Generating electricity from Tidal Fluctuations
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To Main Menu 1 Generating electricity from Tidal Fluctuations From the smallest home generator, to the largest Fossil-Fuel/Nuclear Power Plant, there is a common goal -- produce a Force/Torque to turn the shaft of an electric generator. Shafts are turned either by Steam Turbines, or Gas, LNG, Diesel, etc. engines, collectively referred to as “Prime Movers.” The use of those fuels to power Prime Movers, is the cause for all the growing climatic, pollution, quality of life and economic concerns, for our planet and its inhabitants. Nature has provided us, through strictly the benign rise/fall of the tides (there is no interest here in the kinetics of currents/wave action), access to two forces of unimaginable magnitude -- available globally. Acting on a floating body (e.g., a barge, ship or constructed platform), a receding tide produces a downward force, up to the full weight of a suspended body. Similarly, a rising tide up to the weight of the body. The goal then is to harness the two vertical and linear forces of the tides, to drive generators on land, cost and pollution free. Achieving that goal, negates the use of fossil/nuclear fuels for many generators, as well as contributing to the National Grid. Two simple mechanical machines have been designed and recently patented -- kindly navigate to the Main Menu for their description.
Transcript of Generating electricity from Tidal Fluctuations
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Generating electricity from Tidal Fluctuations
From the smallest home generator, to the largest Fossil-Fuel/Nuclear Power Plant, there is a common goal --produce a Force/Torque to turn the shaft of an electric generator. Shafts are turned either by Steam Turbines, or Gas, LNG, Diesel, etc. engines, collectively referred to as “Prime Movers.” The use of those fuels to power Prime Movers, is the cause for all the growing climatic, pollution, quality of life and economic concerns, for our planet and its inhabitants.
Nature has provided us, through strictly the benign rise/fall of the tides (there is no interest here in the kinetics of currents/wave action), access to two forces of unimaginable magnitude -- available globally. Acting on a floating body (e.g., a barge, ship or constructed platform), a receding tide produces a downward force, up to the full weight of a suspended body. Similarly, a rising tide up to the weight of the body.
The goal then is to harness the two vertical and linear forces of the tides, to drive generators on land, cost and pollution free. Achieving that goal, negates the use of fossil/nuclear fuels for many generators, as well as contributing to the National Grid.
Two simple mechanical machines have been designed and recently patented -- kindly navigate to the Main Menu for their description.
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Contents
Page
I- The Directly Coupled System (DCS) 3
II-The Loosely Coupled System (LCS) 4
III- Data 5-8
IV-Components 9
V-Applications, Markets, Benefits and Social Implications 10
VI-Prototype of the DCS 11
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VII-Visit Actual detailed Patent (if you can tolerate all the legalese.)
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The system installs at the water’s edge. The only component which touches water, is the floating body W. All others are on land, avoiding sea water fouling and maintenance issues.
W and the compound gear train are completely arbitrary and are determined by the generator HP/Torque/KW specifications. Depending on size, W and the DCS may be cloned into a number of smaller, independent systems. A hybrid system can include solar panels atop the platform, avoiding a costly land acquisition.
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Land Based
<LCS Rise/Fall of W creates a Potential Energy Farm>
-Arbitrary sized matrix of weights.
-A proper subset of weights, monitored by a control system, released and descend as needed, to rotate generator shaft. Rear shafts omitted for clarity.
Tidal Range
-Hybrid System combines solar.
Pat. Pending 2016
Fig 4-9 of Patent Sketches apply to the LCS -- raising, storing and releasing weights.
Generator shaft
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Loosely Coupled System (LCS)Potential Energy Farm
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Starting from NYC area, moving northerly, Tidal Ranges 7 up to 50’. Apex of Gulf of California, 30’. Northern CA to Alaska, 9 upto 40’. Countless miles of wilderness areas now become available for small community development or feeding the grid.
5See more data
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Following is only a partial list of extreme Tidal Ranges, e.g. Juneau AK 16’, Nikiski AK 30’, Seldovia AK 17’. The location
points splay to thousands of miles of shoreline/bay areas for the Tidal Energy Systems.
Listing of 50 locations from around the world where the largest range of tides that have been observed.
Station Mean Range (feet)
Burntcoat Head, Minas Basin, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia 38.4
Horton Bluff, Avon River, Minas Basin, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia 38.1
Amherst Point, Cumberland Basin, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia 35.6
Parrsboro (Partridge Island), Minas Basin, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia 34.4
Hopewell Cape, Petitcodiac River, Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick 33.2
Joggins, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia 33.2
Leaf Lake, Ungava Bay, Quebec 32.0
Port of Bristol (Avonmouth), United Kingdom 31.5
Grindstone Island, Petitcodiac River, Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick 31.1
Spencer Island, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia 30.5
Newport, Bristol Channel, United Kingdom 30.3
Sunrise, Turnagain Arm, Cook Inlet, Alaska 30.3
Burnham, Parrett River, United Kingdom 29.9
Weston-super-Mare, Bristol Channel, United Kingdom 29.5
Rio Gallegos (Reduccion Beacon), Argentina 29.0
Koksoak River entrance, Hudson Bay, Canada 28.5
Herring Cove, Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick 28.3
Granville, France 28.2
Cardiff, Bristol Channel, United Kingdom 28.1
Leaf Bay, Ungava Bay, Quebec 28.0
Banco Direccion, Magellan Strait, Chile 28.0
Cancale, France 27.8
Bahia Posesion, Magellan Strait, Chile 27.5
Ile Haute, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia 27.5
Barry, Bristol Channel, United Kingdom 27.1 7See more data
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Station Mean Range (feet)
Hopes Advance Bay, Ungava Bay, Quebec 27.0
Spicer Cove, Chignecto Bay, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia 27.0
Iles Chausey, English Channel Islands 26.9
Port George, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia 26.7
Watchet, Bristol Channel, United Kingdom 26.6
Ria Coig, Argentina 26.6
St. Malo, France 26.2
Anchorage, Knik Arm, Cook Inlet, Alaska 26.2
Santa Cruz (Punta Quilla), Argentina 26.0
Punta Loyola, Argentina 25.9 Les Minquiers, France 25.1
Paimpol, France 24.8
Erquy, France 24.6
Binic, France 24.4
Le Legue entrance, France 24.4
Fire Island, Cook Inlet, Alaska 24.4
Cape Astronomicheski, Kamchatka, Russia 24.1
Cayeux, France 23.8
Cabo Virgenes, Argentina 23.8
Dungeness, Magellan Strait, Chile 23.8
Lezardrieux, France 23.7
St. Helier, Jersey Island, United Kingdom 23.6
Carteret, France 23.6
Ile de Brehat, France 23.5
Quaco Bay, Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick 23.1
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To Main MenuSample existing gears, available in different sizes.
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Potential Applications, Markets, Benefits and Social Implications
-Vertical and Linear Tidal motion is a constant, predictable and inexhaustible source of clean energy, 100% pollution free with no fossil fuel emissions or nuclear waste issues.
-The DCS is modular, modifiable, transportable – extremely small land footprint.
-Impervious to CME or EMP radiation.
-Benign with respect to the environment -- noiseless.
-Boost U.S. steel production, new industry, exporting, construction jobs, engineering, computer tech…
-Small systems provide rapid access to electricity for coastal villages/communities, islands or input to existing electric grids with larger/multiple systems – fraction of cost of conventional plants. Charge electric car batteries cleanly rather than by fossil fuel sources.
-Tidal Energy is cost free in contrast to the cost of producing & transporting fossil/nuclear fuels.
-Floating platforms optionally become revenue generators (fishing, docking, pool, sports, food, fuel etc.) nullifying construction costs.
-Tens of 1000’s of idle vessels using small dockside DCS with common attachment, input to the National Grid continuously –possible elimination or curtailing of some existing plants.
-Military: Opportunity for enormous energy savings, supplying power to remote/desolate Post locations. Supply ship doubles as the floating weight.
-Opportunity to provide Jobs and pathway out of plight of inner cities.
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-DCS, LCS systems use strictly reliable rise/fall of tides -- no interest in randomness of wave action or currents.
-DCS, LCS systems become “Ambassadors of Good Will” for U.S., bringing electricity to coastal villages, devoid of energy.
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Directly Coupled System (DCS)Prototype
Front Rod (connected to floating weight) drives gears on receding tide.Rear rod on rising tide. Both connect to driver gears. Rods suspended over water attached to floating W, all other components are land base, unaffected by salt water fouling.
Simple series of gears step up rpm to generator shaft. Replace with arbitrary set of higher gear ratios to reduce axles and/or increase rpms.
Generator supplies electricity to town/community free, complements of a rise and falling tide.
Generator
See Working View
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Impossible to demo a shoreline section here. Simulate with heavy box shown. There are no batteries/electrical sources. The slow linear Rise/Fall of the tide converted to rotational motion at the generator, lighting the community, cost and pollution free.Altering gear ratios for desired rpm and adjusting rods for desired torque, scaling up gives us a full scale DCS.
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