Windmill Blade Lightning Receptor Base Plate Embedding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lightning protection devices for windmill blades fail to effectively address the challenge of assembling receptors on blades with smaller airfoil profiles and do not provide adequate countermeasures against pressure increases inside the blade during lightning strikes.
Innovation Solution
A lightning protection device with a receptor assembly that includes a conductive base plate embedded within the blade, where lead wires are connected to the base plate, and an adhesive is used to secure the receptor to the blade, preventing air pressure increases and enhancing structural strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a conventional lightning protection device with exposed receptors and screw fixation is used, then the structure is simple, but the assembly becomes difficult on blades with smaller airfoil profiles and provides inadequate countermeasures against pressure increases inside the blade during lightning strikes
Solution Approach 1:
The lightning protection device is segmented into distinct functional components: a base plate embedded in the blade, a receptor assembly mounted on the base plate, and adhesive material filling the internal space. This segmentation allows each component to address specific problems - the base plate provides structural support and electrical connection, the receptor assembly handles lightning reception, and the adhesive manages pressure and provides additional bonding
Solution Approach 2:
The base plate is preliminarily embedded in the blade before the receptor assembly is mounted. This preliminary action creates a stable foundation that simplifies subsequent receptor installation, especially on blades with smaller airfoil profiles where space is limited. The adhesive is also preliminarily applied to the base plate or blade interior to prepare for pressure management before the lightning strike occurs
2Reliability
If the internal space of the blade is filled with adhesive, then the air pressure increase during lightning strike is prevented, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive serves multiple functions simultaneously: it bonds the base plate to the blade structure, fills the internal space to prevent air pressure buildup during lightning strikes, and provides electrical insulation. By making the adhesive multi-functional, the patent avoids adding separate components for each function, thereby limiting the increase in manufacturing complexity while achieving pressure resistance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and distribution of material in the blade's internal space by filling it with adhesive. This parameter change - transforming empty space into filled space with pressure-resistant material - directly addresses the pressure increase problem during lightning strikes without requiring complex mechanical pressure relief systems
3Reliability
If a base plate with embedded lead wires is used, then the electrical connection is improved, but the assembly difficulty increases on blades with smaller airfoil profiles
Solution Approach 1:
The receptor assembly is nested on top of the base plate, which itself is embedded in the blade structure. The lead wires are nested within the blade's internal pathways, connecting the base plate to the ground. This nested arrangement allows electrical connections to be made through existing blade structures without requiring additional external routing, which is particularly advantageous on blades with smaller airfoil profiles where external space is limited
Solution Approach 2:
The base plate acts as an intermediary component between the receptor assembly and the blade's internal electrical grounding system. It provides a stable mounting surface for the receptor while also serving as the electrical connection point for lead wires that route through the blade interior. This intermediary function simplifies the overall assembly by decoupling the mechanical mounting requirements from the electrical connection requirements
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 simplifies the assembly and installation of lightning receptors, effectively manages air pressure inside the blade during strikes, and enhances the structural integrity of the blade by displacing air with adhesive and using foamed urethane resin to prevent breakage.
Implementation Method 1
an adhesive is filled in the internal space of the blade in the vicinity of the receptor assembly, including the periphery of the base plate
Implementation Method 2
foamed urethane resin to prevent breakage
Implementation Method 3
a base plate made of an electrically conductive material, to which the lead wires are connected
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention proposes a lightning protection device of a windmill blade, comprising a tip receptor assembly having receptors which are mounted, in particular to, the tip end part of the blade where the blade profile becomes smaller, and having a simple structure so as to be readily assembled, and an intermediate receptor assembly having a receptor which is set at the outer surface of the blade so as to exhibit an effective countermeasure against increasing of the air pressure in the blade upon a lightning striking upon the blade, a lightening current being discharged to the ground from the receptors through connection equipment such as lead wires laid through the inside of the blade the windmill body and bypass brushes, characterized in that a base plate made of an electrically conductive material and connected thereto with the lead wires is embedded in the blade, and the receptors are secured and supported to the base plate, being exposed at the outer surface of the blade. Further, the present invention also proposes a method of assembling the lightning protection device.