Wave energy conversion device

摘要

Several embodiments of a device for economically harvesting wave energy are disclosed. A sealed vessel for air storage, the spar buoy, is mostly submerged under water is also used as an inertial body that surface floats move relative to. The spar buoy may take many geometrical forms, but all have a stem that is above the water surface. Piston pumps are placed at the top of the stem. The pump has a gearing reduction to optimize the rotational motion of the pump drive shaft. Small angular motion at the drive shaft results in multiple cycles of linear reciprocal motion of the piston. Various mechanisms could convert the relative motion between the floats and the spar buoy to a rotational motion of the shaft. The compressed air generated by the pump is stored in the spar buoy and regenerated as electrical energy by expanding the compressed air in a turbine.

主权项

1. An apparatus for harvesting wave energy by compressing a fluid comprising:
at least one spar buoy comprising at least one hollow vessel for storing a compressed fluid, at least one piston pump comprising at least one compression cylinder, one piston, one piston rod and, at least one unidirectional valve, at least one float for harnessing wave energy, at least one gear coupled to said at least one piston pump, at least one pinion gear connected to said piston pump through said piston rod, wherein said at least one gear is a drive gear coupled to a pinion gear, wherein said drive gear and said pinion gear are sized such that a rotation of said drive gear results in one or more complete rotation of said pinion gear, wherein a full rotation of said pinion gear results in at least one full reciprocal linear motion of said piston in said piston pump, a lever arm coupled to said at least one gear and connected to said at least one float, wherein a relative motion of said at least one float to said spar buoy causes rotation of said lever arm, which in turn causes a rotational motion of said at least one drive gear, such that the rotation of said drive gear rotates said at least one pinion gear thereby resulting in a reciprocal linear motion of said at least one piston of said at least one piston pump for compressing fluid, wherein one actuation of said lever arm results in multiple reciprocal linear motions of said piston in said piston pump.