Wind Turbine Blade Inter-Plate Conductive Sheets for Spark Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing electrical connection systems for wind turbine blades, particularly those using pultruded carbon fiber-reinforced spar caps, suffer from voltage differences between conductors, leading to internal sparks due to uneven current distribution and lower conductivity compared to metals, which is exacerbated by the addition of new pultruded semi-finished products altering the cross-section.
Innovation Solution
An electrical connection system comprising a spar cap assembly with inter-plate conductive sheets between carbon pultruded plates, ensuring balanced current distribution by connecting conductive regions across discrete cross-sections, preventing voltage differences and internal sparks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If pultruded semi-finished products are used to construct the spar cap, then the structural strength and stiffness are improved, but the electrical conductivity deteriorates due to lower linear conductivity compared to metals
Solution Approach 1:
A conductive sheet is introduced as an intermediary element between the pultruded semi-finished products to improve electrical connectivity. The conductive sheet has higher electrical conductivity than the pultruded products and serves as a mediator to enhance current distribution across the spar cap assembly, resolving the conductivity deficiency while maintaining the structural benefits of the pultruded components.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple pultruded semi-finished products of different lengths are stacked to form the spar cap, then the structural adaptability is improved, but voltage differences between conductors increase due to non-uniform current distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive sheet is designed to create equipotential connections between the stacked pultruded semi-finished products of different lengths. By providing a continuous conductive path across all layers, the sheet equalizes the electrical potential among conductors, preventing voltage differences and electrical discharges while allowing the structural adaptability of varying lengths.
3Strength
If the cross-section of the spar cap is modified by adding pultruded semi-finished products, then the structural capacity is improved, but internal sparks occur due to uneven current density distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive sheet acts as a mediator that redistributes current density uniformly across the modified cross-section. When pultruded products are added to increase structural capacity, the conductive sheet ensures that current is evenly distributed among all conductors, preventing the formation of high current density zones that would otherwise cause internal sparks and electrical discharges.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively shares current between all conductors, maintaining homogeneous current distribution and preventing internal sparks, thereby enhancing the reliability and safety of wind turbine blade electrical connections.
Implementation Method 1
at least one first inter-plate conductive sheet disposed between the first pultruded plate and the second pultruded plate; at least one second inter-plate conductive sheet disposed between the second pultruded plate and the third pultruded plate
Implementation Method 2
The plurality of layers of pultruded semi-finished products are not good conductors compared to metals. Their linear conductivity being three orders of magnitude lower than copper, promotes a high voltage difference because of Ohm's law during flow of lightning currents
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an electrical connection system for a wind turbine blade that allows sharing the current between all conductors, in order to avoid voltage differences between them, avoiding internal sparks between pultruded plates, in a spar cap of the wind turbine blade. A second aspect is a wind turbine which in turn includes the wind turbine blade including the electrical bonding system. A third aspect is a method for electrically connecting conductive caps in a wind turbine blade.