Wind turbine blade

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9759198-B2
Application number	US-201214366586-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2012
Priority date	Dec 21, 2011
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

A wind turbine blade having an elongated blade body extending along a longitudinal axis and having an upper skin and a lower skin, the lower skin spaced from the upper skin in a thickness direction of the blade body, the upper skin and/or lower skin having a laminated layer, the laminated layer having an outer layer wherein the outer layer forms part of the upper and/or lower skin respectively, an inner layer spaced from the outer layer in the thickness direction; and an intermediate layer sandwiched between the outer layer and inner layer, the intermediate layer having a plurality of openings extending through the intermediate layer from the inner layer to the outer layer; and a plurality of corresponding heat conductor elements extending through the plurality of openings from the inner layer to the outer layer for transferring heat from the inner layer to the outer layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wind turbine blade, comprising:
an elongated blade body extending along a longitudinal axis and having a blade root at one longitudinal end of the blade body and a blade tip at another longitudinal end of the blade body;
a leading edge and a trailing edge, both extending from the blade root to the blade tip, the trailing edge spaced from the leading edge in a span-wise direction of the blade body;
an upper skin and a lower skin extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge and from the blade root to the blade tip, the lower skin spaced from the upper skin in a thickness direction of the blade body, the upper skin and the lower skin defining a space there-between, the upper skin and/or lower skin comprises:
a laminated layer extending from the blade root towards the blade tip and at least adjacent from or from the leading edge towards the trailing edge, the laminated layer comprising:
an outer layer wherein the outer layer forms part of the upper and/or lower skin respectively;
an inner layer spaced from the outer layer in the thickness direction of the blade body;
an intermediate layer sandwiched between the outer layer and inner layer, the intermediate layer comprising a plurality of openings extending through the intermediate layer from the inner layer to the outer layer; and
a plurality of corresponding heat conductor elements extending through the plurality of openings from the inner layer to the outer layer for transferring heat from the inner layer to the outer layer, wherein the openings and/or heat conducting elements are arranged in a discrete or non-continuous arrangement or a continuous arrangement, and wherein, in the discrete or non-continuous arrangement, at least one of the openings include cylindrical holes or the heat conducting elements include cylindrical poles or rods.

2. The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of openings and/or heat conductor elements within the intermediate layer between the outer and inner layers includes one of two, three, and four openings and/or heat conductor elements.

3. The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the outer layer completely forms the upper and/or lower skin.

4. The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the openings and/or heat conducting elements span through the intermediate layer from or from about the blade root towards or to the blade tip and/or from or from about the leading edge towards or to the trailing edge and are spaced apart from each other wherein the spacing between the openings or the heat conducting elements is the same or varies or may be the same at a portion of the intermediate layer and vary at another portion of the intermediate layer.

5. The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the openings or heat conducting elements, in a discrete arrangement, are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction and span-wise direction of the blade body or both.

6. The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the openings and/or heat conducting elements, in a continuous arrangement, are extended from or from about the blade root towards or to the blade tip.

7. The blade according to claim 1 , wherein, in the continuous arrangement, the openings include slots and/or the heat conducting elements include strips.

8. The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein a concentration of openings and/or heat conducting elements and/or the number of openings and/or heat conducting elements per unit area running adjacent the leading edge is higher than a concentration of openings and/or heat conducting elements and/or the number of openings and/or heat conducting elements per unit area along the blade body away from the leading edge.

9. The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate layer comprises or is formed by a foam layer.

10. A wind turbine, comprising:
an elongated blade body extending along a longitudinal axis and having a blade root at one longitudinal end of the blade body and a blade tip at another longitudinal end of the blade body;
a leading edge and a trailing edge, both extending from the blade root to the blade tip, the trailing edge spaced from the leading edge in a span-wise direction of the blade body;
an upper skin and a lower skin extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge and from the blade root to the blade tip, the lower skin spaced from the upper skin in a thickness direction of the blade body, the upper skin and the lower skin defining a space therebetween, the upper skin and/or lower skin comprises:
a laminated layer extending from the blade root towards the blade tip and at least adjacent from or from the leading edge towards the trailing edge, the laminated layer comprising:
an outer layer wherein the outer layer forms part of the upper and/or lower skin respectively;
an inner layer spaced from the outer layer in the thickness direction of the blade body; and
an intermediate layer sandwiched between the outer layer and inner layer, wherein the intermediate layer comprises or is formed by a foam layer, the intermediate layer comprising:
a plurality of openings extending through the intermediate layer from the inner layer to the outer layer; and
a plurality of corresponding heat conductor elements extending through the plurality of openings from the inner layer to the outer layer for transferring heat from the inner layer to the outer layer.

11. The wind turbine blade according to claim 10 , wherein a concentration of openings and/or heat conducting elements and/or the number of openings and/or heat conducting elements per unit area running adjacent the leading edge is higher than a concentration of openings and/or heat conducting elements and/or the number of openings and/or heat conducting elements per unit area along the blade body away from the leading edge.

12. The wind turbine blade according to claim 10 , wherein the openings and/or heat conducting elements, in a continuous arrangement, are extended from or from about the blade root towards or to the blade tip.

13. A wind turbine blade, comprising:
an elongated blade body extending along a longitudinal axis and having a blade root at one longitudinal end of the blade body and a blade tip at another longitudinal end of the blade body;
a leading edge and a trailing edge, both extending from the blade root to the blade tip, the trailing edge spaced from the leading edge in a span-wise direction of the blade body;
an upper skin and a lower skin extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge and from the blade root to the blade tip, the lower skin spaced from the upper skin in a thickness direction of the blade body, the upper skin and the lower skin defining a space therebetween, the upper skin and/or lower skin comprises:
a laminated layer extending from the blade root towards the blade tip and at least adjacent from or from the leading edge towards the trailing edge, the laminated layer comprising:
an outer layer wherein the outer layer forms part of the upper and/or lower skin respectively;
an inner layer spaced from the outer layer in the thickness direction of the blade body; and
an intermediate layer sandwiched between the outer layer and inner layer, the intermediate layer comprising:
a plurality of openings extending through the intermediate layer from the inner layer to the outer layer; and
a plurality of corresponding heat conductor elements extending through the plurality of openings from the inner layer to the outer layer for transferring heat from the inner layer to the outer layer,

wherein the blade further comprises hea

Assignees

• Vestas Wind Sys As

Inventors

• Lauritsen Steen M
• Romblad Jonas

Classifications

• F03D11/0025 Primary

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F03D1/0675

  of the blades · CPC title

• F03D80/40 Primary

  Ice detection; De-icing means · CPC title

• F05B2260/20

  Heat transfer, e.g. cooling · CPC title

• Y02E10/721

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic