A power generating windmill having a plurality of blade extending radially outward from a central rotor in position to be engaged by a moving fluid stream is provided. Each blade partially overlaps the blade prior to and behind it to increase lift forces on the blades.

An engine is disclosed. The engine includes a rotary hub enclosing a manifold, blades radially distributed around the rotary hub, a combustion chamber at a distal end of each blade, an axle or shaft joined or fixed to the hub, and a generator operably connected to the axle or shaft. Each blade has a passage for air to flow to the combustion chamber and a fuel distribution conduit therein/thereon. The manifold connects a fuel supply conduit to the fuel distribution conduits. Each combustion chamber is configured to receive fuel and air from the corresponding fuel distribution conduit and passage, burn or detonate the fuel, and direct heated or expanded air and combustion gases in a direction that rotates the blades and the hub. The axle or shaft is configured to rotate with the hub. The generator is configured to convert a torque from the axle or shaft to electricity.

A portable wind turbine, consisting primarily of a nacelle with collapsible blades for transportation is provided. Each of these collapsible rotor blades has been designed with an impellor, or propeller, twist. This is typical of wind turbine blades in order to maximize torque and reduce drag during operation, with the exception that said blades also conform to the nacelle's surface, which is one of a solid of revolution shapes, for transportation of the turbine. The described portable wind turbine assembly is accompanied with collapsible mounting apparatus, for internal or external storage to the turbine's nacelle, wholly or partially stored control electronics within the nacelle, as well as an optional energy storage component that is located internally or externally to the turbine's body. This turbine invention can be person-portable, deployed on vehicles, trailers, marine vessels and structures, above water, or used for locations where storm-strength winds are a risk.

A fluidic structure configured to be mounted onto the hub of a fluidic turbine comprising a hub that rotates about a center axis, aligned to a main shaft that contributes torque to the main shaft of the turbine via the principle of lift and/or drag. The fluidic structure is mounted onto the hub of a primary turbine that contributes torque to the main shaft through increasing at least one of lift and drag, and the fluidic structure includes two or more curved fluidic elements that extend from an upstream tip that aligns to the center axis of rotation, to a downstream end at a radial position away from the center axis, and rotates about the center axis to contribute torque to the primary turbine; and a sensor positioned at or proximate to an upstream tip of the fluidic structure for determining environmental and turbine conditions and transmits information to a supervisory control and data acquisition system of the primary turbine.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a new and less expensive method of creating a horizontal axis wind turbine for electrical power generation. This approach is based on a tensioned support ring in the shape of a regular polygon. This support ring is well suited to the construction of large wind turbines because it is very light, strong, and cost efficient to create. Also provided are two types of rotor supporting tower structures including a wheeled version for land use and another that floats on water. Additionally, a method of using the support ring to generate electrical power from underwater currents. Further provided is a rope drive method of transmitting energy from the support ring to a generator below. Finally, two methods of controlling blade pitch. Both methods have similar automatic feathering systems to protect against excessive rotational speeds.

A wind turbine is described which includes a support structure, a rotor which includes one or multiple rotor blades and which is situated on the support structure so that the rotor is freely rotatable about a rotation axis, and a generator which is connected to the rotor and which converts the wind energy into electrical energy when the rotor is rotating. The support structure includes a stationary ring on which the rotor is rotatably guided and on which the stator of the generator is situated.

A fluidic structure configured to be mounted onto the hub of a fluidic turbine comprising a hub that rotates about a center axis, aligned to a main shaft that contributes torque to the main shaft of the turbine via the principle of lift and/or drag. The fluidic structure can be rigid or have some flexibility. The structure has two or more curved fluidic elements that extend from an upstream tip that aligns to the center axis of rotation, to a downstream end at some further radial position away from the center axis, and rotates about the center axis, wherein the two or more curved fluidic elements contain chord sections that are generally more wide at the upstream position and general more narrow at the downstream position.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a new and less expensive method of creating a horizontal axis wind turbine for electrical power generation. This approach is based on a tensioned support ring in the shape of a regular polygon. This support ring is well suited to the construction of large wind turbines because it is very light, strong, and cost efficient to create. Also provided are two types of rotor supporting tower structures including a wheeled version for land use and another that floats on water. Additionally, a method of using the support ring to generate electrical power from underwater currents. Further provided is a rope drive method of transmitting energy from the support ring to a generator below. Finally, two methods of controlling blade pitch. Both methods have similar automatic feathering systems to protect against excessive rotational speeds.

The blades of conventional wind turbines almost always have adjustable pitch; that is, they can be pivoted about their length in order to change the angle of attack of the blades to the wind. This is necessary, because the effective angle of attack varies with both wind speed and rotational speed. In particular, in extremely high wind speeds, the blades can be ‘feathered’ to reduce the amount of torque being imparted to the turbine. The present invention provides a wind turbine in which pressurised air may be conveyed to air outlets 21 on the blades 1. In this way, the aerodynamic behaviour of the blade 1 may be controlled, effectively feathering the blade without needing a robust mechanical system for pivoting the blade.

The present turbine is intended for use in the field of renewable energy. The turbine comprises a rotor with a guide apparatus disposed thereon, said guide apparatus having inlets for a working fluid which are in the form of ducts that spiral around each other in helices and have nozzles situated along a tangent to the circle of rotation. The guide apparatus is configured in the form of adjacent ducts which are open along their entire length or along at least a significant portion of their length and are situated on second order surfaces of revolution or on portions of such surfaces, and in particular on convex-concave surfaces of the pseudosphere type with a cone in the pole of an axial cowl of the rotor. The result is in simplification of the structure and reduction in the turbine mass, the gyroscopic effect and the starting speed of the working fluid.