Wind Turbine Blade Deicing via Segmented Shear Web Air Circulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wind turbine blades face challenges with increased weight and energy consumption due to larger sizes required for deicing, as well as the need for additional pipes for air circulation, which complicates the deicing process and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
A wind turbine blade design incorporating a shear web to partition the interior space into two areas, with a pipe and circulation unit that uses heated air generated at the blade root to melt ice on the leading edge, reducing the need for additional pipes and energy consumption by circulating air through a pipe-inner and pipe-outer passage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heated air is circulated throughout the interior space of the blade to melt ice, then deicing effectiveness is improved, but energy consumption and heater size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The interior space of the blade is divided into a first space and a second space by a partition wall. The deicing system only circulates heated air in the first space (leading edge side) where ice accumulation occurs most frequently, rather than heating the entire blade interior. This segmentation allows effective deicing while reducing the volume of air that needs to be heated, thereby lowering energy consumption and heater size requirements.
2Reliability
If two pipes (outflow passage and return passage) are installed in the blade interior for air circulation, then deicing function is improved, but blade weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The circulation passage is designed to integrate the outflow path and return path into a single continuous passage structure. Air flows from the heater through the first space along the leading edge (outflow) and returns to the heater through the same passage system (return), eliminating the need for separate parallel pipes. This merging reduces the total pipe volume and material required, thereby reducing blade weight while maintaining the complete deicing circulation function.
Solution Approach 2:
The single circulation passage performs multiple functions: it serves as both the outflow passage for heated air to reach the leading edge and the return passage for air to return to the heater. This multi-functional design eliminates redundant structures and reduces overall system complexity and weight.
3Reliability
If heated air is circulated throughout the entire blade interior space, then deicing coverage is improved, but the size of heater and fan increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade interior is segmented into zones, with the first space (leading edge side) being the primary deicing target zone. The heater and fan are sized only to handle the air volume required for this critical zone, not the entire blade interior. This segmentation allows for smaller, more compact deicing equipment while maintaining effective deicing coverage where it is most needed.
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
This configuration allows for efficient deicing with a lighter and simpler structure, reducing energy usage and avoiding size increases in the deicing apparatus, while enabling easy integration into existing blades without strength reduction.
Implementation Method 1
a heated-air generation unit provided on a blade root part side and configured to heat the air flowing in the circulation passage so as to generate heated air
Implementation Method 2
a circulation unit for forming a circulation flow of air in a circulation passage which includes a pipe-inner passage formed inside the pipe and a pipe-outer passage formed by a region outside the pipe in the first space
Implementation Method 3
When the heated air flows through the pipe-outer passage, the ice adhered to the leading edge of the aerofoil part is melted by the heat of the heated air and removed
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A deicing apparatus for a wind turbine blade (2) which comprises an aerofoil part (26) and a shear web (32) provided to partition an interior space of the aerofoil part (26) into a first space (34) on a leading edge side and a second space (36) on a trailing edge side, and the deicing apparatus is provided with: a pipe (42) having a pipe opening (42A) disposed in a blade tip side region of the first space (34); a circulation unit for forming a circulation flow of air in a circulation passage which includes a pipe-inner passage and a pipe-outer passage formed by a region outside the pipe (42) and communicating with the pipe-inner passage via the pipe opening (42A); and a heated-air generation unit configured to heat the air flowing in the circulation passage, and the circulation passage is configured to direct the heated air to the pipe-outer passage.