Title of Invention

A TRANSPORT NETWORK AND A COMPRESED-AIR FILLING STATION SUPPORTING THE FUEL SUPPLY SYSTEM OF THE TRANSPORT NETWORK

Abstract

The invention concerns a transport network comprising a fleet of motor vehicles (14,24) each of which uses, for its propulsion, a self-contained onboard compressed gas source, in particular compressed air, and at least one compressed air- recharging station (16). The invention is characterised in that the station (16) is installed in the proximity of a natural or artificial waterway (12), and comprises a turbine (30) powered by the water flow and a gas compressor (28), in particular an air compressor, driven by the turbine (30). The invention is particularly applicable to a commuter ferry network.

Full Text

TRANSPORT NETWORK— COMPRISING A FLEET OF VEHICLES, BOAT AND-COMPRESSED AIR FILLING STATION FOR SUCH A NETWORK The present invention relates to a transport network comprising a fleet of self-propelled vehicles. particularly boats, each of which, to propel it, calls upon an on-board autonomous source of compressed gas, particularly compressed air. The invention relates to navicration in this way on a water course and more particularly to the driving and powering of a fleet of river buses or river boats, particularly in an urban environment, so as, for example, to form a river-borne public transport network. Passenqer transport boats such as river buses and the like are mainly powered by diesel engines and are thus particularly polluting. At the present time, projects for clean boats powered by electric motors are being envisaged, but they are very expensive to power. Numerous patent applications published, in the name of the applicant of the current patent application, under the numbers WO 96/27737, WO 97/39232, WO 97/48884, WO 9B/15440_and WO 98/32963 are known, these describing and depicting propulsion systems operating on compressed air with the injection of additional compressed air to produce pollution-free or de-polluting engines. These engines are applied to land vehicles but can also be applied to boats and other snips sucn as pleasure boats on rivers or passenger transport boats in an urban environment, such as river buses. These engines are supplied with compressed air by high- pressure reservoirs installed on board the vehicle, particularly on board the boat, and these on-board, high-pressure reservoirs are filled either by a compressor, which is itself on board and driven by an electric motor (see French patent application No. WO 98/12 062) or by transferring volumes of compressed air from an external high-pressure reservoir which forms a kind of service station for resupplying with compressed air. The invention aims to propose a transport network in which the compressed-air filling Station can be installed and operate particularly economically, without causing pollution, and which can easily be incorporated into the landscape. To this end, the invention proposes a transport network comprising a fleet of self-propelled vehicies each of which, to propel it, calls upon an on-board autonomous source of compressed gas, particularly compressed air, and at least one pressurized-gas filling station, characterized in that the station is installed near a natural or forced water caurse and comprises a turbine driven by the flow of the water and a gas, particularly air, compressor which is driven by the turbine. According to another embodiment, the station is installed near a sea or an ocean and comprises a turbine driven by the movement of the waves or by tidal energy. The high-pressure reservoirs of the service station are thus filled completely or in part by a compressor driven directly by a water turbine itself driven by the current of the water course or by a drop formed therein or alternatively by the movement of the waves or by tidal energy, thus making the transport line in question independent in terms of its energy. According to other features of the network: the filling station comprises means of storing the pressurized gas; the water turbine is arranged at the foot of a natural or artificial drop in the water course; the vehicles comprise a fleet of boats which navigate on the water course; each boat takes a route in tne form or a loop, and the filling station is installed at some point in the loop. The invention also DroDoses a boat for a network according to the invention characterized in that it comprises means of connection to the station for refilling its pressurized-gas reserve. Finally, the invention also proposes a pressurized-gas, particularly compressed-air, filling station for a network according to the teachings of the invention. Other objects, advantages and characteristics of the invention will become apparent from reading the (nonlimiting) description of several embodiments, which description is given with reference to the appendea drawings, in which: figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a river bus belonging to a transport network according to the teachings of the invention and which is illustrated while it is being refilled with compressed air in a filling station according to the teachings of the invention; and figure 2 is a diagrammatic view which depicts the installation of the network and of the station in an urban environment in combination with a fleet of land vehicles. Figure 1 shows a quay 10 alongside a river 12 on which a river bus 14 floats, this being a public transport vehicle whose means of propulsion, not depicted, comprise, in a known way, an engine which calls upon a source of compressed air consisting of a high-pressure reservoir, not depicted, held on board the boat and which has regularly to be refilled with compressed air. For this purpose, a filling service station 16 is built on the quay 10 and in particular comprises a first compressed-air filling point 18 to which the boat 14, when refilling is in progress, is connected by a pipe 20. The service station 16 may also comprise a second filling point 22 which is designed more specifically for refilling the high-pressure compressed-air reservoir of a land vehicle 24. The two points 18, 22 will of course be connected to a reserve 26 of compressed air under pressure which is here depicted schematically in the form of a tank or reservoir buried in the quay 10. According to another embodiment, the reservoir is buried underground at a depth that allows some geothermal energy to be recovered by heating the compressed air. According to the teachings of the invention, the reserve 26 is refilled with compressed air via a compressor 28 which is driven by a water turbine 30 which is itself driven or propelled by the flow of the water in the water course 12. Thus, the source of power driving the turbine 30 is free insofar as it consists of the flow of the river. In order to improve the refilling capacities of the reserve 26, the filling station 16 may be installed at a point in the water course such that the turbine 30 lies at a natural or contrived drop in the river 12. The link between the compressor 28 and the turbine 30 may be via various suitable means depending on the installation and on the nature of the compressor 28 and of the turbine 30. By way of a numerical example, the turbine 30 is, for example, a 500-kilowatt microturbine driving an air compressor capable of producing 2 000 m3 of compressed air per hour. The capacity of the reserve is 4 000 m3 to resupply 6 river buses each of which has a reservoir that holds 900 m3 of compressed air at a pressure of 300 bar, consumes 300 m3 per hour and resupplies every three hours. As can be seen in the diagram of figure 2, the filling station 16 may be installed at a point on the bank of the water course 12 which also constitutes a point of embarkation onto the river buses 14. The station 16 may also be installed near a parking area 32 onto which several vehicles 24 can draw up and refill with compressed air at the station 16, the latter therefore preferably having several refilling points 18 and refilling points 22 for the boats 14. The design according to the invention thus makes it possible, particularly in an urban environment, to have a free, non-polluting source of power which is not dangerous to score. In the case of longer routes, it is of course possible to install several autonomous filling stations each comprising its own water turbine-compressor assembly, for example at each of the ends of the route. The invention also has the advantage of reducing the nuisance occasioned by installing compressed-air vehicle filling stations in that it is no longer necessary for them to be installed near a source of electrical power for driving the compressor in rotation, or near a road allowing the compressor to be resupplied with fuel. The invention finds an application regardless of the type of boat or ship that is to be resupplied with compressed air, and regardless of the type of water course, river, major river, or alternatively of a sea or an ocean, etc. We Claim: 1. A transport system comprising a fleet of self-propelled vehicles (14,24) each of which, uses for its propulsion, a self contained on-board compressed gas sourfce, in particular compressed air, and at least one pressurized-gas filling station (16), characterized in that the filling station (16), comprises plurality of storage means (26) for storing the pressurized gas and is installed near a natural or forced water course (12) and comprises a turbine (30) driven by the flow of the water and a gas, in particular air, and a compressor (28) which is driven by the turbine (30), and in that the plurality of storage means (26) are fixedly disposed below the sea level at a depth that allows recovering geothermal energy by heating the compressed air. 2. The transport system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the station (16) is installed near a sea or an ocean, and wherein the turbine (30) is driven by the tidal energy generated by the waves. 3. The transport system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the water turbine (30) is arranged in the water course (12), in particular at the foot on which the natural or the forced water drops. 4. The transport system as claimed in the preceding claims, wherein the self-propelled vehicles comprise a fleet of boats (14) capable of navigating on the water course. 5. The transport system as claimed in the preceding claims, wherein each boat of said fleet of boats (14) takes a route in the form of a loop, and wherein the filling station (16) is installed at a point falling within the loop. 6. A boat for a transport system as claimed in claim 1 comprising means (20) for flowably connect the station (16) for refilling its pressurized- gas reserve. 7. A pressurized-gas, particularly compressed-air, filling station (16) comprising a turbine (30) driven by the flow of water and a gas, in particular air; and a compressor (28) driven by the turbine (30), characterized in that the filling station (16) is installed near a natural or forced water course. The invention concerns a transport network comprising a fleet of motor vehicles (14,24) each of which uses, for its propulsion, a self-contained onboard compressed gas source, in particular compressed air, and at least one compressed air- recharging station (16). The invention is characterised in that the station (16) is installed in the proximity of a natural or artificial waterway (12), and comprises a turbine (30) powered by the water flow and a gas compressor (28), in particular an air compressor, driven by the turbine (30). The invention is particularly applicable to a commuter ferry network.

Documents:

IN-PCT-2002-298-KOL-(21-05-2012)-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

IN-PCT-2002-298-KOL-(21-05-2012)-OTHERS.pdf

IN-PCT-2002-298-KOL-(21-05-2012)-PA-CERTIFIED COPIES.pdf

IN-PCT-2002-298-KOL-(21-05-2012)-PETITION UNDER RULE 137.pdf

IN-PCT-2002-298-KOL-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

IN-PCT-2002-298-KOL-FORM 15 .1.pdf

IN-PCT-2002-298-KOL-FORM 15.pdf

IN-PCT-2002-298-KOL-FORM 16.pdf

IN-PCT-2002-298-KOL-FORM-27.pdf

in-pct-2002-298-kol-granted-abstract.pdf

in-pct-2002-298-kol-granted-claims.pdf

in-pct-2002-298-kol-granted-correspondence.pdf

in-pct-2002-298-kol-granted-description (complete).pdf

in-pct-2002-298-kol-granted-drawings.pdf

in-pct-2002-298-kol-granted-examination report.pdf

in-pct-2002-298-kol-granted-form 1.pdf

in-pct-2002-298-kol-granted-form 18.pdf

in-pct-2002-298-kol-granted-form 2.pdf

in-pct-2002-298-kol-granted-form 26.pdf

in-pct-2002-298-kol-granted-form 3.pdf

in-pct-2002-298-kol-granted-form 5.pdf

in-pct-2002-298-kol-granted-priority document.pdf

in-pct-2002-298-kol-granted-reply to examination report.pdf

in-pct-2002-298-kol-granted-specification.pdf

in-pct-2002-298-kol-granted-translated copy of priority document.pdf

IN-PCT-2002-298-KOL-PA.pdf