Aquantis, Inc.

Henry Swales

Peter Stricker

James George Purnell Dehlsen

Ole Kils

Tyler Mayer

The present invention is a marine current turbine featuring a downstream rotor, a faired spar, a deckhouse at the waterline, and a ballasting and mooring arrangement to ensure the center of buoyancy is above the center of gravity to provide a stable platform and ample rotor torque reaction. The faired spar minimizes the wake deficit ingested by the rotor and reduces turbulence and drag on the turbine. The deckhouse provides buoyancy to react to gravitational forces and the downward tension component supplied by the mooring system during maximum platform and rotor drag conditions and reserve buoyancy if a portion of the platform becomes flooded. The mooring arrangement preferably forms a bridle to provide yaw stability.

Marine current turbine platform with faired spar

A marine current turbine rotor comprises a hub and fixed and two or more pitchable blade sections configured to reduce bending moment loads on the pitch bearings and enable the use of non-standard, low-cost structural materials for the hub, blades, and pitch shaft. A submersible pitch drive mechanism or linkage in the hub rotates the pitch shaft to cause the pitchable blade section to move to a specified pitch position. The hub cavity is configured to be 'wet' without the expense and maintenance requirement of seals to prevent water intrusion, utilizing water-lubricated pitch bearings.

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Santa Barbara, CA, United States of America

Henry Swales