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 means of reducing fluid density in front of Savonius blades by installing magnus rotors to accelerate onrushing fluid away from the blade itself. Several magnus rotors are mounted on either external side of the centerline of each blade, so as the Savonius rotor is revolved by the surrounding fluid and the magnus rotors are revolved on either side of the centerline in opposite directions, then fluid pressure is reduced and the Savonius rotor's speed is increased. Also, if the magnus rotor is formed from a sheathed flexible shaft and attached to an underlying contoured surface of a vehicle, such as a racing car or a helical Savonius rotor, fluid resistance to the forward motion of the vehicle is reduced.

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 means of reducing fluid density in front of Savonius blades by installing magnus rotors to accelerate onrushing fluid away from the blade itself. Several magnus rotors are mounted on either external side of the centerline of each blade, so as the Savonius rotor is revolved by the surrounding fluid and the magnus rotors are revolved on either side of the centerline in opposite directions, then fluid pressure is reduced and the Savonius rotor's speed is increased. Also, if the magnus rotor is formed from a sheathed flexible shaft and attached to an underlying contoured surface of a vehicle, such as a racing car or a helical Savonius rotor, fluid resistance to the forward motion of the vehicle is reduced.

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 supplemental propulsion system for a vehicle may include a Flettner rotor. The Flettner rotor includes a rotatable cylinder mounted on a vehicle, e.g., either horizontally or vertically. An airflow deflector is located on the vehicle behind (i.e., downwind of) the Flettner rotor, and the airflow deflector is configured to redirect a vehicle headwind to generate an airflow past the cylinder in a direction transverse to the headwind. An electronic controller may be configured to control a motor to rotate the cylinder. In some examples, the rotational speed of the cylinder is maintained at a selected multiple of a speed of the airflow past the cylinder.

To provide a wind power generation device in which wind received at the convex-side surface of concave panel parts is guided into a front edge airflow reservoir, thereby making it possible to improve the reliability of starting at startup and to increase the amount of power generated.

Wind-receiving paddles 5 have: concave panel parts 51, which have a vertically elongated shape and which curve or bend in a concave shape on an inner-side surface 516 or an outer-side surface 515 in plan view; and front edge airflow reservoirs 52 formed in a projecting manner on a concave-side-surface 511 side along the longitudinal direction of front edge parts 513 of the concave panel parts 51 with respect to the direction of rotation, the tip section of the front edge airflow reservoirs 52 curving or bending towards the rear-edge side. Airflow guide paths 53 for guiding an airflow that strikes a convex-side surface 512 from the rear-edge side toward the concave-side-surface 511 side and to the front edge airflow reservoirs 52 are formed, on the concave panel parts 51, along the longitudinal direction of the wind-receiving paddles 5.

A vertical-axis wind rotor configured by concave-convex type airfoil profiles in the form of vertical helical protrusions, tilted towards counter-rotation and twisted around, the chord decreasing, where both ends are finished in the form of sharklets rotated towards the upper surface so as to eliminate the vortex, and distributed in a circular pattern around the rotation shaft thereof. The angular arrangement of the chord of the section of the profile with a spoke with respect to the shaft of the rotor is particular for making the profile work under lift conditions before reaching the normal under drag forces and complementing them, eliminating jerking, with the direction of rotation being indicated by the Coriolis effect and determining the radial distribution, the radius, the chord, the profile, and the number of them, which confers to the rotor the maximum terminal velocity at which it slows down, being maintained by the Magnus effect.

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.