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Title: Method and apparatus for producing electricity from thermal sea power
Claims: I claim: 1. A method of producing useful electricity from the thermal power of a large body of water having cold subsurface water and surface water which is warmer than the subsurface water, comprising the steps of: upwelling cold subsurface water to the surface of said large body of water creating an area on the surface thereof having cold water thereon and being surrounded by the warmer surface water of said large body of water, utilizing compressed air to upwell said cold subsurface water by releasing said compressed air at a lower portion of one or more substantially vertical conduits having an opening at their upper and lower portions, the lower portion or portions thereof being located at a depth within said large body of water at which there exists subsurface water which is substantially colder than said surface water, said one or more vertical conduits having a compressed air storage tank and pressure regulating valving so as to prevent compressed air starvation because of a different depth location of the lower portion of one conduit relative to another conduit; utilizing said area having cold subsurface water thereon and said surrounding substantially warmer surface water to generate electricity; and including the step of generating electricity by a heat engine, said heat engine including a condenser and said condenser being floatingly positioned in the area having cold subsurface water thereon at a location directly above the outlet of said vertical conduit, said heat engine further including boilers and said boilers being positioned within said warm water surrounding said area having cold subsurface water thereon, the output of said boilers being operatively connected to a turbine generator which produces electricity and is operatively connected to said condenser. 2. The method of claim 1, including the steps of combining a plurality of areas having cold water thereon and a vertical conduit having a heat engine associated therewith within a large area of said large body of water so as to produce a large amount of electricity. 3. The method of claim 2 including the steps of positioning at least one aero turbine in said warm water surrounding said plurality of areas having cold subsurface water thereon said at least one areo turbine being driven by winds created by the phenomena of thermal convection which causes the heavier colder air over said areas having cold subsurface water thereon to blow in a horizontal direction toward the lighter hotter air over the warm water surrounding said areas having cold subsurface water thereon. 4. Apparatus for producing useful energy from the thermal power of a large body of water having cold subsurface water thereon with a substantially constant temperature and surface water which is substantially warmer than said subsurface water comprising means for creating an area having cold subsurface water thereon within said large body of water by air lifting said cold subsurface water to the surface of said large body of water including: an air compressor means, a compressed air storage tank means operatively connected to said compresser means, a preset pressure regulating valve means between said compresser means and said tank means and operatively connected therebetween, vertical conduit means comprising a plurality of vertical conduits spaced approximately an equal distance from each other, each of said conduits having an open upper end and an open lower end, and each being anchored to the floor of said large body of water, with said lower end of each being positioned within said cold subsurface water having a substantial constant temperature and said upper end of each of said conduits being located below the surface of said large body of water and said conduits being spaced from one another in a pattern and at generally equal distances from each other, each conduit creating a separate area having a cold subsurface water thereon with each separate area being surrounded by normal water of said large body of water, an air line supply means operatively connected to said storage tank means and said bottom end of each of said conduits so as to discharge compressed air within each of said conduits, means for utilizing said area having cold subsurface water thereon and surrounding warmer water of said large body of water to produce electricity, said plurality of conduits being supplied compressed air from said air compresser means; said air line supply means including means for assuring a constant flow of compressed air to each conduit regardless of the depth of the bottom end of each conduit at which location said compressed air is supplied, and said means for securing a constant flow of compressed air to each of said plurality of conduits comprising pressure valve regulating means operatively connected between said storage tank means and in said air line supply means; and said means for producing electricity comprising a plurality of heat engines, each of said heat engines including a condenser and means for floating each of said condensers in its associated area having cold subsurface water thereon at a location directly above the outlet of said associated vertial conduit, and each of said heat engines including one or more boilers which are positioned within said warm water surrounding each of said areas having cold subsurface water thereon, the output of said boilers being operatively connected to a turbine generator which produces electricity and is operatively connected to said condenser. 5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein the fluid within said heat engine comprises water at a very low pressure so that it has a boiling point low enough to be boiled by the normally warm waters of tropic oceans. Other info: Inventors: Girden, Barney B. (Lauderhill, FL, US) Application Number: 916897 Filing Date: 1978-06-19 Publication_date: 1981-01-20 Assignee: Primary Class(es): 60/641.7 60/690, 239/2.1, 417/108 Other Classes: US Patent Ref:
Other Refs: Primary Examiner: Ostrager, Allen M. Assistant Examiner: Husar, Stephen F. Attorney: |
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