GB2427013A - A Terra Forming System which uses the energy stored in the Earth's gravitational field - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for transforming the Earth's terrain to generate energy from the energy stored in the Earth's magnetic field comprising: a power generating vessel (PGV) 25 which floats on the ocean surface 22 above the ocean floor 23; and a ballast bucket 26 which is loaded with excavated geological material which drops under the influence of gravity 28 through the water whilst pulling a cable 27 out. The pulling out of the cable 27 in turn rotates a generator which generates electrical power within the PGV 25 which is then transferred to a hydrogen generating vessel (HGV) 29 by means of electrical cables 30 where it is used to power a device which electrolyses water to generate hydrogen. The hydrogen may then be returned to shore where it is used to power earth-moving equipment used in the excavation of more geological material. The surplus power produces by the system may be utilised outside of the system for other purposes, e.g. the desalination of the water.

Description

I

Terra Forming System

1. Introduction.

This invention, a Terra Forming System (TFS) is aimed at satisfying one of Mankind's oldest and yet still pressing problems, how to transform the environment to meet our needs. The key to solving this problem is a readily available source of energy to power the machines we need to make use of the Earths natural resources and our natural environment. Today our society and economy depends on hydrocarbon fuels with some contribution to the energy budget being made by nuclear, hydroelectric, wind, wave and some other sources of power.

In this invention use is made of the energy stored in the Earth's gravitational field. This is far from unique in principal since hydroelectric power is essentially derived from the gravitational potential energy of the water stored behind dams and this is part of the so called "Water cycle".

Similarly when a cyclist "freewheels" down a hill whilst running a cycle headlamp powered by a dynamo on the cycle frame it is energized by the turning of the wheels and this power is derived from the Earth's gravitational field. However, this invention is unique because it derives energy from the Earth's gravitational field by dropping quantities of excavated sand and rocks to the bottom of the oceans in a controlled way such that electricity is generated. This form of energy is a renewable form of energy since on a geological time scale the materials of the ocean floors are subducted down into the Earth's mantle and melted to form magma. The magma rises under the continents and returns to the Earth's surface in the form of volcanic eruptions and may be described as part of the "Magma cycle".

The cycle has been running in a natural state for as long as the Earth has had a crust on its surface with natural erosion ( encompassing the "Water cycle" ) acting as the agent that returns the continental material to the ocean. In this invention man can make use of the gravitational potential energy of the Earth's crustal surface relative to the ocean floor to generate power. This power is in effect Terra-Electric Power ( TEP) and is at the heart of the TFS. Some of that TEP may be used to excavate the material from the continental land masses that is then dropped in the ocean to generate further TEP. If the materials are dropped to a sufficient depth there will be abundant surplus power to drive equipment such as water desalination systems, agricultural machinery and all the other systems that our society currently depends on.

The greatest amount of power can be extracted from the Earths gravitational field if the sand and rocks are dropped into the oceans deeper parts, the abyssal plains and even deeper subduction trenches. The abyssal plains cover approximately one half of the Earths surface and are on average 5,000 metres below the ocean surface whilst the subduction trenches ring the oceans and can be as much as 10,000 metres deep. Electricity may be generated by the gravitational down force acting on the sand and rocks (ballast) as they descend in a bucket attached to a cable on a cable drum at the ocean surface. As the ballast and bucket descend into the deep electricity may be either transmitted to shore directly or can be converted into other forms for transfer to the shore. One very convenient method of energy transfer is to liberate hydrogen from water by use of the electrolysis of water and store the hydrogen in its gaseous or liquid form.

Some of the excess power generated by this self powered TFS could be used to extract the hydrocarbons in the oil shale or tar sands that are currently uneconomic for exploitation. Thus TFS may make significant contribution to the hydrocarbon economy.

As an example of what this might mean at one extreme of possibilities consider if we were to take one percent of the worlds continental land mass above sea level and drop it 5,000 metres to the ocean floor we liberate the equivalent Terra-Electric Power output of a four hundred Giga Watt power station running for one hundred thousand years. Such large amounts of clean power could help solve the current energy crisis as well as positively transform the lives of the poorest people on Earth. If extracted from a single point the ballast would leave a hole 1,000 km square and 1 km deep, although a collection of ballast more evenly distributed around the various continents would probably be both more politically acceptable and more cost effective.

Environmental considerations.

The Convention on Marine Dumping The international marine dumping treaty permits the dropping of inorganic geological material into the oceans and seas and so there is no legal reason for this ( TFS) and its environmentally friendly clean energy system TEP not to be used.

Methane Hydrates Deposits of Methane Hydrate exist naturally both on the continental land masses as well as on the bottom of the seas and oceans. Methane is a "Greenhouse" gas and it is essential for the long term safety of Mankind that these Methane Hydrate deposits are not disturbed by TFS activity.

In order that TFS be a benefit for Mankind and not a threat any excavation and deposition associated with TFS should be initiated by careful survey work to establish that excavation sites and deposition sites are free from Methane deposits.

2. Terra Forming System Description.

Figures 1 through 5 show the essential details of the Terra-electric Power Systems (TPS) part of the Terra Forming System (TFS). It can be seen from figure 1 that TFS begins with the excavation of the terrain (3), i.e. sand, rock and other forms of inorganic geological material. To accomplish this first step appropriate excavation machinery (1) is needed as well as the power (2) to power them. Examples of suitable excavation machinery may be found in various manufacturers ranges of equipment. For example a bucket wheel excavator for open cast mining is suitable. Other types of excavator could be used including drag buckets and tunnel boring machines. In this system one or a plurality of excavation machines may be used. The extracted material (7), the ballast, would then be transported (8) to a sea port for loading onto the Power Generation Vessel (PGV) or a plurality of such vessels. The transportation system used to get the material from the extraction site to the port could include road, rail, canal, conveyor belt methods or a combination of any or all of these methods.

Three additional outputs from this excavation phase (3) may be the construction of civil engineering excavations (4), extraction of useful minerals, ores and hydrocarbon (5) with these being extracted and diverted off for processing during the excavation or transportation stages.

Finally, if there is surplus ballast (6) this may be transported to another location and applied as civil engineering construction material such as in building coastal extensions and fortifications.

The PGV (25) transports (8) the ballast to the deepest parts of the seas or ocean they are using for power generation. Once on station over an Abyssal Plain some of the ballast is loaded (9) into a ballast bucket (10) or a plurality of ballast buckets. The ballast bucket is attached to a cable (27) which in turn is wound around a drum (33) or a plurality of cables and drums. The cable or cables should be long enough for the bucket to descend to the deepest depths of the oceans. Once the bucket is loaded with ballast it is released (11) so as to drop (28) through the water pulling the cable out behind it. As the cable drum unwinds due to the cable being pulled by the descending bucket, power is extracted (12) by connecting the drive shafts ( 36) and (37) of the drum through a gear and clutch mechanism (38) to an electrical generator (35).

The electrical power generated or TEP may then be used (13) to generate hydrogen gas by means of the electrolysis of water (14). This could be done on the PGV itself or it could be done on a separate vessel, a Hydrogen Generation Vessel (HGV) (29) or plurality of such vessels.

The oxygen generated by the electrolysis of water may be saved or vented into the atmosphere.

Storage (15) of the hydrogen may be in gaseous form or in liquid form. The HGV will require a supply of water with the correct level of electrolytes for it to be used in the electrolysis process this will require water of the correct solution to be either preloaded on the HGV before it leaves harbour or for sea water to be loaded and processed onroute to the deposition site. This may be obtained from the sea through a desalination process or by means of distillation of water. This later process can be easily accommodated at the later stage when the hydrogen is used as a fuel to generate electricity for use on the land.

Once the hydrogen tanks have been filled in the HGV (29) it returns to a port (16) which has a suitable electricity generating facility. Once there the hydrogen is transferred (17) to shore based storage tanks or is used by directly pumping the hydrogen into the electricity generating motor or engine. Here the hydrogen is mixed with a source of oxygen, such as air, and is ignited in some form of engine (19) such a gas turbine, steam turbine or internal combustion engine, the mechanical power generated is used to generate electrical power by means of an electricity generator for use by the excavation and land portion of the transporting stages. The combustion product of such a burning mixture is mostly water, this may be cooled and condensed and used again in the HGV for the electrolysis of water or used elsewhere (20). The power generated is used to operate the excavation equipment in further cycles of the TFS process. Any surplus power generated may be used to power the local communities as well operate water desalination plants. Alternatively any surplus power and water could be exported to neighbouring communities. Some of the hydrogen could be used in fuel cells as part of a hydrogen based economy. In an initial phase before the first ballast has been excavated an input of hydrogen (18) would be required to provide power for the first excavations.

The amount of power generated by the TFS system is dependent on a number of factors, these being the amount of ballast dropped into the ocean in the buckets, the efficiency of the various stages of operation and most crucially the depth to which the ballast buckets descend whist generating power in the PGV. A break-even depth will need to be exceeded for any implementation of the TFS system if surplus power is to be generated and the system have a positive value for the difference between the total power generated and the power consumed by the system during its operation.

The TFS may be used to produce other outputs as well as electrical power and hydrogen. These will include minerals, ores, hydrocarbons, fresh water and excavations suitable for human activity such as canals, reservoirs, tunnels and even excavations that may be used in the construction of underground habitation and storage space. Leveling and grading of surfaces for use as the base for roads and cities is also possible.

3. Formulation of the TFS system equations and numeric examples.

Figure 2 shows an object with mass (21) on the surface of an ocean (22). The mass represents the ballast bucket, the ballast it contains and the length of cable. Assume it has a value of MT and the depth of the drop (23) is h to the ocean floor (24), then the total gravitational potential energy available Er from the drop is given by E1 = M1 g h where g is the acceleration due to gravity.

Once the ballast has been unloaded at the bottom of the drop then the empty bucket of mass MBU and the cable mass M must be pulled back to the PGV for reloading. This will require that some of the energy available in the drop is used for this purpose. If the mass of the ballast dropped is MBA then MT=MBA+MBU+MC If the energy needed to be put back into the empty bucket and cable to return them up to the surface of the ocean is ERet then ER(MBu+Mc)gh There will be hydrodynamic drag on the bucket as it passes through the water and this will cause a loss of energy as will friction in the winding gear of the cable drum. This energy loss experienced during the drop is represented by EDL and thus the total available energy EAV from the drop is EA = {(M+M+Mc)gh)-{(MBu+Mc)gh}-EDL EA = (MBA g h) - EDL If a typical ballast bucket has a ballast volume of VBa and the ballast has a density of PBa then MBA = PBa VBa However, the water displaced by the ballast, bucket and cable will provide a buoyancy force that will act in opposition to the force due to gravity reducing further the energy available. This produces an effective ballast mass MEana given by MEa=(PBaPwa) VBa Therefore the energy available is given by EA = {( ( PBa - Pwa) VBa) g h} - EDL If the force due to the electrical generation process and the hydrodynamic drag result in a terminal velocity for the bucket of VTerm then the time taken for the bucket to fall to depth h is th where th is given by th= hi Vierm Thus the power PAy available from the drop of one ballast load is PAv EAv /th i.e. PAy = EAV Vierm / h Thus PAy = [{ ( PBa - Pwa) VBa g h} - EDL I Vierm / h If EDL is expressed as an efficiency fdp of the drop then it, EDL, will be EDL {( PBaPwa) VBa gh}{ 1 -fdrop} Thus PAy = ( PBa - Pwa) VBa g fdrop VTerm For a typical TFS system the variables may have the following values PBa = 2.5 x i03 kg m3 = 1.OxlO3kgm3 VBa = 1000m3 g =9.8lms2 VT, = 10 m s1 (this is a variable controlled by the design of the system) fdrop = 0.85 (this is an estimate for illustrative purposes) Placing these values into the equation for PA we may see how much power is generated during a drop PAV 1.5x 103x i03 x9. 81 xO.85x 10 PAV 1.3xlO8Watts.

PAy = 130 Mega Watts The time taken to drop is given by th= h_I Vierm If h is 5000 meters which is typical of the depth of the oceans over an abyssal plain then th- 5000/lOs th= 500s Thus the energy available from the drop of one bucket is EA = 1.3xl08x500J EA = 6.5x10' J If the PGV holds N bucket loads of ballast then the total PGV energy output will be EN = Nx6.5x1010J A typical PGV is expected to carry 100 bucket loads of ballast thus the energy output of one PGV would be EN = 100x6.5x10' J EN = 6.5x10'2J Not all of this energy will appear at the power station on the shore since some will be lost when the hydrogen is generated. Some will be lost as the hydrogen boils off during transportation and there will be further losses during the generation of electrical power via an engine turning an electrical generator.

The important break-even depth is given by the following equation h,e = ETL I MEffl3aJ g Where E is the total energy expenditure in getting the ballast in one bucket to the ocean floor and the hydrogen this creates converted back into electrical energy on the shore.

ETL is given by ETL = EEX + ELT + EsT + ETr + EKE + E0D + EHG + EHT + EpG + E Where EEX is the energy used to excavate the ballast ELT is the energy used for land transportation EST is the energy used for sea transportation ETr is the energy used to transfer the ballast to the bucket EKE is the kinetic energy of the bucket, ballast and cable.

EOD is the energy used for the ocean drop EHG is the energy used for generating the hydrogen E is the energy used for the transportation of the Hydrogen back to shore EPG is the energy used for the generation of the electrical power EOth are other energy losses and expenditures Considering each of these; EEX is the energy used to excavate the ballast:- the mass of one bucket of ballast is 2.5 x 106 kg ( 2,500 tons) and it is expected that this will take a I Mega Watt (1,330 horse power) machine 10000 seconds (just over three hours) to excavate this amount of material with an average power setting of 30% maximum. Thus EEX = 106 x 10 x 0.3 J 3 x i09 J. ELT is the energy used for land transportation - The transportation of the ballast for one bucket will take a I Mega Watt machine 10,000 seconds at 25% full power. This could be much reduced since in most cases the journey from the excavation site to the coast will be down hill and a certain amount of "freewheeling" will be possible. Thus ELT 106x 104x0.25J=2.5x 109J.

EST is the energy used for sea transportation:- The transportation of the ballast for one bucket will take a 10 Mega Watt machine 50,000 seconds at 50% full power. Since a fully laden PGV will have 100 bucket loads on board and this one bucket will only take a share of the energy to get it to the drop point i.e. 0.01%. Thus EST 10 x 5 x104 x 0.005 J = 2.5 x i09 J. ETr is the energy used to transfer the loose ballast to the bucket on board ship and it is expected that this will take a I Mega Watt machine 500 seconds to excavate this amount of material from the hold with an average power setting of 30% maximum. Thus EEX = 106 x 5 x102 x 0.3 J = 1. 5 x i08i.

EKE is the kinetic energy of the bucket, ballast and cable, given b /2 x MT x ( VTeTIn)2. If MT S 3 x 106 kg and is 10 ms4, then E = 0.5 x 3 x 106 kg x 10 ms' 1.5 x l0 J. EOD is the energy lost during the bucket drop:The dropping of the ballast for one bucket will cause the loss due to friction in the bearings of the system and the loss due to the hydrodynamic drag, to be equivalent to a 10 kilo Watt machine running 500 seconds at full power. Thus EOD = 104x5x 102x I J5x 106J.

EHO is the energy lost during hydrogen generation:- The losses during generation of hydrogen for one bucket drop will be equivalent to a 10 kilo Watt machine 500 seconds at full power.

ThusEHG1O4x500J5x 106J.

EHT is the energy used for sea transportation of the hydrogen:- The transportation of the hydrogen from one bucket drop will take a 1 Mega Watt machine 10,000 seconds at 5% full power. Thus Eicr = 106 x 1 x 0.05 J = 5 X 1 J. EPG is the energy lost during power generation:- The energy lost during the generation of power using the hydrogen from one bucket drop will be the a fraction ( 30% ) of the power needed for the excavation and land transportation phases, i.e.( EEX + ELT) x 0.3. Thus Ep = ( 3 x 10 + 2.5 x 109)xO.3J= 1.6x 109J.

EOth are all the other losses and expenditures of energy of the system. This might be as high as 10% of all the other losses combined (Note:- the values given above are purely for explanatory purposes and do not represent an actual embodiment of the invention.) Comparing the energy loss figures it is clear that EOD and EHG losses are not significant. Thus ETL= EEX+ELT+EST+ETr+ E+E+Epcj+ EOth ETL=(3x109+2.5x109+ 2.5x109+1.5x108+1.5x108+5X108+1.6X.109J)X.1.1 ETL= lx IOJ Therefore the break-even depth is given by h= ETL/MEfflJaJg 1x1010/ (1.5x106x9.81) h= 680 metres This indicates that considerable energy in excess of that required to power the system will be available in drops to the Abyssal Plains 5000 metres down.

As a final comment on the power available from a TFS drop phase consider if the concept was utilized on a global scale such that one percent of the continental land mass above sea level were dropped into oceans. To calculate the energy available first calculate the mass available M from this exercise.

The volume of this mass will be V. Since the continents occupy one third of the Earth's surface ( 1/3 of 4.3 x iOM m2) and have an average height above sea level of 700 m.. With a density of around 2.5 x i03 kg rn3 this amount of material is M2. 5 x 1020kg One of the PGV total ballast loads described above has a mass of MPGV given by MpGV N PBa VBa Using the values given above MpGV500X2.SX 103x i03 kg Mpcjvl.3X lO9kg The total number of PGV loads in one rllt of the continual land mass of the Earth above sea level is therefore approximately 2 x 10.

Thus the total energy available from one percent of the Earth's continental land mass will be 2x 1011 x6.5x 1012J 1.3 x 1024J This is equivalent to the energy output of a four hundred Giga Watt power stations running for one hundred thousand years.

4. TFS system details The following figures add detail to the TFS system elements and operation.

Figure 3. The PGV (25) floats on the ocean surface (22) above the ocean floor (23). The ballast bucket (26) drops under the influence of gravity (28) through the water whilst pulling the cable (27) out. During this time electrical power is generated within the PGV (25) and then transferred to the HGV (29) by means of the electrical cables (30) where it is used to power the electrolysis of water device that generates the hydrogen.

Figure 4. The ballast (7) is released at the bottom of the drop by releasing the ballast through doors (31) in the base of the ballast bucket. The mechanism for releasing the doors would be initiated either from the surface or by means of a hydrostatic pressure sensor carried on the bucket. The weight of the ballast will force the doors open once the release mechanism has been activated. Various designs are possible for this mechanism and typically are seen in excavator devices. Alternatively the entire bucket could be tipped up and the ballast dropped out from what was the open top of the bucket. Tipping mechanisms might include impact with the ocean floor triggering a hauling in of a line attached to the base of the bucket whilst the bucket rests on the ocean floor.

Figure 5 shows the Ballast bucket (26), Cable Drum (33) and Power Generator (35) arrangement within the PGV (25). Also shown is a flywheel (40) that is used to store enough energy on the bucket descent that it is able to power the hauling in of the empty bucket and cable. This is connected to the drive shaft of the Cable Drum via a gearbox (41) that allows for forward and reverse drive needed in order to recover the empty bucket. A clutch is also shown to permit this gear change. Not shown is a braking system on the drum used to bring the empty bucket to a halt or the bucket jaws locking and release mechanisms. The Cable Drum (33) is connected to the power generator (35) via drive shafts (36) and (37) and these in tern are connected via a clutch and gear box assembly (38). As the Ballast Bucket (26) descends and unwinds the Cable (27) the diameter of the remaining cable on the Cable Drum (33) will have a decreasing outside diameter and therefore the torch applied to the cable drum by the weight of the Ballast Bucket and Ballast will have a decreasing value. This will be somewhat compensated for by the increasing weight of cable unwound with increasing depth. However, the net effect for all practical cables will be to vary the torch and the rate at which the drum rotates and drives the Power Generator (35). The clutch and gear box ( 38) will allow for this variable drive force to be partially regulated, if necessary. When the Ballast Bucket (26) has been emptied it will be necessary to raise it again. The Flywheel and clutch (40) should have sufficient energy stored in its rotation for it to haul the Ballast Bucket (26) back to the surface via the Gear Box (41). An alternative means of powering the hauling up of the empty Ballast Bucket (26) and paid out cable (27) could be provided by using electrical motors or other forms of engine such as internal combustion engines to wind in the cable by driving the cable drum in reverse to that of the bucket descent. Some form of braking system will also be needed on the Cable Drum (33) which is not shown in figure (5). This could be of a variety of types including friction plates and drums or could be electromagnetic in nature. A variation on this technique is to use a plurality of small buckets arranged on a loop of cable or chain such that on the downward journey the buckets are upright and hold the ballast, once at the bottom of loop the natural motion of the bucket on the loop will be for it to turn upside down and deposit ballast at depth. Once empty the natural down force of the downward moving filled buckets hauls the lighter empty buckets to the surface where they are filled again having once gone over the top of the loop. The motion of the bucket loop may be used to power an electrical generator.

Figure 6 shows some interior detail of the PGV (25), the Ballast Bucket (26) enters and exits the PGV (25) via an opening in the underside in this implementation. The water tight bays either side of the opening prevent the sea from entering. Other methods of recovering the bucket are possible, such as recovery over the side. A mechanical Reclaimer (43) is used to extract the Ballast (7) from the hold and transfer it to the Ballast Bucket (26) once the latter has been hauled aboard and secured in place. A plurality of Ballast Buckets (26), Cable Drums (33), cables (27), Power Generators (35) and associated equipment may be incorporated in any embodiment of the invention. The electrical power generated by the Power Generator (35) is made available for onward transmission to the HGV (29) by means of the Electrical Cables (39).

Figure 7 shows the hydrogen generation system in schematic form. Electrical Power (30) is provided to the Electrolysis Device (46) along with Water (47). The outputs of the Electrolysis Device (46) are Hydrogen molecules (48) and Oxygen molecules (49). The Hydrogen (48) is delivered to the Hydrogen pump (50) where electrical or mechanical power input (51) is used to compress and possibly liquefy the Hydrogen (48). The Oxygen may also be pumped out and pressurized or liquefied but in the system show it is simply vented to the atmosphere. The Hydrogen is stored (48) in the Hydrogen Storage Tank (54). The hydrogen pump/liquefier may also contain a device that causes the newly generated hydrogen molecule to have both hydrogen atoms within each molecule to have aligned atomic spin vectors. Such a device will remove the additional energy that non-aligned spins contain. The latter point being important in the storage of the liquid hydrogen since it must be maintained at very low temperatures and the natural relaxation of any non-aligned spin vectors will produce undesirable heat within the stored liquid hydrogen.

Figure 8 shows details of the HGV (29) showing the Power Cable Input Gantry (55) and the hydrogen generator system. A Water Tank is shown that contains the water to be used in the Electrolysis Device (46). The HGV Propulsion System (57) is also shown.

Figure 9 shows a pictorial view of a typical area suitable for development using the TFS system.

It may contain an Inland Plain or plateau (59), a range of hills or Mountains (60) near to the coast, a Coastal Plain (61), a Shore Line (62) or beach and a sea or Ocean (63).

Figure 10 shows the TFS system in action on the land with a PGV receiving ballast from the excavation system and a HGV delivering by means of Pipes (68) liquid hydrogen to the Electricity Generating Station (19) that powers the Excavators (3). The Excavators (3) could be powered directly by hydrogen or hydrocarbon fuels. If electricity is chosen as the means of providing the Excavators (3) then it could be delivered by a Electrical Transmission Network (2). The excavated ballast is transported to the waiting PGV by a Land Transportation System (8). In the example shown this is in the form of an electrically driven conveyor belt system.

Alternately this could include road, rail or other land transport systems. Tunnels (71) could also be excavated as part of TFS to generate ballast possibly using tunnel boring machine or excavators. Extensive earth works (5) could be created by the excavation of the ballast. These might be used as canals, roadways cuttings and reservoirs.

Figure 11. Once the TFS excavation phase is over for a particular area the system may provide some of the excess liquid hydrogen to power the development or improvement of Human Settlements (74) in the area. Note that the excavated sites may be used as Water Storage Facilities (72) and (73) for Agriculture (76), Domestic and Industrial (74) needs and for recreation purposes. It inhospitable regions the excavations may be used as underground or submerged dwelling purposes. The surplus power may be used for the human community and distributed by the Electricity distribution Network (75). Water may be processed by the use of desalination equipment connected with the Electricity Generating Station(19) and distributed by the Network of Pipes (65).

It should be noted that the PGV and the HGV could be combined into one vessel. Alternatively the electrical power generated in the PGV could be brought to shore by electrical transmission lines on or under the ocean surface, or may be stored by means of other storage mechanisms rather than in the form of hydrogen gas or liquid. Such alternate storage means includes batteries, such as lead acid accumulators, mechanical devices such as flywheels and pressurized gases such as air.

Claims (11)

1. 5. CLAIMS 1. A system for transforming the Earth's terrain into developed

   areas with human activity enhanced in agriculture, industry including mining and mineral extraction and habitation in a process that is powered by energy from te Earth's gravitational field.
2. 2. A system that excavates geological material (ballast) and transports it to a sea or oceanic surface location above a deep abyssal plain or similar seabed/ocean floor feature in order to make use of the gravitational potential energy difference, as in 1, between the two vertically separated locations.
3. 3. A system that converts the gravitational potential energy of the ballast as in 2 into mechanical rotational energy by dropping the ballast in a bucket or similar container attached to which is a cable or similar article which causes the cable to unwind from around, a drum which in turn rotates.
4. 4. A system that converts some of the rotational mechanical energy derived in 3 into electrical energy by means of a dynamo or similar electrical generating device.
5. 5. A system that stores some of the rotational mechanical energy in 3 in the form of rotational energy of a flywheel that may be disengaged when the bucket is brought to a halt by a braking system on the drum in 3 allowing the energy stored in the rotation of the flywheel to be then available to be used to haul the empty bucket back up to the surface of the water.
6. 6. A system that makes use of some of the electrical power generated as in 4 to power an electrolysis of water device which splits the water molecules into separate hydrogen and oxygen molecules.
7. 7. A system that stores the hydrogen and possibly the oxygen in 6 in either its gaseous or liquid forms.
8. 8. A system that makes use of the hydrogen as in 7 and may also use the oxygen in both combustion engines and devices for propulsion and electrical power generation particularly the power needed to excavate geological material for use in the system as in 2.
9. 9. A system that may produce hydrogen as in 7 and electrical power as in 8 in surplus of the needs of the system as in 1 that may be used for other purposes than the system needs for its basic function including domestic use, agriculture, civil construction and manufacturing.
10. 10. A system that may use some of the surplus power produced as in 8 to also produce fresh water supplies by means of desalination techniques, water distillation and the combustion of hydrogen with oxygen that may be used for domestic use, agriculture, civil construction and manufacturing..
11. 11. A system that produces surplus power, water and hydrogen as in 7, 8, 9 and 10, that may be used in the extraction of hydrocarbon compounds held with oil shale or tar sands.