GB2090939A

GB2090939A - Power generating apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2090939A
Application number: GB8100711A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: MARQUEZ ANDREW
Current assignee: MARQUEZ ANDREW
Priority date: 1981-01-10
Filing date: 1981-01-10
Publication date: 1982-07-21
Also published as: GB2090939B

Abstract

Bucket 18 fills with water from discharge pipe 23 until the combined weight of water and bucket overcomes the bias of counterweight 19, to which bucket 18 is attached by chain 20, via pulleys 21. Bucket 18 and its contents descent with pivoted carriage 25 to a lowered position where said carriage 25 stops and bucket 18 pivots to a horizontal position to discharge its contents. Descent of counterweight 19 pulls empty bucket 18 back to its upper rest position, and the cycle repeats as long as there is water in reservoir 24. Motion of chain 20 produces rotational movement of free-wheel 17 which drives flywheel 14 when bucket 18 descends, but not when it ascends. Rotation of flywheel 14 drives dynamo 15, in a belt 16, to produce electricity. Variations include use of two counter-rotating flywheels, arranged so that one engages freewheel on descent of bucket, other on ascent. Alternatively the counterweight may be replaced by a second bucket operating 180 DEG out of phase with first bucket. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Power generating apparatus This invention relates to power generating apparatus.

In relation to generating electrical power from the movement of water, large volumes of water are needed for driving turbines at hydro-electric power stations. To provide the water huge dams have to be constructed and valleys flooded, at great financial and ecological cost.

An object of the invention is to provide apparatus enabling power to be generated using only small amounts of water falling through a vertical distance.

With this object in view, the invention provides power generating apparatus comprising a receptacle displaceable substantially vertically between a raised rest position (into which it is biased by biasing means) and a lowered position whereat it is adapted automatically to discharge its contents, feed means for supplying liquid into said receptacle so the combined weight of the receptacle and its contents overcomes the biasing means, and transmission means for translating vertical displacement of the receptacle, at least in one direction, into unidirectional rotation of a flywheel which serves to drive a generator.

The apparatus is preferably situated in a well or mine shaft or beside a waterfall.

The receptacle is preferably a large open mouthed bucket having attachment means, for a chain or cable that serves to connect the bucket to the biasing means and, at or near its base, bearings for a pivot The biasing means is preferably a counterweight.

Preferably the pivot for the bucket is disposed so as to be offset relative to the centre of gravity of the bucket and is attached to a carriage mounted on a guide rail that extends from the raised position to the lowered position where there is a stop for the carriage.

The feed means is preferably a downwardly directed discharge pipe connected to a reservoir of water, such as a lake or small river, under which pipe the bucket is disposed.

With such an arrangement the bucket fills with liquid and when the weight of the bucket and its contents overcomes the biasing means, the bucket, contents and carriage descends to the lowered position. The downward force of the bucket makes it tip or pivot around the now stationary pivot, so as to tip out its contents. The emptied bucket and carriage then return to the raised rest position, by reason of the bias of the counterweight.

The transmission means for translating the linear movement of the bucket into rotational movement of the flywheel preferably includes a free-wheel device that drives the flywheel in one direction, and this is driven by the movement of the chain which connects the bucket to the counterweight.

The invention will be described further, by example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which the single figure is a diagrammatic side elevation of a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the invention.

The illustrated preferred embodiment of the power generating apparatus of the invention is situated in and around a well. The apparatus comprises a support frame 10, illustrated in broken lines in the figure, comprising two pairs of uprights 11 connected by crossbars 1 2 that support a shaft 13. Mounted on the shaft 13 are a flywheel 14 that drives a dynamo 15 by a belt 1 6 and a free-wheel 1 7 that drives the flywheel 1 4 in the only one direction. A receptacle, in the form of a bucket 1 8 is connected to a biasing means, in the form of a counterweight 1 9 by a chain or cable 20. The chain or cable 20 extends over the free wheel 17 as well as two pulleys 21 connected to the support frame 10 by respective brackets 22.

The pulleys 21 are arranged so that, when the bucket 18 and counterweight 1 9 move, they do not collide. The free-wheel 17 and the chain or cable 20 constitute transmission means of the apparatus.

Feed means for supplying liquid to the bucket 1 8 is a downwardly directed discharge pipe 23, located directly over the bucket 1 8 and connected to a liquid supply 24 which in this case is a reservoir of water.

The bucket 1 8 is attached at its base by a pivoted carriage 25 to a guide rail 26 held in place by the support frame 10.

The apparatus of the invention generates power in the following manner. The bucket 18, in its rest position, in which it is illustrated in full lines in the figure, fills with water from the discharge pipe 23.

As the bucket 1 8 fills with water the weight opposing the counterweight increases. When the combined weight of the bucket and its contents overcomes the bias of the counterweight the bucket and contents descend, with the carriage 25 to a lowered position where the pivoted carriage 25 stops and the bucket 1 8 pivots around the pivot of the pivoted carriage 25 to a horizontal position, in which it is illustrated in broken lines in the figure, and so discharges its contents, water, which flows away via an outlet 27. The bucket 1 8 is returned to its rest position by the descent of the counterweight 19 pulling the bucket 1 8 into its rest position via the chain 20 that connects them.The motion of the chain 20 produced when the bucket 1 8 rises or descends produdes rotational movement of the free-wheel 17. Only when the bucket 1 8 descends does the free-wheel 1 7 drive the flywheel 1 4. The rotating flywheel 14 drives by means of the belt 16 the dynamo 1 5, to produce electricity.

The invention is not confined to the precise details of the foregoing example and variations may be made thereto. One variation is the use of two counter-rotating flywheels arranged so that one engages the free-wheel on the descent of the bucket and the other flywheel engages on the ascent of the bucket. Another variation is replacing the counterweight with a second bucket.

Such a bucket couid have its own feed means and operate 1800 out of phase with the first bucket.

Claims

1. Power generating apparatus comprising a receptacle displaceable substantially vertically between a raised rest position (into which it is biased by biasing means) and a lowered position whereat it is adapted automatically to discharge its contents, feed means for supplying liquid into said receptacle so the combined weight of the receptacle and its contents overcomes the biasing means, and transmission means for translating vertical displacement of the receptacle, at least in one direction, into unidirectional rotation of a flywheel which serves to drive a generator.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the receptacle comprises a large open mouthed bucket having attachment means, for a chain or cable that serves to connect the bucket to the biasing means and, at or near its base, bearings for a pivot.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the biasing means comprises a counterweight.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or 3 wherein the pivot for the bucket is disposed so as to be offset relative to the centre of gravity of the bucket and is attached to a carriage mounted on a guide rail that extends from the raised position to the lowered position where there is a stop for the carriage.

5. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the feed means is preferably a downwardly directed discharge pipe connected to a reservoir of water, such as a lake or small river, under which pipe the bucket is disposed.

6. Power generating apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.