electricity. 
     Generating electrical power now consists of nuclear, coal fired, gas fired, solar and wind or in some instances, hydroelectric power, all of which except the latter three emit pollutants such as CO.2 into the environment. Solar and wind also have their draw backs where weather can play a contributing factor in their abilities to generate electrical current, leaving hydroelectric being the only one using natural processes for a 24/7 never ending renewable source of power for generating electricity. 
     With hydroelectric power, you have a generating process which has no emissions, no greenhouse gasses, no toxic waste, or to sum it up, a totally environmentally friendly process for generating electrical current. 
     Using the weight of falling water and gravity to generate power is nothing new and has been around for hundreds of years. 
     Using the weight of water from a waterfall and downward gravitational forces to drive such mechanisms as, for example, a grinding wheel for the grinding of wheat, one utilized the weight of the water and the power of gravitational forces to drive the grinding wheel enabling it to produce flour. 
     The bases for this inventive process being, that there are not many natural waterfalls such as Niagara where the power and force&#39;s that are required to produce electricity are readily at hand for harvesting to produce such things as electricity. 
     In many cases the damming of rivers to create a waterfall is required usually at great cost both economically and environmentally. 
     Resorting to this inventive process and creating a man made waterfall on a lake such as Lake Ontario, or any lake for that matter, this process of harnessing the force&#39;s of water and gravity combined alongside with atmospheric pressure, one could generate electrical current. 
     An example of the theory proposed in this concept would be; if someone were to submerge an empty mug into a sink full of water, a process known and proven would begin, whereby gravity and atmospheric pressure would cause the water to fall into the empty mug until the mug was fill. 
     By returning the water back into the sink at the bottom through mechanical means such as a water return corkscrew or pump, a recycling system would begin in which another void at the bottom of the mug would be created and a need due to atmospheric pressure arise and that need would have to be filled. 
     This recycling system would create a 24/7 marriage of water, gravity and atmospheric pressure to achieve a constant flow of water. 
     Simply by placing a horizontal turbine placed within the funnel and cross sectioned to the waterfall and being attached to a drive shaft while connected to a generator would complete a process for generating electricity, as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 &amp; 2 . 
    
    
     The embodiments of this process begins with a funneled intake chamber or channel below the waterline of a lake and able to withstand the pressures of being submerged under water and for receiving the water flow.  FIG. 1 . ( FIG. 1   a .) 
     Using gravity to create a waterfall, the water would then fall onto the blades of a turbine,  FIG. 1  ( FIG. 1   b ) which in turn would drive the attached driveshaft  FIG. 1 . ( FIG. 1   c ) 
     Use of miter gears  FIG. 1  ( FIG. 1   d ) with attached shafts being driven off of the main driveshaft could drive a water return corkscrew,  FIG. 1  ( FIG. 1   e  ) to displace the used water power source, creating a void in atmospheric pressure, allowing for the continuous flow of water from the lake. 
     The displaced water would then exit back into the lake by means of a release funnel  FIG. 1  ( FIG. 1   f ) thus creating its own recycling system. 
     The main driveshaft,  FIG. 1  ( FIG. 1   c ) that would be routed to land would then drive a set of miter gears,  FIG. 1  ( FIG. 1   d .) to allow for a land based generator housed in a generating facility to create electrical current. 
     Electrical current is then sent from the generation station by means of the distribution grid of their local utilities, as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     Seeing as the application of process can be adapted to either urban, rural or individual usage it&#39;s impossible to state specks, dimensions, materials or tolerances until the usage is established and then would have to be determined. 
     Other possible usages for this process would be to install an impeller along with a generating system onto things like soil pipes in buildings or sewer systems to generate power from within to light the building or power the street lights.