US20130081381A1

US20130081381A1 - Power device using gas to drive liquid

Info

Publication number: US20130081381A1
Application number: US13/253,040
Authority: US
Inventors: Shih-Hsiung Chen
Original assignee: CHEN THEODORE EI-RU
Current assignee: CHEN THEODORE EI-RU
Priority date: 2011-10-04
Filing date: 2011-10-04
Publication date: 2013-04-04

Abstract

A power device using a gas to drive a liquid includes a container, a specific quantity of liquid, a driving mechanism, a specific quantity of gas and a power generator, and the container has a first chamber, a second chamber, and a communicating hole formed between the first and second chambers; the specific quantity of liquid is filled into the first and second chambers; the driving mechanism includes a moving object contained in the first chamber; the specific quantity of gas is filled into first chamber and situated between the moving object and a liquid surface of the specific quantity of liquid; the power generator is installed in the container and at a position corresponding to the communicating hole; and the moving object increases and decreases the pressure of the specific quantity of gas to drive the power generator to generate and output power.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a power device, in particular to the power device using a gas to drive a liquid.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As limited energy resources are developed and used extensively, all countries spare no effort to develop new alternative energy sources such as wind energy, solar energy, geothermal energy, hydro energy, and tidal energy, and hydro energy can be used for generating electric power by temperature difference, water current, and positional height, without causing pollutions or increasing carbon emissions, and the hydro energy can be developed with a low level of difficulty to provide a stable supply, so that the hydro energy become a favorable energy source listed as one of the actively developed energy.
The conventional hydropower equipment as disclosed in R.O.C. Pat. No. M348858 comprises a driving device, a hydropower generator, and a recycle tank, and the driving device includes a delivery set having a storage cylinder, a pressure cylinder, a water inlet pipe and a water outlet pipe installed at the bottom of the cylinders, and a piston is installed and coupled to the top of the pressure cylinder and the storage cylinder, wherein the hydropower generator and the driving device are coupled to the water outlet pipe, and a water discharging pipe is installed on a side different from the water outlet pipe of the driving device, and the recycle tank, the water discharging pipe of the hydropower generator, and the water inlet pipe of the driving device are coupled to one another, so that a working fluid can be circulated and used repeatedly.
Although the aforementioned conventional hydropower equipment can circulate and use the working fluid repeatedly, the hydropower generator can generate power only when the piston compresses the working fluid downwardly, but no power is generated when the piston moves upwardly. As a result, the power generation performance of the conventional hydropower equipment is poor. Particularly, if the hydraulic cylinder drives the piston, and the piston pushes the working fluid to move, the speed of the moving working fluid is low, so that the electric power generated by the hydropower generator is limited significantly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, it is a primary objective of the present invention to provide a power device using a gas to drive a liquid, wherein a gas in a first chamber is increased and decreased, such that a specific quantity of liquid can drive a power generator to generate and output power.
To achieve the aforementioned objective, the present invention provides a power device using a gas to drive a liquid, comprising a container, a specific quantity of liquid, a driving mechanism, a specific quantity of gas and a power generator, wherein the container has a first chamber, a second chamber, and a communicating hole formed between the first chamber and the second chamber; the specific quantity of liquid is filled into the first chamber and the second chamber; the driving mechanism includes a moving object contained in the first chamber; the specific quantity of gas is filled into the first chamber and situated between the moving object and a liquid surface of the specific quantity of liquid; and the power generator is installed at a position corresponding to the communicating hole; thereby, a gas pressure inside the first chamber is higher than a gas pressure inside the second chamber when the moving object moves towards the interior of the first chamber to compress the specific quantity of gas, such that the specific quantity of liquid is driven to pass through the communicating hole to drive the power generator; and the gas pressure inside the first chamber is lower than the gas pressure inside the second chamber when the moving object moves towards the exterior of the first chamber to reduce the pressure of the specific quantity of gas, such that the specific quantity of liquid flows back from the communicating hole to drive the power generator.
To achieve the aforementioned objective, the present invention provides a power device using a gas to drive a liquid, and the power device comprises a container, a specific quantity of liquid, a driving mechanism, a specific quantity of gas and a power generator, wherein the container includes a first chamber, a second chamber, and a communicating hole formed between the first chamber and the second chamber; the specific quantity of liquid is filled into the first chamber and the second chamber; the driving mechanism includes a moving object contained in the first chamber; the specific quantity of gas is filled into the first chamber and disposed between the moving object and a liquid surface of the specific quantity of liquid; the power generator is installed at a position corresponding to the communicating hole; wherein the moving object increases or decreases pressure during the process of moving the specific quantity of gas back and forth, so as to drive the specific quantity of liquid to flow into or out from the communicating hole to drive the power generator to generate power.
To achieve the aforementioned objective, the present invention provides a power device using a gas to drive a liquid, and the power device comprises a container, a specific quantity of liquid, a gas with a variable pressure and a power generator, wherein the container includes a first chamber, a second chamber, and a communicating hole formed between the first chamber and the second chamber; the specific quantity of liquid is filled into the first chamber and the second chamber; the gas with a variable pressure is filled into the first chamber and disposed at a liquid surface of the specific quantity of liquid; the power generator is installed at a position corresponding to the communicating hole; and the pressure of the gas can be increased or decreased to drive the specific quantity of liquid to flow out from or into the communicating hole to drive the power generator to generate power.
The present invention also has the following effects. In the process of moving the moving object into or out from the chamber, the power generator can be driven to generate an electric power. The density of the gas is much lower than the density of the liquid, such that the gas can be used to drive the liquid to move rather than using a liquid to drive another liquid to move, and the air pressure difference produced by the two chambers can be used to drive a certain volume of liquid, so that the power generator can generate a large quantity of electric power. The converging passage and the diverging passage formed on both sides of the impeller respectively and operated together with the check valve can rotate the impeller in the same direction to drive the power generator to generate electric power.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a first cross-sectional view of an application in accordance with the first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of Section 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a second cross-sectional view of an application in accordance with the first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of Section 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a first cross-sectional view of an application in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a second cross-sectional view of an application in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a first cross-sectional view of an application in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a second cross-sectional view of an application in accordance with the third preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a first cross-sectional view of an application in accordance with a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a second cross-sectional view of an application in accordance with the fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a first cross-sectional view of an application in accordance with a fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a second cross-sectional view of an application in accordance with the fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a first cross-sectional view of an application in accordance with a sixth preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of Section 16-16 of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a second cross-sectional view of an application in accordance with the sixth preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of Section 18-18 of FIG. 17; and

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of a seventh preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The technical characteristics and contents of the present invention will become apparent with the following detailed description and related drawings. The drawings are provided for the purpose of illustrating the present invention only, but not intended for limiting the scope of the invention.
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 for a power device using a gas to drive a liquid in accordance with the present invention, the power device 1 comprises a container 10, a specific quantity of liquid 20, a driving mechanism 30, a specific quantity of gas 40 and a power generator 50.
The container 10 is made of metal, plastic or any other material and formed by enclosing a plurality of plates 11 into a hollow rectangular body, but the invention is not limited to this arrangement only. The hollow rectangular body includes a partition 12 installed at a central position inside the hollow rectangular body to divide the interior of the container 10 into a first chamber 13 and a second chamber 14, and a communicating hole 121 formed at the bottom of the partition 12 (as shown in FIG. 4), such that the first chamber 13 and the second chamber 14 are interconnected with each other through the communicating hole 121. A lining member 15 is installed at a position at an upper part of the first chamber 13, and a through hole 151 is formed at a central position of the lining member 15. In addition, a first drainage structure 16 is installed separately at lower corners of the first chamber 13 and the second chamber 14 respectively, and the first drainage structure 16 has an arc drainage surface 161.
The liquid 20 can be water or any liquid produced by mixing an anti-freeze agent, a lubricating agent or any other ingredient into water. The liquid 20 is filled into the first chamber 13 and the second chamber 14.
The driving mechanism of this preferred embodiment is a vertical driving mechanism 30 installed on the container 10. The driving mechanism 30 comprises an electric motor 31, a driving wheel 32, a link rod 33 and a moving object 34. The electric motor 31 is mounted onto the partition 12 by a rack. The driving wheel 32 is a circular disc whose center is sheathed on an axle of the electric motor 31. An end of the link rod 33 is pivotally coupled to a position with a certain distance from the center of the driving wheel 32. In this preferred embodiment, the moving object 34 is a piston which can be made of foam (such as polylon), carbon fiber, fiberglass or metal material, and the moving object 34 includes a circular disc 341 contained in the through hole 151 and a straight rod 342 fixed to the central position of an upper surface of the circular disc 341, and a free end of the straight rod 342 is pivotally coupled to another end of the link rod 33.
The gas 40 can be air filled into the first chamber 13 and situated between a front surface of the circular disc 341 of the moving object 34 and a liquid surface of the liquid 20.
The power generator 50 of this preferred embodiment is a turbine having a motor portion 51 and an impeller 52 coupled to the motor portion 51, and the power generator 50 is installed in the container 10, and the impeller 52 is installed at a position corresponding to the communicating hole 121.
With reference to FIGS. 4 and 6, the container 10 of the present invention further includes a second drainage structure 17 formed at the bottom of the plate 11 and at a position corresponding to the communicating hole 121. The second drainage structure 17 includes two drainage blocks 171, two check valves 172 and two diversion blocks 173, and each drainage block 171 is fixed on internal walls on both sides of the plate 11 separately, and each diversion block 173 is substantially in a triangular shape and separately installed in a pair on both corresponding sides of the impeller 52. An end of each check valve 172 is pivotally coupled onto a divergent surface 1711 of the drainage block 171, and another end of the check valve 172 is closed or opened intermittently along the flowing direction of the specific quantity of liquid 20. A converging passage 174 and a diverging passage 175 are formed between each drainage block 171 and each diversion block 173 respectively, and the converging passage 174 is formed on a side of the impeller 52 for flowing in the specific quantity of liquid 20, and the diverging passage 175 is formed on a side of the impeller 52 for flowing out the specific quantity of liquid 20, so that the impeller 52 is capable of rotating in the same direction, reducing the impact force when the specific quantity of liquid 20 flows through the impeller 52, and increasing the speed of flowing the specific quantity of liquid 20 through the impeller 52.
With reference to FIGS. 3 to 6 for the power device 1 formed by the aforementioned components, the specific quantity of gas 40 has a pressure set to one atmosphere (1 atm), and the top of the second chamber 14 is an open top, so that the atmospheric pressure is also exerted onto the liquid surface of the specific quantity of liquid 20 contained in the second chamber 14. When use, the electric motor 31 is provided for driving the driving wheel 32 to rotate, and driving the link rod 33 to push the circular disc 341 of the moving object 34 to move towards the bottom of the through hole 151 of the lining member 15. Now, the specific quantity of gas 40 filled into first chamber 13 is compressed to increase the pressure greater than one atmosphere, and the pressure difference between the two liquid surfaces of the specific quantity of liquid 20 can flow the specific quantity of liquid 20 out of the first chamber 13 and from the communicating hole 121 to the second chamber 14 quickly. While the specific quantity of liquid 20 flows through the communicating hole 121, the impeller 52 is driven to rotated, so that the motor portion 51 generates an electric power. In FIG. 4, when the specific quantity of liquid 20 flows from the bottom of the first chamber 13 into the second chamber 14 through the impeller 52, the check valve 172 at the bottom is opened by the specific quantity of the flowing liquid 20, and the check valve 172 at the top is closed by the specific quantity of the flowing liquid 20. Now, the impeller 52 rotates counterclockwise.
On the other hand, if the driving wheel 32 continues its circumferential rotation, the link rod 33 is driven to push the circular disc 341 of the moving object 34 to move towards the top of the through hole 151 of the lining member 15. Now, the specific quantity of gas 40 filled into first chamber 13 is expanded (or the volume of the gas increases while the mass of the gas remains unchanged), and the pressure will be decreased below one atmosphere after the specific quantity of gas 40 is expanded, and the pressure difference produced between the two liquid surfaces of the specific quantity of liquid 20 is used to flow the specific quantity of liquid 20 contained in the second chamber 14 from the communicating hole 121 into the first chamber 13 quickly. While the specific quantity of liquid 20 is flowing through the communicating hole 121, the impeller 52 is driven to rotate, such that the motor portion 51 continues generating electric power. In FIG. 6, when the specific quantity of liquid 20 flows from the bottom of the second chamber 14 into the first chamber 13 through the impeller 52, the check valve 172 at the bottom is pressed and closed by the specific quantity of the flowing liquid 20, and the check valve 172 at the top is pushed and opened by the specific quantity of the flowing liquid 20. Now, the impeller 52 rotates counterclockwise.
In FIG. 1, the hydropower equipment of the present invention comprises the aforementioned power device 1 and further comprises an electric accumulator 6, and the electric accumulator 6 is coupled to two sets of conducting wires 61, 61′, and one set of the conducting wires 61 is electrically coupled to the aforementioned power generator 50, and another set of conducting wires 61′ is electrically coupled to the aforementioned electric motor 31, so that a portion of the electric power generated by the power generator 50 is supplied for the operation of the electric motor 31. In addition, the electric power of the power generator 50 of the present invention is supplied for the operation of the driving mechanism 30, and a portion of extra electric power is supplied for the use by other electrically controlled devices and loads, so as to generate a power generation function for permanent movements.
With reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 for a power device in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, the difference between the power device 1 a of this preferred embodiment and the power device 1 of the first preferred embodiment mainly resides on that the second chamber 14 of this embodiment further includes a lining member 15′ and a through hole 151′ formed at a central position of the lining member 15′. The driving mechanism 30 further includes a link rod 33′ and a moving object 34′, and the link rod 33′ and the link rod 33 are arranged alternatively with each other and pivotally coupled to the driving wheel 32, and the moving object 34′ also includes a circular disc 341′ contained in the through hole 151′ and a straight rod 342′ fixed at a central position of an upper surface of the circular disc 341′, and a free end of the straight rod 342′ is pivotally coupled to the link rod 33′. In addition, a specific quantity of gas 40′ is filled into the second chamber 14 and situated between a front surface of the circular disc 341′ of the moving object 34′ and a liquid surface of the specific quantity of liquid 20. Therefore, the air pressure difference between the first chamber 13 and the second chamber 14 is increased to increase the flowing speed of the specific quantity of liquid 20 through the communicating hole 121, so as to improve the power generation performance.
With reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 for a power device in accordance with the third preferred embodiment of the present invention, the main difference between this power device 1 b and the aforementioned preferred embodiment resides on that the power device 1 b further comprises two third drainage structures 18 integrally formed with each of the lining members 15, 15′ and installed on internal walls of the first chamber 13 and the second chamber 14 respectively, and each chamber 13, 14 includes a plurality of holes with different diameters for increasing the speed of flowing the specific quantity of liquid 20 and the specific quantity of gas 40, 40′.
With reference to FIGS. 11 and 12 for a power device in accordance with the fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention, the main difference between the power device 1 c and the foregoing preferred embodiment resides on that the driving mechanism of this preferred embodiment is a horizontal driving mechanism 30 c, and the moving object 34 is moved back and forth in a horizontal direction, and a fourth drainage structure 19 is installed at the top of the first chamber 13 for improving the mobility of the specific quantity of gas 40 in the first chamber 13.
With reference to FIGS. 13 and 14 for a power device in accordance with the fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention, the main difference between the power device 1 d and the foregoing preferred embodiment resides on that the driving mechanism of this preferred embodiment is a horizontal driving mechanism 30 d, and the driving wheel 32 d is driven by the electric motor 31 d to rotate along a semi-circumference, and the driving wheel 32 d is coupled to two levers 321 d, and the moving object 34 d is comprised of two cylinders 341 d and a T-rod 342 d coupled to the two cylinders 341 d, and each lever 321 d is used for driving the T-rod 342 d to move back and forth in a horizontal direction.
With reference to FIGS. 15 and 18 for a power device in accordance with the sixth preferred embodiment of the present invention, the main difference between the power device le of this preferred embodiment and the aforementioned preferred embodiment resides on that the driving mechanism of this preferred embodiment is a horizontal driving mechanism 30 e, and a driven wheel 35 e is installed between the driving wheel 32 e and the link rod 33, and the link rod 33 is pivotally coupled to the driven wheel 35 e, and the driving wheel 32 e and the driven wheel 35 e are engaged and transmitted with each other, such that this retardation mechanism can be used to reduce the driving moment of the electric motor 31. In addition, the second drainage structure includes a plurality of drainage blocks 171 e, a plurality of check valves 172 e and a plurality of diversion blocks 173 e. The drainage block 171 e includes a half-boat shaped drainage block formed on both sides separately and a half-boat shaped drainage block formed at a central area, and each diversion block 173 e is substantially in a triangular shape and installed in pairs on corresponding edges of the impeller 52. An end of the check valve 172 e is pivotally coupled to the drainage block 171 e, and another end of the check valve 172 e is closed or opened intermittently according to the flowing direction of the specific quantity of liquid 20, such that the impeller 52 can rotate in the same direction (as shown in FIGS. 16 and 18).
With reference to FIG. 19 for a power device in accordance with the seventh preferred embodiment of the present invention, the main difference between this power device 1 f and the foregoing preferred embodiment resides on that the fixed plate 101 of the first chamber 13 is sealed, and a gas pump mechanism 70 is used for filling or sucking the air of the first chamber 13, such that the gas with a variable pressure can drive the specific quantity of liquid 20 to flow to the inside or outside through the communicating hole 121, such that the power generator 50 generates power.
In summation of the description above, the power device using a gas to drive a liquid and the hydropower generation equipment of the present invention can achieve the expected effects and overcome the drawbacks of the prior art. The invention complies with the patent application requirements, and is thus duly filed for patent application.
While the invention has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A power device using a gas to drive a liquid, comprising:

a container, having a first chamber, a second chamber, and a communicating hole formed between the first chamber and the second chamber;

a specific quantity of liquid, filled into the first chamber and the second chamber;

a driving mechanism, including a first moving object contained in the first chamber;

a specific quantity of gas, filled into the first chamber and situated between the first moving object and a liquid surface of the specific quantity of liquid; and

a power generator, installed at a position corresponding to the communicating hole;

thereby, a gas pressure inside the first chamber is higher than a gas pressure inside the second chamber when the first moving object moves towards the interior of the first chamber to compress the specific quantity of gas, such that the specific quantity of liquid is driven to pass through the communicating hole to drive the power generator; and

the gas pressure inside the first chamber is lower than the gas pressure inside the second chamber when the first moving object moves towards the exterior of the first chamber to reduce the pressure of the specific quantity of gas, such that the specific quantity of liquid flows back from the communicating hole to drive the power generator.

2. The power device using a gas to drive a liquid as recited in claim 1, wherein the container is formed by enclosing a plurality of plates into a hollow body, and a partition is installed in the hollow body for dividing the interior of the container into the first chamber and the second chamber, and the communicating hole is formed at a position of the bottom of the partition.

3. The power device using a gas to drive a liquid as recited in claim 1, wherein the first chamber includes a lining member installed therein and a through hole formed on the lining member, and the first moving object moves back and forth in the through hole.

4. The power device using a gas to drive a liquid as recited in claim 1, further comprising a first drainage structure installed at corners of the first and second chambers separately, and each of the first drainage structures has an arc drainage surface.

5. The power device using a gas to drive a liquid as recited in claim 1, wherein the driving mechanism is a vertical driving mechanism, and the first moving object is moved vertically back and forth in a longitudinal direction.

6. The power device using a gas to drive a liquid as recited in claim 1, wherein the driving mechanism is a horizontal driving mechanism, and the first moving object moves back and forth in a horizontal direction.

7. The power device using a gas to drive a liquid as recited in claim 1, wherein the driving mechanism further includes an electric motor, a driving wheel and a first link rod, and the electric motor is mounted on the container, and the driving wheel is sheathed on the electric motor, and an end of the link rod is pivotally coupled to another end of the driving wheel that is pivotally coupled to the first moving object.

8. The power device using a gas to drive a liquid as recited in claim 7, wherein the driving mechanism further includes a second link rod and a second moving object, and the driving wheel is sheathed on the electric motor, and an end of the second link rod is pivotally coupled to the second moving object that is pivotally coupled to another end of the driving wheel, and the second moving object is contained in the second chamber.

9. The power device using a gas to drive a liquid as recited in claim 8, further comprising another specific quantity of gas contained in the second chamber and situated between the second moving object and a liquid surface of the specific quantity of liquid.

10. The power device using a gas to drive a liquid as recited in claim 1, wherein the power generator includes a motor portion and an impeller coupled to the motor portion and installed at a position corresponding to the communicating hole.

11. The power device using a gas to drive a liquid as recited in claim 10, wherein the container further includes a second drainage structure installed at a position corresponding to the communicating hole and coupled to the bottom of the container, and the second drainage structure includes two drainage blocks, two check valves and two diversion blocks, and each of the drainage blocks is installed at a position corresponding to the communicating hole and coupled to the bottom of the container, and each of the diversion blocks is installed at a corresponding edge of the impeller, and an end of each of the check valves is pivotally coupled to the drainage block, and another end of each of the check valves is closed or opened intermittently in a flowing direction of the specific quantity of liquid.

12. The power device using a gas to drive a liquid as recited in claim 11, further comprising a converging passage and a diverging passage formed between each of the drainage blocks and each of the diversion blocks, and the converging passage being formed on a side of the impeller for flowing in the specific quantity of liquid, and the diverging passage is formed on a side of the impeller for flowing out the specific quantity of liquid.

13. The power device using a gas to drive a liquid as recited in claim 1, further comprising a third drainage structure installed in the first chamber and the second chamber, and the first chamber and the second chamber having a plurality of holes with different diameters formed therein.

14. A power device using a gas to drive a liquid, comprising:

a driving mechanism, including a moving object contained in the first chamber;

a specific quantity of gas, filled into the first chamber and situated between the moving object and a liquid surface of the specific quantity of liquid; and

thereby, the moving object is moved back and forth to increase or decrease a pressure of the specific quantity of gas to drive the specific quantity of liquid to flow out or in from the communicating hole, such that the power generator generates power.

15. A power device using a gas to drive a liquid, comprising:

a specific quantity of liquid, filled in the first chamber and the second chamber;

a gas with a variable pressure, filled into the first chamber, and situated at the top of a liquid surface of the specific quantity of liquid; and

thereby, a pressure of the gas can be increased or decreased to drive the specific quantity of liquid to flow into or out from the communicating hole, such that the power generator generates power.