A power generator having an impeller configured to facilitate the translation of balls through a ball-actuated turbine and facilitate the transfer of water to drive a water-actuated turbine. The impeller is located within a fluid compartment and creates a turbulent water flow, which generates an inverted vortex. The impeller includes a central bore having an outlet communicating with the fluid compartment and an inlet communicating with a feed space. An array of balls is supplied to the impeller bore via the feed space and traverses the bore in response to the vortex. The balls ascend through the fluid compartment and an upper water tank. At a higher elevation, the ascending balls are routed downstream via gravity to the ball-actuated turbine, while water is routed downstream via gravity to the water-actuated turbine. After performing their respective turbine-driving actions, the water and balls recirculate to the feed space to repeat the cycle.

Provided is an aerodynamic structure for mounting to a surface of a wind turbine rotor blade, which aerodynamic structure includes a plurality of rectangular comb elements and/or a plurality of angular comb elements, wherein a comb element includes comb teeth arranged in a comb plane that subtends an angle to the surface of the rotor blade. The embodiments further describe a wind turbine rotor blade including such an aerodynamic structure.

A system for a tower segment of a tower is presented, wherein the tower segment is configured for forming at least partially a part of a tower for carrying a structure, in particular for supporting a nacelle of a horizontal-axis wind turbine or a machine house of a vertical-axis wind turbine. The system is configured to be attached, arranged, and/or mounted to the tower segment and comprises at least an airflow manipulation arrangement and a support arrangement. The airflow manipulation arrangement includes an airflow manipulator which is configured for affecting an airflow around the tower segment. The support arrangement is configured for supporting the airflow manipulation arrangement and for mounting the airflow manipulation arrangement to the tower segment. The airflow manipulation arrangement and the support arrangement are configured such, when mounted to the tower segment, that the airflow manipulator projects a tower diameter in radial direction by at least 5%, in particular at least 10%, preferred at least 15%, in particular not more than 30%, further in particular not more than 20%, of the tower diameter, or that the airflow manipulator is essentially parallel to the tower segment. By this, an effective measure against vortex shedding effects is put in place.

A vortex generator for a wind turbine blade includes: a platform portion to be fixed to a surface of the wind turbine blade; and at least one fin erected on the platform portion. The platform portion includes marks disposed on a pair of opposite positions in an outer edge region of the platform portion and indicating orientation of the vortex generator.

A wind turbine blade (10, 610) for a rotor of a wind turbine (2) having a substantially horizontal rotor shaft is described. A surface mounted device (70, 70′, 170, 270, 370, 470, 570, 670, 770) is attached to a surface of the wind turbine blade (10). The surface mounted device (70, 70′, 170, 270, 370, 470, 570, 670, 770) is attached to the surface of the wind turbine blade (10, 610) via at least a first attachment part (77, 77′), which is connected to a part of the surface mounted device (70, 70′, 170, 270, 370, 470, 570, 670, 770). The attachment part (77, 77′) comprises a flexible housing (80, 80′, 680, 780) that forms a cavity (81, 81′, 681, 781) between at least the housing (80, 80′, 680, 780) and the surface of the wind turbine blade (10, 610). The cavity (80, 80′, 680, 780) is filled with an adhesive that provides an adhesive bonding to the surface of the wind turbine blade (10, 610).

A wind turbine includes a tower and a vortex-induced vibration (VIV) mitigation system configured on the tower. The VIV mitigation system has a rod attached to an outer surface of the tower and extending longitudinally along an axis of the tower. A plurality of strake support guides extend transversely from and are spaced apart along the rod, the strake support guides comprising a length and a shape to retain a strake supported thereon. A strake is wrapped in a helical pattern around the tower, wherein at least a plurality of wraps of the strake are laid on and supported by the strake support guides.

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.

A vortex generator defines a longitudinal direction and has two fins, which are each arranged at an angle in relation to the longitudinal direction and extend over a first length in the longitudinal direction, and a base, which connects the two fins to each other, the base having a width and extending over a second length in the longitudinal direction, wherein the second length is less than the first length over the entire width of the base.

A method using machine learned, scenario based control heuristics including: providing a simulation model for predicting a system state vector of the dynamical system in time based on a current scenario parameter vector and a control vector; using a Model Predictive Control, MPC, algorithm to provide the control vector during a simulation of the dynamical system using the simulation model for different scenario parameter vectors and initial system state vectors; calculating a scenario parameter vector and initial system state vector a resulting optimal control value by the MPC algorithm; generating machine learned control heuristics approximating the relationship between the corresponding scenario parameter vector and the initial system state vector for the resulting optimal control value using a machine learning algorithm; and using the generated machine learned control heuristics to control the complex dynamical system modelled by the simulation model.

A wind turbine blade (10, 610) for a rotor of a wind turbine (2) having a substantially horizontal rotor shaft is described. A surface mounted device (70, 70′, 170, 270, 370, 470, 570, 670, 770) is attached to a surface of the wind turbine blade (10). The surface mounted device (70, 70′, 170, 270, 370, 470, 570, 670, 770) is attached to the surface of the wind turbine blade (10, 610) via at least a first attachment part (77, 77′), which is connected to a part of the surface mounted device (70, 70′, 170, 270, 370, 470, 570, 670, 770). The attachment part (77, 77′) comprises a flexible housing (80, 80′, 680, 780) that forms a cavity (81, 81′, 681, 781) between at least the housing (80, 80′, 680, 780) and the surface of the wind turbine blade (10, 610). The cavity (80, 80′, 680, 780) is filled with an adhesive that provides an adhesive bonding to the surface of the wind turbine blade (10, 610).