WO2011021992A1

WO2011021992A1 - Solar-powered upwelling pipe

Info

Publication number: WO2011021992A1
Application number: PCT/US2009/004708
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mark C. Jackson
Original assignee: Jackson Mark C
Priority date: 2009-08-18
Filing date: 2009-08-18
Publication date: 2011-02-24

Abstract

The solar-powered upwelling pipe (10) heats water found beneath the thermocline (T) of an ocean, causing the nutrient-rich water from beneath the thermocline (T) to rise closer to the ocean's surface (S). The upwelling pipe (10) includes an inner housing (14) having an open upper end (42) and a closed lower end (22), and an outer tube (12) having open upper (44) and lower ends (46). A reflector (32) is mounted about the housing (14), adjacent the upper end (42). A fiber optic bundle (30) is mounted within the housing (14), with an upper end positioned adjacent the open upper end (42) of the housing (14). Reflected light is focused onto the upper end of the fiber optic bundle (30), and a thermal plate (28) is mounted within closed lower end (22) of the housing (14), such that a lower end of the fiber optic bundle (30) directs light thereon.

Description

SOLAR-POWERED UPWELLING PIPE TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to raising deep ocean water or seawater towards or to the surface of the body of water, and particularly to a solar-powered upwelling pipe for heating water found beneath the thermocline of an ocean, thereby causing the nutrient-rich water from beneath the thermocline to rise closer to the ocean's surface.

BACKGROUND ART

Naturally occurring "upwelling" is an oceanographic phenomenon that involves wind- driven motion of dense, cooler, and usually nutrient-rich water toward the ocean surface, replacing the warmer, usually nutrient-depleted surface water. There are at least five types of upwelling: coastal upwelling, large-scale wind-driven upwelling in the ocean interior, upwelling associated with eddies, topographically-associated upwelling, and broad-diffusive upwelling in the ocean interior.

Coastal upwelling is the best known type of upwelling, and the type most closely related to human activities, as it supports some of the most productive fisheries in the world, such as small pelagics (sardines, anchovies, etc.). Deep waters are rich in nutrients that include nitrates and phosphates, themselves the result of decomposition of sinking organic matter (dead/detrital plankton) from surface waters. When brought to the surface, these nutrients are utilized by phytoplankton in combination with dissolved carbon dioxide and light energy from the sun to produce organic compounds through the process of photosynthesis. Upwelling regions, therefore, result in very high levels of primary production (with the amount of carbon fixed by phytoplankton) in comparison to other areas of the ocean. High primary production propagates up the food chain because phytoplankton are at the base of the oceanic food chain. Regions of upwelling include coastal Peru, Chile, Arabian Sea, western South Africa, eastern New Zealand, southeastern Brazil and the California coast.

The food chain follows the course of phytoplankton to zooplankton to predatory zooplankton to filter feeders to predatory fish. Due to this being a food chain, every species is a key species within the upwelling zone. Coastal upwelling is ultimately an effect of the Coriolis force, by which wind-driven currents tend to be driven to the right of the winds in the Northern Hemisphere, and to the left of the winds in the Southern Hemisphere. For example, in the northern Hemisphere, when winds blow either equatorward along an eastern ocean boundary or poleward along a western ocean boundary, surface waters are driven away from the coasts and replaced by denser waters from below.

A related phenomenon is found at the equator, or more precisely, in association with the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), which actually moves, and consequently is often located north or south of the equator. Easterly (westward) winds blowing along the ITCZ in both the Pacific and Atlantic Basins drive water to the right (northwards) in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left (southwards) in the Southern Hemisphere, or if the ITCZ is displaced above the equator, the wind south of it becomes a southwesterly wind, which drives water to its right or southeasterly, away from the ITCZ. Whatever its location, this results in a divergence, with denser, nutrient-rich water being upwelled from below, and results in the remarkable fact that the equatorial region in the Pacific can be detected from space as a broad line of high phytoplankton concentration.

Artificial upwelling has recently become of interest due to global environmental concerns. This type of upwelling is produced by devices that use ocean wave energy or ocean thermal energy conversion to pump water to the surface. Such devices have been shown to produce plankton blooms. Of particular interest in artificial upwelling is the driving of water from beneath the ocean's thermocline layer toward the ocean surface. The "thermocline" (sometimes referred to as the "metalimnion") is a thin but distinct layer in a large body of fluid (e.g., water, such as an ocean or lake, or air, such as the atmosphere), in which temperature changes more rapidly with depth than it does in the layers above or below. In the ocean, the thermocline may be thought of as an invisible blanket which separates the upper mixed layer from the calm deep water below. Depending largely on season, latitude, and turbulent mixing by wind, thermoclines may be a semi-permanent feature of the body of water in which they occur, or they may form temporarily in response to such phenomena as the radiative heating/cooling of surface water during the day/night. Factors that affect the depth and thickness of a thermocline include seasonal weather variations, latitude, and local environmental conditions, such as tides and currents.

In the ocean, most of the heat energy of sunlight is absorbed in the first few centimeters at the ocean's surface, which heats up during the day and cools at night (as heat energy is lost to space by radiation). Waves mix the water near the surface layer and distribute heat to deeper water so that the temperature may be relatively uniform for up to 100 m, depending on wave strength and the existence of surface turbulence caused by currents. Below this mixed layer, however, the temperature remains relatively stable over day/night cycles. The temperature of the deep ocean drops gradually with depth. As saline water does not freeze until it reaches -2.3° C (colder as depth and pressure increase), the temperature well below the surface is usually not far from zero degrees.

The thermocline varies in depth. It is semi-permanent in the tropics, variable in temperate regions (often deepest during the summer), and shallow to nonexistent in the polar regions, where the water column is cold from the surface to the bottom. A layer of sea ice will act as an insulation blanket. In environmental engineering, it is often desirable to pump the nutrient-rich water from beneath the thermocline to the surface of the body of water. Conventional pumps, however, produce pollution, chemical byproducts, and cause noise and churning of the water, all of which may be disruptive or even deadly to the marine life. Thus, a solar-powered upwelling pipe solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The solar-powered upwelling pipe heats water found beneath the thermocline of an ocean, causing the nutrient-rich water from beneath the thermocline to rise closer to the ocean's surface. The solar-powered upwelling pipe includes an inner housing having an open upper end and a closed lower end, and an outer tube having open upper and lower ends. The inner housing is positioned substantially centrally and axially with respect to the outer tube, with the upper end of the inner housing projecting above the upper end of the outer tube. In use, the outer tube is entirely positioned within the body of water, with the upper end thereof being positioned below and adjacent the surface of the body of water, and with the upper end of the inner housing extending above the surface of the body of water.

The inner housing is secured within the outer tube, and a parabolic reflector is mounted about the inner housing, adjacent and below the open upper end thereof. At least one fiber optic cable is mounted within the inner housing, with an upper end thereof being positioned adjacent the open upper end of the inner housing. Optics are provided for focusing light reflected from the parabolic reflector onto the upper end of the at least one fiber optic cable, and at least one thermal plate is mounted within the inner housing, adjacent the closed lower end thereof, such that a lower end of the at least one fiber optic cable is positioned adjacent the at least one thermal plate to direct transmitted light thereupon to heat the at least one thermal plate.

These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic environmental side view of a solar-powered upwelling pipe according to the present invention, with portions of the pipe broken away to show details thereof.

Fig. 2 is a partial diagrammatic view of the solar-powered upwelling pipe according to the present invention, particularly illustrating the reflecting optics thereof.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Referring to Fig. 1, the solar-powered upwelling pipe 10 is used to heat water found beneath the thermocline T of an ocean, causing the nutrient-rich water from beneath the thermocline T to rise closer to the ocean's surface S. As shown, the solar-powered upwelling pipe 10 includes an inner conduit or housing 14 disposed centrally and coaxially within a pipe or outer tube 12. Preferably, inner housing 14 is circular in cross section, and outer tube 12 forms a substantially cylindrical hollow shell. It should be understood that the dimensions and configuration of the inner housing 14 and outer tube 12 depend upon the desired water flow and the environmental conditions of the body of water in which they are received.

The inner housing has an open upper end 42 and a closed lower end 22. The outer tube 12, as shown, has open upper and lower ends 44, 46, respectively, with the inner housing 14 being disposed substantially centrally and axially with respect to the outer tube 12. Supports 40 extend between the exterior surface of inner housing 14 and the inner surface of outer tube 12 in order to secure the inner housing 14 to outer tube 12, and also to maintain the central, axial positioning thereof. Supports 40 may be in the form of bars or beams, for example, or may be annular discs with openings formed therethrough. Any suitable type of supports allowing for the passage of water therethrough or therearound may be used. As will be described in greater detail below, heated water from beneath thermocline T travels upwardly, through open lower end 46 of outer tube 12, in the annular, open region between the exterior surface of inner housing 14 and outer tube 12, and then out of open upper end 44.

As shown, the upper end 42 of the inner housing 14 projects above the upper end 44 of the outer tube 12. The outer tube 12 is adapted for being entirely positioned within the body of water, as shown, with the upper end 44 thereof being positioned below and adjacent a surface S of the body of water. The upper end 42 of the inner housing 12 extends above the surface S of the body of water. Any suitable anchoring or support system may be used to maintain the vertical positioning of outer tube 12 and inner housing 14, and also to maintain the fixed position of the solar-powered upwelling pipe 10 within the body of water and with respect to the thermocline T.

A parabolic reflector 32 is mounted about the inner housing 14 above the surface S, adjacent and below the open upper end 42 of inner housing 14. It should be understood that any suitable type of reflector may be utilized. At least one fiber optic cable is mounted within the inner housing 14. An upper end of the fiber optic cable is positioned adjacent the open upper end 42 of the inner housing 14. Preferably, as shown, a bundle of optical fibers 30 is positioned axially within the inner housing 14, as will be described in detail below.

As best shown in Fig. 2, light L (which is preferably sunlight) is reflected from the upper surface of parabolic reflector 32. Any suitable optics may be used to focus the reflected light L onto the upper end of fiber optic bundle 30 (through the open upper end 42 of inner housing 14). In the preferred embodiment, as shown, an auxiliary, downwardly facing parabolic reflector 34 is positioned above focal point F (the focal point of parabolic reflector 32), by supports 36, 38. Parabolic reflector 32 reflects the light upwardly, and auxiliary parabolic reflector 34 redirects the reflected light L downwardly, focusing the light L on the upper end of fiber optic bundle 30.

At least one thermal plate 28 is mounted within the inner housing 14, adjacent the closed lower end 22 thereof. A lower end of the at least one fiber optic cable is positioned adjacent the at least one thermal plate 28 to direct transmitted light thereupon to heat the at least one thermal plate 28. Preferably, as shown, the solar-powered upwelling pipe 10 further includes a plurality of auxiliary thermal plates 24, 26, which are vertically spaced apart from one another (and from the lower-most plate 28), and are also mounted at points within the inner housing 14, above the lower-most plate 28.

As noted above, a bundle of fiber optic cables 30 is preferably provided so that at least one auxiliary fiber optic cable of the bundle 30 has a lower terminating end positioned adjacent a respective one of the auxiliary thermal plates 24, 26 for heating thereof. As shown, the outermost cables of bundle 30 preferably terminate above plate 24, and the next- most outer cables of bundle 30 terminate above plate 26, with the remaining central cables of bundle 30 terminating above plate 28 within the closed lower end 22 of inner housing 14. Thermal plates 24, 26 may be formed from any material having a relatively high specific heat, allowing for storage of heat energy therein, with the heat coming primarily from infrared radiation projected thereon via transmission through the fiber optic cables. Preferably, as shown, the inner housing 14 includes a plurality of segments 16, 18, 20, with the diameter of each segment decreasing vertically with respect to the inner housing 14; i.e., upper segment 16 has the greatest diameter, with the diameter of central segment 18 being smaller than that of upper segment 16, and the diameter of the lower segment 20 being the smallest. It should be understood that segments 16, 18, 20 are shown for exemplary purposes only, and that any desired number of segments may be utilized. Each of the auxiliary thermal plates 24, 26 forms an annulus mounted about the bundle of fiber optic cables 30 so that each auxiliary thermal plate 24, 26 is positioned at a respective intersection between adjoining segments of the inner housing 14, as shown. Any desired number of thermal plates 24, 26 (and corresponding segments) may be utilized, depending upon the rate of water flow desired. At a minimum, only one fiber optic cable is necessary for heating a single thermal plate 28, mounted at the closed lower end 22 of housing 14, though more plates, as described above, may be used depending upon the user's need to heat a greater volume of water.

In use, environmental light L is reflected from the upper surface of first parabolic reflector 32, as shown in Fig. 2, to be focused at a focal point F, which is positioned above the open upper end 42 of housing 14, and above the upper end of fiber optic bundle 30. The auxiliary, downwardly-facing parabolic reflector 34 is positioned above focal point F by supports 36, 38, which may be any suitable type of supports or mounts. Parabolic reflector 32 reflects the light upwardly, and auxiliary parabolic reflector 34 redirects the reflected light L downwardly, focusing the light L on the upper end of fiber optic bundle 30. The light is then directed downwardly through the fiber optic bundle 30.

At least one auxiliary fiber optic cable of the bundle 30 has a lower terminating end positioned adjacent a respective one of the auxiliary thermal plates 24, 26 for heating thereof. Outermost cables of bundle 30 terminate above plate 24, and the next-most outer cables of bundle 30 terminate above plate 26, with the remaining central cables of bundle 30 terminating above plate 28, thus heating all three plates. A free water passage is formed between the inner surface of outer tube 12 and the outer surface of inner housing 14, and the heating of the plates 24, 26, 28 heats the water held therebetween. Inner housing 14 is preferably formed from a thermally conductive material, allowing the heat to be transferred, via conduction, from plates 24, 26, 28 to the surrounding water. The heated water flows upwardly, thus drawing the nutrient-rich water from beneath thermocline T toward the surface S of the ocean. As noted above, the thermal plates 24, 26, 28 may be formed from any suitable material having a relatively high heat capacity. Preferably, the material forming plates 24, 26, 28 is also selected so as to be corrosion resistant in the ocean water. Similarly, housing 14 is formed from a thermally conductive material, also selected to be corrosion-resistant in the ocean water. Outer tube 12 may be formed from plastic or other corrosion-resistant materials.

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

Claims

1. A solar-powered upwelling pipe, comprising:

an inner housing having an open upper end and a closed lower end;

an outer tube having open upper and lower ends, the inner housing being positioned substantially centrally and coaxially with respect to the outer tube, the upper end of the inner housing projecting above the upper end of the outer tube, the outer tube being adapted for being entirely positioned within a body of water, the upper end thereof being positioned below and adjacent a surface of the body of water, the upper end of the inner housing being adapted for extending above the surface of the body of water;

means for securing the inner housing within the outer tube;

a parabolic reflector mounted about the inner housing, adjacent and below the open upper end thereof;

at least one fiber optic cable mounted within the inner housing, an upper end thereof being positioned adjacent the open upper end of the inner housing;

means for focusing light reflected from the parabolic reflector onto the upper end of the at least one fiber optic cable; and

at least one thermal plate mounted within the inner housing, adjacent the closed lower end thereof, a lower end of the at least one fiber optic cable being positioned adjacent the at least one thermal plate to direct transmitted light thereupon to heat the at least one thermal plate.

2. The solar-powered upwelling pipe as recited in claim 1, wherein said inner housing is circular in cross section.

3. The solar-powered upwelling pipe as recited in claim 2, wherein said outer tube is formed as a substantially cylindrical shell.

4. The solar-powered upwelling pipe as recited in claim 3, further comprising a plurality of auxiliary thermal plates, the plurality of auxiliary thermal plates being vertically spaced apart and being mounted within the inner housing.

5. The solar-powered upwelling pipe as recited in claim 4, wherein the at least one fiber optic cable comprises a bundle of fiber optic cables.

6. The solar-powered upwelling pipe as recited in claim 5, wherein at least one auxiliary fiber optic cable of the bundle of fiber optic cables has a lower terminating end positioned adjacent a respective one of the auxiliary thermal plates for heating thereof.

7. The solar-powered upwelling pipe as recited in claim 6, wherein said inner housing comprises a plurality of segments, the diameter of the segments decreasing vertically with respect to the inner housing.

8. The solar-powered upwelling pipe as recited in claim 7, wherein each said auxiliary thermal plate forms an annulus mounted about the bundle of fiber optic cables, each said auxiliary thermal plate being positioned at a respective intersection between adjoining segments of said inner housing.

9. The solar-powered upwelling pipe as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for focusing the light comprise:

an auxiliary parabolic reflector; and

means for supporting the auxiliary parabolic reflector above the open upper end of said inner housing such that the light is reflected from the parabolic reflector and reflected again from the auxiliary parabolic reflector which focuses the light on the upper end of the at least one fiber optic cable.

10. A solar-powered upwelling pipe, comprising:

an inner housing having an open upper end and a closed lower end;

means for securing the inner housing within the outer tube; at least one fiber optic cable mounted within the inner housing, an upper end thereof being positioned adjacent the open upper end of the inner housing;

means for focusing environmental light onto the upper end of the at least one fiber optic cable; and

at least one thermal plate mounted within the inner housing adjacent the closed lower end thereof, a lower end of the at least one fiber optic cable being positioned adjacent the at least one thermal plate to direct transmitted light thereupon to heat the at least one thermal plate.

11. The solar-powered upwelling pipe as recited in claim 10, wherein said inner housing is circular in cross section.

12. The solar-powered upwelling pipe as recited in claim 11, wherein said outer tube is formed as a substantially cylindrical shell.

13. The solar-powered upwelling pipe as recited in claim 12, further comprising a plurality of auxiliary thermal plates, the plurality of auxiliary thermal plates being vertically spaced apart, each from the other, and being mounted within the inner housing.

14. The solar-powered upwelling pipe as recited in claim 13, wherein the at least one fiber optic cable comprises a bundle of fiber optic cables.

15. The solar-powered upwelling pipe as recited in claim 14, wherein at least one auxiliary fiber optic cable of the bundle of fiber optic cables has a lower terminating end positioned adjacent a respective one of the auxiliary thermal plates for heating thereof.

16. The solar-powered upwelling pipe as recited in claim 15, wherein said inner housing comprises a plurality of segments progressively decreasing in diameter.

17. The solar-powered upwelling pipe as recited in claim 16, wherein each said auxiliary thermal plate forms an annulus mounted about the bundle of fiber optic cables, each said auxiliary thermal plate being positioned at a respective intersection between adjoining segments of said inner housing.

18. The solar-powered upwelling pipe as recited in claim 10, wherein said means for focusing the light comprise:

a first parabolic reflector mounted about the inner housing, adjacent and below the open upper end thereof;

an auxiliary parabolic reflector; and

means for supporting the auxiliary parabolic reflector above the open upper end of said inner housing such that the environmental light is reflected from the first parabolic reflector and reflected again from the auxiliary parabolic reflector which focuses the light on the upper end of the at least one fiber optic cable.