A wave energy converter utilizes a flotation module that rises and falls with the passage of waves, a submerged tube containing a constriction which multiplies the speed of the water passing therethrough, a turbine (or other hydrokinetic apparatus) positioned so as to extract energy from the accelerated flow of water within and/or through the tube, and a submerged gas- or liquid-filled chamber housing one or more energy conversion components (e.g. generators, transformers, rectifiers, inverters). By providing a chamber in proximity to the turbine, generators can be placed in closer proximity to the turbine that turns them, and the shared shaft can be shorter than if the generators were placed in the buoy adjacent to the surface.

A wave energy converter utilizes a flotation module that rises and falls with the passage of waves, a submerged tube containing a constriction which multiplies the speed of the water passing therethrough, a turbine (or other hydrokinetic apparatus) positioned so as to extract energy from the accelerated flow of water within and/or through the tube, and a submerged gas- or liquid-filled chamber housing one or more energy conversion components (e.g. generators, transformers, rectifiers, inverters). By providing a chamber in proximity to the turbine, generators can be placed in closer proximity to the turbine that turns them, and the shared shaft can be shorter than if the generators were placed in the buoy adjacent to the surface.

A marine hydrokinetic electric power or wind power generator may have three modules: a harnessing module, a controlling module, and a generating module. The harnessing module may have one of a propeller and a waterwheel for receiving wind or water energy. The controlling module may have a gearbox comprising gears for matching the expected wind or water generating power to an output power, a control motor, and a three variable gear assembly. The three variables are a variable input, a constant output and a constant speed control motor input variable. The variable input is received from the harnessing module and the constant output is delivered to an electricity generator. A generating module (generator) generates output power which may be a multiple of ten times the power rating of the controlling module (the constant speed control motor).

A vertical axial wind power generator including blades rotated in a horizontal direction, and each blade includes inner and outer wind collection vanes, so that the blades can be operated without being limited by space and environment and can be rotated vertically by tiny wind. When wind power is lower than magnetic force of magnet on the blades and fastening disks, the blades enters an open status to increase windward area; when wind power is higher than the magnetic force, centrifugal force can force the blade to close to become a ball type, and blades of the ball type can have strong torsion effect, and only the windward area of the outer wind collection vane receive wind, so that rotation speed of the wind power generator can be stable. When wind power becomes weak, the blades can be rotated reversely to the open status.

A wind turbine comprising a rotor blade hub, a generator and a magnetic transmission which is connected at the drive side to the rotor blade hub and at the driven side to the generator. The magnetic transmission is in the form of a multi-stage, in particular two-stage, magnetic transmission.

A harnessing module for harnessing renewable wind and water energy has opposing concentric wings for rotation about a turbine shaft having a hub having a wing support shaft for supporting each wing of at least one pair of opposing concentric wings for use in generating renewable electrical energy. Each concentric wing of the opposing concentric wings may have a circular leading edge or a curved leading edge for facing one of air and water flow. Hence, the opposing concentric wings rotate about the turbine shaft in-line with a horizontal flow of air or water such that the turbine shaft faces a flow direction of the air or water and forms a harnessing module for generating electricity from either the wind or water flow.

An electrical energy generator array generates electricity from at least one form of natural flow, the generator having a drive shaft driven by energy from a natural energy flow and connected to a drive mechanism. The generator includes an integrated electric motor and a plurality of individual generators disengageably connected to the drive mechanism. Each generator is connected via a series of ties to form a connected generator array, the array being rotated by the drive mechanism when connected thereto, or by the integrated electric motor when disconnected from the drive mechanism, to generate electricity. The generator may include an electrical storage device arranged to power the integrated electric motor. A method of generating electricity from at least one natural energy flow, for supply to an electrical storage device, for local use or for supply to an electric grid includes using an electrical energy generator array as described.

A water flow turbine arrangement for capturing energy from water flows is provided. The arrangement includes: a base member (212); a generally open support structure (210) mounted to the base and upstanding therefrom, the support structure including plural legs (216) joined by a cross brace at or adjacent their upper ends; an electrical generator (230) mounted to the base; and shaft mounted turbine blades (220) mounted for rotation generally within the space occupied by the legs about a turbine axis. The turbine shaft (222) is supported at its upper end by the cross brace and is coupled to the generator at its lower end by a magnetic torque transmitting coupling, allowing complete fluid sealing of the generator's housing.

A magnetically driven centrifugal pump has a pump case, an open vane impeller in the pump case, a stuffing box including a stuffing box outer being fixed relative to the pump case and a stuffing box inner threadedly engaged with the stuffing box outer, and a rotor axially fixed and rotatably mounted in the stuffing box inner. Bushings are arranged between the rotor and the stuffing box inner. A drive is fixed relative to the pump case and includes a drive output extending into the rotor. There is a magnetic coupling between the rotor and the drive and a canister fixed to the stuffing box and extending through the magnetic coupling to isolate the rotor from the drive. A rub ring closes the end of the stuffing box inner and constrains the drive output from damaging the cannister under catastrophic bearing failure.

A containment shell for a magnetic pump, the shell comprising: a body section having a continuous side wall defining a chamber, and an end wall closing the chamber at one end, the chamber being open at the other end, wherein the body section and the end wall are integrally formed from a matrix material in which chopped carbon fibre material is distributed.