Inventor Claims Large Hydroelectric Powered Submarines Now Possible

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) October 9, 2009 -- Milwaukie, Oregon inventor, Rick Dickson, claims that his Ocean Pressure Electric Conversion technology could make full-size hydroelectric powered submarines possible in the near future.

Already, there are hydro-electric powered underwater autonomous vehicles (UAVs) used for long range ocean exploration. These small machines operate by "falling through the water column". As they sink in the deep ocean many thousands of feet, they use conventional hydroelectric generators to charge on-board lithium-ion batteries, which then operate small electric motors to propel the UAVs back-up through the water column. They thus move through the deep oceans in a porpoise-like manner (up and down over a long arc).

Mr. Dickson's idea is to combine this concept with his previous invention, Ocean Pressure Electric Conversion, to enable a full-scale submarine to porpoise through the deep ocean water column, operating on renewable energy alone. Such a submarine would only have to surface when needed, as its operating energy would be drawn from the ocean environment itself.

The submarine would operate as follows: as it sinks through the water column at its programmed descent angle, conventional on-board hydroelectric generators would use the pressure of the incoming water to generate electricity (much like a hydroelectric dam). This electrical energy would be stored in batteries. When the submarine reached the bottom of its dive, valves connected to the sea would open, flooding internal tanks and pressurizing the air in these tanks via a simple linear piston. Once fully pressurized, the tanks would close, the batteries would power underwater jets for ascent at the calculated angle, and then when the submarine reached a depth where the air pressure in the tanks greatly exceeded the outside water pressure, valves would open and the compressed air would push the piston forward at great velocity evacuating a water jet for propulsion. The cycle would then repeat with another porpoise-like dive.

Dickson says the system would allow even large submarines to porpoise through the water column using "free energy" provided by the ocean environment itself. Such submarines, if equipped with jets rather than propellers would be extremely quiet as well as long-ranged.

The inventor envisions their use for giant cargo carrying submarines, which would cheaply and more efficiently replace surface container and even oil tanker ships for maritime transport in a much safer manner, since hundreds of commercial vessels are lost each year to surface storms and rogue waves. However, Mr. Dickson also acknowledges inherent military submarine advantages for the new concept as well.