WO2007116040A1

WO2007116040A1 - Electric supply station with gravitational masses

Info

Publication number: WO2007116040A1
Application number: PCT/EP2007/053432
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giovanni Molfesi
Original assignee: Giovanni Molfesi
Priority date: 2006-04-12
Filing date: 2007-04-06
Publication date: 2007-10-18
Also published as: ITPR20060037A1

Abstract

The invention refers to a supply station for producing electric energy and more precisely refers to a supply station that exploits clean energy in order to rotate an electric generator as an alternator or a dynamo. In particular, the supply station provides for a flywheel (3) whose rotation axle is moved by gravitational masses (11) that are overhung and vertically mobile due to a fall. Electric generators (1) are also connected to the flywheel axle. Part of the energy produced by the supply station and not absorbed by the mains, is used by the supply station itself to recover the gravitational masses in order to take them back again at a height.

Description

Title: ELECTRIC SUPPLY STATION WITH GRAVITATIONAL MASSES

D E S C R I P T I O N

The present invention relates to an electric supply station that exploits the gravitational energy produced by falling masses. Currently, the problem of producing electric energy by exploiting clean energy sources, such as for example wind-driven supply stations, solar panel supply stations and hydraulic supply stations, is particularly felt.

Wind-driven supply stations can be installed only in particular areas that are especially windy, and the production of energy is not constant, but linked to unforeseen atmospheric agents.

Solar panel supply stations have proven suitable for producing hot water but not for producing electric energy; photovoltaic supply stations are also suitable for producing small powers.

Hydraulic supply stations are the only ones that can produce great electric powers, by exploiting the hydraulic difference in height between great water masses that are more and more decreasing.

Object of the present invention is replacing water masses and exploiting the energy products by the mass drop in order to rotate a flywheel that transfers stored energy to an electric generator. This and other objects are all obtained by the electric supply station with gravitational masses of the present invention, that is characterised by what is provided by the enclosed claims.

Characteristics and advantages will be better pointed out by the following description of a preferred embodiment shown, merely as an example, in the enclosed table of drawing in which:

- figure 1 shows a block diagram of the components of the supply station. With reference to figure 1 , 1 designates an electric generator (dynamo or alternator) whose rotation shaft 2 is connected to a flywheel 3 through a revolution reducer/multiplier 4 equipped with clutch.

The flywheel 3 is dragged in rotation by a dragging system 5 connected to the flywheel shaft 9 through a revolution reducer / multiplier 6 equipped with clutch to allow detaching the dragging system from the flywheel shaft.

The dragging system comprises a drum 7 keyed onto a shaft 8 connected, through a reducer / multiplier 6 provided with clutch, to the flywheel 9 shaft.

A plurality of ropes 10 is wound onto the drum, each one of which ropes is connected to a mass 11.

Each mass 11 is vertically sliding by gravity within a respective drop well 12.

Masses, when falling by gravity, drag the drum 7 and therefore the flywheel 3 to rotate. 13 designates a device for recovering the gravitational masses.

The gravitational masses are sized so that each one, individually, can keep the flywheel rotating.

The recovery of masses that have transferred their potential energy occurs at those times in which the electric energy produced by the supply station is not wholly used, or during the night, if in such period it is less used.

Mass drop wells can be equipped with magnetic or electromagnetic systems in order to increase the dragging efficiency and decrease the necessary energy for recovery.

In this case, the gravitational masses will have to be of the ferromagnetic type.

According to a possible, not necessary but preferable variation, 14 designates electromagnetic coils arranged around the flywheel that allow contributing to keep the rotation, or allow producing energy that can be used for lifting the gravitational masses. In order to understand the supply station operation, it is necessary to provide the following remarks: - The dragging capability of the flywheel depends on the amount of motion that it has. The amount of motion strictly depends on the rotation mass, on the flywheel mass and geometry.

- The resisting torque, composed of the electric energy generating unit, will imply a flywheel motion resistance that is inversely proportional to its amount of motion: theoretically, a flywheel with a very big mass could drag the generators for an as well long time before losing speed.

- The gravitational masses responsible for keeping the flywheel rotating can compose a driving torque, for rotating the flywheel, that is greater by many orders of magnitude than the resisting torque.

- Due to the second principle of dynamics, a body tends to keep its motion or rest state: variations to its state, due to external forces, are proportional to its degree of inertia.

This means that, after having rotated a flywheel, stopping its motion is as difficult as its mass and rotation speed are higher.

Therefore, if in order to rotate a 20-ton flywheel at a speed of 10 revolutions per second, 30 minutes of three-phase 380 V 50 A energy are necessary, and if in order to load a gravitation system that is able to keep the flywheel rotating for 10 days, the same power is necessary, the system will be able to drag an electricity generator for producing electric energy for at least 10 days, for a global amount of at least 800 times the spent energy. The operating cycle length depends on:

- resisting torque

- driving torque

- flywheel speed - flywheel mass

- flywheel geometry - gravitational systems mass

- gravitational systems autonomy.

If one takes into account that the following systems operate in the supply station:

- an electromagnetic system that is able to increase the flywheel capability to overcome a resisting torque

- a pressure/vacuum pipes system to increase the gravitational masses efficiency, both during the rotor charging cycle, and during their recovery

- a system of solar energy panels, everything further increases the operating cycles length.

Claims

1) Electric supply station with gravitational masses comprising an electric generator, characterised in that it comprises a flywheel (3) whose rotation axle is connected on one side to the electric generator and on another side to a dragging system (5) actuated by a plurality of masses (11) that are vertically sliding by gravity, said masses being sized in order to be able, each one individually, to keep the flywheel rotating.

2) Electric supply station according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a device (13) for recovering the gravitational masses (11) in order to take them back at a height and restore their potential energy.

3) Electric supply station according to claim 1, characterised in that the dragging system (5) comprises a drum (7) keyed onto a shaft (8) connected through a reducer / multiplier (6), equipped with a clutch, to a shaft (9) of the flywheel (3), on said drum a plurality of ropes (10) being wound, each one of said ropes being connected to a mass (11).

4) Electric supply station according to claim 1 , characterised in that it comprises drop wells (12) within which the gravitational masses (11) are vertically sliding.

5) Electric supply station according to claim Ib, characterised in that the masses (11) are ferromagnetic. 6) Electric supply station according to claims 1 and 5, characterised in that the drop wells (12) are equipped with magnetic or electromagnetic systems to increase their dragging efficiency and to decrease the necessary energy for recovering the masses (11).

7) Electric supply station according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises electromagnetic coils (14) arranged around the flywheel (3) to aid in keeping its rotation. 8) Electric supply station according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a revolutions reducer/multiplier (4) equipped with a clutch that connects the electric generator shaft with the flywheel shaft.