Vestas Wind Systems A/s

Peter Bjørn Andersen

Thomas S Bjertrup Nielsen

Mikkel Kiilerich Østerlund

Torben Ladegaard Baun

Anurag Gupta

Aksel Petersen

Henrik Kudsk

Torben Juul Larsen

Jonas Lerche Schomacker

Peng Wang

A wind turbine () comprising a tower (), a nacelle () and a hub () is disclosed. The hub () comprises a blade carrying structure () with one or more wind turbine blades () connected thereto. Each of the wind turbine blades () defines an aerodynamic profile having a chord which varies along a length of the wind turbine blade (). Each of the wind turbine blades () is connected to the blade carrying structure () via a hinge () at a hinge position of the wind turbine blade (), each wind turbine blade () thereby being arranged to perform pivot movements relative to the blade carrying structure () between a minimum pivot angle and a maximum pivot angle. The hinge position is arranged at a distance from the inner tip end () and at a distance from the outer tip end (), and the chord at the hinge position is larger than or equal to the chord at the inner tip end () and larger than the chord at the outer tip end ().

Wind turbine with blades hinged at an intermediate position

A wind turbine () comprising a tower (), a nacelle () mounted on the tower () via a yaw system, a hub () mounted rotatably on the nacelle (), the hub () comprising a blade carrying structure (), and one or more wind turbine blades () connected to the blade carrying structure () via a hinge () is disclosed. Each wind turbine blade () is thereby arranged to perform pivot movements relative to the blade carrying structure () between a minimum pivot angle and a maximum pivot angle. The blade carrying structure () is provided with one or more elements () configured to improve aerodynamic properties of a surface of the blade carrying structure () by increasing a lift and/or decreasing a drag of the blade carrying structure. The increase in lift and/or decrease in drag varies as a function of angle of attack (AOA) between the blade carrying structure () and the incoming wind.

Wind turbine with a blade carrying structure having aerodynamic properties

A horizontal axis wind turbine () with a wind turbine blade () is disclosed, the wind turbine blade () comprising a hinge () arranged to connect the wind turbine blade () to a blade carrying structure () of the wind turbine (), at a non-zero distance from an inner tip () and at a non-zero distance from an outer tip () of the wind turbine blade (). An outer blade part () is arranged between the hinge region and the outer tip (), and an inner blade part () is arranged between the hinge region and the inner tip (). The outer blade part () extends from the hinge region along a first direction and the inner blade part () extends from the hinge region along a second direction, and the first direction and the second direction form an angle, &#x3b1;, there between, where 0&#xb0;&#x3c;&#x3b1;&#x3c;90&#xb0;.

Hinged wind turbine blade defining an angle in a flap-wise direction

A wind turbine () comprising a tower (), a nacelle () and a hub () is disclosed. The hub () comprises a blade canying structure () with one or more wind turbine blades () connected thereto. Each of the wind turbine blades () is connected to the blade canying structure () via a hinge () at a hinge position of the wind turbine blade (), each wind turbine blade () thereby being arranged to perform pivot movements relative to the blade carrying structure () between a minimum pivot angle and a maximum pivot angle. The wind turbine () further comprises a stop mechanism arranged to move the wind turbine blades () to a safe pivot angle in the case of an emergency, the stop mechanism comprising a release mechanism () and at least one wire () interconnecting the release mechanism () and each of the wind turbine blades (). Activation of the release mechanism () causes an abrupt change in a pulling force applied to the wind turbine blades () by the wire(s) (), the change in pulling force causes the wind turbine blades () to move immediately to the safe pivot angle.

Wind turbine with a pivoted rotor blades, wire and release mechanism for stopping

The present invention relates to a method for operating a wind turbine (). The wind turbine () comprises one or more wind turbine blades (), each wind turbine blade () being connected to a blade carrying structure () mounted on a hub (), via a hinge () at a hinge position of the wind turbine blade (), each wind turbine blade () thereby being arranged to perform pivot movements relative to the blade carrying structure () between a minimum pivot angle and a maximum pivot angle. The method comprises the steps of detecting an airborne object entering a predefined zone around the wind turbine (), comparing a current tip height (H) of the wind turbine () to a maximum tip height value, the maximum tip height value representing a maximum allowable tip height under currently prevailing conditions. In the case that the current tip height (H) exceeds the maximum tip height value, a pivot angle (P) of wind turbine blades () is adjusted in order to decrease the tip height (H) of the wind turbine () to a value below the maximum tip height value.

Method for controlling a tip height of a wind turbine

A wind turbine () comprising a tower (), a nacelle () and a hub () is disclosed. The hub () comprises a blade carrying structure () with one or more wind turbine blades () connected to thereto. Each of the wind turbine blades () defines an aerodynamic profile having a thickness which varies along a length of the wind turbine blade (). Each of the wind turbine blades () is connected to the blade carrying structure () via a hinge () at a hinge position of the wind turbine blade (), each wind turbine blade () thereby being arranged to perform pivot movements relative to the blade carrying structure () between a minimum pivot angle and a maximum pivot angle. The hinge position is arranged at a distance from the inner tip end () and at a distance from the outer tip end (), and the thickness, or the thickness-to chord ratio, at the hinge position is larger than the thickness, or the thickness-to-chord ratio, at the inner tip end () and larger than the thickness, or the thickness-to-chord ratio, at the outer tip end ().

Wind turbine with hinged blades having a hinge position between inner and outer tip end of the blades

A multirotor wind turbine () comprising a tower structure () and at least one load carrying structure (), each load carrying structure () being arranged for carrying two or more energy generating units () comprising a rotor (). At least two of the rotors are upwind or downwind rotors (), the energy generating units () comprising upwind or downwind rotors () being arranged with their centres of gravity at a first distance behind the tower structure () along a direction of the incoming wind, substantially at the same vertical level, and at opposite sides of the tower structure () at substantially the same second distance to the tower structure () along a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the incoming wind. The multirotor wind turbine () is self-yawing, even under turbulent wind conditions.

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Skanderborg, Denmark

Peter Bjørn Andersen