Improvements in Apparatus for Obtaining Motive Power from River Currents and other Running Water.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 28th May, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 27th Feb., 1893-Accepted, 1st Apr., 1893
1
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Obtaining Motive Power from River
Currents and other Running Water.
1 Alfred ARTUR RAUBOLD, of Grebin near Plön, in the Empire of
Germany, Farmer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be. as
follows:-
This invention relates to means for utilizing the motive power of running water,
such as the current of a river, the object being to enable the power to be obtained
not from a single point where there is a fall, as in the case of a water wheel, but
from a comparatively long stretch of the river's course.
For this purpose a pair of endless ropes are arranged to run side by side in
parallel vertical planes upon grooved sheaves mounted in pairs on common axes
supported in pairs of standards erected at intervals along the river-bed the lower
members only of the ropes dipping in or approaching the water. To these ropes
a series of collapsible pallets or floats are attached, said pallets or floats being made
of sail-cloth and stretched between the two ropes to which they are attached by
one edge whilst to the opposite edge of each float is attached a cross-rod to which
a pair of guy-ropes is attached, the other ends of said guy-ropes being connected to
the endless travelling ropes, so as to support the floats against the pressure of the
flowing water. The cross-rods are of greater length than the distance between the
endless travelling ropes, so that the floats on emerging from the water are supported
by the rods resting on the upper members of the endless travelling ropes in
returning against the direction of the current. In the case of a tidal river, the
guy-ropes may be adjustably connected to the main ropes or they may be duplicated
to enable the float to be operated both by the ebb and flow of the current.
The number and size of the sheaves and floats would of course be determined
by local conditions and requirements and the endless ropes should be supported,
especially the lower members, by guide rollers and all other necessary precautions
should be taken to ensure proper working, as in the case of cable railways.
The apparatus being installed along any desired length of stretch of the river-
bed its operation is as follows-The floats, when immersed, assume a pendent
position such that the current will press against and carry them along with it until
they quit the water at the lower end whereupon they collapse and are carried by
the upper members of the rope back up-stream to the upper end of the series, the
floats merely sagging without reaching the water.
By means of this apparatus the motive power of the current is taken advantage
of during its entire passage from end to end of the series of immersed floats and
may be taken off at one or more points by means of shafting or other means of
transmission to the machinery to be driven.
Should the wind be blowing in the direction contrary to the current, its power
may also be utilized by means of pairs of stays jointed thereto and to the main
ropes in such manner that the floats on emerging will be supported in position to
act as sails without interfering with their action by the current when immersed, the
wind and water thus acting in conjunction.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Obtaining Motive Power from River
Currents and other Running Water.
I, ALFRED ARTUR RAUBOLD of Grebin, near Plön, in the Empire of
Germany, Farmer, 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 relates to means for utilizing the motive power of running water
such as the current of a river, the object being to enable the power to be obtained
not from a single point where there is a fall, as in the case of a water-wheel, but
from a comparatively long reach of the river's course.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, wherein
Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation and Figure 2 a cross-section of one arrange-
ment, and Figures 3 and 4 are similar views of another arrangement, of apparatus
for utilizing the flow of running water.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 the arrangement therein illustrated comprises a pair
of endless ropes c c arranged to run side by side in parallel vertical planes upon
grooved sheaves mounted in pairs on common axes supported in pairs of
standards a erected at intervals along the river-bed the lower members only of the
ropes dipping in or approaching the water. To these ropes a series of collapsible
pallets or floats d are attached, said pallets or floats being made of sail cloth and
stretched between cross-rods at the top and bottom edges, the top cross bar being
attached to the two ropes c whilst to the other cross-rod e a pair of guy ropes f
is attached the other ends of said guy ropes f being connected to the endless
travelling ropes c so as to support the floats d against the pressure of the flowing
water when immersed therein, as shewn in Figure 1. The cross-rods e are of
greater length than the distance between the endless travelling ropes c so that the
floats on emerging from the water are supported by the rods resting on the upper
members of the endless travelling ropes in returning against the direction of the
current, as shewn in Figure 1. In the case of a tidal river the guy ropes ƒ may be
adjustably connected to the main ropes or they may be duplicated to enable the
float to be operated both by the ebb and flow of the current. The number and
size of the sheaves b and floats & would of course be determined by local conditions
and requirements and the endless ropes c should be supported, especially the lower
members, by guide rollers and all other necessary precautions should be taken to
ensure proper working, as in the case of cable railways.
The apparatus being installed along any desired length of stretch of the river-
bed its operation is as follows-The floats d when immersed assume a pendent
position such that the current will press against and carry them along with it until
they quit the water at the lower end of the installation whereupon they collapse
and are carried by the upper members of the ropes back up-stream to the upper
end of the series, the rods e resting on the upper members of the ropes c and the
floats merely sagging without reaching the water.
By means of this apparatus the motive power of the current is taken advantage
of during its entire passage from end to end of the series of immersed floats and
may be taken off at one or more points by means of shafting or other means of
transmission to the machinery to be driven.
Should the wind be blowing in the direction contrary to the current its power
may also be utilized by means of pairs of stays xx jointed together and to the
main ropes c and supporting the floats d in such manner that the floats on emerging
will act as sails without interfering with their action by the current when immersed,
the wind and water thus acting in conjunction.
.
In the arrangement shewn in Figures 3 and 4 only one endless rope C is employed

page_text: running on sheaves B suitably mounted as before. The pallets or floats D are
suspended from the central rope C and to guide them, rollers R' R³ are provided
on the ends of the cross-bars of the floats, adapted to run upon pairs of guide
rails LL. These guide rails are not continuous but are so arranged at the ends
of the series that when the pallets or floats are suspended in the water the upper
pair of rollers R¹ run on the lower pair of guide rails L' whilst on the return
motion both pairs of rollers R¹ R2 run upon the upper pair of rails L³. The
pallets or floats may be made in two rigid parts hinged together so as to fold or
become inclined towards one another, as shewn in Figure 3, the pallets being
attached to the endless rope C by single ropes or light chains F connected to the
hinge-joints of the pallets and by pairs of guy-ropes or chains F¹ attached to the
lower corners of the pallets and to the rope C.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
The herein described apparatus for utilizing the power of flowing water, con-
sisting of series of floats or pallets attached to and guyed from an endless connection
or connections running on guide sheaves and extending along a reach of the stream,
the floats or pallets being supported by the said connections, or by guide rails, in
such manner that when pendent from the lower member of the endless connection
they will be immersed in the water and so presented to the action of the current
as to transmit its power to the endless connection or connections whilst on the
return motion they will be collapsed or festooned and carried by the upper members
of said connection or connections back to the point of first immersion, substantially
as specified and illustrated in the drawings.
Dated this 27th day of February 1893.
A. A. RAUBOLD,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.