Spar cap for a wind turbine rotor blade

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9816482-B2
Application number	US-201414542850-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2014
Priority date	Nov 17, 2014
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

A spar cap for a rotor blade of a wind turbine is disclosed. The rotor blade includes a blade root and a blade tip, leading and trailing edges, pressure and suction sides, and at least one spar cap configured on an internal surface of either or both the pressure or suction sides. The spar cap includes one or more layers of a first material and a second conductive material contacting at least one of the layers of the first material. Further, the conductive material is different than the first material. Thus, the conductive material is configured with the first material so as to create an equipotential spar cap.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotor blade of a wind turbine, the rotor blade comprising:
a blade root and a blade tip;
a leading edge and a trailing edge;
a suction side and a pressure side; and,
at least one spar cap configured on an internal surface of either or both of the pressure or suction sides, the spar cap constructed of a plurality of layers of a non-metal, first material and a plurality of layers of a conductive, second material alternating with and contacting each of the layers of the first material, the plurality of layers of the second materials being embedded between the layers of the first material to form the spar cap, the second material being a different material than the first material,
wherein one of the plurality of layers of the non-metal, first material contacts the internal surface of either or both of the pressure or suction sides of the rotor blade, and
wherein the second material is configured with the first material so as to create an equipotential spar cap.

2. The rotor blade of claim 1 , wherein the second material of the spar cap is configured to electrically connect to a lightning protection system of the wind turbine.

3. The rotor blade of claim 1 , wherein some of the second material is embedded within one or more of the layers of the first material.

4. The rotor blade of claim 1 , wherein the second material comprises at least one of a metal or a metal alloy.

5. The rotor blade of claim 4 , wherein the metal or metal alloy comprises at least one of copper, aluminum, steel, tin, tungsten, iron, nickel, or combinations thereof.

6. The rotor blade of claim 1 , wherein the second material comprises at least one of the following configurations: a mesh, a wire, or a ply.

7. The rotor blade of claim 1 , wherein the layers of the non-metal, first material comprise at least one of glass fiber laminate composites, carbon fiber laminate composites, or pre-preg fiber composites.

8. The rotor blade of claim 1 , wherein the layers of the first material and the second material comprise varying lengths along a length of the spar cap.

9. The rotor blade of claim 1 , wherein the layers of the first material and the second material comprise uniform lengths along a spar width.

10. A wind turbine, comprising:
a tower mounted on a support surface;
a nacelle configured atop the tower;
a rotor hub comprising one or more rotor blades, at least one of the rotor blades comprising at least one spar cap configured on an internal surface of at least one of a pressure side or a suction side of the rotor blade, the spar cap comprising a plurality of layers of a non-metal, first material and a plurality of layers of a conductive, second material alternating with and adjacent to each of the layers of the first material, the plurality of layers of the second materials being embedded between the layers of the first material to form the spar cap, the second material being different than the first material,
wherein one of the plurality of layers of the non-metal, first material contacts the internal surface of either or both of the pressure or suction sides of the rotor blade, and
wherein the second material is configured with the first material so as to create an equipotential spar cap.

11. A method of manufacturing a spar cap for a rotor blade of a wind turbine, the method comprising:
providing a plurality of layers of a non-metal, first material of the spar cap, at least one of the plurality of layers of the non-metal first material forming an outer surface of the spar cap that contacts an internal surface of either or both of the pressure or suction sides of the rotor blade;
alternating a plurality of layers of a conductive, second material with each of the plurality of layers of the first material, the second material being different than the first material; and,
securing the plurality of layers of the first material and the plurality of layers of the second material together such that the layers of the second material are embedded between the layers of the first material so as to create an equipotential spar cap structure.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the layers of the non-metal, first material comprise at least one of glass fiber laminate composites, carbon fiber laminate composites, or pre-preg fiber composites.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising embedding some of the second material within the pre-preg fiber composites.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second material comprises at least one metal or metal alloy.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the metal comprises at least one of copper, aluminum, steel, tin, tungsten, iron, nickel, or combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second material comprises at least one of the following configurations: a mesh, a wire, or a ply.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the layers of the first material and the second material comprise varying lengths along a length of the spar cap.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the layers of the first material and the second material comprise uniform lengths along a spar width.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Caruso Christopher Daniel
• Yarbrough Aaron A
• Hardison Richard Allen

Classifications

• F03D13/20

  Arrangements for mounting or supporting wind motors; Masts or towers for wind motors · CPC title

• F03D1/0675 Primary

  of the blades · CPC title

• F03D1/0633 Primary

  of the blades · CPC title

• Y02E10/721

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F03D80/30

  Lightning protection · CPC title