USPTO intends to grant SeaTwirl a patent for a water-based emergency brake

The wind power company SeaTwirl has received notice that US Patent Office intends to grant a patent for a water-based emergency brake.

All wind turbines require an emergency brake to stop them from rotating at dangerous speeds. The traditional solution is a disc brake, but that entails several problems, such as heat dissipation and reliability offshore.

The solution, which the USPTO now intends to grant a patent for brakes the wind turbine by controllably using its rotation to move water. According to one implementation of the solution, a jacket mounted on the stationary generator housing is partly lowered into the water and filled with air, much like a diving bell. On the rotating part of the turbine, fins are mounted that, as long as the brake has not been activated, rotate in the air under the jacket. When the brake is activated, the air inside the jacket is evacuated through valves at the top. This means that the fins under the jacket, instead of rotating in air, start moving water up through the jacket and out through the valves. The much greater resistance in the water thus slows the rotational speed of the turbine. It should, however, be noted that the solution, which the USPTO intends to grant a patent for is conceptual and not limited to a particular implementation.

“We work strategically with our patent portfolio. Simplicity is important offshore and by protecting technical solutions that are simple and robust and thus reliable under harsh conditions, we can strengthen our market position”, says Peter Schou, Interim CEO of SeaTwirl.


2025.06.30

SeaTwirl establish collaboration in Canada and signs MoU with Aks Wind Energy Corporation

We are excited to announce the news today on June 30th that SeaTwirl have established a collaboration in Canada and…

2025.06.09

SeaTwirl is part of the Swedish business delegation at UN’s third Ocean Conference in Nice

We are very excited to announce that SeaTwirl has been invited by Business Sweden to join the Swedish business delegation…

2025.05.23

Horizon Europe selected SeaTwirl’s project “Verti-Go” to start grant preparation

Today it was announced by Horizon Europe that SeaTwirl's project application "Verti-Go" was selected as the successful applicant and is…