CA2463868A1 - The conveyor belt generator - Google Patents
The conveyor belt generator Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2463868A1 CA2463868A1 CA002463868A CA2463868A CA2463868A1 CA 2463868 A1 CA2463868 A1 CA 2463868A1 CA 002463868 A CA002463868 A CA 002463868A CA 2463868 A CA2463868 A CA 2463868A CA 2463868 A1 CA2463868 A1 CA 2463868A1
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- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- conveyor belt
- ballast
- belt
- trough
- steel
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03G—SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS; MECHANICAL-POWER PRODUCING DEVICES OR MECHANISMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR OR USING ENERGY SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03G3/00—Other motors, e.g. gravity or inertia motors
- F03G3/04—Other motors, e.g. gravity or inertia motors driven by sand or like fluent solid material
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03G—SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS; MECHANICAL-POWER PRODUCING DEVICES OR MECHANISMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR OR USING ENERGY SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03G7/00—Mechanical-power-producing mechanisms, not otherwise provided for or using energy sources not otherwise provided for
- F03G7/10—Alleged perpetua mobilia
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Structure Of Belt Conveyors (AREA)
Abstract
The only present method of harnessing the power of gravity for the generation of electricity is by constructing dams and using the gravity-driven force of falling water descending through penstocks to generators in the power plant below.
The Conveyor Belt Generator is a method of harnessing the power of gravity for the generation of electricity and consists of a belt made of steel cables reinforced with iron bars which is thirty feet wide and travels between rotating spindles set three hundred feet apart. Large steel troughs which are mounted at intervals on the conveyor belt are filled with earth and rock or other heavy materials at the top of the belt. Their weight drives the belt and causes the spindles at each end and inbetween the ends to rotate and drive generators connected to them by drive belts. The ballast is dumped out and disposed of at the bottom of the belt.
The Conveyor Belt Generator has three alternative applications.
The first is vertical and is entirely or partially set into the side of a hill whose upper level provides the ballast required for the operation. The second application generates electricity in the same way but here the installation is on the slope of a long hill and the conveyor belt is supported by structural steel towers mounted on masonry piers implanted in the hill. The ballast delivery and discharge systems are the same, but there are modifications to other parts of the installation.
The third application of the system is its vertical installation in the shaft of a decommissioned but serviceable mine, which would take advantage of its underground galleries for the disposal of ballast.
The Conveyor Belt Generator is a method of harnessing the power of gravity for the generation of electricity and consists of a belt made of steel cables reinforced with iron bars which is thirty feet wide and travels between rotating spindles set three hundred feet apart. Large steel troughs which are mounted at intervals on the conveyor belt are filled with earth and rock or other heavy materials at the top of the belt. Their weight drives the belt and causes the spindles at each end and inbetween the ends to rotate and drive generators connected to them by drive belts. The ballast is dumped out and disposed of at the bottom of the belt.
The Conveyor Belt Generator has three alternative applications.
The first is vertical and is entirely or partially set into the side of a hill whose upper level provides the ballast required for the operation. The second application generates electricity in the same way but here the installation is on the slope of a long hill and the conveyor belt is supported by structural steel towers mounted on masonry piers implanted in the hill. The ballast delivery and discharge systems are the same, but there are modifications to other parts of the installation.
The third application of the system is its vertical installation in the shaft of a decommissioned but serviceable mine, which would take advantage of its underground galleries for the disposal of ballast.
Description
In the following detailed description of the concept dimensions are stated which are nominal and would be subject to amendment on _.._...
on teh basis of engineering review and by experiments with ptototyp-es to determine bptimurn dimensions or which adapt the concept to particular sites.
There are three a7_ternative versions of the Conveyor Belt Gen-P.
erator, and each of them requires an adequate supply of earth or rock or other heavy material, perhaps from a rock crushing plant. The vertical generator and the slopir,~'g generator would require access to a road fox removal of discharged ballast by truck, or to water for its removal by barge are perhaps used to form artifical reefs fo r .:fish habitat. The third application in s mine shaft would not have those requirements.
The vertical and sloping versions of the generator would both_ require stable soil to support their weight. An optimum cite for the vertical~Conveyor Eelt Generator would be an L-shaped slot cut into the side of a hill, which would be one hundred and twenty feet wide.
to -provide room for the conveyor belt, the service elevator, and the masonry piers, and working room for operation and maintenance. The height of the installation would be four hundred feet to provide room fof the conveyor belt, the support for the ballast supply system above it, and th~~ ramp for the discharge of ballast. The length of the base of the installation, the base of the L, would depend on the slope of the hill but would require room for the conveyor belt, the ascending and descending troughs, rear working space and the ramp, perhaps one hundred and fifty feet in all.
Drawing member one is an embodiment of the invention consisting of a side elevation of elements of the vertical conveyor belt genera-tor in which A is the reinforced;_concrete base of the installation which includes footings for the steel beams supporting the conveyor belt and thec'~discharge ramp as well as the masonry piers and side walls, neither of which are shown in this drawing. B is the reinforc-ed concrete wall at the rear of.:the installation which is in the shape of a horizontal arch based~on the masonry piers, as later shwon on drawing number twelve. The purpose of the arch is to pro-vide a stronger rear wall. C are steel beams which extend from the base to the axle of the upper spindle, and provide support to :it as well as t~~ bottom spindle, the inner spindles and the generators.
D is the conveyor belt, and E are the upper and lower spindles which it rotates around. E~~ are the inner spindles, F are the troughs on the conveyor belt, G is the ramp, and M axe steel support beams for the ramp. H is the secondary conveyor belt which is part of the bal-last delivery system.
Dtawing number two is an emb-odirnent of the invention consisting of a front elevation of the vertical conveyor belt generator. ,It bet-ter illustrates conveyor belt D, which is made of one inch steel cab=
1es spaced two feet apart, which are stabilized by one inch iron rods which are welded across them at three foot intervals. The belt would.
have an overall length of 720 feet, but its total length and the dis-tance between the_troughs subsequently mentioned would have to be div-isible by 9 so that during the rotation of the belt the bottom edge of the trough approaching the spindle would exactly meet Qne of the arms of the spindle in order to factilitate the.smaoth rotation of the belt around the spindle.
Each cable of the conveyor belt would have at both ends a loop and a heavy chain twenty feet long joining the two ends so that one segment of the belt would consist of chains to permit adjustment of .
the length of the belt to take up slack or reduce tension, or to correct the position of the troughs if they get out of alignment with the spindles..
As previously mentioned, measurements given are nominal and the actual size and spacing of the cables would depend on engineering calculations. A'greater length of the:.b:elt_-_would permit more elec-tricity to be generated.
I on drawing number two are the side walls, J is the service elevator, and K are masonry piers forty feet wide, six feet thick and three hundred feet in height which provide support for rear wall B as well as superstructure L. which is in effect a steel bridge thirty feet in height and forty feet wide which spans the Z
120 foot width of the installation. From it hang L , the main supp-orts for the top spindle, which bears the main weight of the conveyor belt and the troughs with their ballast. It also supports the bal-last delivery system at the top of the installation. , If the portion of the hill above the ~;ris~.tallation is ::..the source of the ballast, it is possible that the soil conditions might not be stable enough to allow the L-shaped cavation described above. In that case;. a shorter excavation might be~ resorted to with a past of the ballast delivery system being supported by steel beams based on masonry piers installed at intervals on the slope of the. hill above the installation.
Drawing number three is an embodiment of the invention consist-ing of a side elevation of that. type of installation. In this eleva-tion N are the masonry piers on the slope, and M are steel beams sup-porting H, the extended base of the ballast delivery system Drawing number four is an embodiment= of the invention consisting of a side elevation in cross-ssection of the troughs which hoI_d the ballast and power the system, and the plate above the trough which helps to control the delivery of ballast into the trough. The troughs and plate would be made of steel plate and be 30 feet long and 9 feet in height and width with the exception of the outer side of the trou-ghs which is tilted out at the top to avoid spilling the ballast as it is dumped into the trough at the top of the rotation. There is a hinge between the plate and the trough to facilitate rotation of the belt around the spindles. The troughs and plates are welded to the cables of the conveyor belt at intervals of 72 feet between each unit.
In drawing number four, D is the conveyor belt, F is the trough, P is the plate, Pl is the bar belt under-the centre of the conveyor belt which delivers power to the inner spindles, and Ul is the pole projecting from the trough which activates delivery of the ballast to the trough Drawing number five is an embodiment of the invention which con-sists of a side elevation of.:the 'top spindle and the electricity gen-erating system. The spindle is 30' wide, and its spokes E rotate around axle R which is polygon in cross-section to support the spokes at their point of contact but its outer ends are round and extend out to sockets with ball bearings in vertical steel beams C which ascend both sides of the conveyor belt from the base of the install-ation to axle R of the top spindle, which is also supported by beams L2. Steel beams C also support the batttom spindle, the inner spin-files, the power shafts, and the generators.
The twelve spokes of the spindle-conists of a steel beam :LS' in length, and their outer ends are nine feet apart, and are points in the circumference of a circle 36' in diameter. The spokes are rein-forced by 6" steel beams S welded to them 12' from the axle.
Drawing number six is an embodiment of the invention which con-sists o- a front elevaiwion of the. top spindle and the electricity generating system. The opposite end of the spindle would be the same as shown in drawing number five, ~n.d the opposite ends of the spokes would be joined by steel beam Y, which is supported by inter-ior beams Al. There are flanges El at the ends of beam Y with an outward slant to keep the conveyor belt from sliding off the end of beam Y. The rotation of the spindles would be synchronized with the movement of the troughs so that when a trough arrives it would mee t a beam. Beam Y has notch Fl to accomodate bar belt Pl which deliv-ers,power to the inner spindles, and notches Z which accomodates drive belts T which deliver power to power shaft U.
Drawings numbers five and six together show the electricii=y gen-erating system. The spindle drives belt T connecting to pulley Bl on power shaft U. Pulleys Cl lon power shaft U deliver power through belts V to double pulleys C which drive shafts on generators W with gear boxes D1 allowing gradual addition of generators to the system as ballast delivery reaches maximum effect. The double pulley allows transfer of power from one set of generators to the next. The genera tors are supported by shelves X which are supported by steel beam C.
The bottom spind=~e and the generators it drives are basically the same as the. top spindle, with the exception that it does not have to carry the greater weight borne by the top spindle. The number of generators which can be driven by the system is increased by the addition of inner spindles Ybetween the top and bottom spind=
les.
Drawings numbers seven and eight are embodiments of the inven~
lion consisting of front and side elevations of the inner spindles.
Axle I1 is square in its middle to support spokes Hl but is round at the ends which extend out to sockets with ball bearings in vert-ical steel beams C. The outer ring G1 has notches in its shoulders'' as shown on drawing number eight which accomodate drive belts T
which service power shafts U both above and below the spindle. In the centre of the circumference of the outer ring are embedded bla- .~
des Jl which are six inches square and mesh with bar belt Pl, which consists of nine foot sections of a steel. trough which is welded to the underside of the conveyor belt and tl:~e troughs and plates with hinges to match them and meet the top and bottom spindles during the rotation of the conveyor belt. Steel bars cross Plat intern als matching the spacing of the blades on the Eircumference of the inner spindle. The power generation system is the same as for the ;top and bottom spindles.
Drawing number two showed the masonry piers K which on whi~~h is based superstructure L, which in turn supports the top spindle and a a platform K1 under secondary conveyor belt H, which delivers the.;
ballast to the system. Drawing number nine is an embodiment of the invention consisting of a side elevation of the ballast delivery sy-stem from which the piers and superstructure L are deleted.
L1 is a hopper which is loaded by steamshovel from a ballast stockpile, and it rides along rail Ml and distributes ballast alongr conveyor belt H. Conveyor belt H deposits the ballast in trough N1 which has the same capacity as the troughs on the main conveyor belt Its two steel plate ends are not shown in the drawing. Superstruc-ture L is the inside wall of trough N1, and its outer wall and 1'~ott-om, which v:~projects..under its inside wall, is formed by one shee t of steel plate F2 which is curved at the corner to facilitate dropping of the ballaste F2 swings out to drop the ballast, and to do.this it has'hinge~Ql at its top. Hinge Ql conists of a 9 inch steel pipe welded to the top of Fz, and a steel axle equipped with ball bear:-ings runs through the pipe to sockets in steel arms G2:p..ojecting from superstructure L. These sockets are mounted on heavy springs, and when the ballast is dumped from the trough, the spings push. the axle up, completing an electrical connection which activates th.e sec-ondary conveyor belt which delivers new ballast to the trough, which again compresaes the spring and breaking the connection, stopping the conveyor belt.
F2 has at the inner end of its bottom a vertical steel plate S1 which hangs down a distance of 10 feet. It has on its outside on its bottom counterweight Tl.
In phase one in drawing number nine, a trough F on the main con-veyor belt is approaching trough Nl, Trough F has a projecting; steel bar Ul, which strikes plate S1 and pushes; it out, as shown in phase two, which causes th-e ballast in Nl to drop into trough F and plate P above it, which has raised sides to help control the flow of ball-ast into trough F. As trough F proceeds on its way, counterweight T1 causes F2 to return to its original position awaiting the next: deliv-ery of ballast drawings numbers ten, eleven and twelve are embodiments of the invention consisting of side, front, and overhead elevations of the ballast disposal system. As trough F in drawing number 10 reaches the bottom of spindle E it drops its ballast onto ramp G, which is supported by steel beams Wl Raised sides ~l in drawing 10 control the flow of the ballast. A2 is a wall which divides tamp G into two sections, each of which receives half the load. Xl are troughs into which the ballast slides,.and Y1 are openings in the fiooz~ of troughs Xl leqding into chutes which drop the ballast into waiting trucks for dispoal. Each of the openings Y1 can be closed by a motor-driven steel plate on roller bearings so that the chutes can be used in rotation to receive the ba:Llast.
The second application of the concept of the cpnveyor belt gener-ator involves an=:,:i~stallation~.on.th~=,slope of a long hill, supported by structural steel towers which themselves are are based on masonry piers set at iiztervals on the slope. The gravitational force develop-ed and the generating capacity -of the system would depend on the steepness bf the slope and the capacity of the soil to support i:he weight of the installation. The~conveyor belt could descend at a steeper angle than the slope by adjusting the height of the towers.
With a vertical conveyor belt generator the weight of the belt, the troughs and the ballast is born mainly by the upper spindle.
With a sloping conveyor belt, a large part of .the weight of the trou-ghs and the ballast would press down on the belt and could cause it .
to sag and pull the spindles together. If that became a potential problem, it could be dealt with by installing steel rails shaped like a squared letter U going down each side of the conveyor belt and. hav-ing axles and wheels on the troughs riding an the rails to support the weight of the troughs and the ballast. At the upper spindle as the troughs began the downsward trip they would ride onto the rails whose beginning would have a modest downward curve to ease the conned tion, and at the bottom end the rails would end as the troughs reach-ed the bottom spindle and began to rotate around it Drawing number thirteen is an embodiment of the invention whichA
~~~~~s.ts of a side elevasion of the slaking conveyor belt generator.
In an actual installation there could be more than one intermediate tower. Beginning at the top, the ballast delivery system isn't shown in the drawing but would be the same as with the vertical generator.
Because the weight of the troughs and t~~. ballast is born in part by the rails and the: intermediate towers, the massive piers and super-structure L of the vertical generator would not be required. The rail is B2 on the drawing.
The troughs would have to be redesigned to take into account the fact that the conveyor belt is installed on a slope, and the pos-sib le need for two sets of wheels to support'the weight of the ball ast and the troughs. Drawing number fourteen is an embodiment of th invention consisting of a side elevation of the trough in which i_t is assumed that the conveyor belt is installed at an angle of forty-five degrees. The conveyor belt is D, the rail is Bz, the trough i:
CZ, the.wheels are D~, and the plate above the trough is E2.
Because the ballast delivered to the trough falls onto a forty five degree slope it would tend to spread out to the sides, and bat plate Bz and the trough would have raised sides to control the ball -The top of the sides of the troughs would be horizntal.
wnen the ballast descends into the trough it would descend down the forty-five degree slope towards the the bottom of the trough, and' so the bottom of the trough is vertical rather than being at right an-gles to the conveyor belt to prevent the ballast from running out over the top of the bottom p?{ate. Because of this, aspect of the'-design of the trough for the sloping conveyor belt, the discharge of the ball-ast as it rotates over the bottom spindle would continue longer than ft would for the vertical conveyor belt, and the discharge ramp would have to extend further up past the lower spindle to catch all of the ballast..
The methods of delivery and removal of ballast would be the same as with the vertical conveyor belt generator, but there is a possible modification for the sloping installation,. It may prove to be that there is an optimum length for the efficient generation of electricty for the sloping installation, which in turn raises the possibility that there could be two or more installations on one slope, with the ballast from the uppermost installation being recycled for use in the installation next below it.
The inner spindles are not shown on drawing number thirteen for the sloping conveyor belt generator, and there is a possible problem.
The mesh between the blades on the circumference of the inner spindle and the bar belt would be satisfactory on the upper side of the con-veyor belt, but the weight of the troughs could cause the conveyor belt to sag as it returns up the underside of the installation causing the blades on the underside of the spindle to lose contact with the bar belt. This could be dealt with by having the troughs a foot nary-over than the conveyor belt on each side, sa that opposite eqch inner spindle on the underside there could be a roller which lifts up the conveyor belt so that firm contact is made.
The third application of the concept is'its installation in a de-conrnissioned but serviceable mine shaft where supports for the cam-ponents of the system would be embedded in the walls of the shaf=t.
The disposal of the ballast in the underground galleris of the mine unless entirely automated would require workers and a means of their - -descent and return which would require a separate shaft, unless the generating system and a service elevator could be accomodated in the original shaft. As with the sloping conveyor belt, there is the pos-sibility that the shaft could contain a series of installations, with the ballast from the first stage being dumped into a trough which would function in the same way as trough Nl in drawing number nine.
There is the plus side with the mine shaft generator, and that .__>
is that slag heaps could be cleaned up as ballast. Even settlement ponds which can be an environmental time bomb might be emptied using steel drums placed into specially desifned troughs by cranes equipped with electromagnets.
LIST OF DRAWINGS
1. Side elevation of elements of the vertical conveyor belt generator 2. Front elevation of elements of the certical conveyor belt generator 3. Side elevation of elements of a vertical conveyor belt generator partly embedded in a hillside 4. Side elevation in cross section of the trough 5. Side elevation of top spindle and electricity generating system 6. Front elevation of elements of spindles and electricity generating system 7. Front elevation of inner spindle 8. Side elevation of inner spindle 9. Ballast delivery system 10. Side elevation of ballast discharge system 11. Front elevation of discharge ramp 12. Qverhead elevation of discharge ramp 13. Sloping conveyor belt generator 14. Side elevation of trough of sloping conveyor belt gewerator GLOSSARY OF LETTERS USED IN DR.~WINGS
TO DESTGNATE EI;EMENTS OF THE INVENTION
A. Base B. Rear Wal1 C. Steel beam D . Conveyor belt E. Spindles F. Troughs G. Ramp H. Top conveyor belt I. Side wal_1 J. Service elevator K. Masonry piers for superstructure L. Steel arch or bridge of superstructure L.2 Supports for top spindle M. Steel support beams N. Hillside piers 0. v P. Plate Q. Hinge R. Axle S. Reinforcing bars T. Drive belt U. Power shaft V. Drive belt to generators W. Generators X. Supports for generators Y. Steel beam coining tops of spindles Z. Notches for drive belt Al Steel beams supporting top beam B1 Pulleys -or drive belt C1 Pulleys for generators D1 Gear bores for generators Continued Glossary of Letters Continued E1 Flang.e.s at ends of spindles to control conveyor belt F1 Notches for spindle drive belt GI Inner spindles HZ spokes for inner spindles II Axle for inner spindle J1 Blades on outer rim of inner spindle Kl Platform for secondary conveyor belt Ll Hopper MI Rail for hopper N1 Ballast trough 01 '~.rms supporting outer side of trough PlBar belt under centre of conveyor belt delivering power to inner spindles Hinge for.-outer.:: side of traugh R~-~Bottom andoouter- side. of trough SI Projection of Rl, striker plate and counterweight Counterweight U~ Pole projecting from trough V~ Side of ramp Wl Steel beams supporting ramp Xl Troughs at end of ramp YI Discharge spout from ramp Z1 Trucks removing ballast A2 Wall dividing ramp into two sections B2 Steel rail supporting troughs on sloping conveyor belt generator C~ Trough on sloping conveyor belt generator D~ Wheels running on ra~ls DZ supporting trough C2 E Plate above trough C with sides-
on teh basis of engineering review and by experiments with ptototyp-es to determine bptimurn dimensions or which adapt the concept to particular sites.
There are three a7_ternative versions of the Conveyor Belt Gen-P.
erator, and each of them requires an adequate supply of earth or rock or other heavy material, perhaps from a rock crushing plant. The vertical generator and the slopir,~'g generator would require access to a road fox removal of discharged ballast by truck, or to water for its removal by barge are perhaps used to form artifical reefs fo r .:fish habitat. The third application in s mine shaft would not have those requirements.
The vertical and sloping versions of the generator would both_ require stable soil to support their weight. An optimum cite for the vertical~Conveyor Eelt Generator would be an L-shaped slot cut into the side of a hill, which would be one hundred and twenty feet wide.
to -provide room for the conveyor belt, the service elevator, and the masonry piers, and working room for operation and maintenance. The height of the installation would be four hundred feet to provide room fof the conveyor belt, the support for the ballast supply system above it, and th~~ ramp for the discharge of ballast. The length of the base of the installation, the base of the L, would depend on the slope of the hill but would require room for the conveyor belt, the ascending and descending troughs, rear working space and the ramp, perhaps one hundred and fifty feet in all.
Drawing member one is an embodiment of the invention consisting of a side elevation of elements of the vertical conveyor belt genera-tor in which A is the reinforced;_concrete base of the installation which includes footings for the steel beams supporting the conveyor belt and thec'~discharge ramp as well as the masonry piers and side walls, neither of which are shown in this drawing. B is the reinforc-ed concrete wall at the rear of.:the installation which is in the shape of a horizontal arch based~on the masonry piers, as later shwon on drawing number twelve. The purpose of the arch is to pro-vide a stronger rear wall. C are steel beams which extend from the base to the axle of the upper spindle, and provide support to :it as well as t~~ bottom spindle, the inner spindles and the generators.
D is the conveyor belt, and E are the upper and lower spindles which it rotates around. E~~ are the inner spindles, F are the troughs on the conveyor belt, G is the ramp, and M axe steel support beams for the ramp. H is the secondary conveyor belt which is part of the bal-last delivery system.
Dtawing number two is an emb-odirnent of the invention consisting of a front elevation of the vertical conveyor belt generator. ,It bet-ter illustrates conveyor belt D, which is made of one inch steel cab=
1es spaced two feet apart, which are stabilized by one inch iron rods which are welded across them at three foot intervals. The belt would.
have an overall length of 720 feet, but its total length and the dis-tance between the_troughs subsequently mentioned would have to be div-isible by 9 so that during the rotation of the belt the bottom edge of the trough approaching the spindle would exactly meet Qne of the arms of the spindle in order to factilitate the.smaoth rotation of the belt around the spindle.
Each cable of the conveyor belt would have at both ends a loop and a heavy chain twenty feet long joining the two ends so that one segment of the belt would consist of chains to permit adjustment of .
the length of the belt to take up slack or reduce tension, or to correct the position of the troughs if they get out of alignment with the spindles..
As previously mentioned, measurements given are nominal and the actual size and spacing of the cables would depend on engineering calculations. A'greater length of the:.b:elt_-_would permit more elec-tricity to be generated.
I on drawing number two are the side walls, J is the service elevator, and K are masonry piers forty feet wide, six feet thick and three hundred feet in height which provide support for rear wall B as well as superstructure L. which is in effect a steel bridge thirty feet in height and forty feet wide which spans the Z
120 foot width of the installation. From it hang L , the main supp-orts for the top spindle, which bears the main weight of the conveyor belt and the troughs with their ballast. It also supports the bal-last delivery system at the top of the installation. , If the portion of the hill above the ~;ris~.tallation is ::..the source of the ballast, it is possible that the soil conditions might not be stable enough to allow the L-shaped cavation described above. In that case;. a shorter excavation might be~ resorted to with a past of the ballast delivery system being supported by steel beams based on masonry piers installed at intervals on the slope of the. hill above the installation.
Drawing number three is an embodiment of the invention consist-ing of a side elevation of that. type of installation. In this eleva-tion N are the masonry piers on the slope, and M are steel beams sup-porting H, the extended base of the ballast delivery system Drawing number four is an embodiment= of the invention consisting of a side elevation in cross-ssection of the troughs which hoI_d the ballast and power the system, and the plate above the trough which helps to control the delivery of ballast into the trough. The troughs and plate would be made of steel plate and be 30 feet long and 9 feet in height and width with the exception of the outer side of the trou-ghs which is tilted out at the top to avoid spilling the ballast as it is dumped into the trough at the top of the rotation. There is a hinge between the plate and the trough to facilitate rotation of the belt around the spindles. The troughs and plates are welded to the cables of the conveyor belt at intervals of 72 feet between each unit.
In drawing number four, D is the conveyor belt, F is the trough, P is the plate, Pl is the bar belt under-the centre of the conveyor belt which delivers power to the inner spindles, and Ul is the pole projecting from the trough which activates delivery of the ballast to the trough Drawing number five is an embodiment of the invention which con-sists of a side elevation of.:the 'top spindle and the electricity gen-erating system. The spindle is 30' wide, and its spokes E rotate around axle R which is polygon in cross-section to support the spokes at their point of contact but its outer ends are round and extend out to sockets with ball bearings in vertical steel beams C which ascend both sides of the conveyor belt from the base of the install-ation to axle R of the top spindle, which is also supported by beams L2. Steel beams C also support the batttom spindle, the inner spin-files, the power shafts, and the generators.
The twelve spokes of the spindle-conists of a steel beam :LS' in length, and their outer ends are nine feet apart, and are points in the circumference of a circle 36' in diameter. The spokes are rein-forced by 6" steel beams S welded to them 12' from the axle.
Drawing number six is an embodiment of the invention which con-sists o- a front elevaiwion of the. top spindle and the electricity generating system. The opposite end of the spindle would be the same as shown in drawing number five, ~n.d the opposite ends of the spokes would be joined by steel beam Y, which is supported by inter-ior beams Al. There are flanges El at the ends of beam Y with an outward slant to keep the conveyor belt from sliding off the end of beam Y. The rotation of the spindles would be synchronized with the movement of the troughs so that when a trough arrives it would mee t a beam. Beam Y has notch Fl to accomodate bar belt Pl which deliv-ers,power to the inner spindles, and notches Z which accomodates drive belts T which deliver power to power shaft U.
Drawings numbers five and six together show the electricii=y gen-erating system. The spindle drives belt T connecting to pulley Bl on power shaft U. Pulleys Cl lon power shaft U deliver power through belts V to double pulleys C which drive shafts on generators W with gear boxes D1 allowing gradual addition of generators to the system as ballast delivery reaches maximum effect. The double pulley allows transfer of power from one set of generators to the next. The genera tors are supported by shelves X which are supported by steel beam C.
The bottom spind=~e and the generators it drives are basically the same as the. top spindle, with the exception that it does not have to carry the greater weight borne by the top spindle. The number of generators which can be driven by the system is increased by the addition of inner spindles Ybetween the top and bottom spind=
les.
Drawings numbers seven and eight are embodiments of the inven~
lion consisting of front and side elevations of the inner spindles.
Axle I1 is square in its middle to support spokes Hl but is round at the ends which extend out to sockets with ball bearings in vert-ical steel beams C. The outer ring G1 has notches in its shoulders'' as shown on drawing number eight which accomodate drive belts T
which service power shafts U both above and below the spindle. In the centre of the circumference of the outer ring are embedded bla- .~
des Jl which are six inches square and mesh with bar belt Pl, which consists of nine foot sections of a steel. trough which is welded to the underside of the conveyor belt and tl:~e troughs and plates with hinges to match them and meet the top and bottom spindles during the rotation of the conveyor belt. Steel bars cross Plat intern als matching the spacing of the blades on the Eircumference of the inner spindle. The power generation system is the same as for the ;top and bottom spindles.
Drawing number two showed the masonry piers K which on whi~~h is based superstructure L, which in turn supports the top spindle and a a platform K1 under secondary conveyor belt H, which delivers the.;
ballast to the system. Drawing number nine is an embodiment of the invention consisting of a side elevation of the ballast delivery sy-stem from which the piers and superstructure L are deleted.
L1 is a hopper which is loaded by steamshovel from a ballast stockpile, and it rides along rail Ml and distributes ballast alongr conveyor belt H. Conveyor belt H deposits the ballast in trough N1 which has the same capacity as the troughs on the main conveyor belt Its two steel plate ends are not shown in the drawing. Superstruc-ture L is the inside wall of trough N1, and its outer wall and 1'~ott-om, which v:~projects..under its inside wall, is formed by one shee t of steel plate F2 which is curved at the corner to facilitate dropping of the ballaste F2 swings out to drop the ballast, and to do.this it has'hinge~Ql at its top. Hinge Ql conists of a 9 inch steel pipe welded to the top of Fz, and a steel axle equipped with ball bear:-ings runs through the pipe to sockets in steel arms G2:p..ojecting from superstructure L. These sockets are mounted on heavy springs, and when the ballast is dumped from the trough, the spings push. the axle up, completing an electrical connection which activates th.e sec-ondary conveyor belt which delivers new ballast to the trough, which again compresaes the spring and breaking the connection, stopping the conveyor belt.
F2 has at the inner end of its bottom a vertical steel plate S1 which hangs down a distance of 10 feet. It has on its outside on its bottom counterweight Tl.
In phase one in drawing number nine, a trough F on the main con-veyor belt is approaching trough Nl, Trough F has a projecting; steel bar Ul, which strikes plate S1 and pushes; it out, as shown in phase two, which causes th-e ballast in Nl to drop into trough F and plate P above it, which has raised sides to help control the flow of ball-ast into trough F. As trough F proceeds on its way, counterweight T1 causes F2 to return to its original position awaiting the next: deliv-ery of ballast drawings numbers ten, eleven and twelve are embodiments of the invention consisting of side, front, and overhead elevations of the ballast disposal system. As trough F in drawing number 10 reaches the bottom of spindle E it drops its ballast onto ramp G, which is supported by steel beams Wl Raised sides ~l in drawing 10 control the flow of the ballast. A2 is a wall which divides tamp G into two sections, each of which receives half the load. Xl are troughs into which the ballast slides,.and Y1 are openings in the fiooz~ of troughs Xl leqding into chutes which drop the ballast into waiting trucks for dispoal. Each of the openings Y1 can be closed by a motor-driven steel plate on roller bearings so that the chutes can be used in rotation to receive the ba:Llast.
The second application of the concept of the cpnveyor belt gener-ator involves an=:,:i~stallation~.on.th~=,slope of a long hill, supported by structural steel towers which themselves are are based on masonry piers set at iiztervals on the slope. The gravitational force develop-ed and the generating capacity -of the system would depend on the steepness bf the slope and the capacity of the soil to support i:he weight of the installation. The~conveyor belt could descend at a steeper angle than the slope by adjusting the height of the towers.
With a vertical conveyor belt generator the weight of the belt, the troughs and the ballast is born mainly by the upper spindle.
With a sloping conveyor belt, a large part of .the weight of the trou-ghs and the ballast would press down on the belt and could cause it .
to sag and pull the spindles together. If that became a potential problem, it could be dealt with by installing steel rails shaped like a squared letter U going down each side of the conveyor belt and. hav-ing axles and wheels on the troughs riding an the rails to support the weight of the troughs and the ballast. At the upper spindle as the troughs began the downsward trip they would ride onto the rails whose beginning would have a modest downward curve to ease the conned tion, and at the bottom end the rails would end as the troughs reach-ed the bottom spindle and began to rotate around it Drawing number thirteen is an embodiment of the invention whichA
~~~~~s.ts of a side elevasion of the slaking conveyor belt generator.
In an actual installation there could be more than one intermediate tower. Beginning at the top, the ballast delivery system isn't shown in the drawing but would be the same as with the vertical generator.
Because the weight of the troughs and t~~. ballast is born in part by the rails and the: intermediate towers, the massive piers and super-structure L of the vertical generator would not be required. The rail is B2 on the drawing.
The troughs would have to be redesigned to take into account the fact that the conveyor belt is installed on a slope, and the pos-sib le need for two sets of wheels to support'the weight of the ball ast and the troughs. Drawing number fourteen is an embodiment of th invention consisting of a side elevation of the trough in which i_t is assumed that the conveyor belt is installed at an angle of forty-five degrees. The conveyor belt is D, the rail is Bz, the trough i:
CZ, the.wheels are D~, and the plate above the trough is E2.
Because the ballast delivered to the trough falls onto a forty five degree slope it would tend to spread out to the sides, and bat plate Bz and the trough would have raised sides to control the ball -The top of the sides of the troughs would be horizntal.
wnen the ballast descends into the trough it would descend down the forty-five degree slope towards the the bottom of the trough, and' so the bottom of the trough is vertical rather than being at right an-gles to the conveyor belt to prevent the ballast from running out over the top of the bottom p?{ate. Because of this, aspect of the'-design of the trough for the sloping conveyor belt, the discharge of the ball-ast as it rotates over the bottom spindle would continue longer than ft would for the vertical conveyor belt, and the discharge ramp would have to extend further up past the lower spindle to catch all of the ballast..
The methods of delivery and removal of ballast would be the same as with the vertical conveyor belt generator, but there is a possible modification for the sloping installation,. It may prove to be that there is an optimum length for the efficient generation of electricty for the sloping installation, which in turn raises the possibility that there could be two or more installations on one slope, with the ballast from the uppermost installation being recycled for use in the installation next below it.
The inner spindles are not shown on drawing number thirteen for the sloping conveyor belt generator, and there is a possible problem.
The mesh between the blades on the circumference of the inner spindle and the bar belt would be satisfactory on the upper side of the con-veyor belt, but the weight of the troughs could cause the conveyor belt to sag as it returns up the underside of the installation causing the blades on the underside of the spindle to lose contact with the bar belt. This could be dealt with by having the troughs a foot nary-over than the conveyor belt on each side, sa that opposite eqch inner spindle on the underside there could be a roller which lifts up the conveyor belt so that firm contact is made.
The third application of the concept is'its installation in a de-conrnissioned but serviceable mine shaft where supports for the cam-ponents of the system would be embedded in the walls of the shaf=t.
The disposal of the ballast in the underground galleris of the mine unless entirely automated would require workers and a means of their - -descent and return which would require a separate shaft, unless the generating system and a service elevator could be accomodated in the original shaft. As with the sloping conveyor belt, there is the pos-sibility that the shaft could contain a series of installations, with the ballast from the first stage being dumped into a trough which would function in the same way as trough Nl in drawing number nine.
There is the plus side with the mine shaft generator, and that .__>
is that slag heaps could be cleaned up as ballast. Even settlement ponds which can be an environmental time bomb might be emptied using steel drums placed into specially desifned troughs by cranes equipped with electromagnets.
LIST OF DRAWINGS
1. Side elevation of elements of the vertical conveyor belt generator 2. Front elevation of elements of the certical conveyor belt generator 3. Side elevation of elements of a vertical conveyor belt generator partly embedded in a hillside 4. Side elevation in cross section of the trough 5. Side elevation of top spindle and electricity generating system 6. Front elevation of elements of spindles and electricity generating system 7. Front elevation of inner spindle 8. Side elevation of inner spindle 9. Ballast delivery system 10. Side elevation of ballast discharge system 11. Front elevation of discharge ramp 12. Qverhead elevation of discharge ramp 13. Sloping conveyor belt generator 14. Side elevation of trough of sloping conveyor belt gewerator GLOSSARY OF LETTERS USED IN DR.~WINGS
TO DESTGNATE EI;EMENTS OF THE INVENTION
A. Base B. Rear Wal1 C. Steel beam D . Conveyor belt E. Spindles F. Troughs G. Ramp H. Top conveyor belt I. Side wal_1 J. Service elevator K. Masonry piers for superstructure L. Steel arch or bridge of superstructure L.2 Supports for top spindle M. Steel support beams N. Hillside piers 0. v P. Plate Q. Hinge R. Axle S. Reinforcing bars T. Drive belt U. Power shaft V. Drive belt to generators W. Generators X. Supports for generators Y. Steel beam coining tops of spindles Z. Notches for drive belt Al Steel beams supporting top beam B1 Pulleys -or drive belt C1 Pulleys for generators D1 Gear bores for generators Continued Glossary of Letters Continued E1 Flang.e.s at ends of spindles to control conveyor belt F1 Notches for spindle drive belt GI Inner spindles HZ spokes for inner spindles II Axle for inner spindle J1 Blades on outer rim of inner spindle Kl Platform for secondary conveyor belt Ll Hopper MI Rail for hopper N1 Ballast trough 01 '~.rms supporting outer side of trough PlBar belt under centre of conveyor belt delivering power to inner spindles Hinge for.-outer.:: side of traugh R~-~Bottom andoouter- side. of trough SI Projection of Rl, striker plate and counterweight Counterweight U~ Pole projecting from trough V~ Side of ramp Wl Steel beams supporting ramp Xl Troughs at end of ramp YI Discharge spout from ramp Z1 Trucks removing ballast A2 Wall dividing ramp into two sections B2 Steel rail supporting troughs on sloping conveyor belt generator C~ Trough on sloping conveyor belt generator D~ Wheels running on ra~ls DZ supporting trough C2 E Plate above trough C with sides-
Claims
CLAIM
The embodiments of the invention for which an exclu~
sine property or privilege is claimed are:
First, the design and function of the top, bottom and inner spindles as set forth in the within specification and shown in drawings numbers 5, 6, 7 and 8: and Second, the design and function of the ballast delivery system as described in the within specification and shown in drawing number 9: and Third, the design and function of the ramp and ballast discharge system as described in the within specification and shown in drawings numbers 11 and 12
The embodiments of the invention for which an exclu~
sine property or privilege is claimed are:
First, the design and function of the top, bottom and inner spindles as set forth in the within specification and shown in drawings numbers 5, 6, 7 and 8: and Second, the design and function of the ballast delivery system as described in the within specification and shown in drawing number 9: and Third, the design and function of the ramp and ballast discharge system as described in the within specification and shown in drawings numbers 11 and 12
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002463868A CA2463868A1 (en) | 2004-05-11 | 2004-05-11 | The conveyor belt generator |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002463868A CA2463868A1 (en) | 2004-05-11 | 2004-05-11 | The conveyor belt generator |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2463868A1 true CA2463868A1 (en) | 2005-11-11 |
Family
ID=35452016
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002463868A Abandoned CA2463868A1 (en) | 2004-05-11 | 2004-05-11 | The conveyor belt generator |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2463868A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ES2319711A1 (en) * | 2007-03-14 | 2009-05-11 | Carlos Gomez Peinado | Installation for the generation of electric power using earth as a source producer of movement. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) |
| CN106671435A (en) * | 2016-12-15 | 2017-05-17 | 仙桃市犇牛机械制造有限公司 | Two-in-one automatic production machine for masks |
| CN109458312A (en) * | 2018-12-26 | 2019-03-12 | 黑龙江工业学院 | A kind of computer control mining power generator |
-
2004
- 2004-05-11 CA CA002463868A patent/CA2463868A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ES2319711A1 (en) * | 2007-03-14 | 2009-05-11 | Carlos Gomez Peinado | Installation for the generation of electric power using earth as a source producer of movement. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) |
| CN106671435A (en) * | 2016-12-15 | 2017-05-17 | 仙桃市犇牛机械制造有限公司 | Two-in-one automatic production machine for masks |
| CN109458312A (en) * | 2018-12-26 | 2019-03-12 | 黑龙江工业学院 | A kind of computer control mining power generator |
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