Increasing mechanical advantage through the use of a rotating liquid

Abstract

The disclosed invention is a description of the means to create increased mechanical advantage by taking advantage of the rotation of confined liquid matter. The process described uses liquid both as a mass to store rotational energy, and at the same time the rotating liquid is used as a motive force to drive a rotating shell. A description of the process and one possible embodiment are presented.

Claims

1. A fluid flywheel comprising a liquid chamber having an inner wall and an outer wall, an inlet for allowing a non-compressible liquid to enter, an outlet to allow the liquid to exit, a rotating shaft, and a paddle fixed to the rotating shaft, wherein the paddle is rigid and hollow.

2. The fluid flywheel of claim 1 wherein the inlet comprises multiple inlets and/or the outlet comprises multiple outlets.

3. The fluid flywheel of claim 1 wherein the paddle comprises multiple paddles for extracting mechanical energy.

4. The fluid flywheel of claim 1 having a means of injecting liquid into the liquid chamber by pump, gravity flow, or other mechanical or natural means.

5. The fluid flywheel of claim 1 wherein the liquid is water.

6. The fluid flywheel of claim 1 wherein the liquid is a non-compressible liquid other than water.

7. The fluid flywheel of claim 1 wherein the bottom of the container has a channel running around the inner wall and/or the bottom of the container is curved in an upward direction.

8. The fluid flywheel of claim 1 wherein useful work is done by capturing energy from the liquid within the liquid chamber.

9. The fluid flywheel of claim 1, wherein the outlet is above the inlet causing liquid removed from the chamber to be from above the inlet.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention will be explained below by means of non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a cutaway view of the parts of one possible embodiment of the invention including a circular container with an inlet and outlet for liquid, a rotating shaft with an affixed paddle and a trough in the bottom of the container.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a top view of the parts of one possible embodiment of the invention including a circular container with an inlet and outlet for liquid, a rotating shaft with an affixed paddle, and a trough in the bottom of the container.

(4) FIG. 3 shows a cutaway view of the parts of one possible embodiment of the invention including a circular container with multiple inlets and multiple outlets for liquid, a rotating shaft with multiple affixed paddles and a trough in the bottom of the container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) Waterwheels are designed to use the direct flow of water to rotate a mass, and flywheels are designed to accumulate energy through work done on them by mechanical means and may use a liquid for increasing their relative mass. The current invention uses liquid for both increasing mass for increased rotational energy and as a motive force to drive a rotating shaft. The current invention uses rotating liquid to apply work to a paddle to turn the rotating shaft.

(6) The current invention is a continuous direct motive force to spin a rotating shaft. While the present invention resembles a flywheel storage device, a storage device implies an input of energy and then a passage of time before the energy is converted back into useable work. In the current process described, energy is continuously input in the form of work done on the contained liquid to cause continuous rotation at the same rotational velocity, while simultaneously mechanical energy is continuously extracted in the form of a rotating shaft 4 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

(7) The device, shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is a container 1 with a circular interior sufficient in strength to contain the rotating liquid. The preferred embodiment to impart rotation to the contained liquid is to inject liquid into the container through an inlet 2 aligned tangentially with the interior wall of the container and allow it to exit through an outlet 3 (also aligned tangentially) on the opposite side of the container. Liquid is injected by means of a mechanical pump, gravity flow, or other means that imparts flow to the liquid prior to its entering the container, the energy of the flow is then transferred to the liquid already in the container. The liquid in the container may also be induced to rotation by the application of a force to the rotating shaft. The liquid injected and used throughout the container should be non-compressible. While any number of fluids could work with the process described, the preferred embodiment is water, because it is a non-compressible fluid, abundant, easy to handle and harmless to the environment.

(8) Injected liquid will cause rotation because of the circular nature of the container 1, and if the rotational velocity of the contained liquid is less than the velocity of the incoming liquid, the incoming liquid will perform work on the contained liquid increasing its rotational velocity. This additional work will be translated as increased rotational velocity leading to increased kinetic energy which will be available to perform work. Once the velocity of the rotating liquid and the incoming liquid are equal, the contained liquid will continue to rotate at the same velocity as long as liquid is continually injected into the container at the same velocity and volume that caused the initial rotation to begin and no additional load is applied.

(9) The velocity and volume of the liquid being injected into the container causes rotation. The volume is to be sufficiently large to affect the total volume in the container in a timely manner, and the velocity must be such that it equals or exceeds the rotational speed necessary in conjunction with the mass of the contained liquid to produce the necessary torque (as determined by Torque=|ω) that is needed to produce the desired amount of work.

(10) Rather than have the liquid simply flow through the container, effort is made to retain as much of the liquid as feasible and increase its rotational velocity. For this reason, the outlet 3 for the liquid is specifically placed above the level of the inlet 2. Since the outlet is above the inlet, the majority of the liquid removed from the container is liquid above the inlet 2 and only the liquid that directly aligns with the outlet 3. This reduces the energy needed to remove liquid from the container and allows liquid that is already rotating at maximum velocity to remain in the container.

(11) A paddle 5 is attached to the rotating shaft. Preferably, the paddle 5 is a single bladed rigid paddle with counter weight if needed. The rigid paddle 5 extends from just below the surface of the liquid to just above the bottom of the container provides a rigid surface against which all of the moving liquid molecules can impact, then, transfers the energy of that impact to all of the liquid molecules in front of the paddle through the movement of the paddle. Having a single rigid surface rotating with the liquid works to limit internal turbulence and helps to increase the cohesion of the rotating liquid. It also provides a simple means to allow the rotating liquid in the container to transfer energy and cause rotation in the shaft 4.

(12) Two important design considerations of the present invention are to limit turbulence which degrades rotational energy, and to prevent the formation of a vortex in the rotating liquid. Turbulence can be reduced by the container having smooth, water repellant interior walls. A vortex occurs when the rotational energy moves liquid from the center of the container forcing it against the interior wall and causing the outer edges of the liquid to rise while a depression forms at the center. This can cause a loss of force against the paddle 5. A channel (trough) 6 at the bottom of the container, circling the bottom of the container against the interior wall, equal in depth to the rise of the liquid at the surface caused by the rotation of the liquid, its depth and width based on the designed rotational speed of the liquid, is included in the preferred embodiment to reduce vortex formation.