Wave Energy Screw Pump Point Absorber Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current green energy technologies, such as solar panels and wind turbines, have environmental drawbacks like wildlife destruction and resource consumption, necessitating an eco-friendly and efficient method to harness wave energy.
Innovation Solution
A wave energy capture, storage, and conversion assembly using a helical water screw and point absorber mechanism that converts wave motion into rotary motion, elevates water to store potential energy, and drives hydroelectric turbines to generate electricity, minimizing environmental impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If solar panels and wind turbines are deployed to capture green energy, then renewable energy production is improved, but wildlife destruction and resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical energy capture systems (solar panels, wind turbines) with a wave energy conversion system that uses ocean waves to rotate a helical screw pump. This substitution targets the harmful effects of land-based renewable energy technologies while maintaining green energy production, as wave energy conversion occurs at sea and does not require large land areas or mineral extraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs hydraulic principles by using wave-driven rotation of a helical screw pump to elevate seawater into a reservoir. The system converts kinetic wave energy into potential energy stored in elevated water, which then drives a hydroelectric turbine to generate electricity. This hydraulic approach provides a clean energy conversion method that avoids the wildlife and resource issues associated with solar and wind technologies.
2Ease of manufacture
If large surface areas are destroyed to extract minerals for solar panels and wind turbines, then green energy infrastructure is improved, but environmental damage and resource loss worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes mineral-intensive manufacturing (solar panels requiring silicon, wind turbines requiring rare earth magnets and steel) with a mechanical wave-to-hydroelectric energy conversion system. The helical screw pump and hydroelectric turbine can be constructed from more readily available materials, eliminating the need for extensive mineral extraction and processing while achieving the same goal of green energy production.
3Productivity
If wave energy is converted using traditional methods, then energy capture is improved, but ecological impact worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the energy conversion process from land-based locations to marine environments by deploying the wave energy conversion system at sea. The helical screw pump and associated machinery operate in the ocean, capturing wave energy without occupying valuable land or disrupting terrestrial ecosystems. This spatial extraction eliminates the ecological conflicts inherent in land-based renewable energy projects.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a hydraulic elevation system where waves drive the helical screw pump to lift seawater into an elevated reservoir. This hydraulic mechanism provides smooth, continuous energy conversion that is inherently gentler on the environment compared to the turbulent, high-impact operations of wind turbines or the chemical processes involved in solar panel manufacturing, thereby reducing ecological disturbance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides a reliable, consistent, and environmentally friendly energy source by efficiently converting wave energy into electricity while avoiding the drawbacks of traditional green energy technologies, with the potential for widespread deployment and minimal habitat disruption.
Implementation Method 1
A wave energy capture, storage, and conversion assembly using a helical water screw and point absorber mechanism that converts wave motion into rotary motion
Implementation Method 2
an arrangement of one or more helical water screws to elevate water and thereby convert kinetic wave energy into stored potential energy
Implementation Method 3
which then can be released to drive hydroelectric turbines and produce grid ready electrical energy
Data Source
AI summary
A wave energy capture, storage, and conversion assembly, including a first screw pump assembly, including a screw including a first end and a second end, and a tube at least partially encircling the screw, the tube including a third end and a fourth end, and a first point absorber operatively arranged to displace the screw in a first circumferential direction.