A wind turbine has a slip ring transmitter between a rotor hub and a nacelle for transmitting electrical signals with a data protocol. The slip ring transmitter is equipped with a signal amplifier device on the transmission side and with a signal evaluation device on the reception side. The signal amplifier device amplifies voltage values of signals for transmission via a slip ring transmitter. The signal evaluation device sets signals received via the slip ring transmitter to a value corresponding to the data protocol.

Provided is an arrangement for removing and/or exchanging a hydraulic fluid accumulator installed within a hub of a wind turbine, the arrangement including: a first pair of mounting legs each having at an upper portion connector for connecting to a hub component; a second pair of mounting legs each having at an upper portion connector for connecting to a hub component; a first bar connecting the first pair of mounting legs at a lower portion; a second bar connecting the second pair of mounting legs at a lower portion; an elongate resting structure for carrying an accumulator, the resting structure being at one end slidably supported by the first bar and at another end slidably supported by the second bar and being movable in a parallel manner traverse, in particular perpendicular, to a longitudinal direction of the resting structure.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a new and less expensive method of creating a horizontal axis wind turbine for electrical power generation. This approach is based on a tensioned support ring in the shape of a regular polygon. This support ring is well suited to the construction of large wind turbines because it is very light, strong, and cost efficient to create. Also provided are two types of rotor supporting tower structures including a wheeled version for land use and another that floats on water. Additionally, a method of using the support ring to generate electrical power from underwater currents. Further provided is a rope drive method of transmitting energy from the support ring to a generator below. Finally, two methods of controlling blade pitch. Both methods have similar automatic feathering systems to protect against excessive rotational speeds.

A blade for a wind turbine has a hollow or exoskeleton blade body. The blade body has a leading edge and a trailing edge along a span thereof. The blade body includes a first blade portion and a second blade portion wherein the first blade portion and the second blade portion are integrated with one another along at least 90% of the leading edge, and are in uncoupled contact at the trailing edge. The uncoupled contact permits the first blade portion and second blade portion to experience relative movement at the trailing edge when the blade body twists.

A wind turbine comprising a pod and an aerodynamic rotor having a rotor head or a spinner. The rotor head or spinner is arranged in that case in the afflux flow direction of the wind in front of the rotor blade plane. Provided in or at the rotor head or the spinner of the rotor is a mist eliminator which rotates with the rotor head or spinner. The mist eliminator has an end which is in the form of an opening in the rotor head or the spinner. Air can enter through that end and flow through the mist eliminator in such a way that substantially water droplet-free air is present at the outlet of the mist eliminator, and can be used for cooling the generator.

A fluidic structure configured to be mounted onto the hub of a fluidic turbine comprising a hub that rotates about a center axis, aligned to a main shaft that contributes torque to the main shaft of the turbine via the principle of lift and/or drag. The fluidic structure can be rigid or have some flexibility. The structure has two or more curved fluidic elements that extend from an upstream tip that aligns to the center axis of rotation, to a downstream end at some further radial position away from the center axis, and rotates about the center axis, wherein the two or more curved fluidic elements contain chord sections that are generally more wide at the upstream position and general more narrow at the downstream position.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a new and less expensive method of creating a horizontal axis wind turbine for electrical power generation. This approach is based on a tensioned support ring in the shape of a regular polygon. This support ring is well suited to the construction of large wind turbines because it is very light, strong, and cost efficient to create. Also provided are two types of rotor supporting tower structures including a wheeled version for land use and another that floats on water. Additionally, a method of using the support ring to generate electrical power from underwater currents. Further provided is a rope drive method of transmitting energy from the support ring to a generator below. Finally, two methods of controlling blade pitch. Both methods have similar automatic feathering systems to protect against excessive rotational speeds.

A wind turbine includes a hub rotatable about an axis and a blade coupled to the hub. The blade includes an inner blade portion having a first end and a second end. The inner blade portion is coupled to the hub at the first end and extends radially outward from the hub to the second end. The blade further includes an outer blade portion having a first end and a second end. The first end of the outer blade portion is pivotably coupled to the second end of the inner blade portion.

A vortex generator for a wind turbine blade includes a plurality of main fins disposed on a surface of the wind turbine blade; and at least one first sub fin having a fin chord length and a fin height which are smaller than those of each of the main fins, and disposed on the surface of the wind turbine blade along a first virtual line extending from a first end portion of a main fin row at a side of a blade tip or a blade root of the wind turbine blade. An expression d≤d.sub.max is satisfied, provided that d is a distance between the main fin row and the first sub fin disposed next to the first end portion of the main fin row, and d.sub.max is a maximum distance between an adjacent pair of the main fins in the main fin row.

A hub for a wind turbine is longitudinally extended along a longitudinal axis between a front tip and a rear shaft flange is provided. The hub comprises: at least one blade flange for connecting a respective blade to the hub, at least one top edge on an external surface of the hub, the top edge being positioned with respect to a vertical direction over the front tip, when the hub is positioned in a service position, a plurality of service steps, each step) being oriented for permitting an individual to move between the front tip and the top edge or between the rear shaft flange and the top edge when the hub is positioned around the longitudinal axis in the service position.