Wind Turbine Blade Pressure Measurement via Segmented Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pressure measuring systems for wind turbine blades face challenges such as the need for fast measurement resolution, accuracy hindered by centripetal acceleration, vulnerability to lightning strikes, contamination, and high costs, with no system effectively addressing all these issues simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
A wind turbine blade with a pressure measuring unit located near the blade root and within the blade's interior, using plastic connection tubes and sensing ports, and a static purge unit to prevent debris and water ingress, along with differential pressure sensors to measure pressure differences between the suction and pressure sides, providing a scalable and reliable pressure signal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If electronic pressure sensors are placed near the tap location for fast measurement, then measurement speed is improved, but vulnerability to lightning strikes increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the measurement function into two separate components: sensing ports/tap holes located on the blade surface for fast pressure detection, and electronic pressure sensors located in the protected hub area for safe signal processing. This spatial segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing the sensing elements to remain close to the measurement point while protecting the electronics from lightning exposure.
2Measurement precision
If pressure taps and tubing are used for pressure measurement, then measurement capability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the electronic pressure sensors from the blade surface and relocates them to the hub area, removing the complex tubing and connection infrastructure that would otherwise be needed to protect electronics on the blade. This extraction simplifies the overall system while maintaining measurement capability through the use of sensing ports that directly interface with the pressure field.
3Measurement precision
If measurement devices are exposed to the exterior surface for accurate pressure detection, then measurement accuracy is improved, but exposure to contamination and ice formation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing ports with through-holes serve as intermediaries between the exterior pressure field and the interior measurement environment. These ports allow pressure signals to pass through while the blade structure itself acts as a protective barrier against contamination and ice formation, enabling accurate measurement without direct exposure of the electronics to harmful external factors.
4Speed
If pressure sensors are located in the outer portion of the blade for direct measurement, then measurement responsiveness is improved, but damage from lightning current surge increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the measurement function into sensing elements on the blade surface and electronic components in the protected hub. This allows the sensing ports to maintain responsiveness to pressure changes while the electronics are shielded from lightning strikes by the blade structure and grounded through the hub mounting.
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 solution enables accurate, reliable, and cost-effective measurement of air pressure on wind turbine blades, capable of resolving aerodynamic events, resisting lightning strikes, and operating unattended for long periods, while minimizing exposure to centripetal forces and contamination.
Implementation Method 1
The large centripetal acceleration at the mid and outer span locations on a blade can hinder the accuracy of the measurement device
Implementation Method 2
A simultaneous measurement of the air pressure at two points on the blade's outer surface, such as the suction and pressure sides of the blade at a selected span location, produces pressure signals indicative of the aerodynamic state
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
A wind turbine blade (10) has a leading edge (14) and a trailing edge (15), a suction-side skin (11) joining at the leading edge (14) and trailing edge (15) with a pressure-side skin (12) to form a hollow blade structure, and a pressure measuring unit (99). The pressure measuring unit comprises a first connection tube (161) and a first sensing port (151), the first sensing port (151) fixedly attached to one of the suction-side skin (11) and the pressure-side skin (12), a second connection tube (165) and a second sensing port (155), the second sensing port (155) fixedly attached to one of the suction-side skin (11) and the pressure-side skin (12), and a pressure-sensing unit (100) receiving the first connection tube (161) at a first inlet port (113) and receiving the second connection tube (165) at a second inlet port (123). The pressure-sensing unit (100) has a first resistive unit (170) in fluid communication with the first inlet port (113), and a second resistive unit (174) in fluid communication with the second inlet port (123), the first resistive unit (170) and the second resistive unit (174) also in fluid communication with ambient air. Further, the pressure-sensing unit (100) has a differential pressure sensor (130) producing a differential-pressure signal indicative of the pressure differential across the first inlet port (113) and the second inlet port (123). (Figure 2)