Patent Publication Number: US-2023142373-A1

Title: Gravitational atmospheric solar pump

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/277,089 titled “GRAVITATIONAL ATMOSPHERIC SOLAR PUMP” which was filed on Nov. 8, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A gravitational atmospheric solar pump is provided. The gravitational atmospheric solar pump has a (preferably) cylindrical tube which is placed in a vertical orientation. Air enters the cylindrical tube at the top of the tube and travels downward exiting the opening at the bottom of the tube. An air flow initiator, such as a fan, creates the pressure needed to move the air downward. Blades located within the tube are rotated by the moving air. The pump captures energy by converting the motion of the blades to electricity through a connection to a generator. Throughout the tube, the air remains at a generally consistent density and temperature. The tube represents an open-air system, and air discharged at the bottom of the tube is returned to a higher elevation using solar energy separate from the energy requirements of the apparatus. 
     Gravitational pumps are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,124 to Kraus discloses power-producing device, comprising a vertically oriented chamber of enormous height, incorporating within its upper end an electric motor-driven, aftercooled air compressor, being connected via suitable power transmission, to an electric generator driving, reheated air turbine, located within the lower chamber end. Atmospheric air is compressed at a given rate of flow to a given pressure into the upper chamber end, which, due to the gravitational force exerted on its compressed mass, and due to the chamber height, is expanded within the turbine at the lower chamber end at an equal rate of flow, but, at a substantially higher pressure, and at a substantial gain in energy, thus, producing a substantially greater amount of work than is consumed by the compressor. 
     Further, U.S. Pat. No. 3,436,908 to Van Delic discloses a solar air moving apparatus comprising an upwardly extending, open ended hollow tube exposed to the rays of the sun, but protected from conduction and convection heat transmission to the ground and atmosphere. The tube is heated by radiation from the sun and the air inside the tube is heated and expands and becomes lighter, and is displaced by atmospheric air through the bottom opening of the tube, thus creating an air flow through the tube. 
     However, these patents fail to describe a gravitational atmospheric solar pump which is easy to use, and does not require a change in the density or temperature of the air within the tube. Further, these patents fail to provide for a gravitational atmospheric solar pump which is efficient and captures usable energy that otherwise would be lost as heat to the greater surroundings. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A gravitational atmospheric solar pump is provided. The gravitational atmospheric solar pump has a (preferably) cylindrical tube which is placed in a vertical orientation. Air enters the cylindrical tube at the top of the tube and travels downward exiting the opening at the bottom of the tube. An air flow initiator, such as a fan, creates the pressure needed to move the air downward. Blades located within the tube are rotated by the moving air. The pump captures energy by converting the motion of the blades to electricity through a connection to a generator. Throughout the tube, the air remains at a generally consistent density and temperature. The tube represents an open-air system, and air discharged at the bottom of the tube is returned to a higher elevation using solar energy separate from the energy requirements of the apparatus. 
     An advantage of the present gravitational atmospheric solar pump is that the present pump harvests energy directly from gravitation and converts energy that would typically be lost to the greater surrounding as heat into usable energy forms such as, but not limited to, electricity. 
     Another advantage of the present gravitational atmospheric solar pump is that the present device generates energy while the density of the air traveling through the tube remains generally constant. 
     Yet another advantage of the present gravitational atmospheric solar pump is that the present device generates energy while the temperature of the air traveling through the tube remains generally constant. 
     Still another advantage of the present gravitational atmospheric solar pump is that the pump is light weight and easily adapted to use in buildings and houses. 
     For a more complete understanding of the above listed features and advantages of the gravitational atmospheric solar pump reference should be made to the detailed description and the drawings. Further, additional features and advantages of the invention are described in, and will be apparent from, the detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    illustrates a perspective view of the exterior of the cylindrical tube. 
         FIG.  2    illustrates a view of the fan of the pump in one embodiment. 
         FIG.  3    illustrates an exploded view of the entire pump in one embodiment. 
         FIG.  4    illustrates a view of the air flow in and around the pump in one embodiment. 
         FIG.  5    shows a perspective view of the exterior cylindrical tube in one embodiment. 
         FIG.  6    illustrates the blade positioning at the top of the tube in an embodiment. 
         FIG.  7    illustrates the blade positioning at the bottom of the tube in an embodiment. 
         FIG.  8    shows an external rotation device that captures the mechanical motion of the tube in an embodiment. 
         FIG.  9    shows the connection of the external rotating device to a generator in an embodiment. 
         FIG.  10    illustrates a cross section of the tube wherein permanent blades are secured to an interior wall of the tube. 
         FIG.  11    illustrates a cross section of the tube wherein permanent, but smaller, blades are attached to the interior wall of the tube and wherein the tube also includes the rotating unit in the center of the interior of the tube. 
         FIG.  12    illustrates an embodiment wherein optional fans are added to the bottom of the tube at the opening of the bottom of the tube. 
         FIG.  13    is a graph representing the power generated using the present device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A gravitational atmospheric solar pump is provided. The gravitational atmospheric solar pump has a (preferably) cylindrical tube which is placed in a vertical orientation. Air enters the cylindrical tube at the top of the tube and travels downward exiting the opening at the bottom of the tube. An air flow initiator, such as a fan, creates the pressure needed to move the air downward. Blades located within the tube are rotated by the moving air. The pump captures energy by converting the motion of the blades to electricity through a connection to a generator. Throughout the tube, the air remains at a generally consistent density and temperature. The tube represents an open-air system, and air discharged at the bottom of the tube is returned to a higher elevation using solar energy separate from the energy requirements of the apparatus. 
     The gravitational atmospheric solar pump (GASP) is designed to harvest energy directly from gravitation into useable forms such as, but not limited to, electricity. Referring now to the figures, a gravitational atmospheric solar pump  1  is provided. The pump  1  is preferably cylindrical in shape, but may be of various other shapes. The pump  1  may have a tube unit  10  having an exterior  11 , an open top  12 , an open bottom  13  and an interior  14 . The tube unit  10  may have a diameter  15  and a length  16 . With negligible friction, the performance increases with the tube length  16  increasing. In use, the tube unit  10  is generally positioned in a vertical orientation with respect to the ground so as to allow the downward flow of air  30  from the top  12  of the tube unit  10  to the bottom  13  of the tube unit  10 . The airflow is generally complex and consists of laminar  30   a , circular  30   b  and turbulent  30   c  motion. 
     In an embodiment, an air flow initiator (such as a fan or air compressor)  20  may be associated with the tube unit  10 . The air flow initiator  20  may be located at the open top  12  of the tube unit  10 . The air flow initiator  20  may be used to provide an initial pressure to the air molecules  30  to therein create the air flow  30  downward, through the interior  14  of the tube unit  10 . The unit produces more energy than is spent on the air flow initiator  20 . 
     In an embodiment, located within the interior  14  of the tube unit  10  may be a rotation unit  40  (or auger). The rotation unit  40  may be, for example, a generally elongated blade element (as shown as element  40 A in  FIG.  3   ), a spiral element (shown as  FIG.  40 B  in  FIG.  3   ), or some other element that may rotate when acted upon by downward flowing air  30 . Preferably, the rotation unit  40  rotates around an elongated axis which passes down the center of the interior  14  of the tube unit  10 . 
     In an embodiment, the pump  1  may have a generator  50 . The generator  50  may be attached to the rotation unit  40  in one embodiment. In an embodiment, the generator  50  may be located within the interior  14  of the tube unit  10 , at or near the bottom  13  of the tube unit  10 . The generator  50  may be used to generate, collect and convert the energy created by the air molecules  30  turning the rotation unit  40 . 
     In an embodiment, a series of tube units  10  (each having a rotation unit  40 , generator  50  and air flow initiator  20 ) may be used on top of each other as shown in  FIG.  5   ). Use of multiple tube units  10  together in may increase the total energy output. 
     In an alternative embodiment as shown in  FIG.  8   , an optional rotating wheel  51  connected to an axis pole  52  may be positioned on the exterior surface  11  of the tube  10 . The optional wheel  51  may be spun through its contact with the tube  10  which is rotating under the influence of the circular air movement within the interior  14  of the tube  10 . In the embodiment therein the tube unit  10  actually spins ( FIG.  8   ), the tube unit  10  may be affixed to central axis by arms  48  connected to a ball bearing ring  49  that allows for the tube unit  10  to spin with negligible friction. Blades  220  (or  221 ) may be used to maximize the rotation of tube  10 . The generator  50  may use either step-up or step-down gears to maximize the rotation of the axis pole  52  with the functionality of the generator  50  ( FIG.  9   ). 
     Referring now to  FIG.  10   , the device  1  may have permanently secured side blades  220  which are secured to an interior wall  200  of the tube  10 . In the preferred embodiment, the side blades  220  take up approximately 35-45% (preferably 40%) of the diameter  15  of the tube  10  for optimal performance. The permanently secured side blades  220  must be balanced and equally spaced.  FIGS.  10  and  11    illustrate two side blades within the interior  14  of the tube unit  10  in each version (# 220  in  FIG.  10    and # 221  in  FIG.  11   ); however, additional side blades  220  (or  221 ) may be used provided that the blades  220  (or  221 ) are equally spaced from each other on the interior wall  200  of the tube  10 . Having the blades  220  (or  221 ) equally spaced ensures proper air flow as well as balanced rotation of tube  10  and, therefore, maximized energy creation by the device  1 . Ideally, the contact surface area between the moving air  30  and the blades  220  is maximized (or  221 ), but not to the point that the air flow  30  decreases in velocity as it travels downward through the interior  14  of the tube  10 . 
       FIG.  6    illustrates another alternative embodiment of the blades  45  (the blades are labeled  45  in this figure). The thickness of the blades  45  should be a thin as possible while maintaining structural integrity during rotation. 
     Preferably, the blades  45  extend substantially all the way though the length  16  of the tube unit  10 . However, the blades  45  are preferably pitched such that on the bottom  13  of the tube unit  10  they appear to be offset from the center axis and are no longer positioned in a linear alignment with each other ( FIG.  7   ). The degree to which they should be offset is determined by many factors including the power of the fan  20 , the power delivered to the fan  20 , the tube  10  diameter and length  16  and the degree of friction within the tube interior  14 . The position of the blades  45  on the bottom  13  of the tube unit  10  may be calibrated by making incremental adjustments until such time as an additional adjustment results in a significant decrease in the rate of airflow, generally measured as cubic feet per minute (CFM). 
     The blades  45  are preferably placed opposite each other within the interior  14  of the tube unit  10  so as to maintain uniform balance of the rotating tube  10 . More than two blades  45  may be added and/or other components  40  may be included within the interior  14  of the tube unit  10  to further maximize the contact between the moving air  30  and the surface area of the blade  45  of the rotation unit  40  within the interior  14  of the tube unit  10 . 
     Referring now to  FIG.  11   , in yet another embodiment, the interior  14  of the tube  10  may have smaller side blades  221  secured to the interior side wall  200 . In this embodiment, the smaller permanent side blades  221  are approximately 5-15% (preferably 10%) of the diameter  15  of the tube  10 . In this embodiment, the interior rotating unit  40  is also used in addition to the permanent side blades  221 . In this embodiment, the rotating unit  40  has two arms  270  on opposing sides of the center of the tube  10 . The total length  280  of each arm  270  is approximately 25-35% (preferably 30%) the total diameter  15  of the tube  10 . Each side of the arm unit  270  may be made of a first surface  281  and second surface  282  which are preferably at right angles with respect to each other. It should be understood that the rotating unit  40  of  FIG.  11    may also be the spiral device version ( 40 B) as opposed to the one shown in  FIG.  11   . 
     Preferably, the gap between the terminal end  223  of each of the side blades  221  and the end  290  of the arm  281  of the interior rotation unit  40  (as seen in  FIG.  11   ) is between 5-10% (preferably 7%) of the total diameter  15  of the tube  10 . This results in optimal energy generation. For illustrative purposes,  FIG.  11    is not drawn to scale. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  12   , in an embodiment, optional fans  300  connected to generators may be located at the opening  13  of the bottom of the tube  10  to further capture energy. Optimally, the fans  300  are located 6 to 12 inches (preferably 9 inches) below the opening  13  of the bottom of the tube unit  10  to best capture the energy of the air exiting the interior  14  of the tube unit  10 . 
     Referring now to  FIG.  13   , a graph is illustrated demonstrating the potential power produced.  FIG.  13    illustrates the power input vs output in using the present gravitational atmospheric solar pump. 
     The gravitational atmospheric solar pump (GASP) is designed to harvest energy directly from gravitation into useable forms such as, but not limited to, electricity. As air  30  moves downward through the interior  14  of the tube unit  10 , the natural and preferred path (NPP) for each molecule of air  30  is to gain velocity as it moves through a changing gravitational gradient. However, the differential in air pressure between the top  12  of the tube unit  10  and the bottom  13  of the tube unit  10  column requires the air  30  flow to proceed through the interior  14  of the tube unit  10  at a constant velocity and with relatively constant temperature and density. This can be viewed as an unbalanced force acting upward against the NPP of the air  30  which prevents the air  30  from gaining velocity. 
     The result is that energy is dispersed (generally in the form of heat and/or vibration) into the greater environment as the air  30  moves downward through the interior  14  of the tube unit  10 . The present GASP device  1  harvests this energy by requiring the downward moving air  30  to turn a mechanical device (the rotation unit  40  and/or tube  10 ) which can then be used to generate electricity or other useable forms of energy that would otherwise be “lost” as heat and vibration. Air  30  released at the bottom  13  of the tube unit  10  is ultimately returned to a higher elevation through solar/radiant energy that is provided outside of the energy requirements of the GASP apparatus  1  and thereby completing the airflow cycle. 
     Although embodiments of the invention are shown and described therein, it should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages.