Rotor blade assembly and a wind turbine having the rotor blade assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11536245-B2
Application number	US-201815873170-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2018
Priority date	Jan 26, 2017
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine is presented. The rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade having a surface, where the surface of the rotor blade includes an inclined groove. The rotor blade assembly further includes at least one add-on element mounted on the surface of the rotor blade via a bonding interface downstream of the inclined groove such that particulate matter in an airflow upstream of the at least one add-on element is deflected away from the bonding interface between the surface of the rotor blade and the at least one add-on element. The wind turbine having the rotor blade assembly is also presented.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine, comprising:
a rotor blade comprising a leading edge and a surface, wherein the surface of the rotor blade comprises an inclined groove formed into and recessed within the surface, the inclined groove being a one-sided groove having only one groove edge, the surface defining an arcuate shape extending between the leading edge and the groove edge in a chordwise direction; and
at least one add-on element mounted on the surface of the rotor blade via a bonding interface, the at least one add-on element being spaced apart from and downstream of the inclined groove such that particulate matter in an airflow upstream of the at least one add-on element is deflected away from the bonding interface between the surface of the rotor blade and the at least one add-on element.

2. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1 , wherein the inclined groove is formed such that a height of the surface of the rotor blade is more on an upstream side of the groove edge in comparison to a height of the surface of the rotor blade on a downstream side of the groove edge.

3. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one add-on element is mounted downstream of the groove edge.

4. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1 , wherein a height of the groove edge is more than a height of the bonding interface.

5. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1 , wherein a height of the groove edge is equal to a base height of the at least one add-on element.

6. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1 , wherein a height of the groove edge and a base height of the at least one add-on element are selected such that a height difference between the height of the groove edge and the base height is in a predefined tolerance range.

7. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one add-on element comprises a vortex generator, a serration panel, a trailing edge extension structure, or combinations thereof.

8. A wind turbine, comprising:
a tower;
a rotor hub mounted on the tower; and
a plurality of rotor blade assemblies mounted in the rotor hub, wherein one or more of the plurality of rotor blade assemblies comprise:
a rotor blade comprising a leading edge and a surface, wherein the surface of the rotor blade comprises an inclined groove formed into and recessed within the surface, the inclined groove being a one-sided groove having only one groove edge, the surface defining an arcuate shape extending between the leading edge and the groove edge in a chordwise direction; and
at least one add-on element mounted on the surface of the rotor blade via a bonding interface, the at least one add-on element being spaced apart from and downstream of the inclined groove such that particulate matter in an airflow upstream of the at least one add-on element is deflected away from the bonding interface between the surface of the rotor blade and the at least one add-on element.

9. The wind turbine of claim 8 , wherein the inclined groove is formed such that a height of the surface of the rotor blade is more on an upstream side of the groove edge in comparison to a height of the surface of the rotor blade on a downstream side of the groove edge.

10. The wind turbine of claim 8 , wherein the at least one add-on element is mounted on a downstream side of the groove edge.

11. The wind turbine of claim 8 , wherein a height of the groove edge is more than a height of the bonding interface disposed between the surface of the rotor blade and the at least one add-on element.

12. The wind turbine of claim 8 , wherein the at least one add-on element comprises a vortex generator, a serration panel, a trailing edge extension structure, or combinations thereof.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Herrig Andreas
• Wetzel Drew Adam

Classifications

• F05B2240/32

  with roughened surface · CPC title

• F05B2230/80

  Repairing, retrofitting or upgrading methods · CPC title

• F03D1/0675 Primary

  of the blades · CPC title

• F05B2240/3062

  Vortex generators · CPC title

• F05B2260/63

  Preventing clogging or obstruction of flow paths by dirt, dust, or foreign particles · CPC title