Abstract: A system suitable for extracting power directly from the main shafts of slow-moving mechanical systems. The system has a closed gas circuit having a lower-pressure (LP) side and a higher-pressure (HP) side. The LP side is at a pressure substantially greater than atmospheric pressure. The system includes primary compressors coupled to the wind turbines, thermal stores coupled to heat-exchangers on both the LP and HP sides of the closed gas circuit, a secondary motor-compressor set and an expander-generator set. The system allows some degree of independence between the input power resource and the output power. When substantial wind power is present and the demand for electrical power is weak, this system can export a fraction of the energy captured and store the rest. When the wind resource is low, the system can export more power than is being collected by drawing energy from the thermal stores.

Abstract: A machine for near-adiabatic compression/expansion of gas comprises two or more stages. Each stage utilises the oscillatory motion of liquid through a set of tubes to transfer power between a displacer part and a converter part. In the converter part, each of several vertical gas compression/expansion cylinders admits an oscillating column of liquid which rises and falls to act as a liquid piston. The surface of said liquid piston is thermally isolated from the gas above it by a cover-block floating atop the liquid. The cover-block also acts to minimise the transport of gas molecules into the liquid or liquid molecules into the gas. The displacer part transforms power between the oscillatory motion of the liquid and mechanical shaft power. The machine is suited to converting slow speed mechanical power into the form of (near-) adiabatically compressed gas and has potential applications in wind wave and tidal generation.

Abstract: A system suitable for extracting power directly from the main shafts of slow-moving mechanical systems. The system has a closed gas circuit having a lower-pressure (LP) side and a higher-pressure (HP) side. The LP side is at a pressure substantially greater than atmospheric pressure. The system includes primary compressors coupled to the wind turbines, thermal stores coupled to heat-exchangers on both the LP and HP sides of the closed gas circuit, a secondary motor-compressor set and an expander-generator set. The system allows some degree of independence between the input power resource and the output power. When substantial wind power is present and the demand for electrical power is weak, this system can export a fraction of the energy captured and store the rest. When the wind resource is low, the system can export more power than is being collected by drawing energy from the thermal stores.

Abstract: A wind energy converter 10 comprises a horizontal axis wind turbine 12 including a plurality of blade members 14 rotatable about a generally horizontal axis. A mass member 16 is movable along the or each blade member 14 under the action of radial forces induced by rotation of the blade members 14 and under the action of gravitational force, and movement of the or each mass member 16 is arranged to provide for conversion of the wind energy. Also described is a power generating system 200, 240 including a heat recovery arrangement 216, comprising a heat exchanger arrangement 218 and an expander 222.

Abstract: A power generating system 10 includes a drive arrangement 12 and a compressor 18 arranged to be driven by the drive arrangement 12 to compress gas, in particular air. The system 10 also includes an underwater storage arrangement 20 for storing compressed gas provided by the compressor 18 and an expander 22 for expanding compressed gas from the underwater storage arrangement 20 and/or the compressor 18 to thereby drive a generator 16 to generate electrical power.

Abstract: A power generating system 10 includes a drive arrangement 12 and a compressor 18 arranged to be driven by the drive arrangement 12 to compress gas, in particular air. The system 10 also includes an underwater storage arrangement 20 for storing compressed gas provided by the compressor 18 and an expander 22 for expanding compressed gas from the underwater storage arrangement 20 and/or the compressor 18 to thereby drive a generator 16 to generate electrical power.

Abstract: A wind energy converter 10 comprises a horizontal axis wind turbine 12 including a plurality of blade members 14 rotatable about a generally horizontal axis. A mass member 16 is movable along the or each blade member 14 under the action of radial forces induced by rotation of the blade members 14 and under the action of gravitational force, and movement of the or each mass member 16 is arranged to provide for conversion of the wind energy. Also described is a power generating system 200, 240 including a heat recovery arrangement 216, comprising a heat exchanger arrangement 218 and an expander 222.

Abstract: A magnetic bearing has two bearing members each of which carries a set of bearing elements. The bearing elements carried by one member are interleaved with the bearing elements carried by the other member to define three or more substantially parallel interleaf gaps between successive elements, so that bearing forces can be developed as a result of magnetic shear stresses acting across those gaps. The magnetic bearing achieves its bearing forces as the sum of force contributions from a number of parallel (or nearly-parallel) airgaps and each of these individual airgap force contributions comes about as the integration of magnetic shear stress over the airgap area brought about by causing lines of magnetic flux to cross the airgap at an angle to the normal.

Abstract: A magnetic bearing (1, 2, 3) has two bearing members (5, 7) each of which carries a set of bearing elements (4, 6) and the bearing elements (4) of a said set carried by one member (5) interleaved with the bearing elements (6) of a said set carried by the other member (7) to define three or more substantially parallel interleaf gaps (11) between successive elements (4, 6, 4, . . . ) so that bearing forces can be developed as a result of magnetic shear stresses acting across those gaps (11). The magnetic bearing achieves its bearing forces as the sum of force contributions from a number of parallel (or nearly-parallel) airgaps (11) and each of these individual airgap force contributions comes about as the integration of magnetic shear stress over the airgap area brought about by causing lines of magnetic flux to cross the airgap at an angle to the normal.

Abstract: A magnetic bearing (1, 2, 3) has two bearing members (5, 7) each of which carries a set of bearing elements (4, 6) and the bearing elements (4) of a said set carried by one member (5) interleaved with the bearing elements (6) of a said set carried by the other member (7) to define three or more substantially parallel interleaf gaps (11) between successive elements (4, 6, 4, . . . ) so that bearing forces can be developed as a result of magnetic shear stresses acting across those gaps (11). The magnetic bearing achieves its bearing forces as the sum of force contributions from a number of parallel (or nearly-parallel) airgaps (11) and each of these individual airgap force contributions comes about as the integration of magnetic shear stress over the airgap area brought about by causing lines of magnetic flux to cross the airgap at an angle to the normal.