Patent ID: 8651798

Claim:
A kinetic hydropower generation system, comprising: a turbine; a generator coupled to the turbine; and one or more underwater intake nozzle assemblies, each underwater intake nozzle assembly comprising: a collector and an integral converging nozzle, the collector configured to collect water current and to deliver the collected water current to the converging nozzle, the converging nozzle configured to accelerate the water current delivered thereto and to deliver the accelerated the water current to the turbine; a controller; one or more actuators coupled in direct physical contact with an outer surface of at least one of the collector and the converging nozzle and electrically coupled to the controller; wherein the one or more actuators are configured to receive electrical signals from the controller and to exert forces on the outer surface of the at least one of the collector and the converging nozzle in response to receiving the electrical signals from the controller; and wherein the forces exerted on the outer surface of the at least one of the collector and the converging nozzle in response to receiving the electrical signals from the controller change a shape of the at least one of the collector and the converging nozzle; wherein the turbine is configured to receive the accelerated flow in a direction that is substantially parallel to a rotational axis of the turbine.