CA2513155A1

CA2513155A1 - An innovative renewable energy device for pumping sea water to on-shore facilities

Info

Publication number: CA2513155A1
Application number: CA002513155A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Michael Graham; Aaruun Arunachalam; Tony Calderon; Leon Fiander; Keith Howse
Original assignee: College of North Atlantic
Current assignee: College of North Atlantic
Priority date: 2005-07-20
Filing date: 2005-07-20
Publication date: 2007-01-20

Abstract

Many on-shore (or on-platform) activities (e.g. aquaculture, heating and cooling, fire suppression) require high volumes of water. This product, "Burin Wave Power Pump", is capable of pumping required volumes of offshore water to on-shore applications. The device is a combination of a semi-submersible buoy, attached to a fully submersible massive base through a piston/cylinder pump arrangement. The pump is equipped with in/out valves to direct the flow of water. The device uses the energy inherent in the wave motion of an ocean or a lake in which it is submerged, to pump water to the shore or platform for use. The wave action of the water body moves the small float to drive a pump while the massive base moves very little. This relative motion of pump float and buoy body is translated into a piston stroke which is used to displace water through appropriate piping to shore. The device is designed to operate in a near-shore (-1Km, water depth > 7 M) environment where waves heights are frequently > 1 M.
Although the total energy available is determined by the local wave regime, output pressure and flow rates can be changed to suit activities by modifying the dimensions of the pump body.
This flow of water can be used to generate electricity through the use of low-head generators.

Description

Product Concept:
Many shore or platform based activities, (e.g. aquaculture, fire fighting, fish processing) use high flows of seawater. This water is usually brought to the facility using electrically driven pumps at considerable cost in both equipment and energy. This patent request is for an innovative wave powered pump, developed by the research team of the College of the North Atlantic Burin Campus. The pump is driven by the renewable ocean wave energy. This prototype offers the pumping capacity of 5 L/s. The robust, low-cost, wave-powered pump can be easily deployed in near shore locations to deliver sea water to shore-based facilities. It is currently used to supply fresh sea water for an experimental aquaculture facility. Other possible uses may include electrical generation, reverse osmosis, desalination, cooling/heating, cleaning, fire suppression, industrial supply, flushing, etc. The next generation of the pump is also under construction with enhanced capacity of I SL/s.
Design:
The pump is a semi-submersible rig similar to, but much smaller than, familiar oil production platforms. A central tower contains a float and pump cylinder. In use, the system will be submerged so that the top of the tower just breaks the water surface.
Appropriate valuing systems are incorporated in the cylinder to ensure that, as the float and piston rises, the lower portion of the cylinder is filled and water in the upper portion is forced through piping to shore. As the wave passes and the float falls, the upper portion of the pump will fill and the lower portion will displace water on shore. The pressure and flow parameters of the pump can be easily modified by altering the sizes of the float and cylinder The prototype is moored in Lord's Cove harbour, located on the Burin Peninsula in Newfoundland, and is designed to deliver approximately 5 L/s of seawater to the shore-based aquaculture facility on the wharf. The second pump, to be built in the winter of 2005, will be designed to deliver 15 L/s and be deployed outside the harbour mouth at Lord's Cove.
Operation:
Installation and testing of the prototype pump is currently underway at Lord's Cove harbour. Data is being collected to monitor the pump performance. The pumped water is currently being used to support a small tank-based aquaculture facility. Once on shore, the pumped water is delivered to a storage tank situated on the landward side of the on shore storage. When filled, this storage tank provides a constant 3m pressure head to plumbing systems inside the aquaculture building.
Should wave-powered pumping stop, this tank will also act as a reservoir capable of providing water for temporary operation of the aquaculture facility.
Drawings: See Appendix A, B, C, D
Pictures: See Appendix E, F

Claims

1. A device using wave energy for pumping ocean or lake water onshore or to a platform.

2. A device defined in Claim 1, which is used for water supply for aquaculture/
agriculture, electrical generation, heating/cooling, fire suppression and reverse osmosis.

3. A device defined in Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which pump pressure/volume can be altered in a given wave regime by changing the ratio of float displacement to cylinder diameter.

4. A device defined in Claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the pump can be scaled to maximize energy absorption in local wave regimes.

5. A device defined in Claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, in which the pump operates in near-shore environment, seaward of surf.

6. A device defined in Claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, in which all energy for pumping water comes from the vertical movement of an ocean/lake.

7. A device defined in Claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, in which: the pump, moorings, and undersea piping can be deployed near shore using small boats (10 M);
electrical generation/energy conversion takes place onshore; and the pump is purely mechanical, contains a minimum of moving parts (piston and valves), and can be built and serviced by any reasonably-equipped metal fabrication shop.