User:DM8954/Wave Propulsion Louvers

Description

Using louvers to convert multi-directional wave energy on the open ocean and convert it into a directional force for low-speed propulsion and station keeping.

Detail

Louvers[1], generally speaking, are horizontal slats which are angled to let in air and light while also keeping out rain, noise, and direct sunlight. The same concept has been applied on a smaller scale, with adjustable window blinds. Louvers have also been adapted into use in small building exhaust vents. When air moves from the inside to the outside of a building, through these louvered vent covers, the louvers open easily to allow the undesirable air to low through. Air moving in the other direction (wind) forces the louvers to close, preventing outside air from entering.

I would like to submit the possibility of using a system of independent, unidirectional louvers to block water moving in a single direction within a wave in order to transfer part of that kinetic energy to a watercraft or seastead for the purposes of low-speed propulsion or station keeping.

Particle motion within a surface wave is essentially circular, so that as a wave moves through the water individual particles move forward with the wave, down, back, up, and forward again to their original position. By selectively resisting and permitting the flow of these particles, a directional force can be extracted and applied to any structure this device is connected to. Further, by using multiple devices spaced at regular intervals, energy can be extracted from different portions of a wave so that the overall forces collected add up to a single continuous force.

To be continued...