Wind turbine blade, wind turbine, method for fabrication of a wind turbine component and method for fabrication of a wind turbine blade

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12560145-B2
Application number	US-202118024351-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 7, 2021
Priority date	Sep 14, 2020
Publication date	Feb 24, 2026
Grant date	Feb 24, 2026

Abstract

A wind turbine blade is provided including at least one laminate structure, and at least one connection terminal element, wherein the laminate structure includes a panel core embedded between at least one first laminate layer and at least one second laminate layer, wherein the connection terminal element is arranged in a corresponding opening of the panel core between the first laminate layer and the second laminate layer, wherein the connection terminal element includes at least one first connection portion connected to an embedded electrical conductor embedded in the laminate structure and/or at least one second connection portion adapted to be connected to at least one further electrical conductor arranged outside of the laminate structure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A wind turbine blade comprising:
at least one laminate structure; and at least one connection terminal element; wherein the at least one laminate structure comprises a panel core, at least one first laminate layer, and at least one second laminate layer, the panel core being embedded between the at least one first laminate layer and the at least one second laminate layer; wherein the at least one connection terminal element is arranged in a corresponding opening of the panel core between the at least one first laminate layer and the at least one second laminate layer, and comprises at least one unitary first connection portion located between the at least one first laminate layer and the at least one second laminate layer and directly connected to an embedded electrical conductor embedded in the at least one laminate structure and/or at least one second connection portion adapted to be connected to at least one further electrical conductor arranged outside of the at least one laminate structure; wherein on at least one side of the at least one connection terminal element, the at least one unitary first connection portion is arranged between two second connection portions or the at least one second connection portion is arranged between two first connection portions.

2 . The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the embedded electrical conductor is an elongated cable conductor and/or a conductive fibre layer and/or the embedded electrical conductor is arranged between the panel core and the at least one first laminate layer or the at least one second laminate layer of the at least one laminate structure.

3 . The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the embedded electrical conductor is connected to a lightning receptor and/or an at least partly conductive portion of a shell of the wind turbine blade and/or to a spar of the wind turbine blade and/or the embedded conductor is a ground conductor of a lightning arrester of the wind turbine blade.

4 . The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one laminate structure forms at least a portion of a shell of the wind turbine blade and/or at least a portion of a web structure arranged in an interior of the wind turbine blade.

5 . The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the panel core comprises at least one tilted recess adjacent to the corresponding opening, further wherein a portion of the embedded electrical conductor is arranged in the at least one tilted recess.

6 . The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the corresponding opening in the panel core is a recess or a through-hole.

7 . The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein a panel core spacer component is arranged in the corresponding opening adjacent to the at least one connection terminal element, wherein a thickness of the panel core spacer component and at least a portion of the at least one connection terminal element is equal or essentially equal to the thickness of the panel core between the at least one first laminate layer and the at least one second laminate layer.

8 . The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one second connection portion comprises at least one spacer element protruding from the at least one second connection portion at least through the at least one first laminate layer and/or the at least one second laminate layer, wherein the at least one spacer element is adapted to be connected to the further electrical conductor.

9 . The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the embedded electrical conductor is fixed to the at least one first connection portion of the at least one connection terminal element by a bolted connection and/or the at least one second connection portion is adapted to be connected to the further electrical conductor by a bolted connection.

10 . The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one first connection portion and the at least one second connection portion are arranged on a same side of the at least one connection terminal element or one or more first connection portions and/or one or more second connection portions are arranged on two opposing sides of the at least one connection terminal element.

11 . A wind turbine comprising at least one wind turbine blade according to claim 1 .

12 . A method for fabrication of a wind turbine blade component comprising:
providing at least one panel core, at least one first laminate layer, at least one second laminate layer and at least one connection terminal element; arranging the at least one connection terminal element in a corresponding opening of the at least one panel core; arranging the first laminate layer and the second laminate layer on two opposing sides of the at least one panel core embedding the at least one connection terminal element at least partly, wherein the at least one connection terminal element comprises at least one unitary first connection portion located between the first laminate layer and the second laminate layer and directly connected to an embedded electrical conductor embedded between the first laminate layer and the second laminate layer, wherein on at least one side of the at least one connection terminal element, the at least one unitary first connection portion is arranged between two second connection portions or at least one second connection portion is arranged between two first connection portions; and casting the wind turbine blade component.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the embedded electrical conductor is provided, wherein the embedded electrical conductor is connected to the at least one unitary first connection portion of the connection terminal element and arranged between the at least one panel core and the first laminate layer and/or the second laminate layer prior to the casting of the wind turbine blade component.

14 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the wind turbine component is a part of a shell and/or a spar and/or a web.

15 . A wind turbine blade comprising:
at least one laminate structure; and at least one unitary connection terminal element comprising a first connection portion and at least one second connection portion directly adjacent the first connection portion; wherein the at least one laminate structure comprises a panel core, at least one first laminate layer, and at least one second laminate layer, the panel core being embedded between the at least one first laminate layer and the at least one second laminate layer; wherein the at least one unitary connection terminal element is arranged in a corresponding opening of the panel core between the at least one first laminate layer and the at least one second laminate layer, the first connection portion being located between the at least one first laminate layer and the at least one second laminate layer and directly connected to an embedded electrical conductor embedded in the at least one laminate structure and the at least one second connection portion being adapted to be connected to at least one further electrical conductor arranged outside of the at least one laminate structure.

Assignees

• Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy As

Inventors

• Ladpli Purim
• Nauheimer Michael
• Nielsen Mogens
• Sun Wei

Classifications

• F05B2230/21

  by casting · CPC title

• F05B2240/85

  Electrical connection arrangements · CPC title

• F03D80/30

  Lightning protection · CPC title

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title

• Y02E10/72

  Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction · CPC title