Abstract: The multi-staged cowl described herein allows to increase and maximize water mass flow and pressure drop at the runner cross-section of a hydrokinetic turbine so as to maximize produced power output, while respecting dimensional constraints provided by a shallow body of water, a river for example, in which the hydrokinetic turbine can be submerged. The multi-staged cowl described herein can thus be configured so as to allow water to flow through the hydrokinetic turbine at a substantially stable water mass flow, eliminating instability, avoiding vortices, minimizing cavitation and avoiding fluid separation to negligible levels, and can include an inlet, an outlet and multiple stages which can extend between the inlet and the outlet, so that water can flow therethrough in a water flow direction.

Abstract: An improved passive magnetic bearing (PMB) for rotating machineries and rotating machineries integrating the bearing are configured to counteract the three states dimensional forces applied on them when put in an operating environment having external forces. The improved PMB includes a first ring element having a Halbach array. A second ring element has first and second Halbach arrays extending angularly over respective regions of the second ring. Magnetic interaction from the Halbach array of the first ring with the first and second Halbach arrays of the second ring when the rings are positioned relative each other within an axial operating range defines a combined force curve. This curve can have an axial component matching a predetermined target axial force curve and a radial component matching a predetermined target radial force.

Abstract: The multi-staged cowl described herein allows to increase and maximize water mass flow and pressure drop at the runner cross-section of a hydrokinetic turbine so as to maximize produced power output, while respecting dimensional constraints provided by a shallow body of water, a river for example, in which the hydrokinetic turbine can be submerged. The multi-staged cowl described herein can thus be configured so as to allow water to flow through the hydrokinetic turbine at a substantially stable water mass flow, eliminating instability, avoiding vortices, minimizing cavitation and avoiding fluid separation to negligible levels, and can include an inlet, an outlet and multiple stages which can extend between the inlet and the outlet, so that water can flow therethrough in a water flow direction.

Abstract: An improved passive magnetic bearing (PMB) for rotating machineries and rotating machineries integrating the bearing are configured to counteract the three states dimensional forces applied on them when put in an operating environment having external forces. The improved PMB includes a first ring element having a Halbach array. A second ring element has first and second Halbach arrays extending angularly over respective regions of the second ring. Magnetic interaction from the Halbach array of the first ring with the first and second Halbach arrays of the second ring when the rings are positioned relative each other within an axial operating range defines a combined force curve. This curve can have an axial component matching a predetermined target axial force curve and a radial component matching a predetermined target radial force.

Abstract: An underwater hydroelectric turbine comprises a turbine housing having an inlet and an outlet, a central shaft extending axially inside the turbine housing, a self-contained, sealed front bearing unit for rotationally supporting a front end of the central shaft, and a self-contained, sealed rear bearing unit for rotationally supporting a rear end of the central shaft. The front bearing unit and the rear bearing unit each comprises a self-powered lubricant circulation system that draws a fraction of the mechanical power from rotation of the central shaft to circulate lubricant through each respective bearing unit. The turbine may have an equilibrium chamber for automatically balancing lubricant pressure inside a lubricant-containing chamber of the bearing chambers with ambient water pressure outside the bearing housing.

Abstract: The invention consists of developing an environmentally friendly new energy converter using light weight material. The energy converter shall be fully submersed in running undercurrents waters and have high overall efficiency ratio. The energy converter consists of, among other things, eliminating the in-line electric generator and substitute it with peripheral electro-magnetic coupling device, attached to the runner tip from inside and surrounding the energy converter housing from outside. The energy converter electric brushless circuits and winding must be totally sealed from water, using new sealing techniques and shall be also electrically isolated as well. The energy converter allows extracting energies from undercurrents with large frequency and voltage ranges.