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An underwater hydro-electric farm comprising a plurality of electrical generator assemblies arranged in an array on a bottom surface of a body of water within an ocean current path to take generate power from a kinetic energy caused by the flow of the underwater current. Each assembly is installed i

An underwater hydro-electric farm comprising a plurality of electrical generator assemblies arranged in an array on a bottom surface of a body of water within an ocean current path to take generate power from a kinetic energy caused by the flow of the underwater current. Each assembly is installed in a cradle, which is anchored with a pile driven system to the bottom surface. Each assembly is a modular system allowing for easy swapping out of an assembly under water. Generated power is transmitted to a land based facility directly to or through an intermediate transfer station. Generator portion may have internally or externally supported field windings. Various configurations of propellers may be used, some with channels or solid vanes and another being a spiral shaped propeller. All water exposed surfaces of the generator and propeller portions are coated with a non-conductive, heat dissipating, anti-fouling and water specific protective coating.

대표청구항 ▼

I claim: 1. An underwater hydroelectric generator assembly for use in a hydroelectric farm comprising: an electrical generator portion coupled to a turbine/blade propeller portion, wherein surfaces of components exposed to the water for each portion are coated with a non-conductive, heat dissipatin

I claim: 1. An underwater hydroelectric generator assembly for use in a hydroelectric farm comprising: an electrical generator portion coupled to a turbine/blade propeller portion, wherein surfaces of components exposed to the water for each portion are coated with a non-conductive, heat dissipating, anti-fouling and water specific protective coating, and wherein the electric generator portion further includes: an externally supported stator field wound electric generator comprising an external shell enveloping field windings of the electric generator, the external shell supporting and being fastened to said field windings, and the external shell further having openings in said external shell, and wherein the water can flow through the electric generator assembly between a rotator electromagnet assembly portion of the electric generator portion and the field winding assembly, through spaces in each of said rotator electromagnet assembly and said stator field winding assembly and through the openings in the external shell. 2. The underwater hydroelectric generator assembly according to claim 1, wherein said hydro-electric generator assembly further comprises: a cradle rotational shaft mounting module on each side of the electrical generator portion, each mounting module including a mounting module release mechanism which secures a turbine blade/propeller shaft to the cradle; a shaft rotational gear up unit located adjacent one of said mounting modules on the turbine blade/propeller portion of the hydroelectric generator assembly; and a rotational shaft stabilizer mounted on the shaft and on both sides of the electrical generator portion of the hydro-electric generator assembly, wherein the mounting module, the shaft rotational gear up unit and the rotational shaft stabilizer are in contact with the turbine blade/propeller shaft. 3. The underwater hydro-electric generator assembly according to claim 2, further comprising: a plurality of magnetic force support points mounted along the turbine blade/propeller shaft as required to support the turbine blades/propellers and turbine blade/propeller shaft, the gear up unit and a rotator assembly of the electrical generator portion of the hydroelectric generator assembly. 4. The underwater hydroelectric generator assembly according to claim 3, wherein said plurality of magnetic force support points each comprise: an outer electromagnetic ring having an induced electromagnetic polarity; an outer ring magnet control and power wiring; an inner electromagnetic ring having an induced electromagnetic polarity; a water passage between the outer and inner electromagnetic rings; inner ring control wiring; and a turbine blade/propeller shaft coupler, wherein the shaft stabilizer units and the rotational shaft mounting module capture the outer ring's electromagnets and holds them in place, and wherein the induced polarities of the inner and outer rings creates a polarity of an inner side of the outer ring which is the same as a polarity of an outer side of the inner ring. 5. The underwater hydroelectric generator assembly according to claim 1, wherein the turbine blade/propeller portion includes blade propellers formed as an open weave bladed windmill arrangement, the blade propellers further having directional enhancers along a perimeter of each blade propeller, the weave arrangement comprising structural channels that direct the water in an altered direction as the water passes through and over a face of each channel, so as to give the blade propellers a rotational force, wherein each blade propeller is positioned in relationship with a neighboring blade propeller so as to overlap each other. 6. The underwater hydroelectric generator assembly according to claim 1, wherein the turbine blade/propeller portion includes two or more layers of three or more blade propellers, each blade propeller being pitched and having an open weave arrangement comprising structural channels that direct the water in an altered direction as the water passes through and over a face of each channel, so as to give the blade propellers a rotational force, wherein each blade propeller is positioned in relationship with a neighboring forward or aft blade propeller so as to overlap each other. 7. The underwater hydroelectric generator assembly according to claim 1, wherein the turbine blade/propeller portion includes blade propellers arranged in a conventional box blade weave arrangement, a protective circular cage around the turbine blade/propeller assembly, the circular cage having openings serving as means for directing the flow of water against the blade propellers, structural channels in each blade propeller that direct the water in an altered direction as the water passes through and over a face of each channel, so as to give the blade propellers a rotational force, wherein each blade propeller is positioned in relationship with a neighboring blade propeller so as to overlap each other. 8. The underwater hydroelectric generator assembly according to claim 1, wherein the turbine blade/propeller portion includes a plurality of solid vane propellers arranged in a conventional fan arrangement, a protective circular cage around the turbine blade/propeller assembly, the circular cage having openings serving as means for directing the flow of water against the blade propellers. 9. The underwater hydroelectric generator assembly according to claim 1, wherein the turbine blade/propeller portion comprises a skeletal spiral turbine rotational assembly, said spiral turbine rotational assembly formed in an increasing spiral form from a center point on a rotational shaft of the electrical generator assembly and spiraling radially outward toward the electrical generator portion of the electrical generator assembly and ending in a circular shaped outer edge, the spiral form further being angled to optimally direct the flow of water toward the outer edge of the spiral form thereby converting a directed force of the flow of water into rotational movement of the spiral turbine rotational assembly, the spiral turbine rotational assembly further having spaced-apart longitudinal support rods extending from the outer edge to an intermediate portion of the spiral form and spaced-apart support cables extending from the outer edge to an attachment location adjacent the center point, the longitudinal support rods and the support cables in combination forming a directional weave to direct the flow of water toward the spiral form and the outer edge. 10. The underwater hydroelectric generator assembly according to claim 1, wherein the turbine blade/propeller portion includes a plurality of three bladed turbine propellers, each three bladed turbine propeller being in a staggered arrangement from the other three bladed turbine propellers, and each propeller being formed in a conventional wind turbine design.