NAME OF INVENTION: DESIGN OF FUTURISTIC INDUSTRIAL COMPLEXES USING
GRAVITY AS PRIME MOVER
INVENTOR: MR. ROHIT KHANNA – Looking for partnerships to showcase one such
complex.
CORRESPONDENCE ADDRESS: 18-STONEYBROOK COURT
HALIFAX,
NOVASCOTIA, CANADA, B3M3L1
EMAIL: rkhanna11@yahoo.ca
PHONE: 902-431-2380
FILED: Date: 01/JULY/2012
ABSTRACT: The theme of the invention is to have the raw materials uphill of the
industrial factories and use gravity to move materials at every storage
/processing point by choice and design.
BACK GROUND OF THE INVENTION: To reduce our carbon foot prints we have
planned to go green with energy harnessed from wind, sun, tidal waves, and
biogas/natural gas. But we forgot about the most potent force of GRAVITY. When
gravity is used in piecemeal or as an after thought then it is not economical.
It is now proposed to plan at corporate level to use the power of gravity by
design. Large complexes capable of accommodating hundred or more, small to medium
industrial plants is being planned on wasted plateaus/hillocks’ instead of
flattened individual plots of prime land.
001 – FIELD OF INVENTION: Material handling
costs form a major component of the total cost of production. It can range from
50% to 70% of the total cost, depending upon the type of product and manufacturing
route. The basic function of layout planning is to facilitate movement of
materials with the least cost. This function will now be full filled by
delivering and storing the raw materials up hill of the processing machines and
moving the in process materials and finished products by gravity, totally free
of cost.
002 - DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ACT: A very large
hill/plateau will be chiseled into ten basic steps measuring 5m high by 5m deep
each all along the outer perimeter of the plateau/hill. In a nut shell it will
resemble a giant sports stadium in reverse, wrapped around the plateau. Each
industrial plant/factory will be allocated and laid out as a narrow strip from
top to bottom of the plateau. The top of the plateau will be connected by a
long meandering wide road to the bottom step of the plateau, and the in coming
highway to facilitate movement of materials just once, the first time and never
again.
003 - SUMMARY OF INVENTION: The raw materials
arrive by road or rail directly on the top of the plateau, which is large
enough to accommodate such traffic. Special purpose cranes and unloading
equipment unload the raw materials directly on to the first and second steps.
Third to seventh steps house the processing machines which are inter linked by
inclined chutes, gravity rollers, slides, idler spirals, self moving stairs,
over lapping hoppers, self unloading turrets, and other special purpose
conveyors running on gravity, free of charge. Eighth and ninth steps will hold
the finished products ready for dispatch/shipment. The final tenth step will
accommodate the trucks or railcars for loading by telescopic conveyors under
the power of gravity alone. This is how higher productivity and lower costs are
achieved.
004 – Accordingly the
capital costs to set up industrial plants are drastically reduced on account of
compactness of design, use of air rights, overall cubic space utilization, and
minimum material handling equipments purchase cum installation, and site
development associated costs.
005 - Accordingly
the cost of production is significantly slashed because of non motorized
material handling systems running on gravity power alone.
006 – Accordingly the
wasted hilly terrains are utilized more profitably and the prime flat lands are
left alone for agriculture and township expansions.
007 – Accordingly
the industrial congestion and associated traffic is greatly reduced in the
towns and cities.
008 – Accordingly
the overall productivity goes up thus reducing the total cost of manufacture
and increasing the profit margins, or competing in the overseas international
markets.
009 – Accordingly
the depth of foundations for the building columns and structures will be
minimized on account of common elements/sharing and standardized design for all
plants in on the plateau.
010 – Accordingly vertical
shaft giant wind turbines can be installed on the near by hills to generate
power for the complex, very conveniently and cheaply.
011 – Accordingly
each step within the individual plant will be inclined instead of being leveled
horizontal to facilitate movement of materials from point A to point B under
the influence of gravity alone.
012 – Accordingly
the storage of raw materials and finished products will be palletized or
unitized and strategically positioned on inclined gravity conveyors for instant
retrieval and forward motion to the next point of use.
013 – Accordingly
a table of comparative analysis between the existing and the proposed systems
has been attempted to high light the advantages of the gravity powered
industrial complexes, below. The potential savings in cost of manufacture are
phenomenal 58% on an average.
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
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PARAMETERS EXISTING PROPOSED
SYSTEM SYSTEM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Layout axis Two Three
Level of
handlings Ground level twelve levels
Foundations Deep Shallow
Structures heavy very light
Handling equipment Powered Non-powered
Horse power
requirement Excessive Optimum
Production Costs
{x}
Raw materials 0.20x 0.20x
Misc overheads 0.30x 0.30x
Material
handling
0.50x
0.10x
Total Prod
cost
1.00x
0.60x
Capital costs {z}
Land cost 0.10z 0.05z
Development
cost 0.10z 0.20z
Building
0.20z 0.10z
Machinery/equipment 0.60z 0.35z
Total capital
cost 1.00z 0.70z
Grand Total Cost
1.00xz
0.42xz
Floor Space
requirement {y}
Processing
machines 0.30y 0.30y
Handling
equipment 0.30y 0.10y
Total floor
space 1.00y 0.70y
All figures are based
on annual reports of diverse industries.
