The Turbo Genset Company Limited

University of London

Hiflux Limited

Hydroventuri Limited

USA as Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Rolls-Royce Corporation

Ocean Power Technologies, Inc.

Imperial Innovations Limited

Keith Robert Pullen

Mohammad Reza Etemad

Arnoldo Fenocchi

Justin Arthur Hall

Arnold Fenocchi

Albert Demargne

Geoffrey Kenneth Rochester

Tanzi Besant

David Barnes

John Francis Hassard

Mark R Draper

Michael J Vick

Robin Rhodes

Laurence W Eggleston

Hugh R Bolton

Sameer Kulkarni

Kevin J Horton

Keith Buffard

Mohammad R Etemad

A flywheel assemblycomprising: at least one flywheel mass support, the or each said support having a shaftthat extends along a rotational axisabout which the supportcan rotate in use, the or each said supportcomprising a plurality of openingsthat are each offset from said rotational axis, a flywheel masscomprising a plurality of openingsthat are each arranged to align with a corresponding opening in said support; and meansfor coupling said flywheel massto the or each said supportso that the masscan rotate with the or each supportin use, said coupling meansbeing configured to extend through the aligned openings in the or each supportand said flywheel mass; wherein said flywheel masscomprises a plurality of generally planar flywheel mass elements sandwiched together to form a stack of elements, each said element including a plurality of openingsthat align with the openingsin the or each said supportand with openings in neighbouring elements in said stack, said flywheel elements being coupled together and aligned with one another to form said flywheel mass solely by means of the coupling meansthat extends through the aligned openings in said elements and the or each said support

Flywheel assembly

A flywheel assemblycomprises at least one flywheel mass supportthat has a shaftthat extends along a rotational axisabout which the supportcan rotate in use and a flywheel mass. The supportcomprises a plurality of openingsthat are each offset from the rotational axis. The flywheel masscomprises a plurality of openingsthat are each arranged to align with a corresponding opening in the support. The flywheel massis coupled to the supportso that the masscan rotate with the supportin use. The flywheel masscomprises a plurality of generally planar flywheel mass elements sandwiched together to form a stack of elements by fixing elementsthat extend through the aligned openings in the mass elements and the support

A heat exchanger comprises a stack of mutually spaced apart plates. The plates are separated by respective spacings therebetween. Alternate spacings respectively provide a flow path for a first fluid and a second fluid. The heat exchanger further comprises a first header for inflow of the first fluid and a second header for outflow of the first fluid. The first and second headers are connected to the plate stack by flexible tubular ducting means.

Heat exchanger II

A rotor assembly, including at least one driven member, e.g., a compressor rotor, and at least one driving member, e.g., a turbine. At least one rotating thermal insulator rigidly attached to either the driven member or the driving member. A coupling feature that includes mating geometric surfaces on the driven member and the driving member, wherein the geometric surfaces are configured to allow radial sliding, relative centering, torque transmission, and axial constraint between the driven member and the driving member.

Thermally insulating turbine coupling

Heat exchanger with flexible tubular header connections

A wave energy converter with air compression (WECWAC) includes a cylinder and a piston located within the cylinder dividing the cylinder into an upper chamber and a lower chamber. The cylinder is fixedly attached to a spar whose up/down (heave) motion is restrained. The piston is fixedly attached to, and driven by, a float which moves generally in phase with the waves. Under typical wave conditions the piston functions to compress air within the upper chamber on its up stroke and within the lower chamber on its down stroke, i. e., the system is thus double-acting. In still water, the spar and cylinder combination is designed to drift down into the body of water relative to the piston whereby the size/volume of the upper chamber is decreased (while that of the lower chamber is increased). For small amplitude waves the piston continues to compress air in the upper chamber and this asymmetrical compression continues until the waves reach a predetermine level when 'double-action' is resumed. Controlling the position of the cylinder relative to the piston enables the WECWAC to automatically regulate its compression 'stroke' to suit varying wave conditions. The pressurized air from a WECWAC may be stored and/or processed to drive a turbo-generator or it may be combined with the outputs of other WECWACs to drive a single large and highly efficient turbo-generator.

Wave energy converter with air compression (WECWAC)

An apparatus for extracting power from a fluid flow comprising a fluid driveable engine, a fluid directing arrangement defining a channel in the flow of a primary fluid, the channel with a flow accelerating constriction shaped. The primary fluid accelerates as it passes through the flow accelerating constriction, the arrangement being formed to impart a rotational flow component to the primary fluid entering the constriction thereby creating a radial pressure gradient in the primary fluid as it passes through the constriction. A conduit for directing flow of a driving fluid different from the primary fluid and in fluid communication with the engine and a portion of the channel having accelerated fluid flow. Flow of driving fluid through the conduit drives the engine and delivers driving fluid to the fluid directing arrangement such that it is drawn substantially along the central axis of the rotational flow.

Extracting power from a fluid flow

An apparatus for extracting power from a fluid flow comprises a fluid driveable engine, a conduit, disposed to enable fluid communication between a portion of the fluid flow, the fluid driveable engine and a transmission fluid, the fluid in the fluid flow and the transmission fluid being different fluids and the portion of the fluid flow being at a lower pressure than the transmission fluid by virtue of its flow rate, thus causing the transmission fluid to be drawn through the conduit to become entrained in the fluid flow, the fluid driveable engine being arranged such that the flow of the transmission fluid along the conduit acts to drive the fluid driveable engine.

The invention provides a stator coil construction in which the thickness of the stator windings is reduced without the need for interconnections within the stator. The reduction in thickness of the stator windings is accomplished by wire flattening.

Method of forming a winding disc for an axial field electrical machine

The present invention relates to an electrical machine and more particularly to an arrangement of cooling passages within the stators of such machines. Cooling fluid is caused to pass through a number of channels provided in a space between winding discs to provide improved cooling of the winding discs.

Stator cooling

A rotary electrical machine ( ) has at least one stator ( ). The stator is provided with at least one radial channel ( ) for ducting cooling air. The channel ( ) extends between a first position ( ) at or substantially near the rim ( ) of a winding region of the stator ( ) and a second position ( ) at or substantially near the center ( ) of the winding region. The machine ( ) has cooling means ( ) for causing cooling air to enter the radial channel ( ) via the second position ( ) and exit via the first position ( ). The stator may have electrical windings arranged as coil sectors ( ) disposed substantially equi-angularly in a generally circular pattern. At least some of the coil sectors are wound in a generally spiral fashion when viewed axially. A rotor ( ), for the machine may have a plurality of equi-angularly spaced magnets ( ), which are generally circular but with a cut-away portion, when viewed axially.

Rotary electrical machines

A rotary electrical machine comprising a stator ( ) and at least one rotor ( ) having a plurality of permanent magnets ( ). The rotor consists of a rotor disc, at the outer edge of which the permanent magnets are mounted. The rotor disc ( ) is provided with airgap varying means ( ) which are angled towards the stator ( ) and mounted on the rotor hub ( ) for rotation therewith. When the rotor is stationary, the airgap ( ) between the magnets ( ) and the stator ( ) is at a minimum. In operation, as the speed of rotation of the rotor ( ) increases, a centrifugal force is generated which acts to bend the airgap varying means ( ) and, therefore, the rotor disc ( ) back, away from the stator ( ), thereby drawing the magnets ( ) away from the stator and increasing the size of the airgap ( ). The increase in size of the airgap results in a corresponding decrease in flux and therefore a decrease in the maximum output voltage for that rotor speed. In this way, the output voltage of the machine is kept substantially constant. A stationary iron ring ( ) may be provided on the stator ( ) to assist in drawing away flux as the size of the airgap is increased.

A rotary electrical machine which has a plurality of disc-shaped stator stages and a plurality of disc-shaped rotor stages, each of the rotor stages being respectively alternately interleaved with the stator stages. A space is provided between each stator stage and its adjacent rotor stage. Each of the stator stages is provided with at least two stator windings, defining a passage therebetween adjacent windings. A coiled pipe is disposed in or formed integrally with each of the passages in substantially the same plane as the stator stage, such that the outlet of one pipe is coupled with the inlet of the pipe disposed in the adjacent passage. In use, fluid, for example air, helium, water or oil is caused to flow around the coiled pipes in the passages between the stator windings. At the same time, cooling gas, for example, air or helium, is caused to pass through the stator-rotor spaces so as to cool the magnets, etc. and the retention hoops, etc. of the rotor stage as well as the outer surfaces of the stator stage. Alternatively, the stator-rotor spaces may be held under a vacuum.

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London, United Kingdom

Keith Robert Pullen