CA2744617A1

CA2744617A1 - A flexible fluid containment vessel or vessels: for transporting fresh water across oceans

Info

Publication number: CA2744617A1
Application number: CA2744617A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Romain Audet
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-07-04
Filing date: 2011-07-04
Publication date: 2013-01-04

Abstract

A flexible fluid containment vessel or vessels for transporting and containing a large volume of fluid, particularly fresh water, from one marine environment location to another. HUG
Water Transfer Bag (Hydro Unique Generation) is the trademark name given to this vessel with the following attributes:

.cndot. designed for strength using a semi-rigid inner structure, and .cndot. designed to dive under the ocean current and waves when towed, and .cndot. comprising of a streamlined nose adapted to be connected to towing means, and .cndot. comprising of one or more pipes communicating with the interior of the vessel such as to permit filling and emptying of the vessel.

Description

DESCRIPTION:

Field of Invention: A flexible fluid containment vessel or vessels: for transporting fresh water across oceans A flexible fluid containment vessel or vessels for transporting and containing a large volume of fluid, particularly fresh water which is fabricated out of a plurality of separately formed layers which are bound together.

These said floating, towable vessels comprising an elongated flexible walled body portion. Rigid end closure fittings having towline attachments are mounted in centrally located holes in each end portion. HUG (Hydro Unique Generation) has a streamlined nose or bow adapted to be connected to towing means, and one or more pipes communicating with the interior of the vessel such as to permit filling and emptying of the vessel.

Several novel features of the invention reside:

= in applying the stress of pulling the vessel or water bag on a semi-rigid structure, which act like pulling a human body by its skeletons, instead of pulling by its skin. The secret is to use a unbroken wide belt, not unlike a wider automobile seat belt. This system of heavy straps acts to distribute the concentrated tow force over the water transfer bag.

= in using a submersible vessel or water bag, which has an aerodynamic shape, not unlike an inverted airplane wing. This design creates a force opposite to an airplane lift, which causes the vessel or water bag to be pulled below the turbulent upper level of the ocean, thereby preventing snaking or tumultuous oscillation from ocean currents and waves. A set of diving planes installed in the bow adjusts for the depth requirements.

= in building an array of vessels or water bags, one can increase the volume by pulling up to ten vessels or water bags in a diamond shaped array, which is designed to reduce drag.

Discussion of Prior Art Water Bags: a Known Solution Water bags are not currently a common method of water transport, because of previous large-scale failures. It is a method that is drawing attention as the costs of other methods skyrocket, and demand for fresh water is great in many parts of the world including United States of America.

HUG may be used to transport bulk quantities of fresh water from an abundant source thereof to a remote location requiring such water.

The advantages of the HUG or the Water Transfer Bag is that it:

2 = can be scaled up from a small initial operation because HUG is entirely modular = can be used to meet demand and drought contingency in a natural disaster situation to bring in life saving freshwater.
= can be made on demand without high upfront capital costs = can act as their own offshore reservoir at source or destination.
= can be removed and taken to any other water bag system in the world. This is not the case with permanent land-based pipelines or desalination plants that must be in continual operation in order to pay off their extremely high capital cost investments.

This new water transfer system is a boon to the environment. One doesn't need to have a lot of infrastructure to "capture" the water, so you don't necessarily have to incur the environmental impacts associated with the construction or operation of a dam/reservoir.
Ideally, fresh water piped from a nearby lake would act as a perfect cistern, which would not affect the fish movement up the rivers or streams. A large man-made cistern would be an alternative solution.
In another embodiment, where there is no nearby lake located near the ocean shore, a dike with a spillway may be built in a reach of a river, to create a pool of water in the river upstream of the dike. Water in excess of the base load of the river can be diverted into a pool or cistern, to flow into a pipeline, then into an optional tank built near the shore, or into a floating tube, then flow forwards..

In one embodiment, fresh water can also be transported by a long, floating tube to a pumping tower anchored along the way. An ocean-floor pipeline is also possible, which terminates in an upward riser to a buoy at the loading station. A similar arrangement may be provided at the location where the cargo is to be off-loaded, with a suitable pump on shore except that a pump also may be provided at the buoy.

By using three different bags, a cycle is established whereby the newly delivered bag is emptied at a discharging terminal linked to the receiving country's water distribution infrastructure as the tug picks up the empty bag which was used previously and returns to the filling station at full speed where the third bag is already filled and waiting for collection. This enables the tug to be fully utilised while ensuring the supply never runs dry.

We learn from prior art that the delivery system will consist of the following major parts:

(1) Shore side facilities to handle water from the source (i.e., pump stations, sump, etc.) and ocean pipelines to the offshore water-loading platforms (2) Water-loading platforms to fill the bags

(3) Bag assembly facility to prepare & deliver empty bags to the water-loading facility

(4) Transport system to tow full bags to a marshalling facility

(5) Marshalling facility to assemble bags into towing strings for transport to delivery sites

(6) Off-loading facility to remove water from the bags

(7) Empty bag handling and transport system to rig empty bags for the return trip to the loading facility

(8) Mooring and bag handling facilities in the vicinity of the off-loading facility

(9) Ancillary facilities, booster-pump stations, pipelines to municipal reservoirs or wells, and ocean pipelines from the off-loading facilities.

We learn from prior art that seams are known to be a source of bag failure when the bag is repeatedly subjected to high loads, so the outer envelope is to be layered as follows:

= The longitudinal edges of the spirally-wound strip are preferably so arranged that the joints or transitions between the spiral turns become completely smooth.

= The spiral turns of the strip need not necessarily be fixed to each other, but preferably there is an edge joint between the adjoining longitudinal edge portions of the spirally-wound strip. The edge joint can be achieved, e.g. by sewing (for instance with water-soluble thread), melting, and welding (for instance ultrasonic welding), of non-woven material, or of non-woven material with melting fibres.

= To achieve the smooth transition between the spiral turns, these may be arranged edge to edge or overlapping.

= One novel feature of this invention reside in an embodiment in which the spiral turns in the different layers of the outer envelope are placed crosswise, i.e. such that the longitudinal threads of the strip in one layer make an angle both with the machine direction and with the longitudinal threads of the strip in another layer. So an inner layer of geotextile material has a first helical seam that corkscrews in one direction. An outer layer of geotextile material surrounds the inner layer and has a second helical seam that corkscrews in a second direction that is out of phase with the direction of the first helical seam of the inner layer.

= The preferred method of joining the two ends involves using a "circus-tent"
type of stitching, that is a hemming stitch, half-cross stitch, or the like. The ends are brought together by the stitching and then the stitching is covered using a two-part reactive resin system. The covering can be a sheath laminated by adhesive, or a curable liquid coating applied via spraying. The preferable covering material for the seam is two-part polyurethane.

Hydrostatic Pressure Under normal operating conditions, the internal pressure is greater than the external pressure and there is therefore no risk of collapse.

The tension due to hydrostatic pressure is a function of the ratio of the densities of the inner and outer fluids, and is also strongly dependent of the fraction of the volume filled by the fluid ( ratio of actual volume filled to the maximum volume which could be filled). Although the differential pressure is only .71 kilopascals, this tension doubles when the percentage filled increases from 86% to 96%. Hence the design must be for a fraction less than unity.

One prior art inventor stressed the importance of the HUG be filled preferably less than 50 percent of its capacity, in order to accommodate the constant pounding of the ocean waves. Of course, this precaution doesn't apply to the submersible HUG, which is not affected by ocean turbulence in the long run.

Since the necking phenomenon will appear when the flexible vessel is subjected to repeated elongation cycles, it has been found that it is essential to take measures to protect against the transverse elongations. It has been found that the maximum elongation would be 15% in the case of polyamide, 10% in the case of a PE and 7% in the case of a PVDF.

Pressure on the Hawser or Tow Line Any extreme wave action on the tug boat, will cause unwanted pressure on the hawser or tow line of the tug boat. This can be alleviated by a much longer tow line in excess of 100m. The bopping action of the tugboat would then have much less effect on the pressure of the said line.
Among the newest towing winches were those labelled `automatic,' meaning that they could maintain a constant towline tension and towline length (scope) according to pre-determined settings. Some towing winches would allow a towline to pay out or slip in stressful conditions, but could only retrieve the line under manual operation. Many winches were also built with spring-loaded mechanisms that absorbed shocks or surges of tension in a line, which are often exerted by sea conditions.

Some new towing winches today come with an electronic abort system with pilothouse control.
The abort system releases the winch brake and allows the drive motor to freewheel in such a way that will pay out all the wire on the drum; this would be terminated by a lighter floating pendant with a marker buoy trailing astern of the tow. A double-drum towing winches offers an auxiliary drum of wire for use in the event of an emergency involving the first wire.

The Weather Factor Whenever possible, towing operations should be planned to take advantage of the best weather conditions. It would be advisable to change course if necessary to avoid or ride out the storm. It is far better to depart from the projected track, ride out the storm and then set a course for the original destination than to endanger the ship and tow by remaining on a dangerous course and speed.

In addition to the use of the automatic feature of its towing machine, there are four actions the towing ship can take to reduce peak towline forces:

a. Reduce power and speed b. Change course c. Increase towline scope: the wire length increase from 300 metres to 600 metres decreases the dynamic tension by a factor of four.

Water Bags: a Tried Solution There has been no silver bullet technology that can unleash abundant, cheap, new freshwater supplies using the water bag concept. We learn of many unsolved problems, which account for this technological failure:

1. Aquarius Holdings Limited,(Page 8, #8), which has towed smaller bags from mainland Greece to nearby resort islands since 1999. Aquarius has a fleet of small 2,000 m3 for short-haul deliveries. In Turkey, the bags, which are used to bring fresh water to the Greek Islands, do not have the durability and reliability that the market requires.
They predict that their market will exceed 200 million m3 a year to markets of other Mediterranean islands, Israel and the Bahamas.

Solution: One must build a more economical sized water bag.

2. We learn from prior art from a company in the United States, Albany International Research Co., which had received a $2 million grant to demonstrate a prototype water bag that exceeded the fatigue performance of existing water bag technology by a factor of at least five times:

= The materials must withstand exposure to sunlight, salt water, salt water temperatures, marine life and the cargo that is being shipped.
= The coating must be capable of being folded or flexed repeatedly.
= This chemically resistant surface must deter atmospheric pollutants, acid rain attack, mildew, graffiti, and even bird droppings.

= The preferred coating materials are plasticized polyvinyl chloride, polyurethanes and polyureas. These materials have good barrier properties and are both flexible and durable.
= Suitable fiber reinforcement materials are nylons (as general class), polyesters (as a general class), polyararnids (such as Keviar , Twaron orTechnora ), polyolefins (such as Dyneema and Spectra which are made of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene) and polybenzoxazole (PBO).
= A food grade coating must line the inside.

Solution: Although very strong for its size, the prototype water bag was too small to be economical. One can expand the size by using a semi-rigid structure by combining many HUGS in an array.

3. Nordic Water Supply, (P.8 #7) used 35,000 m3 bags 10 times that size to transport water from Turkey to Cyprus. That venture ended up costing the company $1.5 million in the first half of 2001, and after a failed attempt to branch into other regions, the company went bankrupt two years later.

We learn from prior art that containers can be close coupled. In one embodiment they can be connected at their broadest extents by rolling spring lashings. In this way, the top surfaces of the containers can be fixed rigidly or elastically so that they are close rigged together by tangential springs.

In preferred embodiments, each HUG has angled, preferably apexes, front and rear end sections. The containers may be parallel sided and may be diamond-shaped or hexagonal. In this manner, the front and rear end sections of consecutive units can be compactly and securely joined together.

Solution: One must combine many HUGS into a diamond shaped array of water bags 4. Most water bag designs have outer envelopes, which have support belts that are simply attached by welding. This causes much stress on the envelopes to the point of breaking up.
Medusa,(P.8 #9), experienced this engineering failure, when the front end of their 5,000 m3 water bag separated as it was pulled by a tugboat. This is analogous to pulling someone by their skin.

Solution: the more logical approach would be to apply the stress of pulling the water bag by a semi-rigid structure, which act like pulling the skeletons of one's body instead of pulling by one's skin. This said semi-rigid structure is connected to a towing bridle, which can be attached to a tug boat.

5. There were thought to be alternate water bag solutions: Terry Spragg, (P.8 #14), conceived the possibility of a mile long train of 50 water bags from Washington State to California. This solution was problematic, considering the possibility of violent snaking or oscillation in a tumultuous ocean. Hence the length and the fabric choice of these modular units forced a smaller uneconomical size. Any improved water bags would need to be robust enough to withstand rough seas and possible cyclones.

Solution: a submersible water bag. The aerodynamic HUG is pulled below the turbulent upper level of the ocean, because of its shape and its diving planes.

6. In October 2007, the trial of a 1,000 m3 next-generation water bag prototype was carried out successfully on a route between Wakayama Prefecture and Tokushima Prefecture in Japan.
Their small uneconomical size was necessary in order to offset the tumultuous ocean waves.
Unfortunately, there is a blackout of news about their technology. Once they are ready to introduce their new water bag, it will be only available by a leasing arrangement.

Solution: make the new technology of water bags available to an open market, which is not controlled by a leasing arrangement.

US Patent References:

# Patent Description Filing Date Owner Class 1 7775171 Flexible fluid 01/21/2003 Tupil, Srinath 114/74R
containment vessel Chelmsford, MA, US
2 7197997 End portions for 04/13/2004 Eagles: 114/74T
flexible fluid Albany International containment vessel 3 2003 Segment formed May, 2003 Eagles: 383/107 0081862 flexible fluid Albany International containment vessel 4 Container for 01/31/2002 Kranebitter, Franz 114/74T
6923135 transporting fresh Vienna, AT
water by sea 6718896 Fabric structure: 10/30/2001 Davenport, Francis L. 114/74T
flexible fluid Albany Inc.
containment vessel 6 6675734 Spiral formed flexible 07/18/2001 Eagles: Albany 114/256 fluid containment International vessel (Albany, NY) 7 6550410 Towing a collapsible 12/08/2000 Reimers, Jan Otto (Oslo, 114/256 fluid container NO) Nordic, Water Supply 8 6615759 Flexible vessel 05/29/2001 Yaffe, Aaharon 114/74T
9 6330865 Flexible marine barge 08/12/1999 Dalton Holdings Ltd. 114/74T
structure (Hamilton, BM) James Cran: Medusa Co 6293217 Flexible vessels for 05/03/1999 Aquarius Holding Co. 114/256 EP0832032 transporting fluent Savage, Nicholas &

cargoes Chris (Surry, GB) Geotextile container 6056438 and method of May, 2000 Bradley 383/66 11 producing same 5657714 Methods and means August, 5355819 of transporting fresh 1997 Hsia et al. 114/256 12 water across oceans 13 5505557 Geotextile Container April, 1996 Bradley 405/15 14 5413065 Flexible fabric barge May, 1995 Spragg et al. 114/256 Towed submergible, 114/244 5235928 collapsible, steerable August, Shank, Jr.
15 tank 1993 Inflatable barge with October, 4227478 compartmented 1980 Preus 16 interior 17 3952679 Flexible marine 11/29/1973 Grihangne, Andre (Paris, 114/74T
transport tank FR) 18 3779196 TOWABLE FLOATING December Knaus et al. 114/74T

19 3224403 Flexible barges December, Paddington 20 3167103 Flexible containers 01/26/1965 DRACONE 220/4.15 DEVELOPMENTS LTD
21 3067712 Floating tank December, Doerpinghaus 114/74T

European Patent EP0687625 December, 1995 Flexible container for the transportation of drinking water by 22 sea Patent in Reference to Related Work 23 4542866 Aircraft with directional 09/30/1983 Boeing Company 244/45A
controlling canards 24 5360656 Press felt and method of 06/15/1993 Rexfelt, Jan; Svensson, 428/193 manufacturing it Svenarne (Halmstad, SE) Background of Invention: World Water Crisis According to a 2009 report by the World Bank, private investment in the water industry is set to double in the next five years; the water-supply market alone will increase by 20 percent.

A nine fold increase in freshwater use in the 20th century is a reflection of an unprecedented prosperity of a world population that has quadrupled to 6.7 billion.

Today, the world faces a crisis that only a handful of experts were even vaguely aware of in 1970: climate disruption. Now, after subsequent decades of careful, worldwide, scientific study, the results are clear: whether this is caused by human error or by natural occurrences, we are experiencing the cooking of the planet.

However, evidence suggests that future adaptation will be different and probably more difficult, as resources near depletion at the global scale. Previously available options for migration and translocations of resource use are increasingly constrained by over population.

Over 70 major rivers-including the Nile, Indus, Yellow, and Colorado-merely trickle through deltas that have shrivelled up. Half the world's wetlands are gone. Mountain glaciers from the Andes to the Himalayas are melting at rates never before seen, and will eventually dry up the source of mighty rivers and aquifers and threaten the stability of nations who depend upon them.

Freshwater scarcity is a key reason why 3.5 billion people are projected to be living in countries that will not be able to feed themselves by 2025. That is only 14 years away!
This will likely include Pakistan, India, and possibly China, and will aggravate food pressures throughout the demographic volcano of the Middle East.

Sustainable supply of freshwater is needed in more and more parts of the world to meet the needs of our 6.7 billion, much less the 9 billion-plus in 2050.

United States of America Water Crisis Due to groundwater mining, water tables are plunging in the food belts of California's Central Valley and the southern portions of the High Plains' Ogallala Aquifer.

The California studies in 1965 concluded at the time that at a price tag of $110 - $150 billion to transfer water from Alaska, a pipeline was not economically feasible with other options currently open to California.

A December 2006 Report to Congress from the Department of Energy, "Energy Demands on Water Resources", calculated that to meet US energy needs by 2030, total US
water consumption might have to increase 10% to 15%-and that such extra supply may not be available.

Mexico has a wealth of fresh water available along its mountainous shores.
This can be available economically by water transfer bags to their own area of water scarcity, as well as to the shores of California, Florida and Texas. The four month dry spell, which Mexico experiences, can be alleviated by large man-made cisterns.

The Environmental Question There is a concern about affecting the fresh water supply in the estuaries, which are nurseries, not just for salmon, but for many species.

A Government report determined through its environmental assessment process that a water removal project would have little significant negative environmental impacts depending entirely upon the magnitudes and locations involved. In fact, a bulk removal from a system that has a water surplus has no impact at all. Water movement occurs naturally toward the sea and the outflow used would be above the base flow of the river.

Ideally, fresh water piped from a nearby lake would act as a perfect cistern, which would not affect the fish movement up the rivers or streams. A large man-made cistern would be the alternative solution.

You don't need to have a lot of infrastructure to "capture" the water, so you don't necessarily have to incur the environmental impacts associated with the construction or operation of a dam/reservoir.

The estimated cost of water from the HUG water transfer system depends entirely on the distance from the source:

HUG price (related to distance): 665 km at price of 0.80/m3 ($987/acre foot) 1,330 km at price of $1.60/m3 ($1,974/acre foot) Ottawa, Ont., which is located on a river, charges $1.32/m3 for chlorinated water.

Realistically, bottled water can wholesale 168x the bulk price of $.0016/litre: $0.27/litre or even at a higher price, because this water is premium fresh mountain water without any trace of chemicals. Most airports sell one litre of water for $3.00.

Economics: Water Price Comparisons (from all Existing Sources) Water from State Water Project 0.06 - 0.15/m3 $75 - $175/acre foot Water reclamation: 0.16 - 0.56/m3 $200 - $700 /acre foot Water from Central Valley farmland: 0.28 - 0.73/m3 $350 - $900 /acre foot New Groundwater wells:
0.48 - 0.56/m3 $600 - $700/acre foot Washington State to California 1,600 km:0.96 -1.80/m3 $1,200 - $2,000/acre foot (Spragg Water bag) The Cyprus contract: 478 km 0.55 - $1.05/m3 $678 - $1,295/acre foot The price paid in the Greek islands: $1.20 - $1.50/m3 $1,480 - $1,750/acre foot Pipeline: $100 billion Investment: $2.43/m3 $3000/acre foot Tanker: 9 Day Trip J(.12 - .60/m3) x 91$1.08 - $5.40/m3 $1,332 to $6,660/acre ft Desalination* 0.65 - 0.89/m3 $825 - $1,100/acre foot * The culprits of this coal-fired desalination plant are sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, pollutants that produce harmful particulate pollution and ozone smog. Power plants cause nearly one third of carbon dioxide emissions in Florida. Desalination Cost are also high:

= Tampa Bay Water in Florida: $2.00 to $2.20/m3 = Singapore : $8.00/m3 (in the plans) = Saudis: $4.00/m3 = California: 0.81 to $3.24/m3 ($1,000 - $4,000/acre foot) This amazing comparison of Desalination with Water Transfer Bags shows how much more economical a HUG system is, without the enormous capital cost of $150 to $250 million and without severe pollution problems.

Tug Boat Operation Costs Water transport based on water bags provides lower operational costs than the cost of operating tankers due to lower fuel consumption and crew requirements.

The work done in towing a water bag is the product of the drag force and the distance towed.
The profile of water bags is designed to minimise friction and a typical drag coefficient is about 0.1. Using this coefficient and estimates of tug boat efficiency, the fuel cost to tow ten 23,000 m3 bags of water, at 133 km in one day is estimated to be $22,560/day plus the day rate of $5,000/day. The cross section area of the array of 23,000 m3 bags is 260 m2.

HUG: ANNUAL REVENUE ANALYSIS FOR DIFFERENT DISTANCES
Maximum Distance: 533 km at market price of 0.66/m3 Operating Revenue: 230,000 m3 x 0.66/m3 (market price) $152,000 Maximum Distance: 533 km $27,560/day x 4 days x 133 km less 110,240 Day Rates offshore tugboats: $28,400 x 1 day, return x 533 km less 28,400 _Net profit (9%) for Maximum Distance per Return Trip: 533 km $13,360 Net Annual Revenue 50 weeks ( 50 x $13,360) $668,000 Maximum Distance: 665 km at price of 0.80/m3 Operating Revenue: 230,000 m3 x 0.80 /m3 $184,000 Maximum Distance: 665 km $27,560/day x 5 days x 133 km less 137,800 _Day Rates offshore tugboats: $28,400 x 1 day, return x 655 km less 28,400 _Net profit (10%) for Maximum Distance per Return Trip: 665 km $17,800 Net Annual Revenue 50 weeks ( 50 x $17,800) $890,000 Maximum Distance: 1,330 km at price of $1.60/m Operating Revenue: Atlanta, Georgia: 230,000 m3 x $1.60 /m3 $368,000 Maximum Distance: 1,330 km $27,560/day x 10 days x 133 km less 275,600 _Day Rates offshore tugboats: $28,400 x 2.5 day, return x1,330 km less 71,000 _Net profit (6%) for Maximum Distance per Return Trip: 1,330 km $21,400 Net Annual Revenue 50 weeks (50 x $21,400) $1,070,000 *Day Rate: 12 knots 150,000 m3 4,300hp 22 km/hour 24 hours: 532 km $5,000/day 3 knots 200,000 m3 4,300hp 5.5 km/hour 24 hours: 133 km $5,000/day 274 gallons/hour at 5000 hp x $3.43/U.S. gal.) = $940/hour x 24 = $22,560/day for 133 km.
and $17,000/100 km at 3 knots for energy cost alone.

A tugboat burns 236 gallons/hour at 4300 hp: $22,560/day for 133 km + $5,000 Day Rate = $27,560/day (1 US gallon = 3.8 litres) ($3.43/U.S. gallon =.90 per litre). NB: Some less powerful tug boats would only be able to travel only at about two knots.

HUG SPECIFICATIONS

(mt) 2,440 at 23,000* at 138,000 at 230,000 200,000 50% full 50% full at 80% full at 80% full at 80% full at 3 at 4 4 knots 4 knots 3 knots knots 6 knots x 33,333 Size (m) 4 x 10 x 13 x 20 x Length: 254 Length: 352 Length: 520 44 88 3 lines of 4 lines of 3 lines of 13 13x20x88 13x20x88 x20x130 Viscous Drag (mt) 2.07 5.05 30 54 54.83 Form Drag (mt) 2.15 2.15 2.15 2.15 2.15 Total Drag (mt) 4.22 7.20 32.15 56.15 56.98 Hours to fill 12" 1-2 8 48 80 96 x9 hoses 2,835 m3/hour * The largest commercial WTB (Water Transfer Bag) carries about 35,000 cubic meters of water and measures about 200 meters in length and 80 meters in circumference (Area = 509 m2).
** The length/diameter ratio of most WTB can vary, through it will usually lie at eastl:10.(13m:130m) Summary of the Invention This invention is described as a flexible fluid containment vessel or vessels for transporting and containing a large volume of fresh water. This vessel or water bag has a trademark name, HUG
(Hydro Unique Generation). It has a streamlined nose adapted to be connected to towing means, and one or more pipes communicating with the interior of the vessel such as to permit filling and emptying of the vessel. It also has a fabricated end structure, which is designed to add to its stability.

Water bags are not currently a common method of water transport. There has been no silver bullet technology that can unleash abundant, cheap, new freshwater supplies using the water bag concept until now. We have learned of many unsolved problems, which account for technological failures.

This invention promises to provide a breakthrough with solutions to each of these problems:

= By applying the stress of pulling the vessel or water bag on a semi-rigid structure, which act like pulling a human body by the skeletons, instead of pulling by its skin. The secret is to use an unbroken wide belt, which is made of yarn material not unlike a automobile seat belt, which distributes the concentrated tow force over the bag.
Eventually both ends are joined together by means of a locking seam, while still being considered "endless".

= By using a submersible vessel or water bag. The aerodynamic shape of this vessel or water bag is not unlike an inverted airplane wing, which creates a force opposite to an airplane lift, which causes the vessel or water bag to be pulled below the turbulent upper level of the ocean, thereby preventing snaking or tumultuous oscillation from ocean currents and waves.

= By building a more economical sized vessel or water bag. One can increase the volume by pulling up to ten vessel or water bags in a diamond shaped array.

Brief Description of the Drawings:

The invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the above accompany drawings where:

Figure 1 We learn from prior art that a diamond shaped array of vessels can be close coupled. In one embodiment they can be connected at their broadest extents by rolling spring lashings. In this way, the top surfaces of the containers can be fixed rigidly or elastically so that they are close rigged together by tangential springs.

In preferred embodiments, each HUG has angled, preferably apexes, front and rear end sections. The said containers are parallel sided and are diamond-shaped. In this manner, the front and rear end sections of consecutive units can be compactly and securely joined together while in transit.

Cross-section A illustrates the shape of the HUG at the connection at the rear of the bow structure, 7 and the beginning of the outer envelope, 26. Section E shows the three dimensional shape of the stern structure, and its scallop trailing edge, 3. Section B
shows the plan view of the diamond shaped array of vessels, while Section C shows its side view.

In one embodiment, the measurements are indicated in Section D, which have dimensions of 6.25 m x 10 m x 44 m. The widest part of the bow structure, 7, is 5m. The angle of the shape of the HUG ends after 11m from its front, thereafter there is 22m of a straight shape.

In this said embodiment the length of the hawser, 4, is 100 m. It may be advisable to extend this length in rough ocean weather, in order to offset the bopping of the tug boat, 9.

In another embodiment, each strap dimension is about 15 to 72 cm in width and spaced up to 3 m apart one from another for 4 straps, while with 18 straps, the space at the outer rings are millimeters apart.

The Christmas Tree rig is illustrated in Fig. 1 F and it is preferred to multiple tows. This rig is stronger and any one unit can be taken from the tow at anytime without disrupting the whole tow. The assistance of another tug is usually required to break up the Christmas Tree rig before entering port.

Figure 2 in section A shows a semi-rigid inner structure, which is designed to apply the stress of pulling the vessel or water bag evenly. The bulkheads behind each cell, 35 , serves to support the stress of the momentum evenly from the water held inside each cell.

Wide industrial web belts, 1, are looped longitudinally between the front inner belt ring, 17, and the rear inner belt ring,17, in an endless or unbroken loop along the inner surface of the HUG, which create the inner semi-rigid structure, 39. The said belts are wrapped around the said rigid ring or pipe, which may be steel or possibly fibreglass, or half pipe, which ring then is connected to the steel tow ring by steel rods welded at each end. This said semi-rigid inner structure absorbs most of the pulling force from the towing cables, 4.

In one embodiment, there are 36 belts,1, which fit around the equator of HUG
and double up at the said front and rear rings, where there is room for only 18 said belts.

The fabric strip of belt can be manufactured and kept in stock in considerable lengths (e.g.
thousands of meters) before being dispensed from a supply reel, 2, and placed spirally into the desired length and width of the base fabric as shown in section E.

A series of filling and emptying pipes, 36, are located at the extremities of the said semi-rigid structure as shown in section B . It is convenient to have the apertures of the said pipes located higher than at the sea level, regardless of the state of fill of bag.

Figure 3 shows the fabricated bow structure, 7, at section A and the fabricated stern structure, 6, at section B. Both of these said structures have an aerodynamic fibreglass, metal or composite form, which are bolted to the outer envelope rings, 37, thus providing a water tight environment. The said stern and bow structure blend smoothly into the circular fuselage, while providing a water tight environment using a sealing ring, 45. All the array of cables, 21, are connected to the semi-rigid frame of the said structures with the towing eyelet, 22, at section C, which in turn, is connected to the tug boat cable. The cross-section D shows how the outer envelope, 26, is wrapped around the outer envelope ring, 37. Air bags, 34, are installed in both the said bow and stern structure, which act to keep the HUG from sinking upon being emptied.
There is a manhole door, 27, to allow maintenance access in the said bow structure, which opens away from its front, and also in the said stern structure, which opens away from its end.
Figure 4 shows horizontally mounted diving planes, 8, which helps the HUG to submerge when under tow. These said planes are angled at an optimum velocity, such as to maintain an optimal depth, which is not too low to scrape bottom, but not too high as to engage ocean turbulence.
The joining member, could be a joining pin or beam, 25, which is fixedly connected to the bow structure as shown both in section A and C. Section B is the plan view.
Section C shows the detail of the wing construction, 8, which is developed fully by prior art (P.8 #16).

Figure 5 sections A and C show an array of bulkheads,16, which are installed perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the HUG. The said bulkheads are built of struts, 29, and reinforced with truss in the shape of equilateral triangles. The said bulkheads are placed at intervals to dampen the possible oscillation and resonance. These said bulkheads distribute the momentum of the force of the pull from the tugboat.

This figure also shows a manhole door, 27, in the bulkhead,16. The said manhole door serves to allow internal access between the bow structure, 7, and the stern structure, 6. The door of the manhole opens toward the front of the HUG in order to capture the force of the momentum on each cell, 35. The compression cable, 28, above serves two purposes: to compress the HUG upon emptying and as a support to hang a harness for easier movement of the maintenance crew.
The said bulkheads are interconnected with each other by foldable bars, shown in section B, which can be locked remotely in a straight position. In one embodiment, the said bars have an electronic locking device, 30, which lock the said folding bars in the straight position in order to change the foldable bars, 42, to a more rigid structure. When unlocked, the said bar can fold inwardly, which will allow the said HUG to collapse not unlike an accordion.
In another embodiment, elastic bands, 33, which are centered between each bulkhead, 16, circumvent the inner semi-rigid structure, in order to facilitate this collapse.

Figure 6 In one embodiment, section A, shows striations, 31, used on the outer envelope, 26, which follow a route, a, a', a" at the approximate Fibonacci angle of 600 from the pathway, c.
The ribs, b, of the of the said striations help to create the necessary vortex to reduce the drag.
Section D shows the flatten details of the shape of the wedges, which are used to form the said striations as in section C. Section B shows a three dimensional view where the said striations are evident, which form little whirls, thereby reducing surface drag, while Section E shows its side view.

Figure 7 Diagram A shows the welded interconnection between the inner belt ring, 17, and the connecting clamping ring, 43, which joins the said inner belt ring with the outer ring, 37, by way of a welded connector, 44. The interlocking clamping ring, 38, serves to clamp the outer envelope, 26, onto the said connecting clamping ring around the said outer ring. Diagram B
shows steel cables, 21, which are shown as welded to the said inner belt ring and the towing eyelet, 22. The wide belts, 32, wrap around the said inner belt ring, which have a large diameter.
Detailed Description of the Invention These are the design particulars, which will finally make the vessel or water transfer bag, called HUG (Hydro Unique Generation),18, more efficient and therefore more profitable:

= The base fabric strength then is determined and generally is selected from commonly-available suitable fabric having a tensile strength varying in the range of about 200 to about 600 lbs/in.

= All struts, rods, bars, rings, locking devices, doors, bulkheads, plates, bolts, trusses and all like parts are manufactured with 6061-T6, the strongest structural UFS
aluminum available.

An aerodynamic fibreglass, metal or composite cap forms a bow structure,7, which is bolted to the front outer ring of the semi-rigid frame. In the same way, a fibreglass stern structure, 6, is also bolted to the rear outer ring of the semi-rigid frame. The said stern structure and the said bow structure blend smoothly into the circular fuselage, while providing a water tight environment using a sealing Ring, 45, at either end of the HUG. In one embodiment, the said tail piece has a scalloped edge which serves to reduce drag.

= HUG has horizontally mounted diving planes, 8, on the rigid bow structure, 7, which helps the HUG to submerge when under tow. These said planes are angled such as to maintain an optimal depth, which is not too low to scrape bottom, but not too high as to engage ocean turbulence. The joining member, are a joining pin or beam, 25, which is fixedly connected to the bow structure.

= A draw or compression cable, 28, compress or shortens the HUG at the empty stage, in order to compress the HUG so that it can be lifted upon the tug for transport to the filling station. Cranking the said draw or compression cable, 28, can be done with a 'crab' winch, or rack and pinion mechanisms.

= In another embodiment, a series of hooks are attached on the top of both the bow structure, 7, and the stern structure, 6, of the HUG, on which a crane on a barge can attach its own hook in order to lift the said HUG onto the back carriage at the rear of the tug boat.

= In one embodiment, an aligning rod, 40, is used to keep the cable, 21, perpendicular to the front collar, when in tow, as shown in Figure 1.

= The array of vertical cross members or struts, 29, form a bulkhead, 16, which are installed perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the HUG. These said bulkheads are reinforced with the said struts in the shape of equilateral triangles.

= The bulkheads, 16, are placed at intervals to dampen the possible oscillation and resonance. These said bulkheads distribute the momentum of the pull from the tugboat. One can accommodate various span lengths of the struts, 29, of the said bulkhead by varying the length of its members (the sides of the triangles) and/or the number of panels (the number of triangles).

= It is possible for a train of waves of constant period to set up resonant oscillations in the contents of the water transfer bag. Such resonant oscillations are mitigated by providing non-parallel side walls, which avoid the situation where internal waves are reflected back and forth repeatedly at the same cross-section.

= The bulkheads, 16, are interconnected with each other by foldable bars, 31, which can be locked by an electronically controlled locking device, 30. This said locking device can be locked remotely in the straight rigid position. When unlocked, the said bar can fold inwardly by the force of the compression cable, 28, which will allow the said HUG to collapse not unlike and accordion. This said locking device is hardwired to the delay timer/relay and both are powered by a power supply. By using the delay/timer relay, you gain the added flexibility by keeping the said bars locked or unlocked for a set time interval.

= The inner envelope of belts, 32, must be protected upon compression from any stress or damage on the return trip. In one embodiment, the said inner envelope has a series of elastic bands, 33, around the circumference of HUG that fit midway between each of the bulkheads, 16.

= Industrial web belts, 1, are looped longitudinally between the front inner belt ring, 17, and the rear inner belt ring,17, in an endless or unbroken loop along the outer surface of the HUG, which create an inner semi-rigid structure. The strength of strap employed for this purpose should be between three to five times that of the pulling force to offset the momentum. This semi-rigid inner structure, 39, absorbs most of the pulling force from the towing cables, 4. This "endless" or unbroken loop of belts is eventually connected by a welded connection, 35. The role of the manufacturer is to physically rotated the web belt supply between both said rings.

= Air bags, 34, are shaped to fit both in the bow structure, 7, and the stern structure, 6.
These said air bags act to keep the HUG from sinking upon being emptied of its fresh water.

= The manhole door, 27, serves to allow internal access between the bow structure, 7, and the stern structure, 6. Each of the said doors opens toward the front of the HUG in order to capture the force of the momentum on each cell, 35, between each bulkhead, 16.

= A series of filling and emptying pipes, 36, is located at the extreme ends of the outer envelope. In one embodiment, there are up to nine said pipes to fit each of the 12 inch industrial hoses at both the front and rear cell, 35, of the HUG. The said pipes are capped to maintain an aerodynamic shape while in transit.

= The outer envelope, 26, provides the aerodynamic surface to HUG. It is shaped along the exterior of the inner envelope of belts, 32, and the said outer envelope is stretched toward its own aluminum outer envelope rings, 37, which are located at the extremity of the said outer envelope. Each segment of the said outer envelope is locked onto the said ring by an interlocking clamping ring, 38, which provides a shoulder against which the rings bear when the segments of the said outer envelope are taut.

= There is a welded interconnection between the inner belt ring, 17, and the connecting clamping ring, 43, which joins the said inner belt ring with the outer ring, 37, by way of a welded connector, 44. Steel cables, 21, are welded to the said inner belt ring and the towing eyelet, 22.

= In one embodiment, there are 36 belts,1, which fit around the equator of HUG
and double up at the said front and rear rings, where there is room for only 18 said belts.

= In a further embodiment, the outer envelope, 26, has long strips of plastic striations, 31, welded to its surface, in order to make HUG more aerodynamic. In one embodiment, the said striations have a similar angle as the "Fibonacci cycle" in order to direct the water flow in the form of a cycloid or vortex or little whirls, which serves to reduce surface drag.

= The edge area of HUG has a heavier or doubled base fabric in order to provide additional protection in this region, since the edge at the water surface is most vulnerable to damage from collision with boats or other floating objects.

= While underway, it is desired to unload a relatively small amount of water into a small bag managed by a specially designed tug which can lock onto the stern of the bag, open the valves and conduct, or possibly if necessary pump, water from the large bag into a smaller bag which is being towed behind the special tug.
= Wherein the line from the tugboat must be tethered in the event of severe weather and when the pull of the cable exceeds a predetermined tension between the tug boat and the vessel or water bag, there is an automatic release to bring the tension back to normal.
Wherein the vessels or water bags are equipped with homing beacons, so collisions can be avoided and lost bags can be found.

The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention are illustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the size, shape and materials as well as in the details of the preferred embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims:

Numerical Description of Drawings 1 Belt 24 Bow Steel Plate 2 Belt Supply 25 Joining Pin or Beam 3 Scallop Trailing Edge 26 Outer Envelope 4 Hawser, Tow or Hauling Cables 27 Manhole Door Trailing edge 28 Compression Cable 6 Stern Structure 29 Struts 7 Bow Structure 30 Locking Device 8 Diving Plane or Wing 31 Striations 9 Tug boat 32 Inner Envelope of Belts Mean Camber Line 33 Elastic Bands 11 Chord Line 34 Air Bags 12 Maximum Camber 35 Cell 13 Maximum Thickness 36 Filling and Emptying Pipes 14 Location of Maximum Thickness 37 Aluminum Outer Envelope Ring Leading Edge Radius 38 Interlocking Clamping Ring 16 Bulkhead 39 Semi-rigid Inner Structure 17 Inner Belt Ring 40 Aligning Rod 18 HUG Water Bag or Vessel (Hydro Unique 41 Welded Connection of "Endless" or Generation) Unbroken Belt 19 Bolt (large) 42 Foldable Bar Fiberglas Steel Reinforced Shell 43 Connecting Clamping Ring 21 Steel Cables 44 Welded Connector 22 Towing Eyelet 45 Sealing Ring 23 Water Level The Embodiments Of The Invention In Which An Exclusive Property Or Privilege Is Claimed Are Defined As Follows:

A flexible fluid containment vessel or vessels for transporting and containing a large volume of fluid, particularly fresh water. This water transfer bag has a trademark name:
HUG (Hydro Unique Generation). It has a streamlined nose adapted to be connected to towing means, and one or more pipes communicating with the interior of the vessel such as to permit filling and emptying of the vessel, and designed for strength using a semi-rigid inner structure, and designed to dive under the tumultuous current and waves of an ocean when in tow.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A flexible fluid containment vessel or vessels for transporting and containing a large volume of fluid, especially fresh water, is supported by a semi-rigid structure, .cndot. Comprising of a towing bridle, which can be attached to a tug boat.
The semi-rigid structure is designed to apply the stress of pulling the vessel or water bag evenly.
This motion is not unlike pulling a human body by the skeletons, instead of the pulling by its skin, and;

.cndot. Comprising of a draw cable, which is used to compress or shortens the HUG at the empty stage, in order that it can be lifted upon the rear carriage of the tug for transport to the filling station, and;

.cndot. Comprising of an array of bulkheads, which are installed perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the HUG with non-parallel walls to avoid resonant oscillations.
The bulkheads are built of struts and reinforced with truss in the shape of equilateral triangles for strength, and;

.cndot. Comprising of bulkheads, which are interconnected with each other by foldable bars that can be locked remotely in a straight position. When unlocked, the said bar can fold inwardly, which will allow the said HUG to collapse not unlike an accordion.
When locked, the said bars can be made rigid, and;

.cndot. Comprising of air bags in both the bow structure and the stern structure, which act to keep the HUG from sinking upon being emptied.

2. A flexible fluid containment vessel or vessels, as defined in claim 1, has an aerodynamic profile not unlike an inverted airplane wing, which creates a force opposite to an airplane lift, thereby causing the submersible HUG to be pulled below the turbulent upper level of the ocean, .cndot. Comprising of horizontally mounted diving planes attached to the bow structure, causing the HUG to submerge when under tow. These planes are angled such as to align the direction of the HUG in order to maintain an optimal depth, which is not too low to scrape bottom, but not too high as to engage ocean turbulence, and;

.cndot. Comprising of a scalloped edge which serves to reduce drag in one embodiment in the stern structure, and;

.cndot. Comprising of an outer envelope, which provides the aerodynamic surface, which is made out of a plurality of separately formed layers which are bound together and at the extremities are crimped between an interlocking clamping ring and an outer envelope ring, and;

.cndot. Comprising of industrial web belts in an endless or unbroken loop, which create an inner semi-rigid structure to absorb most of the pulling force from the towing cables. This "endless" or unbroken loop of belts is eventually connected by a welded connection, and;

.cndot. Comprising of a series of filling and emptying pipe at both ends of the HUG, and;

.cndot. Comprising of a rigid fabricated bow structure and stern structure, which are bolted to the said water-tight outer envelope rings, and;

.cndot. Comprising of striations at the the outer envelope, which have a similar angle as the "Fibonacci cycle" in order to direct the water flow in the form of a cycloid or vortex and to reduce drag.

3. In preferred embodiments, a diamond shaped array of vessels or water bags can be close coupled. Each HUG has angled front and rear end sections, which are parallel sided and diamond-shaped. In this manner, the front and rear end sections of consecutive units can be compactly and securely joined together while in transit.
.cndot. Wherein the line from the tugboat must be tethered in the event of severe weather and when the pull of the cable exceeds a predetermined tension between the tug boat and the vessel or water bag, there is an automatic release to bring the tension back to normal, and;

.cndot. Wherein stability is provided by a flat and wide surface of the top of the HUG, which is 2.5 times wider than its depth, while a width-to-depth ratio of from about 2:1 to about 20:1is also viable in other embodiments.

.cndot. Wherein the vessels or water bags are equipped with homing beacons, so collisions can be avoided and lost bags can be found.