Improvements in Obtaining Motive Power from Running Water.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application. 7th Feb. 1895-Accepted, 9th Mar., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Obtaining Motive Power from Running Water.
We ALFRED HENRY BARTON, Mechanical Engineer, of 36 Radcliffe Road,
Northam, near Southampton, and PERCY NUGENT OLDREY, Gentleman, of
28 East Park Terrace, Southampton, both in the County of Hants, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention for improvements in obtaining motive power from running water
has for its object to utilise the rise and fall of the tides rivers and other waters;
and consists essentially in mounting a water wheel on a barge in such manner that
the flow of water is converged on it to drive it so as to produce motive power that
can be conveyed in any suitable manner such as by means of an electric current to
the spot on which it is desired to utilise it. In one form of apparatus a barge or
floating structure is provided with a central open channel converging from both
ends towards the centre and a water wheel is mounted in this channel at the said
centre. The barge is moored so that the tide or stream passes directly through
the channel and drives the wheel. If the boat is moored in tidal waters the wheel
will be driven from say 16 to 22 hours out of the 24 and especially in places where
the rise and fall of the tide is considerable will develop an immense power.
In another form water wheels are mounted on either side of the barge somewhat
similar to the paddle wheels of a steamer and the flow of water is guided on to the
wheels by suitable guide plates.
One or more wheels may be employed and can be arranged side by side or,
especially when the flow is great, tandem.
Any known form of water wheel can be employed according to the circumstances
and may be provided with fixed or float or feathering blades.
In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings: Fig. 1 is a plan of a barge
constructed according to this invention and Fig. 2 is a side elevation, and Fig. 3
an end elevation of the same.
The barge is constructed in two parts a jointed together by the girders and
bottom plates so that a free central passage c with diverging ends d are formed.
The water wheel e is mounted in the centre of this passage on the shaft f supported
in bearings g. If this barge is moored in an ordinary tidal way the stream of
water flowing through the passage e will be reversed every six hours and the wheel
will be driven say twenty hours out of the twenty four.
In another form of apparatus beams or girders are secured at one end to the
shore and at the other end to a pontoon or Hoat and the water wheel is mounted on
this structure and is thus in direct communication with the shore.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. Mounting a water wheel or wheels, in channels or passages in a barge in such
manner that the flow of water can be made to pass through the said channels to
act on the wheel, substantially as described.
2. The method of obtaining motive power consisting in causing the flow of
water to pass through a channel on a floating structure, and in placing in the said
channel a motive power apparatus adapted to utilise the continuous flow of water,
substantially as described.

page_text: 3. The improvements in obtaining motive power substantially as described with
reference to the drawing.
Dated this 7th day of February 1895.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.