Abstract: A power plant extracts energy from a free flowing motive fluid by means of a transverse mounted generator with its rotor extending downward into the flow. Runner blades with hinges attain the greatest surface area when the flow is tangent to and in the same direction as the rotor rotation. The hinges fold the runner blades to minimize the surface area proportional to drag when the blades oppose the flow. The generator with feedback control charges batteries, produces hydrogen fuel by electrolysis of water, or further couples to a DC motor coupled to an AC generator. Other features optionally perform such tasks as adaptively locating the generator in the maximum velocity flow, controlling and communicating the state of charge of the battery, or gauging and controlling the electrolysis process and communicating the fullness of the hydrogen gas output tanks.

Abstract: A power plant extracts energy from a free flowing motive fluid by means of a turbine mounted on a gimbal. The shroud element of the fluid intake has external rudders, in conjunction with the gimbal mounting, enabling the enclosed turbine to instantaneously respond to changes in the direction of the free flowing motive fluid thus ensuring the face area of the intake is always physically orthogonal to the direction of the motive fluid streamlines. The shroud element may also be buoyant so as to optimally extract energy from an upper non-turbulent and higher velocity layer of the free flowing motive fluid. To function within an inherently unsteady source of energy, the preferred embodiment of the turbine is coupled to a DC generator which may further be coupled to a voltage and current regulating circuit which either charges a battery, performs electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen fuel, or is further coupled to a DC motor coupled to an AC generator.

Abstract: A digital core embodied within a semiconductor die that requires plural separate power supply voltage domains is situated within any of a variety of integrated circuit packaging technologies. Within the integrated circuit package including this semiconductor die also exists a switch mode DC-to-DC voltage converter, preferably a synchronous step-down regulator powering the entire integrated circuit from one supply voltage. The components contained within the integrated circuit package along with the semiconductor die include the switch mode power supply's power switching transistors, inductor core and windings, digital open-loop output voltage fixing circuitry, output capacitors and substrate for mounting said components when integrated within a packaging technology that does not already include a substrate.