Lockheed Martin Corporation

Stephanie S Groves

John Walter Rapp

Nicholas John Nagurny

Scott Morris Maurer

Kee Koo

A method for extracting fuel gases from an underwater plume emitted from an underwater hydrothermal vent includes the step of collecting via an underwater fluid collector an underwater plume emitted from the hydrothermal vent. The underwater plume includes methane and hydrogen. The method further includes a step of directing a first fluid containing the underwater plume into a first inlet of a first underwater heat exchanger and a second fluid into a second inlet of the first underwater heat exchanger. The second fluid at the second inlet is at a temperature sufficiently lower than the temperature of the first fluid to transfer sufficient heat therebetween to form methane hydrate and hydrogen-methane hydrate in the first fluid. The method further includes the step of conveying the methane hydrate and hydrogen-methane hydrate to the surface of the water body via a duct connected to a first outlet of the first heat exchanger.

Method and system for harvesting hydrothermal energy

A whispering gallery mode resonator based optical sensor assembly comprises a flow channel permeable to optical energy and first and second optical waveguides adjacent to a section of the flow channel and adapted to be in first and second evanescent field couplings respectively with the section such that the section forms a whispering gallery mode resonator. The resonator is responsive to an optical signal conveyed in the first optical waveguide and communicates a second optical signal to the second optical waveguide indicative of a resonance wavelength of the whispering gallery mode resonator. A detector optically coupled to the second optical waveguide detects the output signal. A signal processor detects a shift in the output signal responsive to an analyte fluid flowing through the flow channel. The shift is indicative of the identity of at least one constituent of the analyte fluid.

Growing community of inventors

Aldie, VA, United States of America

Stephanie S Groves