Dehlsen Associates, LLC

Aquantis, Inc.

Gyroton Corporation

Clipper Windpower Technology, Inc.

Clipper Windpower, Inc.

Data Marine, LLC

Ecomerit Technologies LLC

James G P Dehlsen

William R Peitzke

James Brenton Dehlsen

Matthew B Brown

Alexander Jacques Fleming

Christopher J Grieco

Geoffrey Frank Deane

Amir S Mikhail

Mauricio F Quintana

Matt Brown

Peter Stricker

Lawrence Howes

Geoffrey F Deane

Rahul R Yarala

Alex Fleming

Walter Keller

Martin Stuckert

Wolfgang Mehrle

Matthew Brown

Brian Glenn

Andreas Rohm

The present invention provides a novel, floating, offshore wind turbine (FOWT) structure, referred to as a yawing buoy mast (YBM) structure. The YBM platform vertically combines a submerged spar buoy with outrigger legs and a mast on which a wind turbine nacelle is mounted. Compared to a conventional spar buoy wind turbine, weight is significantly reduced by optimizing how loads are borne and reacted by the floating structure. The mass of the YBM platform is reduced relative to the energy captured by the turbine resulting in a reduction in the cost of energy (COE). Platform load dynamics are coupled with the dynamics of the wind turbine by integration of the YBM platform and turbine controllers.

Yawing buoy mast for floating offshore wind turbines

The present invention describes a floating yawing spar buoy current/tidal turbine. The spar includes a spreader above the rotor(s) with the spreader tips connected to fore and aft cable yokes that transition to opposing mooring lines connected to anchors on the seabed. The spreader comprises a yaw motor, which drives gears that engage with a ring gear fixed to the outer perimeter of the spar.

Floating, yawing spar current/tidal turbine

A marine subsea data vessel includes a plurality of server boards, in certain embodiments forming a carousel, coupled with a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger operates to extract heat and transfer the heat to seawater entirely surrounding the marine subsea data vessel. The heat transfer may be through the outer shell of the vessel, or via an external heat exchanger, or both. Various heat exchanger configurations provide additional heat transfer efficiency. The subsea data vessel may be clustered providing additional advantages. The subsea data vessel may be powered via a variety of power sources.

Data vessel integrated with cooling and docking station with ancillary service

The present invention describes a floating yawing spar buoy current/tidal turbine. The spar includes a spreader above the rotor(s) with the spreader tips connected to fore and aft cable yokes that transition to opposing mooring lines connected to anchors on the seabed. The spreader comprises a yaw motor, which drives gears that engage with a ring gear fixed to the outer perimeter of the spar. Flow direction sensors activate the yaw motor for automatic yaw adjustments of the spar turbine. As tidal direction changes, the entire spar and turbine are yawed to maintain the rotor plane facing the tidal flow. The bottom end of the spar extends to approximately the bottom sweep of the rotor plane and contains a winched vertical mooring line, extending to the seabed and attached to a gravity or suction pile anchor. The turbine drive train can be accessed for servicing from the surface via hatches and ladders within the spar to enter the drive train and generating system vessel. The spar turbine is deployed by towing it in a horizontal position. At the operating site, the yokes are connected to the forward and aft mooring lines and the winch line is connected to the gravity anchor. The winch inside the keel draws the bottom end of the spar down and may be assisted by flooding the keel to reach a vertical position for the spar. The winch is then locked to retain required operating depth, or can actively control operating depth in areas of wide tide level range.

The present invention provides a floating tower frame for an ocean current turbine system comprising multiple rotors, which is designed to generate electrical power or high pressure seawater for reverse osmosis or fresh water production from steady (gyre) or tidal currents. Turbines are mounted near the base of a plurality of floating towers held in parallel between a horizontal truss structure above water and a horizontal wing at the base of the towers, below the surface. The center of gravity of the system is located in the bottom one third of the towers below the water line, while the center of buoyancy is in the top third of the towers below the surface, and the entire structure floats vertically, with respect to the towers.

Floating tower frame for ocean current turbine system

An underwater apparatus for generating electric power from ocean currents and deep water tides. A submersible platform including two or more power pods, each having a rotor with fixed-pitch blades, with drivetrains housed in pressure vessels that are connected by a transverse structure providing buoyancy, which can be a wing depressor, hydrofoil, truss, or faired tube. The platform is connected to anchors on the seafloor by forward mooring lines and a vertical mooring line that restricts the depth of the device in the water column. The platform operates using passive, rather than active, depth control. The wing depressor, along with rotor drag loads, ensures the platform seeks the desired operational current velocity. The rotors are directly coupled to a hydraulic pump that drives at least one constant-speed hydraulic-motor generator set and enables hydraulic braking. A fluidic bearing decouples non-torque rotor loads to the main shaft driving the hydraulic pumps.

Method of controlling depth of a buoyant submersible apparatus in a fluid flow

The invention is a wave energy device which optimizes energy conversion from waves with a stable submerged platform coupled to compliant chain of floats ('pods') which are connected to the platform by piston pumps. Wave action drives pumps to deliver pressurized water to a hydro turbine coupled to an electric generator for delivery of electric power to shore via a submarine cable. Alternatively, the pressurized water may be delivered to shore through pipes on the ocean floor, to generate electric power, also as input flow for reverse osmosis potable water production and for cooling applications.

Wave energy converter system

A power-generating device located in or on the surface of the ocean for generating power utilizing the energy in ocean wave motion. The device is moored to the bow and stern at &#x2dc;45&#xb0; to incoming ocean waves, and with a yawing capability to adjust to change in wave direction. The device delivers power to a shore grid via a submarine cable from a generator. A rotational driving torque to the generator is produced by two long counter-rotating drive tubes, which are held by bearings in the bow hull and the stern hull of the device. As an alternative, hydraulics may be employed for energy capture and power smoothing and used to provide the rotational torque through a hydraulic motor to drive a generator. The main body is partially submerged and has multiple pod floats connected to the structure by rocker arms with bearings through which the drive tubes pass or double-acting hydraulic rams between the arms and the main body, which capture energy through pod displacement and store it in accumulators. Rotary torque of the drive tubes is produced when the pods move up and down according to motion of the waves and is transmitted to the generator to generate power. In the hydraulic case, energy is stored in accumulators as pressure due to the double-acting hydraulic pistons pumping when the pods move up and down according to the motion of the waves. Hydraulic pressure drives a pump, which provides torque to the generator.

Method and apparatus for converting ocean wave energy into electricity

A rotating device for multi-megawatt, fast response frequency regulation for the electric grid. The device generally has a main shaft coupled to a motor-generator, a main spring concentric to the main shaft, and several radially-symmetric arms, each connected to the main spring via a four-bar mechanism. As the rotational speed of the device increases, centrifugal force acting on the arms causes them to rise, the four-bar mechanism compresses the main spring, and energy is stored in the device as a combination of kinetic rotational energy, elastic potential energy, and gravitational potential energy. The device can be configured with additional springs, which can be compression springs, tension springs, or a combination thereof, in order to increase the amount of energy produced. Symmetrically-spaced gliding masses can be arranged on the arms as well.

Rotating kinetic and potential energy frequency regulation device for fast response large scale electric power applications

Submerged electricity generation plane with marine current-driven rotors

A fluid transfer engine employs a case with a cylindrical inner wall having an operating radius extending from a case axis. A main rotor is carried within the case and incorporates a lobe with a major radius equal to and concentric with the operating radius of the case, the main rotor having a minor radius defining a body. Two peripheral rotors are diametrically opposed with respect to the case axis and rotate within rotor chambers extending from the case. Each peripheral rotor has a radius equal to the minor radius and a center of rotation located at twice the minor radius from the case axis. Each of the peripheral rotors rotates in uniform circular motion with the main rotor in sealing contact with the body and incorporates a sculpted recess for receiving the lobe of the main rotor.

Multiple rotor fluid transfer engine

A bulk energy storage device for an energy source. The energy storage device includes a circular or conveyor, such as a rail track, which may be formed with slopes. An electrical conductor, such as a third rail or overhead electric cable, connects to an electric grid. Coupled masses, such as rail cars, which travel on the conveyor, have motor/generators that are electrically connected to the conductor. The coupled masses can be raised on a magnetic field and driven by a linear electric motor having a stator embedded in the track and a rotor attached to the undersurface of the masses. Power from the grid is drawn via the third rail to propel and store energy in the ring of masses. When the grid needs to draw power from storage, the linear motor acts as a generator, supplying power to the grid by converting mass momentum into electric power.

Bulk energy storage and frequency regulation of electrical power

An integrated alternative energy roofing panel incorporates an array of solar concentrator tubes interconnected with transparent web to form a joined plate supported in frame elements with an attached working fluid manifold. The working fluid in the manifold is operatively in contact with the solar concentrator tubes for transferring heat from the tubes. In one exemplary construction, each of the solar concentrator tubes terminates in a conducting metal sleeve which extends beyond the frame element into the manifold. A safety glass panel is attached to one frame element beneath the joined plate. The joined plate and safety glass panel may be sealed to the frame elements to form a chamber and the chamber may be evacuated. A plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) are embedded in the web for supplemental lighting. An array of photovoltaic cells mounted to a top surface of the manifold and a battery are interconnected for powering the LEDs. The manifold incorporates a compartment to house the battery as a portion of the integrated panel.

Integrated panel with skylight, ventilation, solar hot water system and solar photovoltaic/lighting system

A method of controlling a tethered, underwater, water current-driven turbine, power-generating device. The device is comprised of dual turbines and dual rotor blades turned by fluid flow, each turbine including one or more generators driven by rotor blades. The device is connected by device tethers to a strut, which is moveable to control depth of the device. The strut is connected to the ocean floor by tripodal tethers: a main tether, a left side tether and a right side tether, which are strut control tethers. One or more winches are controlled to maintain operation of the device within set parameters by varying the tension on one or more of the strut control tethers.

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Montecito, CA, United States of America

James G P Dehlsen