A power generation apparatus comprises a rotor rotatably mounted to a support and a plurality of vanes extending radially out from the rotor and positioned to be engaged by a moving fluid stream. Each vane includes a wing-shaped main blade having leading and trailing edges, and a co-extensive conditioner blade having leading and trailing edges. The conditioner blade is spaced parallel to the main blade so as to define therebetween a slot having an entrance and an exit. A lift-varying device boarders the slot to vary the lift produced by that vane inversely to the speed of the moving fluid stream so that the rotor turns at a relatively constant rate. The rotor, driven by wind or water, may be coupled to the armature of an induction motor/generator to produce electric power.

A Magnus rotor is provided. The Magnus rotor is located in a flowing fluid and driven to rotate by a power source. The Magnus rotor includes a Magnus rotor main body and a blade assembly. The Magnus rotor main body includes a cylinder side wall, a first end and a second end. The first end and the second end are disposed in one end and the other end of the cylinder side wall, respectively. The Magnus rotor is rotated around an axis connected between a first center point of the first end and a second center point of the second end. The blade assembly includes a plurality of blades which are disposed around the first end. Each blade is inclined toward a direction. A gap is formed between each two adjacent blades. Each gap is formed as a flowing channel for allowing the fluid to flow therethrough.

The invention relates to a device, having at least one rotor, which has an axis of symmetry with respect to which the rotor is rotationally symmetrical and which is rotationally motor-driven about the axis of symmetry of the rotor and which is mounted for rotation about an axis of rotation arranged transverse to the axis of symmetry such that, in the event of incident flow of a fluid, the rotor is rotationally driven in a rotational motion about the axis of rotation by means of a force acting transversely to the fluid flow. Said device enables the production of a rotational motion when the rotor is translationally driven in the fluid relative to the fluid in the longitudinal direction of the axis of rotation.

A vertical axis fluid energy conversion device is provided. The vertical axis fluid energy conversion device includes at least one lift blade and at least one Magnus rotor. A power source drives the Magnus rotor to rotate and the Magnus lift force is produced. The Magnus rotor is connected with a main shaft through a connection component. Consequently, the main shaft is rotated and the lift blade is also revolved. The flow field of the vertical axis fluid energy conversion device is less influenced by the Magnus rotor. The performance of the lift blade is better. The whole efficiency is enhanced. The vertical axis fluid energy conversion device is self-starting through the Magnus rotor. The power source only drives the Magnus rotor to rotate, but not drive the whole device. Therefore, the vertical axis fluid energy conversion device has advantages of low cost and low energy consumption.

A Magnus rotor is provided. The Magnus rotor is located in a flowing fluid and driven to rotate by a power source. The Magnus rotor includes a Magnus rotor main body and a blade assembly. The Magnus rotor main body includes a cylinder side wall, a first end and a second end. The first end and the second end are disposed in one end and the other end of the cylinder side wall, respectively. The Magnus rotor is rotated around an axis connected between a first center point of the first end and a second center point of the second end. The blade assembly includes a plurality of blades which are disposed around the first end. Each blade is inclined toward a direction. A gap is formed between each two adjacent blades. Each gap is formed as a flowing channel for allowing the fluid to flow therethrough.

A thrust generating device has a simple structure and can effectively control the magnitude of a Magnus force generated at a cylindrical blade in accordance with the direction of a flow acting on the cylindrical blade. A Magnus-type thrust generating device includes a first member that has a first rotational axis and that can rotate about the first rotational axis; and a second member that is disposed at a rear surface side in an advancement direction of the first member 1. (M?L)/L<2 is satisfied, where L is the distance from the first rotational axis to the most distant part of the surface of the first member and M is the distance from the first rotational axis to the closest part of the surface of the second member in a plane perpendicular to the first rotational axis of the Magnus-type thrust generating device.

A thrust generating device has a simple structure and can effectively control the magnitude of a Magnus force generated at a cylindrical blade in accordance with the direction of a flow acting on the cylindrical blade. A Magnus-type thrust generating device includes a first member that has a first rotational axis and that can rotate about the first rotational axis; and a second member that is disposed at a rear surface side in an advancement direction of the first member 1. (M?L)/L<2 is satisfied, where L is the distance from the first rotational axis to the most distant part of the surface of the first member and M is the distance from the first rotational axis to the closest part of the surface of the second member in a plane perpendicular to the first rotational axis of the Magnus-type thrust generating device.

A rotor blade of a wind power installation, comprising an inner section in which the rotor blade is fastened on a rotor hub, and an outer section, which is connected to the rotor blade and comprises a rotor blade tip. The rotor blade has at least partially a flat back profile having a truncated rear edge in the inner section, and at least one control unit for controlling the wake is provided on the rotor blade on the flat back profile.

The present invention relates to a rotating blade body for turbines using the Magnus effect with an axis of rotation of the turbine parallel to the direction of the motor fluid, characterised in that it is defined by a first sector or end head, more distant from said axis of rotation of the turbine, and by a second sector or rod, connecting said first sector and said axis of rotation of the turbine, said second sector having an average diameter smaller than the diameter of said first sector, said first sector being inscribed within a solid of revolution whose profile is determined so as to maintain a constant value of lift in each section.

A wind turbine blade is configured such that the lift force from the blade airfoil is always normal, or nearly normal, to the shaft torque. This condition maximizes energy conversion. This objective may be achieved by a) having the airfoil chord always aligned to the actual wind direction (subject only to small angle of attack variations), and b) slowing the turbine rotation rate so that no blade twist is needed. As a result, blade tip speed due to shaft rotation is less than the wind speed, and preferably much less. This low tip speed eliminates any hazard to birds. The lift force from the blade airfoil directly drives the torque on the shaft, so the control problem simplifies to adjusting the blade angle of attack to keep the lift constant across varying wind speeds. For most airfoils, a slightly negative angle of attack results in zero lift, so this simple approach has a ready fail-safe condition. This fail-safe condition is operable up to very high wind speeds, eliminating any need to provide for turbine overspeed control. The same teachings are equally applicable to water turbines and other types of turbines.