There is provided a turbine including a hub body including a shaft for transmitting the torque generated by the turbine to a driven machine, a plurality of turbine blades carried by the hub body and rotatable about their longitudinal axes, an adjusting body in an interior of the hub body, arranged as a spherical link chain extending coaxially to the shaft and rotatable about a shaft axis of the shaft, and a guide rod chain for each of the plurality of turbine blades, including a smooth spherical shell having a uniform surface and two guide rods, including a first guide rod having a first end linked to the adjusting body via a swivel joint and a second guide rod having a first end linked to a second end of the first guide rod via the swivel joint.

A hydropower generator includes: a driving shaft installed along a path through which a fluid flows; a plurality of blade assemblies installed along a lengthwise direction of the driving shaft; a spinning supporter connected to rotatably support the driving shaft; a power generator receiving a spinning force of the driving shaft and generating electricity; and a flow pipeline internally provided with the driving shaft along a lengthwise direction thereof and formed with a channel through which a fluid flows.

A water mill, power generator, for use underwater, has a flexible support shaft which permits the water current to orient the turbine axis substantially parallel to the direction of flow so that the force of the water on the blades is optimized for a given turbine, without the need for slip ring style connections between the generator at the turbine and the 5 anchored base. Optionally, the design features fins or cowlings on the flexible support shaft to further improve reorientation of the turbine with the water current or flow acting as the source of power; and/or output power links or power conditioning systems at the anchored base. The generators may be selected to meet low rotation operating conditions, and the entire system may be designed for particular ocean bottom and/or current parameters applicable to the 10 deployment.

The invention relates to a method for controlling the operation of a submersible power plant (1) and a submersible power plant (1). The submersible power plant (1) comprises a structure (2) and a vehicle (3). The vehicle (3) comprises at least one wing (4). The vehicle (3) is arranged to be secured to the structure (2) by means of at least one tether (5). The vehicle (3) is arranged to move in a predetermined trajectory by means of a fluid stream passing the vehicle (3). The vehicle (3) is arranged to change the angle of attack of the at least one wing (4). The method comprises: I: determining if the speed of the fluid passing the vehicle (3) is higher than a predetermined value; or II: determining if the speed of the fluid passing the vehicle (3) is lower than the predetermined value. The vehicle (3) changes the angle of attack for different situations depending on if the speed is higher or lower than the predetermined trajectory.

An underwater structure includes a power generation unit, which includes a main body, a mounting portion which extends from the main body and which defines a mounting axis, and a support structure adapted for engagement with a bed of a body of water, and support housing. The mounting portion defines a substantially continuous mounting surface which extends substantially completely around the mounting portion, and the support housing defines a substantially continuous support surface which extends substantially completely around the support housing. The mounting surface and support surface are arranged to abut one another substantially continuously when the power generation unit is mounted on the support structure. The mounting portion and the support housing are adapted to cooperate with one another for mounting of the power generation unit on the support structure in any polar orientation about the mounting axis.

An accelerated and/or redirected flow arrangement, optimally serving as a wildlife and/or debris excluder (WDE), is used in combination with a turbine-like device having an inlet end and an outlet end for fluid flowing therethrough, e.g., a hydro-turbine. The arrangement includes at least a forward part designed to be placed in front of a fluid inlet of a turbine-like device and configured to produce at least one of the following effects on the fluid: (a) imparting a re-direction of the fluid; and/or (b) accelerating the flow velocity of the fluid, as it flows through the forward part. Turbine-like devices having both a forward part and a rearward part of flow arrangement are disclosed, as well as a method of enhancing turbine performance.

An energy production device including a frame, a body, first and second aligned input shafts projecting from two opposite faces of the body, and a third input shaft aligned with an output shaft. The direction of the first and second input shafts is perpendicular to the direction of the third input shaft and of the output shaft. A mechanical connection is provided at the proximal part of each of the shafts which is within the body. The mechanical connection operates with a transmission system within the body so that any rotation movement on any of the input shafts is converted into a unidirectional rotation movement on the output shaft. A distal end of the third input shaft is fixed to the frame. A bearing is fixed on the frame, into which the distal end of the output shaft is freewheeling. A first pendulum is mounted on a bearing at the distal end of the first input shaft to pivot around the first input shaft and a second pendulum mounted on a bearing at the distal end of the second input shaft to pivot around the second input shaft.

A rotor shaft unit for a tidal system, which tidal system includes a main frame and a rotor and a housing connected to the rotor, includes a rotor shaft configured to be connected to the main frame, at least one bearing unit for rotatably supporting the housing for rotation relative to the rotor shaft, and a sleeve configured to be mounted in the main frame, the sleeve being disposed around a first end portion of the rotor shaft and connected to the rotor shaft by a friction connection. Also a tidal system including the rotor shaft unit.

A reciprocating fluid-energy device to be used in a flowing fluid, having a foil, an upstream support member, a downstream support member, and a frame, where the frame retains the device in place within the flowing fluid, the support members movably attach the foil to the frame, and the foil moves laterally back and forth across the direction of the flow of the fluid, with changes in direction of the movement of the foil occurring automatically and spontaneously without external intervention other than the force of the flowing fluid.

A system is provided comprising a tunnel for immersion in a moving mass. Energy from the mass passing through said tunnel converts to rotational force. An energy collector is provided having open and collapsed states, the open state resisting the mass. Bidirectional converter systems convert said rotational force to constant singular direction. A mechanical converter comprises an input shaft turned bidirectionally by said rotational force and two gears driven by the input shaft in opposite rotational directions, the gears separately attached to idler gears causing output gears attached to the idler gears to engage an output shaft in a same rotational direction. A hydraulic converter comprises a hydraulic pump turned bidirectionally by said rotational force. Check valves positioned between the pump and a hydraulic motor enable control of pressure and volume in one direction at the pump.