US3122889A - Tide operated water lifting device - Google Patents

Description

March 3, 1964 R. P. BONAMY 3,122,889

TIDE OPERATED WATER LIFTING DEVICE Filed July 20, 1960 i 3 I IN VEN TOR. 7 fioberf/E' Bonamy aT/m cww HTTORNEY United States Patent 3,122,889 TZDE OPERATED WATER LIFTING DEVT'CE Robert P. Bonamy, 17421 Springbrook Road, Renton, Wash. Filed .l'uly 2t 1960, Ser. No. 44,664 3 Claims. (61. 612i) My invention relates to a tide operated water lifting device.

An obiect of my invention is to provide simple and eflicient tide actuated water lifting apparatus by which the rise and fall of water due to tides can be utilized to lift some of that water to a substantial distance above the maximum elevation of the water at high tide so that the water thus lifted can be used to generate power or can be used for any other purpose for which it is suited.

Another object of my invention is to provide tide operated water lifting apparatus which is substantially automatic in its operation and which requires very little attention.

Another object is to provide tide operated water 11fting apparatus which makes use of a large amount of water operating through a short lever arm to move a longer lever arm and in so doing to lift a smaller amount of water to a relatively high elevation.

Other objects of my invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tide operated water lifting device constructed in accordance with my invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan View of the same with parts broken away.

FIG. 3 is a sectional View taken substantially on broken line 33 of FIG. 2, showing in full lines the device in a lowered horizontal position and by dot and dash lines said device in a maximum raised substantially upright position.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view showing this water lifting device in an intermediate position and illustrating the operation of a helper tank in counterbalancing the device as it moves from an upright to a horizontal position.

FIG. 5 is a detached sectional view illustrating one form of discharge control valve that may be used to control the discharge of water from a water lift tank.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a water inlet control valve adapted to be opened just before the downwardly moving tank assembly reaches a horizontal position and to be closed at about the time said tank assembly has reached its lowermost or horizontal position.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 6 showing a Water inlet control valve of modified form.

PEG. 8 is a schematic View showing an L-shaped tide operated water lifting device of this type mounted in suspended relation beneath a dock or pier.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The embodiment of my tide operated water lifting device shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 inclusive is in the form of a T-shaped tank assembly comprising two parallel side by side tanks 1d and 11 and a lift tank 12 perpendicular to said two tanks 16 and 11. The tank 1% is herein termed a helper tank. It has a sufiiciently open top so that, in certain positions, water can flow freely into and out of it. The top of this tank is herein shown as completely open but it can be partially closed or covered without changing the mode of operation of said tank 1! The tank 11 is a counterbalance and buoyancy tank. It communicates by way of an opening 13 with the water lift tank 12 and is provided with a valve controlled water outlet conduit, as hereinafter described, but is otherwise closed so that it is water tight. The water lift tank 12 has an air relief opening or vent 14 in its top wall near the outer end of said tank 12 and the bottom of said tank 12 is provided, near its junction with the tank 11, with valve controlled water inlet means of a form shown in FIG. 6 andhereinafter described. The three tanks 10, 11 and 12 are rigid elative to each other and they are preferably formed of metal.

The two tanks 10 and 11 are longer than the water lift tank 12 and they will hold a substantially greater amount of water than said water lift tank 12 thus providing for a much heavier weight of water on the short end of a lever arm formed by the three tanks.

The tank assembly formed of the three tanks ll), 11 and 12. is pivotally supported by hinges 15 or suitable pivot means strong enough to support said assembly so that it can be moved angularly between a horizontal and a vertical position about the pivot axis exemplified by the hinges 15 and which is located closely adjacent to the lowermost corner of the weight and buoyancy tank 11 and at the side thereof which is connected with an end portion of the water lift tank 12. The hinges 15 can be secured to rigid supports 16 of any suitable form. Also a support 17 is provided for the outer end portion of the water lift tank 12 to rest on when the tank assembly is in a horizontal position.

The weight and buoyancy tank 11 is provided with valve controlled means through which water from said tank 11 and the water lift tank 12 can discharge under the head provided by said water lift tank 12 when the assembly of tanks is in an upright position. Obviously this water discharge control means can be operated automatically. However the water discharge control valve shown in FIG. 5 is manually operated. Said water dis charge control means comprises a conduit 18 connected with a portion of the tank '11 which will be at the bottom of said tank 11 when the assembly of tanks is in an upright position. A valve 19 is connected with the conduit 13 and another conduit 2%, preferably in the form of a flexible hose, is connected with said valve 19. The valve 19' has a part 19a which can be moved by a handle 21 into a closed position, as shown in PEG. 5, or into a position to communicatively connect the conduit 18 with the hose 2%, or into a position to close the passageway to the hose 2 and communicatively connect the conduit 18 with a drain port 22 in said valve 19 so that all of the water can be drained out of the tank 11 and the full buoyancy of the tank 11 utilized when the tide again rises to start movement of the tank assembly toward a horizontal position.

The inlet of Water to the two tanks 11 and 12 may be controlled by valve means of the type shown in FIG. 6. This valve and Water inlet control means comprises a water inlet opening or port 24 in the bottom wall 12a of the water lift tank 12, a valve stem 25 extending through said port 24 and guided for longitudinal movement in two guide members 26 and 27, a valve 28 rigid with the stem 25 and positioned within the tank 12 and capable of closing the port 24, a compression spring 29 interposed between the valve 23 and the guide 26 urging the valve 28 downwardly into a closed position relative to the port 24-. The lower end of the valve stem 25 protrudes below the bottom of the tank 12 and is adapted to contact and rest on a slide member 36 as the tank assembly, in mov ing downwardly from an upright position approaches the horizontal. The slide member 30 is movably supported in a fixed horizontal guide frame 31. A compression spring 32 urges said slide member 30 to the left as respects the showing in FIG. 6. The slide 30 has a transverse hole or slot 33 in it through which the valve stem 25 can protrude. The hole 33 is of considerably larger size than the valve stem to provide ample clearance for the valve stem. Holes or slots 34 are also provided in theguide frame 31 in registration with the hole 33 and above and below the slide member 39.

As the assembly of tanks 10, 11 and 12 is moved toward a horizontal position and shortly before the water lift tank 12 comes. to rest on the support 17 the valve stem 25 will be stopped by engagement with the slide member 36 and the tank 12 will continue to move downwardly. This moves the tank bottom 12a away from the valves 28 and leaves the port 24 open. At the time this opening of the valve 28 occurs the level of the Water in which the tanks are operating will be well above the port 24 and the water will enter and begin to fill the tanks 11 and 12. As this water continues to flow into the tanks 11 and 12 the buoyancy of both of these tanks will be reduced and the reduction in buoyancy of the water lift tank, with its longer leverage, will cause the tanks to continue to move toward the horizontal. After the tanks 11 and 12 are completely filled wtih water and just before the outer end of the lift tank 12 comes to rest on the support 17 the end of the valve stem 25 will move clear of the slide 3% and into the opening 33. This will allow the spring 29 to close the valve 28 and hold said valve closed until it is again opened by the stem 25 engaging the slide 30 in the next cycle of operation of the tanks. The spring pressed slide 39 will yield and move to the right relative to the position in which it is shown in FIG. 6 when said valve stem is protruding into the hole 33 and the tank assembly starts to move from a horizontal toward a vertical position.

FIG. 7 shows a valve opening device of modified form which will function in substantially the same manner as the device of FIG. 6 in opening the valve 28. Said FIG. 7 shows an upwardly extending pawl 40 which has its lower end portion mounted on a pivot member 41 in a fixed frame 42. A compression spring 43 yieldingly urges the pawl 40 to the left against a stop member 44. As the tank 12 moves downwardly the stem 25 will first come to rest on the pawl 40 and open the valve 28 and will then drop off of the pawl 40 and allow the spring 29 to close said valve. Also the pawl 40 will yield to the right in permitting upward movement of the valve stem 25 as the tank 12 starts to move upwardly from a horizontal position.

This device is installed where there is a rise and fall of tide water. The supports and pivots for the same are preferably positioned at a chosen elevation such that when the tanks 10, 11 and 12 are horizontal and the tide is at maximum height these tanks will be completely sub merged and filled with water. At this time the valves 19 and 28 will both be closed. As the tide starts to recede the tanks will remain in a horizontal position until the tide has receded far enough so that the weight of the tanks 10 and 11 and particularly the weight of water in the unsubmerged parts of said tanks 10 and 11, acting through a shorter lever arm, is great enough to begin to overbalance the weight of the water lift tank 12 and water therein, acting through a longer lever arm, and starts to swingingly move the tank assembly and raise the lift tank 12. This upward swinging movement of the lift tank 12 will continue fairly uniformly and evenly as the tide continues to recede, with the tanks always in a condition of balance. Some water will be spilled over the edge of the helper tank 10 as it continues to move downwardly and the lever arms through which the weight of the downwardly moving tanks 10 and 11 and the upwardly moving tank 12 act about the pivot means 15 will continue to decrease until the tanks reach a substantially upright position and are stopped in this position, in which they are shown by dot and dash lines in FIG. 3.

As the tank assembly approaches the upright position the center of gravity line of the lift tank 12 will cross or pass from one side to the other of the pivots 15 and the assembly of tanks will tend to remain in an upright position. Preferably resilient bumper or shock absorber devices 23 are provided on the supports 16 for the tanks 10 and 11 to bump against when said tanks reach a substantially vertical position.

After the tanks 10, 11 and 12 have reached the upright position the valve 19, with which the hose 20 is connected, can be opened and water from the tanks 11 and 12 discharged under a head, which at the beginning, is equal to the height of the upper end of the water lift tank 12 and which decreases as the water discharges from said tanks. If it is not convenient to lower the discharge end of the hose 20 enough to drain all of the water out of the tanks 11 and 12 then the valve 19 can be positioned so as to allow all of this water to drain out through the discharge opening 22 in the valve 19. This draining is necessary to render the tank 11 buoyant so the next rising tide will move the tanks back toward a horizontal position. After the upright tanks have been drained the valve 19 is closed leaving the tanks ready to be lowered by the next rising tide. As water rises around the upright tanks the helper tank 10 will begin to fill with water but the tanks will remain upright until the buoyancy of the rising water, acting on the counterbalance and buoyancy tank 11, is sufficient to overbalance the weight of the tank assembly about the ofif-center hinges 15 and start to swing ingly move said tank assembly, FIG. 3, in a clockwise direction.

Before this swinging movement of the tank assembly toward the horizontal can be started by the rising water the helper tank 18 will be submerged and filled with water. When the vertical line which passes through the center of gravity of the upright water lift tank 12 crosses the horizontal axis of the pivots 15, as the tank assembly starts to move toward the horizontal position, the downward movement of the water lift tank 12 will accelerate through about the first forty-five degrees. This acceleration will be checked by the lifting of the water filled helper tank out of the water and the downward movement of the water lift tank 12 will be substantially stopped in about the position in which it is shown in FIG. 4. Then, as the tide continues to rise, the tank assembly will continue to move slowly toward the horizontal and just before it reaches a horizontal position the valve 28, which controls admission of water to the tanks 11 and 12 will be opened and the tanks 11 and 12 filled with water. At about the time the tanks 11 and 12 are completely filled with water the tank assembly will be near enough to the horizontal position so that the valve 28 will be closed. This leaves the tanks ready for the next move to a vertical position as the tide recedes.

In some instances this device can be positioned in fresh water which is backed up by tidal Waters, such as in the mouth of a river, or it can be positioned in a stream where the water can be caused to rise by the closing of a gate in a dam and can be lowered by the opening of said gate. This fresh water can be used for irrigation.

FIG. 8 discloses an L-shaped embodiment of my invention suspended from a dock or pier 45 and capable of functioning in the same manner as the device disclosed in FIGS. 1 to 7. The device shown in FIG. 8 comprises a helper tank 46, a counterbalance and buoyancy tank 47 and a water lift tank 48, all similar to the tanks 10, 11 and 12, respectively, except that the water lift tank 48 is connected with the counterbalance and buoyancy tank 47 adjacent one end thereof instead of at a point mid-way between the two ends of said tank 47. Suitable hangers 49, two of which are shown, extend downwardly from the pier 45 and pivot members 50 pivotally connect the tank assembly with these hangers 49. The location of pivot members 50 relative to tank 47 corresponds to the location of hinges 15 relative to tank 11. Valve controlled water outlet and inlet devices similar to those shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are connected with the respective tanks 47 and 48.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings clearly disclose a preferred embodiment of my invention but it will be understood that this disclosure is merely illustrative and that changes may be made within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In tide operated water lifting devices, a tank assembly comprising a long narrow helper tank having a top opening providing free inflow and outflow of water; a long narrow enclosed counterbalance and buoyancy tank rigid with and positioned alongside of said helper tank; a long narrow water lift tank perpendicular to and extending in one direction from and having one end thereof rigid with and communicating with said counterbalance and buoyancy tank; pivot means mounting the three assembled tanks for swinging movement between a substantially horizontal and a substantially vertical position on a horizontal axis adjacent to and parallel with the lowermost corner of said counterbalance and buoyancy tank and at the side thereof with which said one end of said water lift tank is connected; valve controlled water inlet means provided in the bottom of said water lift tank adjacent the junction of said water lift tank and said counterbalance and buoyancy tank; and valve controlled water outlet means connected with a portion of said counterbalance and buoyancy tank which is lowermost when said tank assembly is in a substantially vertical position.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which valve operating devices are provided in connection with the valve controlled water inlet means of said water lift tank, said valve operating devices first opening and then closing a valve of said valve controlled water inlet means as the tank assembly in moving downwardly approaches a horizontal position.

3. Tide operated water lifting devices comprising supporting means capable of supporting a tank assembly in a location subject to tides and below the level of the water at high tide; a long closed water lift tank; a long closed counterbalance and buoyancy tank of substantially greater volume than said water lift tank rigid with one end portion of said water lift tank and extending crosswise of the water lift tank and communicating freely with the end of said water lift tank with which it is connected; valve controlled water inlet means capable of admitting water to the bottom portions of said two tanks adjacent the location where they are connected with each other; a long helper tank rigid with and parallel with and positioned alongside of said counterbalance and buoyancy tank at the side thereof opposite said water lift tank, said helper tank being open at the top and being of substantially greater volume than said water lift tank; said valve controlled water inlet means being in the bottom wall of the water lift tank adjacent the counterbalance and buoyancy tank; pivot means mounting the three assembled tanks on said supporting means for pivotal movement of said tanks between a substantially horizontal and a substantially vertical position, the axis of said pivot means being parallel to and adjacent to the lowermost corner of said counterbalance and buoyancy tank at the side thereof with which an end of said water lift tank is connected, whereby when said three assembled tanks are horizontal tide water rising approic'mately to the level of the tops of said tanks will fill all of said tanks and as the tide Water recedes the weight of Water in said tanks will pivotally move said three tanks and elevate said water lift tank into a substantially upright position; and valve controlled water outlet means connected with a portion of said counterbalance and buoyancy tank which is lowermost when the three tanks are vertical.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 29,906 Osborn Sept. 4, 1860 861,997 Luck July 30, 1907 2,385,943 Rosenstengel Oct. 2, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS 664,876 Germany Sept. 7, 1938

Claims (1)

1. IN TIDE OPERATED WATER LIFTING DEVICES, A TANK ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A LONG NARROW HELPER TANK HAVING A TOP OPENING PROVIDING FREE INFLOW AND OUTFLOW OF WATER; A LONG NARROW ENCLOSED COUNTERBALANCE AND BUOYANCY TANK RIGID WITH AND POSITIONED ALONGSIDE OF SAID HELPER TANK; A LONG NARROW WATER LIFT TANK PERPENDICULAR TO AND EXTENDING IN ONE DIRECTION FROM AND HAVING ONE END THEREOF RIGID WITH AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID COUNTERBALANCE AND BUOYANCY TANK; PIVOT MEANS MOUNTING THE THREE ASSEMBLED TANKS FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT BETWEEN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL AND A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL POSITION ON A HORIZONTAL AXIS ADJACENT TO AND PARALLEL WITH THE LOWERMOST CORNER OF SAID COUNTERBALANCE AND BUOYANCY TANK AND AT THE SIDE THEREOF WITH WHICH SAID ONE END OF SAID WATER LIFT TANK IS CONNECTED; VALVE CONTROLLED WATER INLET MEANS PROVIDED IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID WATER LIFT TANK ADJACENT THE JUNCTION OF SAID WATER LIFT TANK AND SAID COUNTERBALANCE AND BUOYANCY TANK; AND VALVE CONTROLLED WATER OUTLET MEANS CONNECTED WITH A PORTION OF SAID COUNTERBALANCE AND BUOYANCY TANK WHICH IS LOWERMOST WHEN SAID TANK ASSEMBLY IS IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL POSITION.

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