R & D Associates

Other

Stuart L Ridgway

In order to bring cold water from the depths of a body of water, a long pipe is extended into the body of water. Arrangements are provided for pumping the water out of the pipe. A nozzle is then provided to direct a stream of water up through the pipe at high velocities, without touching the walls thereof, based on the high pressure of the water at the lower end of the pipe. At the top of the pipe near the surface of the body of water, arrangements are provided for collecting the cold water drawn from below. This ballistic cold water pipe may be employed to economically provide cold water for ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) systems, and for other purposes.

Ballistic cold water pipe

An ocean thermal energy converter (OTEC) generates electricity from warm surface water in dropping 100 meters or so, and then raises it back to the surface using its own thermal energy in a large floating vacuum chamber. The mist flow process as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,657 is employed to accelerate water droplets and water vapor upward from the bottom of the chamber under a pressure difference created by spraying cold water from lower ocean levels into the same chamber. The cold water is sprayed upward and parallel to the upper side walls of the chamber to control the flow of the warm droplets, as well as condense the vapor. This cold spray has too small an initial velocity to reach the top of the chamber, but receives momentum from the accelerated warm droplets. The warm water may be injected substantially vertically or alternatively at an angle inclined toward the axis of the chamber to assist in coalescing and concentrating the stream after the individual droplets have been accelerated upward.

Compact mist flow power generator

A hybrid vehicle propulsion system is disclosed which utilizes an internal combustion engine, an afterburner, and a steam engine in combination for improved efficiency and reduced emission of pollutants. The afterburner is provided to reduce the level of pollutants emitted and to increase the temperature of the exhaust gases from the internal combustion engine. The heat from the exhaust gases, together with the heat removed from the internal combustion cylinders, is then utilized in the steam engine to provide additional propulsion.

Vehicle propulsion system

Power is generated using the temperature difference between the water at the surface of a large body of water whose temperature might be in the vicinity of 25.degree. C. or 77.degree. F., and water at considerable depth in the body of water whose temperature might be in the order of about 5.degree. C. or 41.degree. F. A floating structure is provided which extends in the order of 50 meters below the surface of the water, and input water is initially filtered and deaerated, and then drops for most of the height of the submerged structure before driving a conventional hydraulic turbine. The warm water at the output of the turbine is returned to the level of the surface of the body of water by a mist flow pump arrangement using a large tapered duct that is operated at reduced pressure, with droplets of the warm water from the output of the turbine being sprayed into the bottom of the duct. With the duct being at a pressure below the saturation vapor pressure of the injected warm water, some of the water evaporates or boils to form steam and this expanding steam carries the water droplets to the top of the duct against the force of gravity. The droplets are small enough so that the viscous friction is sufficient to enable the steam to carry them up. At the top of the duct the flow is turned radially outward to a condenser, in which cold water from the depths is employed to condense the mist, and the mixed hot and cold water stream is subsequently returned to an intermediate temperature level of the body of water.

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Santa Monica, CA, United States of America

Stuart L Ridgway