A hydraulic rotating machinery (HRM) system provides optimal energy efficiency over a very wide conditions of service (COS) range by configuring a plurality of variable speed HRMs in a cluster. The HRMs are interconnected by one or more valves that can be actuated by a controller to configure and vary a flow path through which a process fluid flows from an inlet to an outlet. By actively selecting which of the HRMs are included in the flow path, the interconnections therebetween, and the operating speeds thereof, the controller ensures that the HRM cluster continues to operate at optimal efficiency as the COS fluctuates over a very wide range. The HRMs can be identical to each other, or can vary in design. The HRM system can be implemented for storage and retrieval of green energy. The controller can also monitor the health of the cluster and/or of the associated process.

Provided is a safety stop valve arrangement of a hydraulic blade pitch system of a wind turbine, including an accumulator arrangement connected over a hydraulic line to a piston of the hydraulic blade pitch system; a redundant set of safety valves arranged between the accumulator arrangement and the piston; a small-orifice restriction nozzle arranged to determine a first rate of hydraulic fluid flow in response to a safety stop input; at least one speed-select valves arranged; and at least one large-orifice restriction nozzle arranged to determine a second rale of hydraulic fluid flow in response to a positive rotor acceleration input, wherein the second rate of fluid flow is faster than the first rate of fluid flow. A safety stop assembly of a wind turbine with hydraulic blade pitch system and a method of performing a safety stop sequence is also provided.

A wind turbine blade extending in a longitudinal direction between a root end and a tip end and comprising a shell having an outer surface defining a pressure side and a suction side, a leading edge and a trailing edge, a chord having a chord length extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge and a load-bearing structure extending in the longitudinal direction, the wind turbine blade further comprises a dampening system comprising a blade dampening body attached exteriorly to the load-bearing structure or exteriorly to the outer surface of the shell, at least a first dampener located within the blade dampening body and positioned with a component in the chordwise direction of the blade and adapted to absorb vibrational forces the wind turbine blade is subjected to.

A method for detecting and responding to damage in a rotor blade of a wind turbine includes monitoring at least one signal of a pitch actuator of a pitch system of the rotor blade of the wind turbine. The signal(s) is a proxy for a pitch driving torque of the pitch actuator of the pitch system. Thus, the method includes defining a metric that captures certain behavior of the proxy for the pitch driving torque of the pitch actuator of the pitch system. The method further includes comparing the metric to a corresponding metric associated with a reference rotor blade representing a healthy rotor blade. Moreover, the method includes implementing a control action when the metric is outside of a predetermined range defined by the healthy rotor blade.

Wind driven apparatus is provided including upright support means and a plurality of wind directing wall members protruding outwardly from the upright support means at spaced apart intervals. The area between two adjacent wind directing wall members creates a wind collection section for collecting and directing wind in use. At least one opening is defined in the upright support means in each wind collection section for allowing wind, air and/or air pressure collected in the wind collection section to pass through said at least one opening and into an inner compartment defined in the upright support means. Drive shaft means provided in the inner compartment of the upright support means and rotatable means provided on and/or associated with the drive shaft means are rotatable as a result of air pressure and/or air flowing into the inner compartment via said at least one opening. Rotation of the drive shaft means can be used to drive electricity generating means, hydraulic pump means and/or drive transmission means in use.

Provided is a wave force utilization unit capable of further reducing product cost and installation cost and effectively utilizing a wave force while decreasing the wave force, and a wave force utilization system in which the unit is used. The wave force utilization unit includes a box-shaped floating unit 1 supported via a support to move in an up-down direction, in response to movement of the sea surface in the up-down direction. The floating unit 1 includes a main body 2, an introduction part 3 disposed continuously on one side of the main body 2, and a water drain part 4 disposed continuously on the other side of the main body 2, the main body 2 includes an air chamber 5 that is a sealed space and acts to float up the floating unit 1, and a flow-through chamber 6 through which seawater flows from the introduction part 3 to the water drain part 4.

A self-inspection method for a hydraulic control turning system of a generator rotor includes: establishing a length dimension relationship table among a plurality of hydraulic cylinders of the hydraulic control turning system; selecting a reference hydraulic cylinder, and acquiring a reference length dimension when the reference hydraulic cylinder is located at a target working position, the target working position is a position at which a turning pin corresponding to the reference hydraulic cylinder is inserted into an adapted hole; and performing a function inspection of a motion execution module in sequence by the plurality of the hydraulic cylinders, based on the reference length dimension and the length dimension relationship table.

Provided is a method of detecting a leak in a hydraulic cylinder of a rotor blade pitch system of a wind turbine including a plurality of rotor blades, which method includes the steps of selecting one of the pitch systems to undergo a functionality test; actuating a fluid pump to move the pistons of the hydraulic cylinders of the pitch systems to their outermost positions; monitoring the hydraulic cylinder pressure levels of the non-selected pitch systems while performing the functionality test on the selected pitch system; and analyzing the monitored hydraulic cylinder pressure levels of the pitch systems to detect a drop in pressure in a pitch cylinder of a non-selected pitch system. A leak detection arrangement of a pitch-controlled wind turbine; and a pitch-controlled wind turbine are also provided.

A shutter valve for alternatingly allowing and stopping a high pressure water flow, such as in a device for generating energy from sea waves, comprising a tube section (201) having a rectangular cross section, wherein a multitude of vanes (202) are rotatably mounted in the tube section (201), wherein the vanes have a relatively large rectangular longitudinal cross section in a first direction, a relatively flat rectangular longitudinal cross section in a second direction perpendicular to said first direction, and a generally flat cross section in a third direction perpendicular to said first and second directions, said third direction being the axis of the vane (202), wherein the circumferential wall around the axis of each vane forms a closed water impermeable surface, wherein the axes of said multitude of vanes all extend in a parallel manner, characterized in that the distances between the axes of adjacent vanes are approximately half the distance between the outer tips of the vanes, seen in the cross section in said third direction, such that when the vanes are rotated to the closed position the lower half of the front surfaces and upper half of the back surfaces of all vanes form a single closed front surface and a single closed back surface, each in substantially a single flat plane perpendicular to the flow axis of the valve, said surfaces closing the opening of said tube section, and the other half of said front surfaces and the other half of said back surfaces of said vanes rest against each other.

A movable-blade operation system for a hydraulic machine according to an embodiment includes an oil hydraulic cylinder installed within a rotational shaft, a bidirectional pump, a pump drive motor, a control unit, and an oil head installed in the hydraulic machine. The bidirectional pump selectively feeds pressurized hydraulic oil to one of a first cylinder chamber and a second cylinder chamber. The oil head couples the rotational shaft rotatably, and the hydraulic oil fed from the bidirectional pump to the first cylinder chamber and the second cylinder chamber flows through the oil head. The bidirectional pump, the pump drive motor, and the control unit are installed outside the hydraulic machine.