A kinetic fluid energy to mechanical energy conversion system includes hubs that are rotatable with respect to a hub carrier and support one or more independently controlled articulating energy conversion plates (ECP) and a track orientation control mechanism (TOCM) for alternating the independent control of each ECP in response to operating conditions. Each ECP has opposed surfaces and leading and trailing edges and may have one or more lips projecting from one of the opposed surfaces, wherein the one or more lips comprise at least an inboard end lip extending transversely from an inboard end of the plate. Articulation of each ECP is controlled by a follower within a track that is rotatable with respect to the hub carrier, and service lines pass through a chase or bore passing through the hub carrier to bring power and/or control signals to the TOCM for effecting controlled, powered rotation of the track.

A water turbine device is disclosed. The water turbine device includes a water shaft, a plurality of blade frames, a plurality of turbine blades, a pivot shaft and a blade control mechanism. The water shaft has a first axis. The plurality of blade frames are radially distributed around the water shaft. The plurality of turbine blades are mounted on the plurality of blade frames respectively. The pivot shaft is disposed on a corresponding one of the plurality of blade frames, has a second axis, and allows one of the plurality of turbine blades corresponding to the corresponding blade frame to be pivotally mounted on the corresponding blade frame. The blade control mechanism is disposed on an end opposite to the pivot shaft on the corresponding blade frame, wherein the turbine blade mounted on the corresponding blade frame has a stopper adjacent to the blade control mechanism.

Pitch system (1) comprising at least one pitch motor drive (3) connected an electrical network (5). Each pitch motor drive (3) is connected to a power bank, and the pitch system comprises a test module adapted to be activated in a test position. The test module comprises a brake module (8) each connected to a pitch motor drive (3), and each brake module (8) is adapted to load a pitch motor drive (3) with a certain load Rb. Hereby a voltage drop takes place over the power bank (6). The power bank (6) is separated into a number of power blocks (9) and the voltage drop V of each power block (9) is adapted to be registered by the test module when the brake

The invention describes a mechanism to cause an actuator born on a rotating shaft to modulate backwards and forwards independently of the motion of the rotating shaft. This mechanism is then used to realize a controllable-pitch blade fan. The axial modulating mechanism is achieved by mounting a thread on the rotating shaft onto which an axial modulator with a cylindrical cavity having a mating thread is mounted; magnets induce the axial modulator to rotate independently of the shaft's rotation in turn causing the axial modulator to move linearly along the shaft. This mechanism's linearly motion is then used to force blades rotatably mounted on the shaft to rotate.

A reactive blade turbine system works vertically, horizontally, or at an angle and clockwise or counterclockwise according to blade angle and locking position and adjusts to variations in fluid flow such as changes in tidal currents to generate power more efficiently regardless of direction of fluid flow. A method for generating electrical power from a continuous fluid flow via the reactive turbine system is also provided herein.

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a runner unit of a tidal power plant, and more particularly to a device for reversing a blade of the runner unit. The device according to the embodiments is lighter and more efficient with respect to known solutions which involve articulated mechanisms as it is based on a reversing servomotor including an annular piston which acts on the blade to be reversed.

There is provided a turbine for a hydroelectric power plant comprising a hub, a plurality of turbine blades provided on the hub, a pitch angle adjusting unit coupled to the turbine blades for adjusting the pitch angle of the turbine blades, a double-acting hydraulic cylinder and a piston rod connected thereto. The piston rod is coupled to the pitch angle adjusting unit in such a way that the pitch angle adjusting unit performs a rotational movement when the piston rod is moved in the longitudinal direction. The double-acting hydraulic cylinder is provided in a hydraulic chamber coupled by way of a first and a second hydraulic line so that the double-acting hydraulic cylinder is displaceable by feed of a hydraulic fluid through the first or second hydraulic line and thus leads to adjustment of the pitch angle of the turbine blades by way of the coupling to the piston rod and the pitch angle adjusting unit.

A Kaplan-type turbine includes a stator part and a rotor part; the stator part having a conduit, configured to convey a water flow towards an impeller having a rotation axis, and a stator of an electric generator, while the rotor part includes: an impeller having in turn: an ogive with at least three blades with variable angular setup with respect to an inclination axis substantially orthogonal to the rotation axis; a rotation shaft bearing the impeller; adjustments for adjusting the setup of the blades, defined inside the ogive and the rotation shaft; a rotor of the electric generator, fixed to the rotation shaft. The adjustments for adjusting the setup of the blade include for each blade: a load-bearing disc, from which one blade develops, which load-bearing disc is constrained to rotate on the ogive around the inclination axis; a lever, fixed to the load-bearing disc and developing radially inside the ogive; a manoeuvring rod, pivoted to the lever and to a drive slider.

A mechanism to provide controlled variable area blades for fluid driven tangential turbines is disclosed, where the spindle axis is perpendicular to the fluid flow, applicable in vertical axis hydraulic turbines but extensive to horizontal axis or wind turbines, with the rotor completely immersed on the flow. Each blade varying its area at selected position of the rotor turning, increasing to maximize conversion of the kinetic energy of the fluid onto mechanical rotational power of the shaft, or reducing to minimize drag moving opposed to such current. A comprehensive method is provided to control the variation in area for any specific degree of rotation of the turbine shaft on a rotational blade array, different flow conditioning deflector solutions in order to increase the power generation capability of the turbine, by increasing speed of the incoming flow to the rotor and minimizing drag of the returning blades.

A hydro turbine with a runner unit allows adjusting the gap clearance downstream and between the runner end tip portion and the inner edge of the blades. This gap clearance may depend on the angular position of the runner blades.