A fan blade de-icing device

Abstract

This invention provides a wind turbine blade de-icing device, including a drone, and further comprising: a liquid storage tank fixed to the drone's frame for storing liquid de-icing agent; a piston plate for squeezing the liquid de-icing agent is slidably sealed within the storage tank; the piston plate has a through hole; a conveying assembly for communicating with the through hole and being fixedly connected to the piston plate; and a contact spraying and breaking assembly fixed to and communicating with the conveying assembly for piercing the ice layer surface and spraying liquid de-icing agent upon contact with the ice layer on the wind turbine blades. This invention integrates the liquid storage tank, piston plate, conveying assembly, and contact spraying and breaking assembly onto the drone, utilizing the sliding and squeezing action of the piston plate within the storage tank to actively deliver the liquid de-icing agent. This eliminates the need for ground pump stations and long-distance hoses, fundamentally solving the problem of insufficient drone payload and difficult operation caused by excessively heavy pipelines in traditional spraying methods.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wind turbine blade maintenance technology, specifically to a wind turbine blade de-icing device. Background Technology

[0002] Wind turbines are typically installed in open areas with abundant wind resources, such as plateaus, mountains, coastlines, or offshore. These areas often experience harsh winters with high humidity, making wind turbine blades highly susceptible to icing. Icing not only alters the blade's aerodynamic shape, leading to a significant decrease in power generation efficiency, but can also cause uneven load distribution, inducing abnormal vibrations and even resulting in major safety accidents such as blade breakage or tower collapse. Therefore, de-icing maintenance of wind turbine blades in winter is a crucial step in ensuring the safe and stable operation of wind farms.

[0003] Currently, the industry mainly uses the following methods for de-icing wind turbine blades: First, laying hot air ducts or electric heating elements inside the blades to melt ice by heating the blade surface. This method requires integrated design during the blade manufacturing stage, resulting in high modification costs and is not applicable to existing units already in operation. Second, coating the blade surface with hydrophobic coatings or anti-icing paints. However, the effectiveness of this passive anti-icing method is greatly affected by the coating life and environmental factors, requiring frequent recoating. Third, using drones equipped with spraying equipment to spray de-icing agents onto the blade surface. Although this method is highly mobile, most existing solutions use ground pump stations to deliver de-icing agents into the air through long hoses. The heavy weight of the pipes severely restricts the payload and maneuverability of the drones. Furthermore, for thick ice layers, the de-icing agent can only act on the surface of the ice layer and cannot penetrate to the interface between the ice layer and the blade body, resulting in limited de-icing effect. A few approaches have attempted to equip drones with mechanical vibration devices to break up ice through impact or vibration. However, since wind turbine blades are mostly made of glass fiber reinforced composite materials, which are brittle, direct mechanical impact can easily damage the internal structure of the blades. Therefore, this method carries a high risk in practical applications.

[0004] Therefore, this invention proposes a de-icing device for wind turbine blades. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings and provide a de-icing device for wind turbine blades.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a wind turbine blade de-icing device, including a drone, and further comprising: A liquid storage tank, fixed on the frame of the drone, is used to store liquid de-icing agent. The liquid storage tank is equipped with a piston plate for squeezing the liquid de-icing agent, and the piston plate has a through hole. A conveying assembly for communicating with a through-hole and being fixedly connected to a piston plate; The contact spray breaking assembly is fixed to and connected to the conveying assembly. It is used to puncture the surface of the ice layer and spray liquid de-icing agent when it comes into contact with the ice layer on the wind turbine blades.

[0007] Furthermore, the contact spray crushing assembly includes a horizontal pipe on which a plurality of spray pipes are installed at intervals. One end of each spray pipe is connected to the horizontal pipe, and the other end is fitted with an orifice plate. A pin is slidably disposed in the middle of the orifice plate. One end of the pin extends into the interior of the horizontal pipe and is fixed with an elastic element. When the elastic element is in its initial state, the other end of the pin is located outside the orifice plate.

[0008] Furthermore, the tip of the ejector pin located outside the orifice plate has a tapered portion.

[0009] Furthermore, the nozzle is internally equipped with a sealing component to block the liquid de-icing agent from being ejected from the orifice plate.

[0010] Furthermore, the sealing assembly includes a fixing plate fixed on the ejector pin, and a plug rod corresponding one-to-one with the injection holes of the orifice plate is fixed on the fixing plate. When the elastic element is in the initial state, the plug rod is located in the injection hole of the orifice plate.

[0011] Furthermore, a sealing ring is fixed on the outer wall of the plug rod. When the plug rod is located in the spray hole of the orifice plate, the sealing ring abuts against the circumference of the spray hole.

[0012] Furthermore, it also includes a vibration motor, which is mounted on the liquid storage tank. The central shaft of the vibration motor has a hollow structure, and the conveying component passes through the central shaft and contacts the inner wall of the central shaft.

[0013] Furthermore, an installation box is installed inside the liquid storage tank, the vibration motor is installed in the installation box, and a partition is fixed on one side of the installation box, and the partition is arranged parallel to the piston plate.

[0014] Furthermore, the conveying assembly includes a main pipe, one end of which is connected to a piston plate, and the other end is connected to a connecting pipe, which is connected to a horizontal pipe.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. This invention integrates a liquid storage tank, piston plate, conveying assembly, and contact spray crushing assembly onto a drone. It utilizes the sliding and squeezing action of the piston plate within the liquid storage tank to achieve active delivery of liquid de-icing agent, eliminating the need for ground pump stations and long-distance hoses. This fundamentally solves the problem of insufficient drone payload and difficult operation caused by excessively heavy pipelines in traditional spraying methods.

[0016] 2. This invention incorporates a contact-triggered spray structure, consisting of a ejector pin and an elastic element, in the contact-type spray breaking assembly. The ejector pin retracts into the nozzle and opens the spray holes of the orifice plate only when it contacts and presses against the ice layer, achieving a point-contact, pressure-driven, on-demand liquid supply mode. This design ensures that each nozzle releases liquid de-icing agent only at the moment of contact with the ice surface. The liquid de-icing agent can be directly injected into the cracks in the ice layer after being broken by the ejector pin, effectively improving the penetration efficiency of the liquid de-icing agent into the ice layer and avoiding the waste of liquid de-icing agent when it is not in contact with the ice layer.

[0017] 3. This invention, by installing a vibration motor on the liquid storage tank and having its hollow central shaft in contact with the conveying assembly, allows vibration energy to be transmitted along the main pipe, connecting pipe, and horizontal pipe to the ejector pin and orifice plate at the end of the nozzle. When the ejector pin contacts the ice layer, the vibration acts directly on the ice layer through the ejector pin, causing micro-cracks in the ice layer to gradually expand. This creates a simultaneous effect of the physical piercing action of the ejector pin and the chemical melting action of the liquid de-icing agent. Compared to direct mechanical collision, this vibration transmission path is gentler and more controllable. The vibration energy is dispersed and transmitted to the ice layer rather than being concentrated at a single point on the blade. This effectively breaks up thick ice layers while avoiding impact damage to the composite material of the wind turbine blades.

[0018] 4. The present invention has a linkage sealing assembly consisting of a fixed plate and a plug rod inside the nozzle. When the ejector pin is not squeezed, the plug rod, together with the sealing ring, reliably seals the injection hole of the orifice plate, effectively preventing the liquid de-icing agent in the storage tank and pipeline from leaking during the flight or hovering of the UAV, and ensuring the stability of the internal pressure of the system.

[0019] 5. The central shaft of the vibration motor in this invention adopts a hollow structure, through which the main pipe of the conveying component passes and contacts the inner wall. This layout allows for a high degree of spatial integration between the installation of the vibration motor and the wiring of the conveying component, eliminating the need for additional vibration transmission components. This effectively reduces the overall size and weight of the device, which is beneficial for improving the drone's endurance and maneuverability. Simultaneously, the mounting box and partition inside the liquid storage tank physically isolate the vibration motor from the liquid de-icing agent, protecting the electrical equipment and ensuring the smooth sliding of the piston plate. The overall structure is compact and reliable, and easily adapted and promoted on existing drone platforms. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this application, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an undue limitation of the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the liquid storage tank after the bottom is opened in this invention.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure when the conveying component is connected to the contact spray crushing component in this invention.

[0023] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the half-section structure.

[0024] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A magnified view of part A in the middle.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the contact spray crushing component in this invention.

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the sealing component in this invention.

[0027] In the diagram: 1. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV); 2. Liquid Storage Tank; 3. Vibration Motor; 4. Conveying Assembly; 5. Contact Spray Crushing Assembly; 6. Sealing Assembly; 101. Piston Plate; 102. Partition Plate; 103. Through Hole; 104. Mounting Box; 401. Main Pipe; 402. Connecting Pipe; 501. Spray Pipe; 502. Pin; 5021. Conical Section; 503. Elastic Component; 504. Orifice Plate; 505. Horizontal Pipe; 601. Fixed Plate; 602. Plug Rod; 603. Sealing Ring. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] Please see Figures 1 to 7This invention provides a wind turbine blade de-icing device, including a drone 1, a liquid storage tank 2, a conveying assembly 4, and a contact spray crushing assembly 5; wherein, the liquid storage tank 2 is fixed on the frame of the drone 1 and is used to store liquid de-icing agent; a piston plate 101 is slidably sealed inside the liquid storage tank 2, which can divide the internal space of the liquid storage tank 2 into a liquid storage chamber and a driving chamber. When the piston plate 101 slides towards the liquid storage chamber, it can squeeze the liquid de-icing agent, giving it the pressure to be conveyed outward; a through hole 103 is opened at the center of the piston plate 101, which serves as the only channel for the liquid de-icing agent to flow out of the liquid storage chamber. One end of the conveying component 4 passes through the through hole 103 and is fixedly connected to the piston plate 101. The internal channel of the conveying component 4 is sealed and connected to the through hole 103, so that the liquid de-icing agent can enter the conveying component 4 from the storage chamber through the through hole 103. The contact spraying and breaking component 5 is fixed to the end of the conveying component 4 and is connected to the internal channel of the conveying component 4. It is used to puncture the surface of the ice layer and spray the liquid de-icing agent when it comes into contact with the ice layer of the wind turbine blade. This design allows the UAV 1 to carry the entire device to the high-altitude operation position. Through the active squeezing of the piston plate 101, the liquid de-icing agent can be quantitatively and controllably sprayed, avoiding the problems of heavy weight and difficult operation caused by long pipeline transportation in traditional solutions. This significantly improves the safety and flexibility of the operation.

[0030] It is worth noting that a counterweight can also be installed on the liquid storage tank 2 to improve the balance of the drone 1 during flight. The liquid storage tank 2 can be detachably fixed to the frame of the drone 1 via a mounting bracket.

[0031] As a supplementary technical solution, a micro water pump can also be installed in the liquid storage tank 2, and the micro water pump can be connected to the delivery component. The delivery component can be set to a fixed type to improve the overall stability and directly deliver liquid de-icing agent through the micro water pump.

[0032] Furthermore, such as Figure 1 As shown, the present invention also includes a vibration motor 3, which is installed on the housing of the liquid storage tank 2. The central shaft of the vibration motor 3 is a hollow structure, through which the upper end of the conveying component 4 passes, and the outer wall of the conveying component 4 is in contact with the inner wall of the central shaft. In actual operation, when encountering a thick or hard ice layer, the vibration motor 3 can be activated. The mechanical vibration generated by the vibration motor 3 will be directly transmitted to the conveying component 4 through its central shaft, and then transmitted along the conveying component 4 to the contact spray crushing component 5 at the end. This vibration energy ultimately acts on the ice layer, causing micro-cracks in the ice layer, thereby reducing the structural strength of the ice layer and facilitating the penetration of liquid de-icing agent. This vibration-assisted de-icing method avoids the potential damage to the fan blades caused by direct mechanical collision, and significantly improves the de-icing efficiency and effect through the organic combination of physical vibration and chemical de-icing.

[0033] like Figures 3 to 6 As shown, the contact spray de-icing assembly 5 includes a horizontal tube 505, on which multiple nozzles 501 are installed at axial intervals. One end of each nozzle 501 communicates with the interior of the horizontal tube 505, and the other end is fitted with an orifice plate 504. The orifice plate 504 has multiple spray holes, serving as the final outlet for the liquid de-icing agent. At the center of the orifice plate 504, a pin 502 is slidably disposed. One end of the pin 502 passes through the orifice plate 504 and extends into the interior of the nozzles 501 and the horizontal tube 505, and this end is fixedly connected to an elastic element 503. When the elastic element 503 is in its initial naturally extended state, the end of the pin 502 outside the nozzles 501 protrudes from the outer end face of the orifice plate 504. During operation, the drone 1 moves the contact spray de-icing assembly 5 close to the fan blades, and the protruding end of the pin 502 preferentially contacts and presses against the ice layer. As the drone 1 continues to approach, the ice layer pushes the ejector pin 502, causing it to slide into the nozzle 501 and compress the elastic element 503. When the ejector pin 502 retracts to a certain position, the spray holes of the orifice plate 504, which were originally blocked by it, are opened. At this time, the liquid de-icing agent generated by the piston plate 101 can be sprayed out from the spray holes, directly acting on the area of ​​the ice layer broken by the ejector pin 502. Each nozzle 501 is an independent spray structure triggered by physical contact, realizing targeted and quantitative spraying, greatly reducing the waste of de-icing agent, and ensuring that the de-icing agent can accurately act on the broken part of the ice layer, improving the penetration efficiency. It is worth noting that the elastic element 503 adopts a spring or an arc-shaped elastic sheet, preferably an arc-shaped elastic sheet.

[0034] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the conveying assembly 4 specifically includes a main pipe 401 and a connecting pipe 402. One end of the main pipe 401 is fixedly connected to the piston plate 101 and communicates with the liquid storage chamber through the through hole 103, while the other end is connected to the upper end of the connecting pipe 402. The connecting pipe 402 is connected to a horizontal pipe 505, which is set perpendicular to the main pipe 401 to facilitate its arrangement along the width or length direction of the fan blades. This multi-segment pipe structure allows the conveying assembly 4 to flexibly adjust the spatial orientation and coverage of the contact spray crushing assembly 5 according to the specific dimensions of the fan blades, ensuring that the spraying operation can cover the target de-icing area of ​​the blades, thus improving the adaptability and operational accuracy of the device.

[0035] like Figure 6 As shown, to further enhance the ice-breaking effect of the ejector pin 502, the end of the ejector pin 502 located outside the perforated plate 504 is designed as a conical part 5021. This conical part 5021 has a sharp tip, which can concentrate the propulsion force of the UAV onto a very small contact area when in contact with the ice, generating extremely high local pressure, thereby more easily piercing the surface of the ice and forming initial cracks.

[0036] like Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the nozzle 501 also houses a sealing assembly 6, which reliably seals the spray holes of the orifice plate 504 in the non-operating state to prevent leakage of liquid de-icing agent. The sealing assembly 6 includes a fixing plate 601 fixedly mounted on the ejector pin 502. Multiple plugging rods 602 are fixed to the side of the fixing plate 601 facing the orifice plate 504. The number and position of these plugging rods 602 correspond one-to-one with the spray holes on the orifice plate 504. When the elastic element 503 is in the position where the ejector pin 502 is not compressed, the plugging rod 602 is precisely inserted into the corresponding spray hole, achieving physical sealing. When the ejector pin 502 is compressed and retracted by the ice layer, the plugging rod 602 retracts along with the fixing plate 601, pulling out of the spray hole and thus opening the spray channel. This design cleverly links the displacement of the ejector pin 502 with the opening and closing action of the spray hole, eliminating the need for additional solenoid valves or drive sources. It features an extremely compact structure, rapid response, and high reliability.

[0037] like Figure 7 As shown, to further improve the sealing performance, a sealing ring 603 is also fixed on the outer wall of the plug rod 602. When the plug rod 602 is inserted into the injection hole, the sealing ring 603 is pressed between the outer wall of the plug rod 602 and the inner wall of the injection hole, forming a circumferential sealing contact. This sealing ring 603 can effectively prevent liquid de-icing agent from seeping out from the tiny gap between the plug rod 602 and the injection hole under high pressure, ensuring that the device will not leak in standby mode or during transportation.

[0038] like Figure 2 As shown, a mounting box 104 is also fixedly installed inside the liquid storage tank 2, and the vibrating motor 3 is sealed inside the mounting box 104. A partition 102 is fixedly connected to one side of the mounting box 104, and the partition 102 is arranged parallel to the piston plate 101. The partition 102 divides the interior of the liquid storage tank 2 into an independent chamber for accommodating the vibrating motor 3 and a liquid storage chamber for storing liquid de-icing agent, effectively preventing direct contact between the liquid de-icing agent and the vibrating motor 3, and protecting the safety of the electrical equipment.

[0039] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as exemplary and non-limiting, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims be included within the present invention.

Claims

1. A wind turbine blade de-icing device, comprising a drone (1), characterized in that, Also includes: The liquid storage tank (2) is fixed on the frame of the drone (1) and is used to store liquid de-icing agent. The liquid storage tank (2) is provided with a piston plate (101) for squeezing the liquid de-icing agent. The piston plate (101) has a through hole (103). A conveying assembly (4) is used to communicate with the through hole (103) and be fixedly connected to the piston plate (101); The contact spray breaking component (5) is fixed on the conveying component (4) and connected to the conveying component (4) to puncture the surface of the ice layer and spray liquid de-icing agent when it comes into contact with the ice layer on the wind turbine blades.

2. The wind turbine blade de-icing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The contact spray crushing assembly (5) includes a horizontal tube (505), on which a plurality of spray pipes (501) are installed at intervals. One end of each spray pipe (501) is connected to the horizontal tube (505), and the other end is fitted with an orifice plate (504). A pin (502) is slidably disposed in the middle of the orifice plate (504). One end of the pin (502) extends into the interior of the horizontal tube (505) and is fixed with an elastic element (503). When the elastic element (503) is in the initial state, the other end of the pin (502) is located outside the orifice plate (504).

3. The wind turbine blade de-icing device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The end of the ejector pin (502) located outside the orifice plate (504) has a tapered portion (5021).

4. The wind turbine blade de-icing device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The nozzle (501) is equipped with a sealing component (6) for blocking liquid de-icing agent from being ejected from the orifice plate (504).

5. The wind turbine blade de-icing device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The sealing assembly (6) includes a fixing plate (601) fixed on the ejector pin (502), and a plug rod (602) corresponding to the spray holes of the orifice plate (504) is fixed on the fixing plate (601). When the elastic element (503) is in the initial state, the plug rod (602) is located in the spray hole of the orifice plate (504).

6. The wind turbine blade de-icing device according to claim 5, characterized in that, A sealing ring (603) is also fixed on the outer wall of the plug rod (602). When the plug rod (602) is located in the spray hole of the orifice plate (504), the sealing ring (603) abuts against the circumference of the spray hole.

7. The wind turbine blade de-icing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a vibration motor (3), which is installed on the liquid storage tank (2). The central shaft of the vibration motor (3) is a hollow structure, and the conveying component (4) passes through the central shaft and contacts the inner wall of the central shaft.

8. The wind turbine blade de-icing device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The liquid storage tank (2) is equipped with an installation box (104), and the vibration motor (3) is installed in the installation box (104). A partition (102) is fixed on one side of the installation box (104), and the partition (102) is arranged parallel to the piston plate (101).

9. The wind turbine blade de-icing device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The conveying assembly (4) includes a main pipe (401), one end of which is connected to a piston plate (101), and the other end is connected to a connecting pipe (402), which is connected to a horizontal pipe (505).

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