An unmanned aerial vehicle de-icing device for a wind turbine blade

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of wind turbine blade unmanned aerial vehicle deicing device, belong to wind turbine blade deicing technical field, for solving the problem of low efficiency of existing deicing method, easy to affect blade performance. Wind turbine blade unmanned aerial vehicle deicing device includes: unmanned aerial vehicle;Deicing mechanism located below the unmanned aerial vehicle;Wherein, the deicing mechanism includes: mounting bracket, with the bottom fixed connection of unmanned aerial vehicle;Connecting plate, with the mounting bracket is connected;Hot air injection mechanism, the hot air injection mechanism is rotated and is connected with connecting plate by rotating mechanism. The device ice-melting process will not cause damage to fan blade, and deicing efficiency is high, energy consumption is low.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of wind turbine blade de-icing technology, and in particular to a wind turbine blade unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) de-icing device. Background Technology

[0002] When wind turbine blades become icy, their aerodynamic characteristics change, which mainly affects the unit's load by reducing power generation, lowering the blade's natural frequency, increasing fatigue load, and increasing mechanical wear. This has an adverse impact on the safe operation and economic benefits of wind farms, specifically manifested as: reduced power generation, lower blade natural frequency, increased fatigue load, and increased mechanical wear.

[0003] Existing methods for de-icing wind turbine blades mainly include electric heating de-icing, gas heating de-icing, mechanical de-icing, pneumatic belt de-icing, chemical spraying, and anti-icing coating.

[0004] (1) Electric heating de-icing: The heating element is placed on the blade surface to heat the blade surface temperature to above 0°C. A water film appears on the blade surface, and de-icing is achieved through centrifugal force and blade vibration. (2) Heat-cooled de-icing: De-icing is achieved by heating the air inside the blade cavity and then transferring the heat to the outer surface of the blade. (3) Mechanical de-icing: ice is broken up by mechanical means and de-icing is achieved by the rotation of blades and airflow; (4) Pneumatic belt de-icing: De-icing is achieved by expanding and breaking up the ice layer through the expansion tube or expansion belt at the leading edge of the blade; (5) Spraying chemicals: Spraying chemicals on the surface lowers the freezing point and achieves anti-icing and de-icing; (6) Anti-icing coating: Apply anti-icing coating to the blade surface to reduce the adhesion between ice and the blade surface.

[0005] Existing de-icing methods have the following drawbacks: the water film generated by electric heating and pneumatic de-icing may refreeze at the trailing edge of the blade, and the pneumatic de-icing process consumes a large amount of its own electricity, with a power bottleneck in blades longer than 60m; mechanical de-icing is inefficient and labor-intensive, and may also damage the blade; pneumatic belt de-icing will change the aerodynamic properties of the blade surface; spraying chemicals has a short-term effect, but may pollute the air and soil; coating anti-icing can only be used as an auxiliary means. Utility Model Content

[0006] This invention addresses the aforementioned technical problems by providing a de-icing device for wind turbine blades using a drone. It enables rapid adjustment of the air supply duct angle, focuses on the icing point, reduces frequent drone movement, lowers energy consumption, and improves de-icing efficiency and operational safety.

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution of this utility model is as follows: A wind turbine blade unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) de-icing device includes: Drones; The de-icing mechanism is located below the drone; The de-icing mechanism includes: The mounting bracket is fixedly connected to the bottom of the drone. The connecting plate is connected to the mounting bracket; A hot air jetting mechanism is rotatably connected to a connecting plate via a rotating mechanism.

[0008] Optionally, the hot air jet mechanism includes: Connecting shell; The heating tube is located inside the connecting shell; The fan is located inside the connecting housing; An air supply duct that is correspondingly provided to the fan and located outside the connecting housing.

[0009] Optionally, the inner diameter of the air supply duct inlet matches the diameter of the fan.

[0010] Optionally, the heating tube is arranged in an S-shape.

[0011] Optionally, the wind turbine blade unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) de-icing device includes two of the aforementioned hot air jet mechanisms.

[0012] Optionally, the rotating mechanism includes: The motor is connected to the connecting plate; A connecting shaft is connected to the motor, and the connecting shaft passes through the connecting plate; The rotating plate is fixedly connected at one end to the connecting shaft and at the other end to the connecting shell.

[0013] Optionally, the connecting plate is inverted U-shaped, the motor is located on the outside of the connecting plate, one end of the rotating plate is located on the inside of the connecting plate, one end of the connecting shaft passes through one side of the connecting plate and is connected to the motor, and the other end of the connecting shaft passes through the other side of the rotating plate and the connecting plate in sequence.

[0014] Optionally, the connecting plate is detachably connected to the mounting bracket via a mounting mechanism.

[0015] Optionally, the mounting mechanism includes: The first mounting component is fixedly connected to the connecting plate; A second mounting component located above the first mounting component is fixedly connected to the mounting bracket; The first mounting component has a cavity and a through hole on its side wall. A spring, a locking block, and a pull rod are disposed inside the cavity. One end of the spring is connected to the locking block, and the other end is connected to the inner wall of the first mounting component. The spring is sleeved on the pull rod. One end of the pull rod is connected to the locking block, and the other end passes through the through hole on the side wall. The second mounting component has a mounting block located inside the cavity of the card block below it. One end face of the mounting block has a card slot that matches the card block, and the card block is embedded in the card slot.

[0016] Optionally, the cross-section of the card block is fan-shaped.

[0017] The above-described solution of this utility model has at least the following beneficial effects: (1) The wind turbine blade de-icing device of this utility model uses a hot air jet mechanism to spray hot air onto the wind turbine blades, thereby melting the ice on the blades without damaging the wind turbine blades.

[0018] (2) The hot air jet mechanism in the wind turbine blade UAV de-icing device of this utility model is rotatably connected to the connecting plate through a rotating mechanism, that is, the hot air jet mechanism is rotatable, which enables the hot air jet angle to be quickly adjusted, focuses on the icing point, reduces the frequent movement of the UAV, reduces energy consumption, and improves de-icing efficiency and operational safety; in addition, the rotating mechanism can control the air outlet direction instead of relying on the UAV body maneuver, which significantly reduces the control burden and risk; reduces the frequent attitude changes of the tower in the near field, and improves hovering stability and safety margin.

[0019] (3) The dual hot air jet mechanism is set in parallel, resulting in higher heat flux density and better heat transfer efficiency.

[0020] (4) The connecting plate is detachably connected to the mounting bracket through the mounting mechanism, which can realize the quick disassembly and assembly of the de-icing mechanism and support the quick replacement or maintenance of the heating components on site. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the wind turbine blade unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) de-icing device of this utility model; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the de-icing mechanism of this utility model (the connecting shaft and the rotating plate are not connected). Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the hot air jet mechanism of this utility model (the connecting shell is a cross-sectional structure). Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the discrete structure of the installation mechanism of this utility model.

[0022] Figure label: 1-UAV; 2-De-icing mechanism; 201-Mounting bracket; 202-Connecting plate; 203-Motor; 204-Connecting shaft; 205-Rotating plate; 206-Connecting shell; 207-Heating tube; 208-Fan; 209-Air supply duct; 3-Mounting mechanism; 301-First mounting component; 302-Spring; 303-Clip block; 304-Pull rod; 305-Mounting block; 306-Clip slot; 307-Second mounting component. Detailed Implementation

[0023] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present invention may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this invention will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0024] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, an embodiment of this utility model provides a de-icing device for wind turbine blades from a drone, comprising: Drone 1; De-icing mechanism 2 located below the drone 1; The de-icing mechanism 2 includes: Mounting bracket 201 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the UAV 1; The connecting plate 202 is connected to the mounting bracket 201; A hot air jetting mechanism is rotatably connected to a connecting plate 202 via a rotating mechanism.

[0025] The rotating mechanism can adjust the jet direction of the hot air jet mechanism, thereby enabling the hot air jet mechanism to spray hot air onto the blades locally while keeping the UAV's attitude as stable as possible, precisely adjusting the hot air jet direction and efficiently de-icing.

[0026] For example, such as Figure 3 As shown, the hot air jet mechanism includes: Connecting shell 206; Heating tube 207 located inside the connecting shell 206; Fan 208 located within the connecting housing 206; An air supply duct 209 is provided corresponding to the fan 208 and located outside the connecting housing 206.

[0027] The heating element 207 heats the air inside the connecting shell 206. The fan 208 can send the hot air inside the connecting shell 206 to the air supply pipe 209. Finally, the hot air is blown out through the air supply pipe 209 to perform the de-icing work.

[0028] For example, the inner diameter of the inlet of the air duct 209 matches the diameter of the fan 208.

[0029] To improve the heating efficiency of the heating tube 207, the heating tube 207 is arranged in an S-shape.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the wind turbine blade unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) de-icing device includes two hot air jet mechanisms arranged in parallel. The parallel arrangement of the two sets of heating pipes / connecting shells can increase the heat flux density and accelerate the de-icing efficiency.

[0031] For example, the rotating mechanism includes: Motor 203 is connected to the connecting plate 202; A connecting shaft 204 is connected to the motor 203, and the connecting shaft 204 passes through the connecting plate 202; The rotating plate 205 is fixedly connected at one end to the connecting shaft 204 and at the other end to the connecting shell 206.

[0032] When the angle of the rotating plate 205 needs to be adjusted, the motor 203 causes the connecting shaft 204 to rotate, and the rotating plate 205 will also be rotated. When the rotating plate 205 is rotated by the connecting shaft 204, the connecting shell 206, which is fixedly connected to the rotating plate 205, will rotate the air supply pipe 209, thereby adjusting the direction of the air supply pipe 209.

[0033] For example, the connecting plate 202 is inverted U-shaped, the motor 203 is located on the outside of the connecting plate 202, one end of the rotating plate 205 is located on the inside of the connecting plate 202, one end of the connecting shaft 204 passes through one side of the connecting plate 202 and is connected to the motor 203, and the other end of the connecting shaft 204 passes through the rotating plate 205 and the other side of the connecting plate 202 in sequence.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the connecting plate 202 is detachably connected to the mounting bracket 201 via the mounting mechanism 3.

[0035] For example, such as Figure 4 As shown, the mounting mechanism 3 includes: The first mounting component 301 is fixedly connected to the connecting plate 202; The second mounting component 307, located above the first mounting component 301, is fixedly connected to the mounting bracket 201; The first mounting component 301 has a cavity with a through hole on its side wall. A spring 302, a locking block 303, and a pull rod 304 are disposed within the cavity. One end of the spring 302 is connected to the locking block 303, and the other end is connected to the inner wall of the first mounting component 301. The spring 302 is sleeved on the pull rod 304. One end of the pull rod 304 is connected to the locking block 303, and the other end passes through the through hole in the side wall. The locking block 303 and the first mounting component 301 form a telescopic structure via the spring 302. Below the second mounting component 307, there is a mounting block 305 located in the cavity of the card block 303. A card slot 306 matching the card block 303 is provided on one end face of the mounting block 305, and the card block 303 is embedded in the card slot 306.

[0036] When installing the connecting plate 202, the mounting block 305 is embedded into the slot 306 of the first mounting member 301. When the mounting block 305 is fully embedded into the slot 306 of the first mounting member 301 and the pull rod 304 is not under force, the locking block 303 will be fixed in the slot 306 under the action of the spring 302. At this time, the mounting block 305 will be fixed in the first mounting member 301, and the first mounting member 301 and the second mounting member 307 will be fixedly connected together, thereby completing the installation and fixing of the mounting bracket 201 and the connecting plate 202.

[0037] When it is necessary to disassemble the connecting plate 202, pull the lever 304. The lever 304 can pull the locking block 303 out of the slot 306, so that the mounting block 305 can be separated from the first mounting part 301. The first mounting part 301 and the second mounting part 307 can be separated, which facilitates the installation and replacement of the connecting plate 202, thereby facilitating the maintenance and replacement of the connecting shell 206 and the heating tube 207.

[0038] For example, the cross-section of the card block 303 is fan-shaped, which makes it easy to insert or pull it out of the card slot 306.

[0039] For example, the drone is a multi-rotor drone.

[0040] This utility model discloses a wind turbine blade de-icing device for drones, which includes an airborne rotating adjustable hot air assembly and a quick-installation mechanism. It is suitable for de-icing and snow melting maintenance of wind turbine blades in cold / low-temperature icing environments.

[0041] The working principle of the wind turbine blade de-icing device of this utility model is as follows: During de-icing, the heating pipe 207 heats the hot air in the connecting shell 206, which accumulates in the connecting shell 206. Then, the fan 208 sends the hot air in the connecting shell 206 to the air supply pipe 209. The hot air can be blown towards the wind turbine blades through the air supply pipe 209, which can efficiently de-ic the wind turbine blades. During the de-icing operation, the motor 203 controls the connecting shaft 204 to rotate the rotating plate 205. The rotating plate 205 can rotate the connecting shell 206 and the air supply pipe 209, thereby adjusting the angle of the air supply pipe 209. The direction of airflow can be quickly adjusted without operating the drone 1 to adjust the airflow direction. The operation is simplified and the safety of de-icing is improved. When the mounting block 305 is embedded in the first mounting member 301 and the pull rod 304 is not under force, the locking block 303 will be fixed in the slot 306 under the action of the spring 302, thereby fixing the mounting block 305 in the first mounting member 301. The first mounting member 301 and the second mounting member 307 will be fixedly connected together, completing the installation and fixing of the connecting plate 202. When it is necessary to disassemble the connecting plate 202, pull the pull rod 304. The pull rod 304 can pull the locking block 303 out of the slot 306, so that the mounting block 305 can be separated from the first mounting member 301, and the first mounting member 301 and the second mounting member 307 can be separated.

[0042] The key features and main effects of this utility model's wind turbine blade drone de-icing device include: (1) The rotating mechanism consisting of motor 203, connecting shaft 204, and rotating plate 205 can adjust the jet direction; (2) The hot air delivery and jetting unit formed by the heating pipe 207, fan 208 and air supply pipe 209 inside the connecting shell 206, wherein the inner diameter of the air supply pipe 209 matches the diameter of the fan 208; (3) The parallel arrangement of the two sets of heating tubes 207 / connecting shell 206 improves the heat flux density; (4) Quick-installation mechanism: The self-locking / unlocking structure and its installation / disassembly method are composed of the first mounting component 301, spring 302, locking block 303, pull rod 304, mounting block 305, locking groove 306, and second mounting component 307, as described above; (5) A systematic solution to reduce the attitude adjustment of UAV 1 by adjusting the jet angle through the rotating plate 205, thereby improving safety and efficiency.

[0043] Compared with the closest prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: (1) It will not damage the fan blades; (2) The air outlet direction is achieved by a rotating mechanism, rather than by the rotation of the UAV1 body, which significantly reduces the operational burden and risk; (3) Reduce frequent attitude changes in the near field of the tower to improve hovering stability and safety margin; (4) The dual heating tubes 207 are connected in parallel and matched with the fan 208 and the air supply pipe 209, resulting in higher heat flux density and better heat transfer efficiency; (5) Operation and maintenance friendly: The quick-installation mechanism supports on-site quick replacement or maintenance of heat-generating components.

[0044] The above description is the preferred embodiment of this utility model. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of this utility model, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A de-icing device for wind turbine blades using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), characterized in that, include: Unmanned aerial vehicle (1); De-icing mechanism (2) located below the drone (1); The de-icing mechanism (2) includes: Mounting bracket (201) is fixedly connected to the bottom of the UAV (1); The connecting plate (202) is connected to the mounting bracket (201); A hot air jetting mechanism is rotatably connected to a connecting plate (202) via a rotating mechanism.

2. The wind turbine blade UAV de-icing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hot air jetting mechanism includes: Connecting shell (206); Heating tube (207) located inside the connecting shell (206); A fan (208) located inside the connecting housing (206); An air supply duct (209) is provided corresponding to the fan (208) and located outside the connecting housing (206).

3. The wind turbine blade UAV de-icing device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The inner diameter of the inlet of the air supply pipe (209) matches the diameter of the fan (208).

4. The wind turbine blade UAV de-icing device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The heating element (207) is arranged in an S-shape.

5. The wind turbine blade unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) de-icing device according to claim 2, characterized in that, It includes two of the aforementioned hot air jet mechanisms.

6. The wind turbine blade UAV de-icing device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The rotating mechanism includes: The motor (203) is connected to the connecting plate (202); A connecting shaft (204) is connected to the motor (203), and the connecting shaft (204) passes through the connecting plate (202). The rotating plate (205) is fixedly connected at one end to the connecting shaft (204) and at the other end to the connecting shell (206).

7. The wind turbine blade UAV de-icing device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The connecting plate (202) is inverted U-shaped. The motor (203) is located on the outside of the connecting plate (202). One end of the rotating plate (205) is located on the inside of the connecting plate (202). One end of the connecting shaft (204) passes through one side of the connecting plate (202) and is connected to the motor (203). The other end of the connecting shaft (204) passes through the rotating plate (205) and the other side of the connecting plate (202) in sequence.

8. The wind turbine blade unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) de-icing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connecting plate (202) is detachably connected to the mounting bracket (201) via the mounting mechanism (3).

9. The wind turbine blade unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) de-icing device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The installation mechanism (3) includes: The first mounting component (301) is fixedly connected to the connecting plate (202); A second mounting member (307) located above the first mounting member (301) is fixedly connected to the mounting bracket (201); The first mounting component (301) has a cavity and a through hole on its side wall. A spring (302), a locking block (303), and a pull rod (304) are disposed in the cavity. One end of the spring (302) is connected to the locking block (303), and the other end is connected to the inner wall of the first mounting component (301). The spring (302) is sleeved on the pull rod (304). One end of the pull rod (304) is connected to the locking block (303), and the other end passes through the through hole on the side wall. The second mounting component (307) is provided with a mounting block (305) located in the cavity of the card block (303) below it. A card slot (306) matching the card block (303) is provided on one end face of the mounting block (305). The card block (303) is embedded in the card slot (306).

10. The wind turbine blade unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) de-icing device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The cross-section of the card block (303) is fan-shaped.

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