Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Arni T Steingrimsson

Peder Bay Enevoldsen

John M Obrecht

Michael J Asheim

Drew Eisenberg

Manjinder J Singh

Alonso O Zamora Rodriguez

Henrik Fredslund Hansen

Peter J Rimmington

Kristian R Dixon

Justin L Mullings

A wind turbine blade airfoil trailing edge (TE) with a first waveform profile (B,C,E) as seen from behind, formed by ruffles or alternating ridges () and valleys () formed on the airfoil () and ending at the trailing edge. The trailing edge may further include a second waveform profile (B,C,E) as seen from above, resulting from serrations formed by an oblique termination plane (B) of the trailing edge or by other geometry. The ridges and/or serrations may be asymmetric (E,E) to increase a stall fence effect of the ridges on the suction side (SS) of the trailing edge. The first and second waveforms may have the same period (B,B) or different periods (C,C).

Trailing edge modifications for wind turbine airfoil

A wind turbine blade () having a spanwise series of vortex generators (P,P,) and having a trailing edge () defining a waveform. The vortex generators are aligned with a predetermined position or phase () of a respective period of the trailing edge waveform. Each vortex generator may be designed to create a vortex () that crosses the trailing edge at an angle of less than 30 degrees from parallel to the trailing edge. The blade may include alternating ridges () and troughs () that end at the waveform trailing edge. A front end of each trough may form a V-shaped drop-off in the suction side of the blade that forms a pair () of vortex generators to create counter-rotating vortices within the trough that entrain energy to the bottom of the trough.

Vortex generators aligned with trailing edge features on wind turbine blade

A slat () extending along an inboard portion of a wind turbine main blade element (). The slat may have an end vortex modification appendage, such as winglet (), endplate (), raked wingtip (), or down turned wingtip (), and may be located behind a line defined perpendicular to a mean camber line of the main blade element at a leading edge of the main blade element. At least the leading edge (S) of the slat may be disposed within a zone () of airflow that generally parallels the suction side () of the main blade element. The slat may have a flatback trailing edge (F). Vortex generators () may be attached to the slat. Slats may be retrofitted to a wind turbine rotor () by attaching them to the spar caps () of the blades or to the hub () of the rotor.

Slat with tip vortex modification appendage for wind turbine

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Erie, CO, United States of America

Arni T Steingrimsson