Vestas Wind Systems A/s

Stephen Randall

Jonathan Smith

Francesco Grasso

Thomas Potentier

Andrea Attorni

Andrew Hedges

Steve Wardropper

Anton Bech

Gurmukh Singh

Jeremy Haight

In a first aspect of the invention there is provided a bondline structure for bonding a shear web to a wind turbine blade shell. The bondline structure comprises an elongate inner core made from a deformable material, and one or more outer layers comprising reinforcing fibres at least partially surrounding the inner core. The inner core and/or the one or more outer layers comprise an adhesive.

Manufacture of wind turbine blades

A wind turbine blade includes first and second blade modules. The first module includes a first spar cap, and the second module includes a second spar cap. The first spar cap has a tapered end portion where the thickness decreases towards the end of the first spar cap. The blade further includes a connecting element having a first tapered end portion where the thickness decreases towards a first end of the connecting element. The first spar cap and the connecting element each include (i) an intermediate thickness band; (ii) an inner thickness band; (iii) an outer thickness band. A tapered end of the inner thickness band and/or a tapered end of the outer thickness band of the first spar cap has a lower rate of taper than a tapered end of the intermediate thickness band of the first spar cap.

Modular wind turbine blade

A method of manufacturing a root ring for a wind turbine blade comprising winding metal sheet material onto a mandrel to form a metal section proximate a hub end of the root ring. Sheet fibre material is also wound onto the mandrel to form a fibre section of the root ring proximate a tipwards end of the root ring. The metal sheet material is interleaved with the sheet fibre material to form a transition section of the root ring between the metal section and the fibre section.

Method of manufacturing a root ring for a wind turbine blade

There is provided a wind turbine blade having a root end, a tip end, a blade shell, a lightning protection system and an integrated web-down conductor. The integrated web-down conductor comprises: a down conductor forming part of the lightning protection system: electrical insulation surrounding the down conductor; and a web that surrounds the electrical insulation so as to enclose the down conductor and electrical insulation and is coupled to the blade shell.

Wind turbine blade with lightning protection system and integrated web-down conductor

A shear web for a wind turbine blade includes a lower flange, an upper flange and a web structure extending between the lower and upper flanges, wherein at least one of the lower flange, upper flange, and the web structure includes an open lattice structure having a plurality of elongate fibrous composite spindles intersecting each other at multiple nodes of the structure. A method of making the shear web using a continuous fiber-reinforced additive manufacturing method is also disclosed.

Shear web for a wind turbine blade and method of making same

According to the present invention there is provided a wind turbine blade extending in a spanwise direction between a root and a tip, and in a chordwise direction between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The wind turbine blade has a spar cap comprising a plurality of strips of fibrous composite material. Each strip extends in the spanwise direction between a first end and a second end to define a length of the strip, and each strip has a width and a thickness, the width being less than the length, and the thickness being less than the width. Each strip has upper and lower major surfaces defined by the length and width dimensions. Each strip has side surfaces defined by the length and thickness dimensions. The plurality of strips includes a first strip and a second strip. The first strip has a tapered end portion in which the thickness of the first strip decreases towards the first end of the first strip. The tapered end portion defines a tapered end face inclined with respect to the upper and lower major surfaces of the first strip. The first and second strips are bonded together such that the first end of the first strip meets the upper or lower major surface of the second strip to define an interface between the first and second strips. The spar cap further comprises a patch arranged across the interface. The patch comprises a stack of fibrous plies.

Wind turbine blade

A horizontal axis wind turbine comprising a rotor having a plurality of blades, the rotor having a radius of at least 80 meters, the blades comprising: a root end and a tip end; a leading edge and a trailing edge; a shoulder between the root end and the tip end where a chord length defined between the leading edge and the trailing edge is at a maximum; wherein: Solis at least 0.0140 at 0.7R; Solis at least 0.0116 at 0.8R; Solis at least 0.0090 at 0.9R; Solbeing the combined radius specific solidity of the blades.

Wind turbine with particular combined radius specific solidities along the rotor radius

A wind turbine blade comprising a leeward shell portion and a windward shell portion, each of the shell portions extending in a chordwise direction between a leading edge and a trailing edge of the wind turbine blade; a leading reinforcement arrangement comprising at least a leading leeward reinforcement structure engaging the leeward shell portion and a leading windward reinforcement structure engaging the windward shell portion; and a trailing reinforcement arrangement comprising at least a trailing leeward reinforcement structure engaging the leeward shell portion and a trailing windward reinforcement structure engaging the windward shell portion. The trailing windward reinforcement structure has a first stiffness in the lengthwise direction and the trailing leeward reinforcement structure has a second stiffness in the lengthwise direction, wherein the first stiffness is greater than the second stiffness at a chordwise plane of the wind turbine blade.

The invention provides a method for stabilising a wind turbine blade (), the method comprising, attaching (S) an air blowing arrangement () to the blade, detecting (S) an oscillation of the blade, and operating (S) the attached air blowing arrangement to provide a thrust to counteract the oscillation.

Method for stabilising a wind turbine blade

A horizontal axis wind turbine comprising a rotor having a plurality of blades, the rotor having a radius R of at least 80 meters, the blades comprising: a root end and a tip end, the blades extending in a spanwise direction from the root end to the tip end; a leading edge and a trailing edge, the blades extending in a chordwise direction along a chord from the leading edge to the trailing edge; a shoulder between the root end and the tip end where a chord length defined between the leading edge and the trailing edge is at a maximum; the blades being twisted between the root end and the tip end and the twist is defined by a twist distribution curve along the spanwise direction of the blades, each blade further comprising: an inboard region between the root end of the blade and the shoulder of the blade; an outboard region between a rotor radius 0.9R and the tip end of the blade; and a mid-board region located between the inboard region and the outboard region; a noise reduction feature in the mid-board region of the blade, the noise reduction feature projecting from the trailing edge and extending from a first radial position Rtoward the tip end; wherein the twist distribution curve comprises a first inflection point in the vicinity of the first radial position R

Wind turbine

A reinforcing structure for a wind turbine blade A reinforcing structure for a wind turbine blade () is described. The reinforcing structure comprises one or more pultruded strips (C) having spanwise grooves (). The grooves () impart transverse flexibility to the strips (C), allowing the strips (C) to conform to the curvature of a wind turbine blade mould (). An associated method of making a reinforcing structure for a wind turbine blade () is described. The method comprises providing an elongate mould () extending in a longitudinal direction and defining a mould surface at least part of which is concave-curved in transverse cross section. One or more pultruded strips (C) with spanwise grooves () are arranged in the mould () to form the reinforcing structure. The pultruded strip(s) are bent along the grooves () so that they substantially conform to the transverse curvature of the mould surface. In preferred embodiments the reinforcing structure is a spar cap ().

Reinforcing structure for a wind turbine blade

A shear web foot for a wind turbine blade is described. The shear web foot extends longitudinally and comprises a base for attaching to an internal surface of the blade and first and second side walls. The side walls extend respectively from opposite longitudinal sides of the base. At least part of each side wall is inclined relative to the base and inclined towards the other side wall. A web-foot interior is defined at least in part by the base and the first and second side walls. One or more internal walls are located in the web-foot interior. The one or more internal walls extend between the base and the first and/or second side walls and are spaced apart from the first and second side walls to define a plurality of chambers within the web-foot interior.

Web foot for a shear web

A modular wind turbine blade is described. The blade has at least a first blade module and a second blade module connected to end to end. An interface is defined between the respective modules. The blade further comprises at least one longitudinally extending spar structure that forms part of the outer shells of the first and second blade modules when the modules are connected. The or each spar structure is substantially continuous and extends across the interface between the first and second blade modules when the modules are connected. The or each spar structure is integrated with the first blade module and the spar structure is folded or coiled to facilitate transportation of the module. The second blade module includes channels defined in the outer shell for receiving the or each spar structure when the modules are connected. In this way the spar structures also form part of the outer shell of the second module. A method of assembling the modular blade and a method of installing a wind turbine having a modular blade are also described.

Modular wind turbine rotor blade

A method of making an elongate reinforcing structure, such as a shear web, for a wind turbine blade is described. The reinforcing structure comprises a longitudinally-extending web and a longitudinally-extending flange. The flange extends along a longitudinal edge of the web and is arranged transversely to the web. The method involves providing a flange structure comprising a flange portion, and a projecting portion that extends along the length of the flange portion and projects transversely from a surface of the flange portion. The projecting portion is bonded between laminate layers of the web. The flange structure is preferably a pultruded component having a T-shaped cross-section. The method allows a simple, inexpensive and reconfigurable mould tool to be used. In preferred embodiments the mould tool has a flat surface without sidewalls.

A structural shell for a wind turbine blade is formed from one or more elongate reinforcing members, each in the form of a stack () of pultruded fibrous composite strips positioned between two layers of structural foam (). The foam layers () have a thickness which is greater than that of the stack (). The edges of the foam layers () are formed with a void (). With the stack () and foam layers () positioned in a mould, a strip of pre-cured glass fibre () is placed on the stack () and the edges of the foam layers (). A vacuum is applied to the stack () and the foam layers (), causing the glass fibre strip () to press on the stack () and foam layers () and to conform to the underlying surfaces. As a result, the void () is reduced in size and the step-shaped transition between the surfaces of the stack () and the foam layers () transformed into a smooth transition, so as to reduce the stresses within the glass fibre strip () in the region of the abutment of the stack () and the foam layers (). In other embodiments, the stepped transition is smoothened by replacing the upper-edge region of each foam layer () with a strip of low-stiffness foam.

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Hampshire, United Kingdom

Stephen Randall