Cable-Stayed Wind Turbine Blades With Shared Root Geometry

Solution Overview

Problem

The challenge of manufacturing and deploying wind turbine blades with increased length for larger wind turbines is hindered by higher loads, increased costs, and the need for site-specific designs, which limits energy extraction efficiency.

Innovation Solution

A family of wind turbine blades with varying lengths featuring a cable connection point located further outboard as the blade length increases, utilizing blade connecting cables to transfer loads, allowing for consistent blade root dimensions and shared hub components across different lengths, and enabling modular construction for cost-effective manufacturing and transportation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If blade length is increased to capture more energy, then energy capture is improved, but blade root dimensions and manufacturing costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenergy captureVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The blade is divided into three distinct portions: inboard portion, intermediate portion, and outboard portion. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized independently - the inboard portion maintains standardized dimensions for cost-effective manufacturing, while the intermediate and outboard portions can be extended to increase energy capture capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A cable connection point is introduced as an intermediary element in the intermediate portion. This cable connection point provides a attachment location for blade connecting cables that transfer loads away from the blade root, enabling longer blades without proportionally increasing root dimensions or manufacturing costs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If blade length is increased to capture more energy, then energy capture is improved, but blade root dimensions increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenergy captureVSAvoidblade root dimension

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The blade is divided into three distinct portions: inboard portion, intermediate portion, and outboard portion. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized independently - the inboard portion maintains standardized dimensions for cost-effective manufacturing, while the intermediate and outboard portions can be extended to increase energy capture capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A cable connection point is introduced as an intermediary element in the intermediate portion. This cable connection point provides a attachment location for blade connecting cables that transfer loads away from the blade root, enabling longer blades without proportionally increasing root dimensions or manufacturing costs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Productivity

If site-specific blade designs are created for different wind farms, then energy capture optimization is improved, but design and manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenergy capture optimizationVSAvoiddesign complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The blade design incorporates universal inboard portions that can be used across different blade lengths and wind farm locations. The standardized inboard portion with consistent cable connection point geometry allows the same component to serve multiple functions in different configurations, reducing design complexity while enabling site-specific optimization through variation in intermediate and outboard portions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS20250376970A1A family of wind turbine blades

Publication Date: 2025.12.11 VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS AS

AI summary

Provided herein is a family of wind turbine blades of different lengths for cable-stayed wind turbine rotors. An intermediate portion of each blade comprises a cable connection point located at a spanwise distance r from the blade root. The intermediate portion of each blade has a different spanwise length compared to the intermediate portions of the other blades in the family. The cable connection point of each blade in the family is located at a different spanwise distance r from the blade root than the connection point of each of the other blades in the family. The spanwise distance r increases as blade length increases.