Wind turbine blade

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9759191-B2
Application number	US-201414762031-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2014
Priority date	Jan 21, 2013
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

Wind turbine blade comprising at least one deformable trailing edge section having a plurality of actuators consecutively arranged substantially downstream from one another and a control system for controlling the actuators, wherein a downstream end of one actuator is connected by a substantially rigid link with an upstream end of the next actuator and the plurality of actuators comprises an upper actuator being mounted above a chord line of the blade section and a lower actuator being mounted below a chord line of the blade section. Wind turbines comprising such a blade and methods of controlling loads on a wind turbine blade are also described.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wind turbine blade,
comprising at least one deformable trailing edge section having
a plurality of actuators consecutively arranged substantially downstream from one another, and
a control system for controlling the actuators,
wherein a downstream end of one actuator is connected by a rigid link with an upstream end of a next actuator and the plurality of actuators comprises at least one upper actuator mounted above a chord line of the blade and at least one lower actuator being mounted below the chord line of the blade.

2. The wind turbine blade of claim 1 , wherein the actuators are consecutively arranged as alternatingly upper and lower actuators.

3. The wind turbine blade of claim 2 , wherein the actuators are linked such that upon activation of the at least one upper and/or the at least one lower actuator a structural shape of the blade trailing edge section changes in at least two degrees of freedom.

4. The wind turbine blade of claim 2 , wherein the at least one upper actuator is mounted close to an inner surface of a suction side of a skin of the trailing edge section and the at least one lower actuator is mounted close to an inner surface of a pressure side of the skin.

5. The wind turbine blade of claim 2 , wherein the rigid link comprises a plurality of rigid links connected to the actuators, wherein the rigid links connected to the upstream end of the actuators are mounted substantially perpendicular to a skin of the trailing edge section.

6. The wind turbine blade of claim 1 , wherein the actuators are linked such that upon activation of at least one upper and/or at least one lower actuator a structural shape of the trailing edge section changes in at least two degrees of freedom.

7. The wind turbine blade of claim 6 , wherein the actuators are linked such that upon activation of the at least one upper and/or the at least one lower actuator at least one of a flap angle and a chord length of the blade is changed.

8. The wind turbine blade of claim 1 , wherein the at least one upper actuator is mounted close to an inner surface of a suction side of a skin of the trailing edge section and the at least one lower actuator is mounted close to an inner surface of a pressure side of the skin.

9. The wind turbine blade of claim 8 , wherein the actuators are mounted substantially parallel to the skin.

10. The wind turbine blade of claim 1 , wherein the rigid link comprises a plurality of rigid links connected to the actuators, wherein the rigid links connected to the upstream end of the actuators are mounted substantially perpendicular to a skin of the trailing edge section.

11. The wind turbine blade of claim 1 , wherein the actuators are selected from among a group consisting of piezoelectric elements, bistable elements, pneumatic actuators and hydraulic actuators.

12. The wind turbine blade of claim 1 , wherein a length of the trailing edge section extending from a trailing edge end towards a tip of the blade is equal to at least one third of a total length of the blade.

13. The wind turbine blade of claim 1 , wherein a length of the trailing edge section is equal to between 30% and 40% of a chord line of the blade.

14. The wind turbine blade of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of a skin of the trailing edge section not supporting the actuators nor the rigid link is made of a relatively flexible material.

15. The wind turbine blade of claim 14 , wherein substantially the whole skin is made of the relatively flexible material.

16. The wind turbine blade of claim 14 , wherein at least inner areas of the trailing edge section next to the flexible material are filled with an anisotropic material.

17. The wind turbine blade of claim 16 , wherein the anisotropic material is a honeycomb structure.

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

19. A method of controlling loads on the wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises activating the at least one upper and/or the at least one lower actuator such that a structural shape of the trailing edge section changes in at least two degrees of freedom.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the actuators are consecutively arranged as alternatingly upper and lower actuators.

Assignees

• Alstom Renewable Technologies

Inventors

• Betran Palomas Jaume

Classifications

• F03D7/022

  Adjusting aerodynamic properties of the blades · CPC title

• F05B2260/407

  through piezoelectric conversion · CPC title

• F05B2240/31

  of changeable form or shape · CPC title

• F03D1/0675

  of the blades · CPC title

• F03D7/0236 Primary

  by changing the active surface of the wind engaging parts, e.g. reefing or furling · CPC title