Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Power Generation for an Underwater Habitat

[TeslaTony@aol.com]

In a message dated 4/7/01 10:49:27 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
lrrg@wantree.com.au writes:

> Anthony,
>               If you placed your habitat in the right place, maybe you 
could 
> generate power for it by putting a unidirectional water turbine in the 
ocean 
> current. Devices exist that can produce rotational motion in one direction 
> irrespective of the direction of flow of the current. A the moment, such 
> devices only exist to operate in air, but the dynamic principles could 
easily 
> be adapted to water. Perhaps a derivative of Jaque Cousteau's electric 
sails 
> would be suitable - albeit a bit wider and a bit shorter. This system would 
> be extremely low maintenance and would eliminante the need for storing 
large 
> quantities of volatile chemicals - it would also mean that the only air had 
> pumped down would be for breathing, not for running an internal combustion 
> generator. Something to think about?

That would work, the main modifications would be waterproofing the generator 
and attaching a prop better suited to a marine environment.

>  For something that would operate in shallow water, perhaps you could even 
> build it out of the large cylindrical underground tanks that they have at 
gas 
> stations. The inside would need to be treated, and maybe reinforced a 
little, 
> but a second-hand one would probably be quite cheap and readily available. 
> Again, just an idea.

If you're going to go for 33 feet (10 meters) then the pressure is only about 
14.3 PSI (at .434 PSI per foot), which shouldn't be too hard to engineer for 
a 1ATM habitat, even easier if you go with an ambient habitat.

>  Let me know what you think and what you've already figured out. Enjoy!
>  
>  Rich
>  
Another way to generate power would be to have solar panels mounted on floats 
that could also be rigged to run a generator by bobbing around in the water. 
A bonus to this system is that the panels can also be rigged with camera 
systems to act as periscopes and will warn ships that there is something in 
the area that they don't want to run over. It would also be helpful so that 
whoever is supposed to come pick you up would have an easier time finding the 
habitat.

Anthony