A thrust bearing wear pad includes a rigid support plate adapted to be mounted on a collar and under a thrust flange in a hydro power turbine system. Multiple lignum vitae wood blocks are fixed to the top of the support plate and act as a wear surface on the wear pad.

A hydroelectric energy system includes a stator comprising a first plurality of electricity-generating elements. The system also includes a rotor comprising a second plurality of electricity-generating elements. The rotor is disposed radially outward of an outer circumferential surface of the stator and is configured to rotate around the stator about an axis of rotation. The rotor is a flexible belt structure having a variable thickness and extending along a portion of an axial length of the stator. The system further includes at least one hydrodynamic bearing mechanism configured to support the rotor relative to the stator during rotation of the rotor around the stator. The at least one hydrodynamic bearing mechanism includes a bearing surface made of wood or a composite material.

The present disclosure is directed to a shear web for a rotor blade of a wind turbine and a method of manufacturing and assembling same. The rotor blade generally includes an upper shell member having an upper spar cap configured on an internal surface thereof and a lower shell member having a lower spar cap configured on an internal surface thereof. Further, the shear web extends between the spar caps along a longitudinal length of the blade. In addition, the shear web includes first and second outer pultruded layers at least partially encompassing a core material, wherein end portions of the first and second outer pultruded layers form compressed flanges at opposing ends of the shear web.

A wind turbine blade assembly comprising a wind turbine blade having a tip end and a root end, and a leading edge and a trailing edge with a chord length extending therebetween is described. The wind turbine blade assembly further comprises an aeroshell extender piece comprising a body for attachment to a trailing edge side of a profile of a wind turbine blade, the body having a first end for attachment to the trailing edge side of the profile, and a second trailing edge end to form an extended airfoil trailing edge profile for a portion of the profile of the wind turbine blade. The aeroshell extender piece is attached to the wind turbine blade at least partly using at least one profile wedge, said at least one profile wedge being shaped to compensate for the geometry of the wind turbine blade.

A flexible aeroshell extender piece for an inboard part of a wind turbine blade is described, along with an associated method of manufacture. The flexible aeroshell is formed by first assembling a consolidated aeroshell piece, and then making a series of slits at the trailing edge of the aeroshell piece. Such a construction provides an aeroshell having a relatively flexible trailing edge section, which allows for bending or flexing of the aeroshell trailing edge during wind turbine blade operation.

A method of making a wind turbine blade, and the turbine blade resulting form the process, is described in which correct alignment of the shear webs (42a, 42b) upon mould (30) closing is ensured. The method involves providing a first half shell (32a) and a second half shell (32b) to be joined together to form the wind turbine blade. A first edge (46) of a shear web (42) is attached to an inner surface (36a) of the first half shell (32a). A shear web mounting region is defined on an inner surface (36b) of the second half shell (32b). At least one guide block (60a, 60b) is attached to the inner surface (36b) of the second half shell (32b) adjacent to the shear web (42) mounting region. The guide block (60a, 60b) has a guide surface (70) oriented transversely to the inner surface of the second half shell (36b). Upon mould (30) closing, the first and second half shells (32a, 32b) are brought together whilst a second edge (52) of the shear web (42) is guided over the guide surface (70) of the mounting block (60a, 60b) towards the shear web mounting region defined on the inner surface (36b) of the second half shell (32b).