Patent Publication Number: US-2007116565-A1

Title: System for producing electricity through the action of waves on floating platforms

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/734,203, filed Nov. 7, 2005, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention is a system and method for producing electricity. More particularly, it is a system and method for producing electricity through the action of waves on floating platforms.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      There are numerous approaches to producing electricity from the hydraulic force of the localized movement of water in large bodies of water. Water moving as a result of tides, winds or gravity, for example, has been used as a hydraulic force to move some turbine, door or other part of a larger apparatus anchored to land. This approach is expensive, not very efficient and prone to breaking down both because of the difficulty in anchoring the apparatus to land and because the ocean is corrosive and small sand particles in it cause excessive wear.  
      The present invention does not rely on stationary machinery, but produces electricity through the hydraulic force of the water in waves on floating platforms.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention is a system and method for producing electricity through the action of waves on floating platforms. A mass is placed on a floating platform having a leading edge and a trailing edge. Waves then alternately raise the leading edge of the platform over the trailing edge and the trailing edge of the platform over the leading edge, thereby creating a series of reverse incline planes. As the mass moves down the reverse incline planes, it gains mechanical energy. Then, the mechanical energy of the moving mass is converted into electrical energy.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by reading the following detailed description of embodiments, taken together with the drawings wherein:  
       FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of the reverse incline planes produced by a wave;  
       FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of a ship incorporating one of the incline planes produced by a wave as shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of a moving mass on the incline plane of the ship shown in  FIG. 2 ;  
       FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of a rolling cylinder on the incline plane of the ship shown in  FIG. 2 ;  
       FIG. 5  is a diagram of a mass comprised of two substantially cylindrical masses.  
       FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram of a rolling wheeled vehicle on the incline plane of the ship shown in  FIG. 2 ;  
       FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram of a moving liquid on the incline plane of the ship shown in  FIG. 2 ; and  
       FIG. 8  is a schematic diagram of an electromagnetically suspended mass on the incline plane of the ship shown in  FIG. 2 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS  
      Two-thirds of the earth&#39;s surface is covered with water. Three-fourths of the earth&#39;s population lives within close proximity to an ocean or other large body of water. All of these people need electricity.  
      The wind blowing on the surface of an ocean or other large body of water (hereinafter, collectively, the “Ocean”) efficiently converts wind energy into wave energy. The present invention is a system for converting the energy of waves on the Ocean into low-cost, efficient, reliable, clean electricity.  
      Wave energy can be converted into useful mechanical energy through the hydraulic force of the water in a wave causing a floating platform to act as a series of incline planes. As shown in a preferred embodiment in  FIG. 1 , a floating platform  1   a  has a top surface  2   a  and a bottom surface  3   a . The top surface  2   a  has a leading edge  4   a  and a trailing edge  5   a . As the crest  6  of a wave reaches the leading edge  4   a  of the platform  1   a , the hydraulic force of the water raises the leading edge  4   a  relative to the trailing edge  5   a  creating an incline plane. As the crest  6  of the wave passes under the platform (now shown as)  1   b , the hydraulic force of the water no longer raises the leading edge  4   b , which now falls into the trough  7  of the wave, relative to the trailing edge  5   b . The hydraulic force of the water now raises the trailing edge  5   b  relative to the leading edge  4   b  creating another incline plane. For purposes of this description, an incline plane first with its leading edge higher than its trailing edge and then with its leading edge lower than its trailing edge, will be described as the reverse of each other. Thus, the action of the moving waves causes a series of incline planes, any given incline plane being the reverse of both the incline plane that precedes it and the incline plane that follows it.  
      It should be noted that the platform  1   a  with a bottom  3   a  that is flat both in the direction of the motion of the waves and transverse to the motion of the waves, as opposed to rounded or v-shaped, is a more efficient incline plane. It should also be noted that the length of the incline plane formed by a floating platform, from the leading edge  8  (bow) to the trailing edge  9  (stern), can be increased by raising the top surface  10  of the platform relative to the bottom surface  11  of the platform, as would customarily be the case of the deck of a ship  10  relative to its hull  11 , as shown for one embodiment in  FIG. 2 .  
      The energy of a series of moving waves is converted into mechanical energy through the movement of a mass down a series of reverse incline planes formed by the hydraulic force of the water in the waves on a ship&#39;s hull. As is discussed below, the mass may be solid or liquid and may take any one of a number of forms known to those skilled in the art. As shown for a preferred embodiment in  FIG. 3 , as the crest  6  of a wave raises the bow  30   a  of a ship  31   a  relative to the stem  32   a , it creates an incline plane  33   a . The force of gravity then causes a mass  34  to move down the incline plane  33   a  from the bow  30   a  to the stem  32   a . As the crest  6  of the wave passes under the ship, the bow (now shown as)  30   b  of the ship  31   b  sinks relative to the stem  32   b , into the trough  7  of the wave creating a reverse incline plane. The force of gravity now causes the mass  33  to move down the reverse incline plane  33   b  from the stem  32   b  to the bow  30   b . It should be noted that a ship embodying these principles may be positioned transverse to the direction of the wave motion causing a mass to move down reversing incline planes from one side of the ship to the other.  
      The greater the mass  33  moving down the incline planes, the greater the mechanical energy created. It should be noted that this source of energy is renewable because the waves continuously create reverse incline planes, causing the mass  33  to repeat continuously its motion from the bow to the stem and back to the bow.  
      The energy of the mass moving down the series of reverse incline planes is converted by known means into electrical energy using a generator. One ft. lb. of force per second equals 1.356 watts of electricity; so, the amount of force required to move 1.0 lb a distance of 1.0 ft. in 1.0 second is equal to 1.356 watts of electricity. As an example, 100,000 ft. lb. of force per second created by a mass moving down an incline plane equals 135,600 watts of electricity. Preferred embodiments of means for converting the mechanical energy of the moving waves to electrical energy are described below, but other means known to those skilled in the art are available.  
      In one embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 4 , a cylinder  40  of a suitable, preferably dense solid material or a hollow cylinder filled with a suitable, preferably dense liquid rolls down an incline plane  41  on the deck of a ship  42  on rails  43  attached to the incline plane  41  from the bow  44  to the stem  45  of the ship. The rails  43  minimize friction between the cylinder  40  and the incline plane  41  causing the cylinder  40  to roll faster, thereby creating more mechanical energy. Sprockets and chains or similar means (not shown) can be used to prevent the cylinder  40  from sliding down the incline plane  41  instead of rolling.  
      A belt drive  46  is fastened around the circumference of the cylinder  40  and attached to the shaft  47  of an electric generator  48 . As the cylinder  40  rolls down the incline plane  41 , it turns the shaft  47  of the generator  48 , producing electricity. The revolutions per minute of the cylinder  40  can be controlled by varying the diameter of the cylinder  40  and the shaft  47  of the generator  48 , or by using gears and other means known to those skilled in the art.  
      As also shown on  FIG. 4 , when the cylinder  40  reaches the end of the incline plane  41 , if it is still rolling, any residual mechanical energy can be temporarily stored by having the cylinder  40  roll up a radius  49  until it stops. When the incline plane  41  reverses, the mass  40  initially travels down the radius  49 , releasing stored mechanical energy prior to rolling down the reverse incline plane. Alternatively, if the mass  40  is still rolling at the end of the incline plane  41 , electricity can be generated through the use of a braking device (not shown), known to those skilled in the art, that co-generates electricity as it stops the mass  40 .  
      In still another embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 5 , two substantially cylindrical masses  81 ,  82  are connected by a frame  83 . A belt drive  84  is connected to a sprocket  85  on an extension of one of the cylindrical masses  81  and a sprocket  86  on the shaft  87  of an electrical generator  88 . As the cylindrical masses  81 ,  82  roll down the reverse incline planes, they turn the shaft  87  of the generator  88  producing electricity.  
      A prototype of the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 5  comprises custom stainless steel construction of the cylindrical masses  81 ,  82  and frame  83 . The belt drive  84  and timing gear (not shown) were purchased from Stock Drive Products of New Hyde Park, N.Y., and the generator is a low RPM permanent magnet DC generator purchased from Windstream Power, LLC of North Ferrisburgh, Vt.  
      Another preferred embodiment is shown in  FIG. 6 . In this embodiment, a wheeled vehicle  50  rolls down an incline plane  51  on a track  53 . The mechanical energy of the moving vehicle is converted to electricity by driving the shaft of an electric generator with a belt (not shown) attached to the axles or wheels of the wheeled vehicle  50 . Alternatively, although it is not as efficient, the linear motion of the wheeled vehicle  50  can be converted into rotary motion to drive an electric generator via a screw drive or other means known to those skilled in the art. This approach also allows the generator to be fixed to the platform, as opposed to the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 4-5  in which the generator is fixed to the moving mass. It should be clear that, in practice, one or more moving masses can drive one generator or one moving mass can drive one or more generators.  
      In still another preferred embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 7 , a volume of a suitable liquid  60 , such as water, can be used to flow down an incline plane  61 . The flowing water  60  is diverted through a duct, pipe or other channel  63  to turbine  64 . The flowing water drives the turbine  64  which, in turn, drives a generator  65 . Various means known to those skilled in the art, such as separate channels, can be used to insure that the turbine is turned in the same direction by the flowing water regardless of the direction of the flow of the water as it flows down a series of reverse incline planes.  
      In still another embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 8 , a mass  70  can be suspended above an incline plane  71  by electromagnetic force. This will eliminate friction between the mass  70  and the incline plane  71 . As the mass  71  moves down the incline plane, various means described above or known to those skilled in the art can be used to convert the mechanical energy of the motion into electricity.  
      Electricity generated by the present invention can be stored, for example in batteries, on the ship on which it is produced or can be transmitted concurrently with its production through underwater cables to the power grid.  
      While the principles of the invention have been described herein, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation as to the scope of the invention. Other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the present invention in addition to the exemplary embodiments shown and described herein. Modifications and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.