INTERIOR HYDRAULICS

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Hydraulic power packs and a 5kW/hr battery bank

 

BATTERIES - At the moment we have four LX31 marine batteries that are a dual purpose design also suitable for cranking. The storage capacity is 420 amps giving us 5kW hours. We will treble this capacity during our experiments, using the energy to supply the laboratory and test tank and when working on a beach, to power the canteen and comms. Copyright © photograph 21 June 2019 Cleaner Ocean Foundation Ltd. All rights reserved, save for educational and research purposes.

 

 

The interior of the van contains the battery storage banks and the hydraulic power packs, complete with reservoirs of hydraulic oil. Underneath the power packs we have a drip tray so that when servicing any leakages can be mopped up without ruining the remainder of the work area. We also fitted and oil transfer pump to enable complete emptying of the system when that might be needed.

 

 

 

INTERNAL BRACING - The start of the internal frames is this wooden brace. A steel frame fitted around these timbers will carry twin hydraulic double acting cylinders to power the mast up and down. In this picture we see a timber floor pad and uprights before the steel bracing is added. Copyright © photograph 16 May 2019 Cleaner Ocean Foundation Ltd. All rights reserved, save for educational and research purposes.

 

 

The wooden frame here in the picture above is able to take the vertical loads from the roof frame, but is more of a jig for the steelwork that will transfer the loads from the hydraulic rams to raise the wind turbine mast. You can see the steel reinforcing installed below. It may be useful to keep the timber in situ until the most urgent experiments are completed, where fixing points for other equipment is yet to be decided.

 

We will be publishing pictures of the installation as each stage is passed ........

 

 

 

WELDING - Box section steel tubes cut and primed, ready for fitting. Copyright © photographs June 9 2019. All rights reserved, Cleaner Ocean Foundation Ltd.

 

 

 

HYDRAULIC PADS - Angle section steel cut and bored, ready to be welded in place. Copyright © photographs June 9 2019. All rights reserved, Cleaner Ocean Foundation Ltd.

 

 

 Ford Transit conversion to mobile electricity generator      

 

DESIGN LAYOUT - These are the working drawings for the conversion to a portable eco generator. The steel roof frame sits on top of plywood pads to act as soft seat buffer. Inside the van we need to make a steel frame to take the loads of two hydraulic rams that will go through the roof, to lift the mast. We'll worry about waterproofing the opening later. In developing regions, mobile power supplies like this would allow children power for computers and  internet access, to include lighting for classrooms. This might be particularly useful for Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of India. Copyright © diagrams March 12 2019. All rights reserved, Cleaner Ocean Foundation Ltd.

 

 

 

HYDRAULIC PINS - More steel pins, this time for the hydraulic cylinder. We need to chamfer the ends to match, though this is cosmetic where the burrs had been removed after cutting to length, before the drilling operation. Copyright © photograph 6 June 2019 Cleaner Ocean Foundation Ltd. All rights reserved, save for educational and research purposes.

 

 

 

SEEING THE LIGHT - No turning back now. This is a view from inside the Ford Transit. We need to complete this phase and waterproof the openings with flexible rubber sheeting. There is a drip tray below to catch any dribbles during development. Copyright © photograph 6 June 2019 Cleaner Ocean Foundation Ltd. All rights reserved, save for educational and research purposes.

 

 

 

CHOP SAW - Sparks fly as we cut the angles on the tubular steel stays. Copyright © photograph 9 June 2019 Cleaner Ocean Foundation Ltd. All rights reserved, save for educational and research purposes.

 

 

 

BRACING - This blue painted steel frame carries the loads generated by the two larger hydraulic rams in lifting the mast, to the chassis of the vehicle. Copyright © photograph 13 June 2019 Cleaner Ocean Foundation Ltd. All rights reserved, save for educational and research purposes.

 

 

 

RAMS FITTED - The angle-steel pads are welded in place and painted, seen here with the hydraulic cylinders fitted. Once the weather proofing is fitted we can plumb in these cylinders and fit a power pack into a cradle, nestled underneath the steel framework. Copyright © photograph 13 June 2019 Cleaner Ocean Foundation Ltd. All rights reserved, save for educational and research purposes.

 

 

 

 

ROOF EXIT - The hydraulic rams exit the interior to meet with the mast couplings, meaning that rainwater will leak into the vehicle. To stop this as much as possible, we are using a rubber membrane with longitudinal slots, to be overlaid with a secondary membrane that fits over the cylinders sideways. Until we try the combination it is uncertain how waterproof the arrangement might be. We have not seen another vehicle with hydraulics coming vertically through a roof. Copyright © photograph 13 June 2019 Cleaner Ocean Foundation Ltd. All rights reserved, save for educational and research purposes.

 

 

Roofing, weather proofing the hydraulic apertures

 

TEST FIT - Before this membrane is fitted, the rough steel edges from the panel beating will be smoothed with GRP to form a solid lip that prevents water ingress from puddles that form in between the roof ridges. Depending on how well the rubber membranes work, we may include bristle gates and extend the drip tray below. There is nothing more annoying than a drip from a leak inside a vehicle. Copyright © photograph 13 June 2019 Cleaner Ocean Foundation Ltd. All rights reserved, save for educational and research purposes.

 

 

24 volt hydraulic powerpack Ford Transit mounted

 

MOUNTINGS - The 24 volt hydraulic power packs are bolted to a wooden frame. This frame takes two of these power packs. A third is to be mounted higher and forward, with the oil tank still over the drip tray that is to be fitted inside the lower frame to act as a convenient lip. We will also fit a pump to empty the oil tanks for servicing, were handling hydraulic oils can be messy if you are not careful. Copyright © photograph 16 June 2019 Cleaner Ocean Foundation Ltd. All rights reserved, save for educational and research purposes.

 

 

 

AFRICA & INDIA - In 2015 a world report concluded that 1.3 billion people were living in the dark. Rather than looking at this as a problem, we might take the alternative view that this is an opportunity to build an off-grid supply network using only renewables - so ensuring that what might be perceived as more strain in terms of climate change, might be prevented. We might achieve this with mobile units to begin with, until the affected regions have time to build permanent networks with installed wind and solar energy generators.

 

 

Off grid power supplies for African villages and music festivals

 

OFF-GRID - An example control panel and sockets for off-grid power supplies. Village halls and schools would simply plug into the appropriate socket. Such an arrangement might be ideal for events, such as music festivals, such as Glastonbury or Bestival on the Isle of Wight.

 

 

Lest we forget, the reason for conducting this experiment is to see how much power we can generate for ocean and river cleaning machines with computer controlled wind and solar energy tracking.

 

We are testing two wind turbines knowing that there are complications with such a system, as in needing slip rings and synchronization. There is also the problem of interference between turbines. There are though lesser forces in terms of roll and reduced height. That said, it is likely that SeaVax and the Elizabeth Swan will use a single turbine on a lightweight  mast design derived from this prototype.

 

 

 

LINKS & REFERENCE

 

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Humpback wales are dying from plastic pollution

 

THIS IS WHY WE CARE - This humpback whale is one example of a magnificent animal that is at the mercy of human activity. Humans are for the most part unaware of the harm their petrochemical lifestyles are causing - as they are without safety nets or an exit strategy to renewable energy. We aim to change that by doing all we can to promote ocean literacy to help reduce our plastic, food and carbon footprints.

 

 

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 This website is provided on a free basis as a public information service. Copyright © Cleaner Oceans Foundation Ltd (COFL) (Company No: 4674774) 2019. Solar Studios, BN271RF, United Kingdom. COFL is a charity without share capital. The names AmphimaxRiverVax™ and SeaVax™ are trademarks.

 

 

 

 

CONVERTING OUR FORD TRANSIT INTO A SOLAR AND WIND HARVESTING RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT RIG