This paper proposes a dual-stator switched reluctance generator (DSSRG) which can be applied to underwater power generation. DSSRG is connected with the propeller. When the propeller deflects, it can drive the generator to deflect for underwater power generation and improve the conversion efficiency of the motor. Firstly, taking the underwater propeller as the research object, the pressure and torque characteristics of the propeller at different deflection angles are studied by using CFX software. Then, the structure of DSSRG is modelled and analysed, and the voltage and current characteristics of DSSRG at different speeds and deflection angles are analysed. Finally, an underwater generator prototype is established to verify the rationality of the underwater DSSRG and the feasibility and stability of the power generation system.

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With the wide application of clean energy, the requirements of this vertical axis wind turbine are higher and higher. A new diagonal spiral blade vertical axis wind turbine is designed and studied. The shape of the new type of wind turbine blade is designed based on the diagonal spiral structure that is common in life, considering the situation of different pitch angles and constructing 11 kinds of prototype machine. In‐depth analysis of the aerodynamic performance of these new wind turbines through simulation calculations shows that the prototype with a pitch angle of 110° has the best aerodynamic performance. When the tip speed ratio is 0.4, the maximum wind energy utilization rate can reach 0.29. Besides, the model of this wind turbine is constructed by 3D printing, which is tested, and the performance of the models is compared with that of the traditional S‐type wind turbine in a real environment. There rationality and superiority of the design of the new diagonal spiral blade vertical axis wind turbine are proved, and this apply background of this new diagonal spiral blade wind turbine is demonstrated by comparison. This article also analyzes the wake of the wind turbine and makes reasonable planning of the arrangement spacing that the wake effect has the least effect on the downstream wind turbine, which can increase the power generation efficiency of the group arrangement of turbines.

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Nautilus vertical axis wind turbine is a new breed which is being designed and developed through bionics and geometry, this kind of wind turbine is not only novel in appearance, and stable in structure, but also has excellent aerodynamic performance. Based on this type of wind turbine, combined with its structural characteristics, this paper designed 20 prototypes by continuously adjusting the structural parameters of the spiral blades. The performance of these prototypes is compared by simulation, the optimal structure of this kind of wind turbine is selected. This optimized wind turbine has a strong ability to collect wind energy and can obtain higher wind energy utilization in a wider range of wind speed, the maximum wind energy utilization rate reaches 32.842%. Then the wake characteristics are analysed, the reasonable arrangement is designed. This paper also built an equal scale reduced version of the real object using a 3D printer, and assembles it with a small disc type electric machine to construct a vertical axis wind power generation apparatus. Finally, experiments are conducted in a real environment to analyse the rotational speed and voltage waveform of this apparatus under different operating conditions experimentally. KEYWORDS3D printing, blade optimization design, small disc type electric machine, vertical axis wind turbine, wake characteristics 1This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.