A kinetic fluid energy conversion system comprises one or more hubs which rotate about a central hub carrier, each including one or more independently controlled articulating energy conversion plates (ECP). An articulation control system rotates each ECP independently of all others to control its orientation with respect to the fluid flow direction between an orientation of 90 perpendicular to the fluid flow, while traveling in the direction of the flow and 0 minimal drag parallel position to the flow, while traveling in the direction against the flow or blocked from it. Each hub can be operably coupled to another hub to form one or more counter-rotating hub and ECP assemblies whereby the mechanical energy is transferred through the hubs, to one or more clutch/gearbox/generator/pump assemblies thereby permitting such assemblies to be land-based when the system is air-powered, and above or near the surface, when the system is water-powered.

A kinetic fluid energy conversion system comprises one or more hubs which rotate about a central hub carrier, each including one or more independently controlled articulating energy conversion plates (ECP). An articulation control system rotates each ECP independently of all others to control its orientation with respect to the fluid flow direction between an orientation of 90 perpendicular to the fluid flow, while traveling in the direction of the flow and 0 minimal drag parallel position to the flow, while traveling in the direction against the flow or blocked from it. Each hub can be operably coupled to another hub to form one or more counter-rotating hub and ECP assemblies whereby the mechanical energy is transferred through the hubs, to one or more clutch/gearbox/generator/pump assemblies thereby permitting such assemblies to be land-based when the system is air-powered, and above or near the surface, when the system is water-powered.

A kinetic fluid energy conversion system comprises one or more hubs which rotate about a central hub carrier, each including one or more independently controlled articulating energy conversion plates (ECP). An articulation control system rotates each ECP independently of all others to control its orientation with respect to the fluid flow direction between an orientation of 90 perpendicular to the fluid flow, while traveling in the direction of the flow and 0 minimal drag parallel position to the flow, while traveling in the direction against the flow or blocked from it. Each hub can be operably coupled to another hub to form one or more counter-rotating hub and ECP assemblies whereby the mechanical energy is transferred through the hubs, to one or more clutch/gearbox/generator/pump assemblies thereby permitting such assemblies to be land-based when the system is air-powered, and above or near the surface, when the system is water-powered.

A kinetic fluid energy conversion system comprises one or more hubs which rotate about a central hub carrier, each including one or more independently controlled articulating energy conversion plates (ECP). An articulation control system rotates each ECP independently of all others to control its orientation with respect to the fluid flow direction between an orientation of 90 perpendicular to the fluid flow, while traveling in the direction of the flow and 0 minimal drag parallel position to the flow, while traveling in the direction against the flow or blocked from it. Each hub can be operably coupled to another hub to form one or more counter-rotating hub and ECP assemblies whereby the mechanical energy is transferred through the hubs, to one or more clutch/gearbox/generator/pump assemblies thereby permitting such assemblies to be land-based when the system is air-powered, and above or near the surface, when the system is water-powered.

The subject of the invention is a hydraulic turbine of the Pelton type suitable for driving an alternator with a determined net rated (nominal) power of 5 to 1000 kW with a maximum hydraulic pressure substantially equivalent to a maximum determined height of waterfall of between 70 m and 500 m.

The subject of the invention is a hydraulic turbine of the Pelton type suitable for driving an alternator with a determined net rated (nominal) power of 5 to 1000 kW with a maximum hydraulic pressure substantially equivalent to a maximum determined height of waterfall of between 70 m and 500 m.

The invention provides optimal control of a three-degree-of-freedom wave energy converter using a pseudo-spectral control method. The three modes are the heave, pitch and surge. A dynamic model is characterized by a coupling between the pitch and surge modes, while the heave is decoupled. The heave, however, excites the pitch motion through nonlinear parametric excitation in the pitch mode. The invention can use a Fourier series as basis functions to approximate the states and the control. For the parametric excited case, a sequential quadratic programming approach can be implemented to numerically solve for the optimal control. The numerical results show that the harvested energy from three modes is greater than three times the harvested energy from the heave mode alone. Moreover, the harvested energy using a control that accounts for the parametric excitation is significantly higher than the energy harvested when neglecting this nonlinear parametric excitation term.

The invention provides optimal control of a three-degree-of-freedom wave energy converter using a pseudo-spectral control method. The three modes are the heave, pitch and surge. A dynamic model is characterized by a coupling between the pitch and surge modes, while the heave is decoupled. The heave, however, excites the pitch motion through nonlinear parametric excitation in the pitch mode. The invention can use a Fourier series as basis functions to approximate the states and the control. For the parametric excited case, a sequential quadratic programming approach can be implemented to numerically solve for the optimal control. The numerical results show that the harvested energy from three modes is greater than three times the harvested energy from the heave mode alone. Moreover, the harvested energy using a control that accounts for the parametric excitation is significantly higher than the energy harvested when neglecting this nonlinear parametric excitation term.

A hydraulic turbine motor has a rotor housing and a rotor rotatably supported in the rotor housing that defines a plurality of rotor chambers arranged circumferentially about the rotor in which each rotor chamber has a respective outlet port. Injectors are supported at circumferentially spaced locations about the housing so as to be arranged to inject hydraulic fluid in a generally tangential direction relative to the rotor axis into selected ones of the rotor chambers in which the injectors include first and second injectors. A valve mechanism is configured to open any outlet port in which the respective rotor chamber is in communication with one of the first injectors and to maintain closed any outlet port in which the respective rotor chamber is in communication with one of the second injectors.

A hydraulic turbine motor has a rotor housing and a rotor rotatably supported in the rotor housing that defines a plurality of rotor chambers arranged circumferentially about the rotor in which each rotor chamber has a respective outlet port. Injectors are supported at circumferentially spaced locations about the housing so as to be arranged to inject hydraulic fluid in a generally tangential direction relative to the rotor axis into selected ones of the rotor chambers in which the injectors include first and second injectors. A valve mechanism is configured to open any outlet port in which the respective rotor chamber is in communication with one of the first injectors and to maintain closed any outlet port in which the respective rotor chamber is in communication with one of the second injectors.