Retractable rotor blade structure

Abstract

The invention relates to a power generating system wherein a turbine (5) is mounted on top of a tower (4) or tethered underwater. The turbine (5) includes a rotor (6) having a main blade (7) connected to a rotor hub (9) and an extender section (2). An adjusting device positions the extender blade between a retracted position within the main blade and to an extended position to expose more or less of the rotor to the fluid flow. An extendible rotor blade structure provides support for an airfoil shell by extending a structural beam of a base blade portion (8) of said rotor blade through to a telescoping module of said blade, both when an extender blade portion (2) of said rotor blade is retracted and extended.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to power generating equipment, such as wind turbines and ocean current turbines, and more particularly to a structural support for a wind turbine blade having a removable external aerodynamic module, the aerodynamic module Has a retractable feature that when extended increases the rotor diameter and captures more wind energy during lower winds, and retracts (contracts) to reduce exposure to wind energy during higher winds. Background technique [0002] Patent No. 3,606,571, issued to Wood on September 20, 1971, entitled "Pinching Rotor," describes a retracting rotor mounted on top of an aircraft fuselage. The rotor includes a rotatable housing unit mounted on a vertical shaft and having a pair of rotor blade units telescoping into the housing unit. A mechanism is provided to extend and retract the rotor blade unit from the housing unit for the purpose of providing vertical lift during take-off and vertical landing. The r...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

The disadvantage of the existing equipment is the number of constituent parts, which complicates the construction, maintenance and repair of the equipment

[0023] U.S. 6,726,439, "Extendable rotor blades for wind and ocean current turbines for generating electricity and means for operation below set rotor torque limits," issued April 27, 2004 to Geoffrey F. Deane and Amir S. Mikhail The patent discloses controls for extendable rotor blades, but does not describe in detail the mechanisms used to extend and retract rotor blades on wind or water driven turbines

To achieve the required strength, the screw mechanism is heavy, requiring a large reversible motor with a torque that is sufficient to turn the screw under maximum load with a safe margin; the screw mechanism must extend to the distal end of the main blade to achieve the desired longitudinal movement; the screw mechanism is complex to manufacture; the screw mechanism adds unwanted extra weight to the outer extension of the main blade and tends to accumulate during operation, thereby Increased maintenance costs

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