Richard Navarro
Renewable Ocean Energy, Inc.
Previously, I discussed lifting water from a passive source (i.e., without a dam, tides, or currents) with a siphon used for thousands of years to transfer water but does not have sufficient force to turn a hydroelectric generator efficiently. So, how do we do it? The siphoned water goes to a hydraulic ram pump used since 1238 AD to pump water (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_ram). As the siphoned water flows down a pipe via gravity, the mass and velocity of the water builds kinetic energy. A valve at the bottom of the pipe suddenly stops the water and kinetic energy. As water is not compressible, the energy reverses instantaneously and can explode the pipe. This process creates a loud noise just as a hammer does when striking a nail (hammer effect). Typically, engineers seek to eliminate the hammer effect, but we use it to do work! I learned about the hammer effect on the family farm as a teen when I turned off a water pipe which caused the pipe to shudder! In our lab, I created a hammer effect water from a tank twenty-five feet above the floor through a 38-foot pipe and measured 140 pounds per square inch (psi) in the pipe!! Since atmospheric pressure is about 14.8 psi, this is a tenfold increase in the pressure, yet we used no fuel. This pressure is how hydraulic ram pump lifts water higher in lieu of a conventional pump and operates continuously without any other source of energy than gravity. Blending these two proven systems using the most constant energy source in the galaxy (gravity), we produce electricity 24/7 without carbon or nuclear emissions! Sounds simple, huh? It is a bit more complicated, but it works.
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