EQUIPMENT TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION

The invention is currently at the conceptual stage of development. The idea has been patented and the concept fully articulated. The invention’s potential utility and potential for achieving performance will hopefully create some excitement among those in the market for this type of energy producing equipment.

The next step in the development process is the technical feasibility stage. A model or prototype of this invention must be constructed to prove that there are no technical or economic barriers to implementation that cannot be overcome by development.

Development of the prototype should begin with the selection of the type of turbine to be used in the prototype. The two turbines are shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 5 (Patent No. 5,311,064) and are virtually interchangeable for the purpose of building a prototype; however, Fig. 2 is recommended if funding is only sufficient for the building of one turbine. The turbine should be approximately l3 ft. in length and l6 ft. in width.

The turbine should be built with a wide belt drive rather than chain drive in the prototype. The belt should be 62 ft. in perimeter and l4.85 ft. in width and made of materials most suitable for this belt.

The paddleboards attached to the belt should be made of hard plastic or fiberglass materials and constructed l4.85 ft. in length and 3 ft. in height.

The two rotating drums, one at each end of the turbine, should also be made of hard plastics or fiberglass materials and must be slip resistant on the surface. They should both be 5.25 ft. in diameter and l4.85 ft. long and have a stainless steel shaft about l7 ft. long and 4 in. in diameter at each end.

The drum and the tanks should have a common basic frame made of noncorrosive material similar to stainless steel, which will hold the tank and drums rigidly together. Additional bracing for the support of upper and lower tank surfaces, as well as the drum surfaces, will be required before these items are filled with cork.

The pulleys, one on each end of the front drum, should be made for a multiple 3 or 4 groove belt and of noncorrosive steel or molded tough plastics. They should be approximately 5 in. wide and 5 ft. in outside diameter.

The belt should be V-type to fit into the two pulleys between one on the electric generator’s shaft and the other on the drum shaft. Two of these belts are required, one on each end of the drum (approximate belt circumference of 56 ft.). The pulleys for these belts should have a turning ratio that fits or corresponds to the required electric generator turning speed per minute.

The electric generator is rigidly mounted on the same levers that hold and move the turbine. This lever, one on both sides of the turbine drum, is approximately 22 ft. long and rotates about the midpoint and holds 480/277 volts, 3 phase electric generator for testing purposes.

The hydraulic cylinder that holds the turbine in the rear is 6-l/2 ft. long extending for approximately another 5 ft. The two hydraulic cylinders connected by means of a triangle to both levers on each side are about 6 ft. long and extend for another 5-l/2 ft. The four base hydraulic cylinders can move the whole equipment up and down and are approximately l4 ft. long and can extend for another l2 ft. The height of these four cylinders depends on the dept of the ocean where the unit is to be located. The hydraulic cylinders are made of stainless steel. The triangles on both levers are rigidly interconnected. The steel base for the two generators at opposite sides also interconnect the two levers.

There is also a main base and a sliding base above that holds and/or moves the turbine by way of two hydraulic cylinders about 6 ft. long and 11 ft. long in an extended position.

The sliding base moves on stainless steel ball turning wheels approximately 4 in. in outside diameter. The sliding base should be approximately 25 ft. long by l6 ft. wide built mostly of U channels.

There are two self-lubricating bearings on the drum shaft and two at the front end of the sliding base. This is basically a 50 ft. X l6 ft. steel structure which connects the turbine structure and rests on four base cylinders already described.

The two electric generator terminals are connected with the submarine type 3 phase, 4 wire cable to the distribution panel on the shore or for testing purposes to two electric load banks.

The operational experiences of the equipment will dictate the further developments and fine-tuning that is needed to allow the equipment to work with maximum efficiency. For example, the optimal size of the turbine, belt, paddles, etc. will be ascertained through operational experience. There are some foreseeable developments already needed to increase the efficiency of this invention. For example, a windbreaker or a semi-enclosure may be needed to diminish the wind contra-effect on the upper moving paddleboards. Automatic control of the equipment can be accomplished through a radar system that measures the velocity and size of oncoming waves. This data can then be fed into computers which will automatically position the turbine for optimal energy extraction.

These developments, as well as others that present themselves in the future through the operation of the prototype, will have to eventually be given consideration. The next step; however, is simply the construction of a prototype.