An impeller includes a hub and a blade supported by the hub. The impeller has a stored configuration in which the blade is compressed so that its distal end moves towards the hub, and a deployed configuration in which the blade extends away from the hub. The impeller may be part of a pump for pumping fluids, such as blood, and may include a cannula having a proximal portion with a fixed diameter, and a distal portion with an expandable diameter. The impeller may reside in the expandable portion of the cannula. The cannula may have a compressed diameter which allows it to be inserted percutaneously into a patient. Once at a desired location, the expandable portion of the cannula may be expanded and the impeller expanded to the deployed configuration. A flexible drive shaft may extend through the cannula for rotationally driving the impeller within the patient.

An elastomer bushing for an elastic bearing of a drive train component of a wind turbine, in particular of a gearbox on a housing, such as a machine carrier, of a wind turbine, may include two half-shells each made of an elastomer part having a Shore hardness of more than 85 Shore A. At least one of the half-shells may have an axial rigidity varying in the direction of its longitudinal axis.

A power transmission system for a wind turbine includes a main shaft configured to be driven by the rotor about a main axis, a support structure including at least one bearing supporting the main shaft for rotation about the main axis, and a gearbox having a gearbox housing rigidly coupled to the support structure and a gearbox input member coupled to the main shaft. The gearbox housing supports the gearbox input member for rotation about the main axis, and the gearbox input member is coupled to the main shaft with a translational degree of freedom along the main axis and rotational degrees of freedom about axes perpendicular to the main axis. The main shaft is coupled to the gearbox input member by a flexible coupling positioned at least partially within the main shaft. The flexible coupling may be positioned entirely within the main shaft.

A catheter blood pump includes a cannula with an expandable central portion having a proximal end, a distal end and a blood flow conduit therebetween. A flexible inlet portion at the distal end is provided with a plurality of spaced apart inlet struts configured to prevent an obstruction from entering, and a flexible outlet portion is provided with a plurality of spaced apart outlet struts operative to reduce a swirl velocity of blood, wherein the plurality of spaced apart inlet struts and the plurality of spaced apart outlet struts are fabricated from a collapsible shape memory material.

A downhole turbine includes a plurality of fins. The plurality of fins have an exit angle that exerts a tangential force on the fin, which imparts a torque on a hub. The fins have an adjustable exit angle that changes in response to changes in the properties of a drilling fluid. The changing exit angle changes the tangential force, which changes the torque on the hub.

A jointed rotor blade assembly may include a first blade segment having a first outer shell terminating at a first joint end and a second blade segment coupled to the first blade segment at a blade joint. The second blade segment may include a second outer shell terminating at a second joint end. The outer shells may overlap one another at the blade joint such that an overlapping region is defined between the first and second joint ends. In addition, the first outer shell may be spaced apart from the second outer shell along at least a portion of the overlapping region such that a gap is defined between the outer shells within the overlapping region. Moreover, the rotor blade assembly may include a sealing member positioned between the outer shells within the overlapping region that is configured to allow relative movement between the outer shells at the blade joint.

A novel approach to optimizing control accuracy of pitch angle of the blades of an airplane propeller or wind turbine rotor by using laminated rubber (elastomeric) bearings in place of rolling element bearings so that the former's smooth torque vs. deflection characteristics minimally influence the balance of passive control torques upon the pitch axis due to calibrated springs and forces resulting from rotation speed and/or aerodynamic drag.

A carpet of wave energy conversion (CWEC) device mechanically couples an absorber carpet to one or more energy converters, thereby allowing for wave energy extraction from passing waves. The absorber carpet may be flexible material of a composite material that has a low elastic modulus in a longitudinal direction (to allow for stretching), and a relatively higher elastic modulus in a transverse direction (to better couple energy from wave to converters). Such designs have minimal wave reflections and high efficiencies within a relatively short extent of deployment. The resultant converted useful energy is available as either: 1) mechanical power including direct desalinization or electrical production; or 2) hydraulic power for a number of applications (including hydraulically powered motors supplying power to powered devices including generators), or pumping of the wave medium under pressure to an alternate location for irrigation or energy storage.

Provided is a beam for a wind turbine blade of a wind turbine, whereby the beam is made from a composite material including a matrix and a reinforcement, the beam having a length in a longitudinal direction of the beam, a width in a width direction of the beam and a thickness in a thickness direction of the beam. The beam includes at least one longitudinal recess arranged in the longitudinal direction of the beam, whereby the at least one longitudinal recess separates the beam into adjacent longitudinal beam portions, whereby the longitudinal recess has the width or the thickness of the beam.

A wave energy converter comprises a submerged buoyant vessel (10) that can react directly with the seabed using neutrally buoyant taut tethers (19) at depths that characterize the continental shelf. The vessel (10) is held by a taut vertical mooring line (12) of controllable length and a taut vertical upper line (17) of controllable length connected to a surface float (15). These lines (12, 17) have elastic sections, allowing the vessel (10) to follow an orbital path in response to swell from any direction. By varying the length of these lines (12, 17) the submersion of the vessel (10) can be varied dynamically according to wave height. By varying the tension of these lines (12, 17) the natural oscillation period of the vessel (10) can be varied dynamically in response to the swell period.