Wind turbine blades with biomimetic bird strike protection coating

Abstract

This application relates to a wind turbine blade incorporating a biomimetic bird-strike-proof coating. This application falls within the field of wind power equipment safety technology. The technical problem this application aims to solve is: to provide a wind turbine blade incorporating a biomimetic bird-strike-proof coating. The technical solution adopted in this application is: a wind turbine blade incorporating a biomimetic bird-strike-proof coating, comprising: a wind turbine blade body, the surface of which is provided with a spraying area, where red and yellow stripes are alternately coated, with a predetermined distance between the red and yellow stripes; and black stripes, coated on the spraying area of ​​the blade surface of the wind turbine blade body, located within the interval between the red and yellow stripes, so that the red, yellow, and black stripes form a three-color alternating pattern.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of wind power equipment safety technology, and in particular to a wind turbine blade incorporating a biomimetic bird strike protection coating. Background Technology

[0002] With the large-scale construction of wind farms, the drawbacks of wind power generation have gradually become apparent. In particular, the potential harm of wind turbine blades to birds has received increasing attention and amplification both domestically and internationally in recent years, causing considerable controversy and discussion.

[0003] The physical barrier created by the high-speed rotation of wind turbine blades is the primary threat to bird mortality. The vortex formed by the sweeping of wind turbine blades alters the surrounding airflow field, making it difficult for birds to control their flight attitude when they approach. Some birds have a delayed perception of the relative motion of rotating objects, and the light-colored paint on wind turbine blades easily blends into the sky background under strong light, creating a visual blind spot.

[0004] Design standards for offshore wind farms also mention the need for protective measures to reduce the probability of bird collisions with wind turbines. Currently, the technologies used to address this issue generally include bird deterrents, early warning radar, and warning color coatings to reduce the risk of bird collisions with turbine blades. Bird deterrents are low-cost and easy to install, but prolonged use can lead to bird adaptation, affecting their effectiveness. They also suffer from operational instability and material aging, requiring regular inspection and replacement. Early warning radar can achieve "active detection + coordinated bird deterrence," but it also faces the problem of bird adaptation. The sound waves or strong light generated by bird deterrence can affect the lives of nearby residents, and the equipment is expensive and complex to maintain.

[0005] Warning color coatings, as a long-term and reliable method, can effectively attract the attention of birds and induce avoidance behavior. However, the current mainstream white coating on wind turbine blades is prone to motion blurring during high-speed rotation, making it difficult for birds to effectively identify the spatial position of the blades, resulting in a persistently high risk of collision. Currently, single-color coating schemes (such as single black blades) have been proposed, which can improve blade visibility to some extent, but they are significantly affected by light intensity and background complexity, and lack universal deterrence against different bird species. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is: to provide a wind turbine blade that incorporates a biomimetic bird-strike protection coating to address the above-mentioned problems.

[0007] The technical solution adopted in this utility model is: a wind turbine blade combined with a biomimetic bird-strike-proof coating, comprising: The wind turbine blade body has a spraying area on its blade surface. Red stripes and yellow stripes are alternately coated in the spraying area, with a preset distance between the red stripes and the yellow stripes. The black stripes are applied to the sprayed area on the surface of the wind turbine blades and are located in the area between the red and yellow stripes, so that the red, yellow and black stripes work together to form a three-color alternation pattern.

[0008] By employing the aforementioned techniques and combining high-contrast black stripes with red and yellow stripes, the contrast between the leaf outline and the background is significantly enhanced, ensuring high visibility under different lighting and weather conditions, which helps birds identify obstacles in advance.

[0009] In some embodiments, the red stripes and the yellow stripes are distributed at equal intervals along the blade length direction of the wind turbine blade body.

[0010] In some embodiments, the width ratio of the red stripe, the yellow stripe, and the black stripe is 1:1:1.

[0011] In some embodiments, the stripe extension directions of the red stripe, the yellow stripe, and the black stripe are all at a 30° angle to the chord direction of the wind turbine blade body.

[0012] In some embodiments, the spraying area is located within the first 70% of the blade length extending from the blade tip to the blade root of the wind turbine blade body.

[0013] In some embodiments, the surface of the wind turbine blade body is coated with an epoxy primer located at the bottom of the red stripes, the yellow stripes, and the black stripes.

[0014] In some embodiments, the surfaces of the red stripes, the yellow stripes, and the black stripes are coated with a UV-reflective transparent topcoat.

[0015] In some embodiments, the ultraviolet-reflective transparent topcoat is a polysiloxane-based transparent topcoat with a wavelength range of 300~400nm and a reflectivity of ≥70%.

[0016] In some embodiments, the black stripes, the red stripes, and the yellow stripes are all coated with polyurethane-based coatings.

[0017] In some embodiments, the color code of the black stripe is RAL 9005, the color code of the red stripe is RAL3020, and the color code of the yellow stripe is RAL 1023.

[0018] The beneficial effects of this utility model are: 1. By coating the surface of the wind turbine blades with black, red, and yellow stripes, a combination of black, red, and yellow stripes is formed on the surface of the wind turbine blades. This is consistent with the cognitive mechanism of the four-color visual system of birds in bionics. Compared with the original white blades, which blend into the sky background when rotating at high speed and form a visual blind spot, and whose motion blur makes it difficult for birds to judge the position of the blades, the combination of three colors in this application has high contrast, significantly enhances the contrast between the blade outline and the background, and can maintain high visibility, especially under different lighting and weather conditions, improving visual recognition and helping birds to identify obstacles in advance and overcome the motion blur effect.

[0019] 2. This application can avoid the environmental adaptability limitations of a single color. Compared with traditional single-color schemes such as single black leaves, the three-color alternating structure can maintain a certain degree of recognizability under different backgrounds, reduce the risk of failure caused by environmental complexity, and improve the universal deterrence effect on a variety of birds.

[0020] 3. The coating on the surface of the wind turbine blades in this application is a passive protection method. It has no electronic components and does not require power supply, thus avoiding the problems of equipment aging, bird adaptability, noise / light pollution, and high maintenance costs associated with bird deterrents and radar systems. It meets the reliability and low maintenance requirements of offshore wind farms. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this application.

[0022] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1. Black stripes; 2. Red stripes; 3. Yellow stripes; 4. Clear topcoat; 5. Fan blade body.

[0023] This specification includes references to "one embodiment" or "implementation". The use of the phrase "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Specific features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner consistent with this disclosure.

[0024] The term "comprising" is open-ended. As used in the appended claims, it does not exclude additional structures or steps.

[0025] "First," "second," etc. As used in this article, these terms serve as labels for the nouns preceding them and do not imply any type of ordering (e.g., spatial, temporal, logical, etc.).

[0026] The term "based on," as used herein, describes one or more factors that influence the determination. This term does not exclude additional factors influencing the determination. That is, the determination may be based solely on these factors or at least partially on them. Consider the phrase "A is determined based on B." In this case, B is the factor influencing the determination of A, and such phrases do not exclude the possibility that the determination of A may also be based on C. In other instances, A may be determined solely on B. Detailed Implementation

[0027] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the technical solution of the present invention will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0028] Example 1: Combination Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment is a wind turbine blade with a biomimetic bird-strike protection coating, including a wind turbine blade body, red stripes, yellow stripes, and black stripes. The surface of the wind turbine blade body is provided with a spraying area, in which red stripes, yellow stripes, and black stripes are coated. The red stripes and yellow stripes are sprayed alternately at a preset distance. Black stripes are coated in the interval area between the red stripes and yellow stripes, or on the side of the red stripe near the spraying area, or on the side of the yellow stripe near the spraying area, so that the red stripes, yellow stripes, and black stripes form a three-color alternation pattern.

[0029] In some implementations, the coating area avoids the blade root region. In this embodiment, the blade root region is approximately 30% of the total blade length, meaning the coating area is located within the first 70% of the blade length extending from the blade tip to the blade root. Specifically, in this embodiment, the coating area of ​​the three-color stripes on the surface of the wind turbine blade is far from the blade root region. Since the blade root region is the main power source for blade start-up and low-speed operation, avoiding this region during coating can prevent unnecessary impact on the blade's aerodynamic performance.

[0030] In some implementations, the red and yellow stripes are evenly spaced along the length of the blade. Specifically...

[0031] By distributing the leaf at equal intervals, the entire leaf generates periodic and regular visual stimuli during rotation, avoiding blind spots in local recognition. This repetitive pattern is more easily captured and recognized by the bird's visual system as a non-natural static background, enhancing the dynamic warning effect, especially for migratory birds flying at high speeds, where it has a stronger ability to capture their attention.

[0032] In some implementations, the width ratio of the red, yellow, and black stripes is 1:1:1.

[0033] This ratio maximizes color contrast and pattern salience. The balanced width of the color blocks avoids information redundancy or weakening caused by the dominance of a single color. It enables the warning color combination to form the optimal signal-to-noise ratio in the four-color visual channels of birds, enhancing the overall danger signal strength of the pattern while also taking into account aesthetic effects.

[0034] In some implementations, the extension directions of the red stripes, yellow stripes, and black stripes all form a 30° angle with the chord direction of the wind turbine blade body. Specifically, as shown in the figure, angle α is 30°.

[0035] The tilted stripes have a dynamic effect when the blades rotate at high speeds, breaking the visual inertial blur caused by purely radial or axial stripes. By setting the tilt angle to create a visual flashing frequency during rotation, the visual sensitivity of birds to rotating obstacles is effectively improved, reducing the risk of collisions without seeing them.

[0036] In some implementations, the sprayed area of ​​the wind turbine blade body is coated with a black primer layer, and alternating yellow and red stripes are sprayed on the primer layer at predetermined intervals, so that the areas where the yellow and red stripes alternate form black stripes.

[0037] Furthermore, an epoxy primer is sprayed between the blade surface and the primer layer of the wind turbine blade body.

[0038] Because epoxy primer has excellent adhesion, corrosion resistance and sealing properties, it can effectively isolate moisture and salt spray from erosion of the composite blade matrix, making it especially suitable for offshore wind power. At the same time, it provides a stable and dense bonding interface for the upper color paint, preventing the coating from blistering and peeling, and ensuring long-term reliability.

[0039] Furthermore, the surfaces with red, yellow, and black stripes are coated with a UV-reflective transparent topcoat.

[0040] Ultraviolet-reflective transparent topcoat not only provides physical protection but also reflects ultraviolet rays. Since many birds possess ultraviolet vision, ordinary paints may exhibit low contrast in the ultraviolet band. High-reflectivity ultraviolet topcoat ensures the entire design remains highly visible to birds, further enhancing the biomimetic warning effect.

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the ultraviolet-reflective transparent topcoat is a polysiloxane-based transparent topcoat with a wavelength range of 300~400nm and a reflectivity of ≥70%.

[0042] Utilizing the excellent UV reflection and aging resistance of polysiloxane-based transparent topcoat, its service life can reach more than 20 years. It can also be adapted to the four-color vision system of birds, improving the recognition of leaves in birds' vision.

[0043] In some implementations, the black stripes, red stripes, and yellow stripes are all coated with polyurethane-based coatings.

[0044] Polyurethane coatings possess excellent weather resistance and chemical stability, along with advantages such as high gloss stability, excellent color retention, and wear and impact resistance. They can maintain high-contrast color performance for a long time, preventing the warning effect from diminishing due to fading. Simultaneously, their good flexibility allows them to adapt to the slight deformation of blades during operation, preventing cracking.

[0045] In some implementations, the black stripes are designated RAL 9005, the red stripes RAL 3020, and the yellow stripes RAL 1023. Specifically, using a high-contrast matte black base with RAL 9005 enhances the contrast between the leaves and the background.

[0046] By employing highly recognizable industrial standard colors, the black, red, and yellow colors exhibit maximum color difference under natural light, matching the color discrimination limits of birds. Simultaneously, the alternating tricolor stripes mimic the warning coloration of toxic creatures in nature, triggering birds' instinctive avoidance behavior.

[0047] The implementation principle of this embodiment of a wind turbine blade combined with a biomimetic bird-strike-proof coating is as follows: In this application, the colors selected for each stripe are RAL standard high-saturation black (9005), red (3020), and yellow (1023), forming the maximum difference in brightness and hue in the visible light band. This accurately matches the four-color visual spectrum sensitivity of birds, enhancing the effectiveness of visual stimulation. Specifically, because birds possess a four-color visual system, they are highly sensitive to color contrast and dynamic patterns. The red and yellow used in this scheme are located in the long-wave and mid-wave visual sensitivity areas of birds, while black provides a high-absorption background to enhance the contrast between light and dark. The combination of these three elements forms a strong signal input in the bird's visual channel, significantly improving the detectability and outline clarity of the leaf under high-speed rotation, effectively overcoming recognition failure caused by motion blur.

[0048] Meanwhile, the alternating pattern of black, red, and yellow simulates warning colors widely found in nature, such as the body colors of some dangerous creatures. These color combinations are encoded as potential threat signals in the bird's brain through evolution. When wind turbine blades display such patterns, it directly triggers the bird's innate avoidance behavior, allowing it to proactively avoid approaching objects without learning or accumulating experience.

[0049] Regarding the stripe layout, a stable periodic pattern is formed through equidistant distribution and a reasonable width ratio. The stripes are arranged at a preset tilt angle, allowing the wind turbine blades to generate a suitable dynamic flashing frequency during rotation, breaking motion blur and activating birds' motion-sensing neurons. This ensures the blades remain highly visually salient to birds regardless of strong light, cloudy days, dawn / dusk, or highly reflective marine environments. Furthermore, through ultraviolet reflection design, a 300-400 nm high-reflectivity polysiloxane transparent varnish ensures the pattern remains highly visible in the ultraviolet visual channels of birds.

[0050] This application boasts a simple structure, controllable cost, and ease of engineering implementation. It only requires adjustments to the color block layout and paint type based on existing blade coating processes, without the need for new equipment or changes to the wind turbine structure. This makes it suitable for large-scale promotion and application, especially for new or renovated wind farms. This application aligns with eco-friendly and sustainable development principles, producing no noise, no electromagnetic interference, and no chemical repellents, thus having no negative impact on the surrounding ecological environment and residents' lives, meeting the ecological protection requirements of green energy projects.

[0051] Example 2: This embodiment is a coating method applied to the wind turbine blades in Embodiment 1, and includes the following steps: S1. Surface pretreatment; Cleaning and pretreatment of the surface of the wind turbine blades; Apply a uniform layer of epoxy primer to the clean, dry blade surface.

[0052] Epoxy primers enhance the adhesion of subsequent coating systems to the composite matrix and provide a corrosion barrier, making them particularly suitable for high-humidity and high-salt marine environments.

[0053] S2, precise positioning of striped patterns; A high-precision laser projection system is used to project a preset three-color stripe pattern onto the blade surface. The projected pattern serves as a baseline for subsequent masking and spraying. The stripe arrangement is ensured as follows: stripes are evenly spaced along the blade length; the extension direction of each set of stripes forms a 30° angle with the blade rotation direction to optimize the dynamic visual stimulation effect; the stripes avoid the blade root area to prevent affecting structural connections or increasing aerodynamic disturbances. In this embodiment, the high-precision laser projection system is a conventional device, and laser projection technology is only used to assist in positioning the stripe spraying area.

[0054] S3, Layered coating process; S3.1, Spray black primer; Spray RAL 9005 standard black primer to cover the entire working surface of the blade, excluding the blade root avoidance area; The surface has a matte finish, which reduces glare caused by strong light reflection.

[0055] S3.2, Template masking and colored stripe spraying; Use a custom masking template to precisely cover non-striped areas; Spray RAL 3020 red and RAL 1023 yellow stripe paint separately: Control the ratio of red stripes: yellow stripes: black stripes to 1:1:1 (width ratio) to ensure visual balance of the pattern.

[0056] Combination Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, only one red stripe and one yellow stripe are set on the black base paint, so that the stripes are arranged in a black, yellow, black, red, black pattern.

[0057] S3.3, Apply a UV-reflective transparent topcoat; Apply a layer of polysiloxane-based transparent topcoat to the entire surface; The topcoat must meet the following requirements: UV reflection wavelength range: 300-400 nm, UV reflectance ≥ 70%.

[0058] S4. Thermal curing treatment; The coated wind turbine blades are baked at 80°C for 2 hours to complete the coating curing.

[0059] S5. Operational maintenance; In conjunction with the regular operation and maintenance cycle of the wind turbine, the reflectivity of the blade surface in the 300-400 nm band should be tested every quarter or year using a portable ultraviolet-visible reflectometer. When the reflectivity is lower than 60%, it is considered as functional degradation, and the transparent topcoat layer needs to be locally or completely recoated. The high-definition video surveillance system pre-deployed in the wind farm is used to collect behavioral data on birds approaching, flying around, or colliding with the blades. Specifically, the high-definition video surveillance system adopts a conventional video surveillance system, with the camera in the high-definition video surveillance system facing the wind turbine blades to ensure complete capture of the blade's rotational envelope.

[0060] Based on actual observations, such as frequent bird collisions in a certain area or specific birds approaching wind turbine blades, the stripe density, width ratio, or tilt angle can be dynamically adjusted. For example, if birds are frequently approaching each other in a certain spanwise region, the stripe density can be locally increased and the spacing appropriately reduced to enhance the visual flicker frequency in that area and improve attention capture.

[0061] The above are all preferred embodiments of this utility model, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this utility model. Therefore, all equivalent changes made to the structure, shape and principle of this utility model should be covered within the scope of protection of this utility model.

Claims

1. A wind turbine blade incorporating a biomimetic bird-strike-resistant coating, characterized in that, include: The wind turbine blade body has a spraying area on its blade surface. Red stripes and yellow stripes are alternately coated in the spraying area, with a preset distance between the red stripes and the yellow stripes. The black stripes are applied to the sprayed area on the surface of the wind turbine blades and are located in the area between the red and yellow stripes, so that the red, yellow and black stripes work together to form a three-color alternation pattern.

2. The wind turbine blade with biomimetic bird-strike protection coating according to claim 1, characterized in that: The red stripes and the yellow stripes are evenly spaced along the length of the wind turbine blade.

3. A wind turbine blade with a biomimetic bird-strike-proof coating as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The width ratio of the red stripe, the yellow stripe, and the black stripe is 1:1:

1.

4. A wind turbine blade with a biomimetic bird-strike protection coating as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The red stripe, the yellow stripe, and the black stripe all extend at a 30° angle to the chord direction of the wind turbine blade body.

5. A wind turbine blade with a biomimetic bird-strike protection coating as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The spraying area is located within the first 70% of the blade length extending from the blade tip to the blade root.

6. A wind turbine blade with a biomimetic bird-strike protection coating as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The surface of the wind turbine blade is coated with an epoxy primer located at the bottom of the red stripes, the yellow stripes, and the black stripes.

7. A wind turbine blade with a biomimetic bird-strike-proof coating as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The surfaces of the red stripes, the yellow stripes, and the black stripes are coated with a UV-reflective transparent topcoat.

8. A wind turbine blade with a biomimetic bird-strike-proof coating according to claim 7, characterized in that: The ultraviolet-reflective transparent topcoat is a polysiloxane-based transparent topcoat with a wavelength range of 300~400nm and a reflectivity of ≥70%.

9. A wind turbine blade with a biomimetic bird-strike protection coating according to claim 1, characterized in that: The black stripes, the red stripes, and the yellow stripes are all coated with polyurethane-based coatings.

10. A wind turbine blade with a biomimetic bird-strike protection coating according to claim 1, characterized in that: The black stripe has the color code RAL 9005, the red stripe has the color code RAL 3020, and the yellow stripe has the color code RAL1023.

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