초록 ▼

A gravitational window shutter in a water gate for a system for harnessing power from current flow or tidal movement in a of water is disclosed. The gate is formed with a door for closing the port through which the water may flow. The door has a window in an upper portion thereof which is closed by

A gravitational window shutter in a water gate for a system for harnessing power from current flow or tidal movement in a of water is disclosed. The gate is formed with a door for closing the port through which the water may flow. The door has a window in an upper portion thereof which is closed by a rotatable shutter. The shutter opens before the door, allowing a flow of water through the window, which reduces the drag on the door. The door is then able to open more rapidly. A gravitational closure causes the shutter and door to close. The gravitational closure is formed by a counter weight on the shutter. An improved configuration of the chambers is also disclosed. The chambers have an upper portion of a rectangular configuration with a larger volume to increase the volume of air flowing through the system and a lower portion of a cylindrical configuration to reduce the hydraulic losses due to vortices during water inflow and outflow.

대표청구항 ▼

A water gate for opening and closing a port on a hydrodynamic system for harnessing energy from a water level differential, the water gate comprising: a door hingedly mounted within the port for rotation about a first horizontal axis; a window disposed in the door above the first horizontal axis; an

A water gate for opening and closing a port on a hydrodynamic system for harnessing energy from a water level differential, the water gate comprising: a door hingedly mounted within the port for rotation about a first horizontal axis; a window disposed in the door above the first horizontal axis; and a shutter mounted to the door for rotation about a second horizontal axis to open and close the window, whereby the shutter is operative under water pressure to rotate to an open position before the door is caused to rotate to an open position by the water pressure. A system for harnessing the energy of current flow or tidal motion of a water body, comprising: two hydro-pneumatic chambers each having an inlet port for the ingress of water into the chamber below the water surface and an outlet port for the egress of water out of the chamber below the water surface; a water gate disposed at each of the ports and movable between open and closed positions in response to a water level differential on opposite sides of the gate, each water gate comprising: a door hingedly mounted within the port for rotation about a first horizontal axis at a vertical midsection of the port, each door having a window in an upper portion of the door, and a shutter mounted on the door for rotation about a second horizontal axis to open and close the window; a linkage between the inlet port water gate of each one of the chambers and the outlet port water gate of the other of the chambers such that an inlet and its linked outlet are either both opened or both closed simultaneously for alternately synchronized operation of the inlet and outlet water gates of each chamber; a channel connecting the chamber above the water surface and operative to permit air to move between the chambers in response to a change in water level in the chambers; and means for harnessing the energy of the air moving within the channel.