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Falling or downward moving weights present a force of gravity which can
be exploited in various ways. For example, a descending elevator, if it is heavier than its counterweight, has the potential to produce energy. But how to build an elevator which is always heavier than its counterweight? There are hundreds of mines around the world; many of them have huge piles of tailings near the mines on the surface. It is possible to dispose of the (often toxic) tailings by sending them back to the mine below load by load. A double elevator each acting as the other’s counterweight could be installed, one side would send the mined ore up to the surface while the other elevator filled up with the tailings descends. The tailings load would always be heavier than the ore load. The main problem would be dispersing the tailings into empty shafts and corridors with machinery that consumes less electric power than generated by the descending force of the tailings. If this problem could be resolved then another energy source would be available using the see-saw concept.
Open pit mines are huge and usually located below ground level and rows of trucks must ferry the ore up to the surface. However some minerals are found high on top of mountains and trucks have to bring the ore down. In Latin America where most of such mines are located one company uses conveyor belts to carry the ore down and at the same time generate electricity.
Most mountains are too rugged and steep, but it would be possible to erect an open air elevator which would look like a steel building under construction fastened to the mountain side. This elevator would be equipped with counterweights and a wide booth. Trucks and/or slanting conveyor belts would carry the ore to the elevator and dump it into the booth (or bucket), the counterweights move up as the elevator slides down. The bottom of the elevator would automatically open and pour the ore into another similar elevator which would be below the first one. Like steps several elevators could be built and the ore cascaded down until it reached the floor of the valley. The same load could be utilized several times in each elevator to generate power.
Any location where precious minerals and or building materials needed to be transported to lower elevations could be possible sites for such elevators. Almost entire mountains could be dismantled using the step by step elevators to fill valleys, and level lower elevations. Mountains are plentiful but hopefully the energy crisis will not become so critical that it would be necessary to whittle down mountains. Besides the construction, rock slides, and snow and ice would pose difficult engineering problems.
The purpose of these very unusual suggestions is to point out that gravity could be utilized in locations where large quantities of rock or earth needed to be moved to lower elevations such as at dam or mountain road construction sites, by a series of outdoor temporary, portable and easy to reassemble elevators linked to each other by short slanting and sliding ducts or conveyor belts.
be exploited in various ways. For example, a descending elevator, if it is heavier than its counterweight, has the potential to produce energy. But how to build an elevator which is always heavier than its counterweight? There are hundreds of mines around the world; many of them have huge piles of tailings near the mines on the surface. It is possible to dispose of the (often toxic) tailings by sending them back to the mine below load by load. A double elevator each acting as the other’s counterweight could be installed, one side would send the mined ore up to the surface while the other elevator filled up with the tailings descends. The tailings load would always be heavier than the ore load. The main problem would be dispersing the tailings into empty shafts and corridors with machinery that consumes less electric power than generated by the descending force of the tailings. If this problem could be resolved then another energy source would be available using the see-saw concept.
Open pit mines are huge and usually located below ground level and rows of trucks must ferry the ore up to the surface. However some minerals are found high on top of mountains and trucks have to bring the ore down. In Latin America where most of such mines are located one company uses conveyor belts to carry the ore down and at the same time generate electricity.
Most mountains are too rugged and steep, but it would be possible to erect an open air elevator which would look like a steel building under construction fastened to the mountain side. This elevator would be equipped with counterweights and a wide booth. Trucks and/or slanting conveyor belts would carry the ore to the elevator and dump it into the booth (or bucket), the counterweights move up as the elevator slides down. The bottom of the elevator would automatically open and pour the ore into another similar elevator which would be below the first one. Like steps several elevators could be built and the ore cascaded down until it reached the floor of the valley. The same load could be utilized several times in each elevator to generate power.
Any location where precious minerals and or building materials needed to be transported to lower elevations could be possible sites for such elevators. Almost entire mountains could be dismantled using the step by step elevators to fill valleys, and level lower elevations. Mountains are plentiful but hopefully the energy crisis will not become so critical that it would be necessary to whittle down mountains. Besides the construction, rock slides, and snow and ice would pose difficult engineering problems.
The purpose of these very unusual suggestions is to point out that gravity could be utilized in locations where large quantities of rock or earth needed to be moved to lower elevations such as at dam or mountain road construction sites, by a series of outdoor temporary, portable and easy to reassemble elevators linked to each other by short slanting and sliding ducts or conveyor belts.
... such ideas even if successfully implemented, are not going to amount to much in the grander scheme of things, that is, if reducing carbon emissions is your prime concern. To save the planet, we need gigawatts of green power, and NOW!!!
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