Sinusoidal Heating Strands for Wind Turbine Blade Icing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rotor blade heating systems for wind turbines are inefficient in providing targeted heating power, particularly at the tip of the blade where icing is most severe, due to uniform heat distribution that does not account for varying icing conditions along the blade.
Innovation Solution
A heating device with sinusoidal or zigzag-shaped electrically conductive heating strands integrated into the rotor blade's surface, where the amplitude and wavelength of the strands can be varied to increase heating capacity and adjust specific surface heating power along the blade, particularly at the tip, and connected in series and parallel configurations to optimize heating output.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If uniform heat distribution is used along the rotor blade, then the heating system structure is simple, but the heating effectiveness at the blade tip where icing is most severe is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the amplitude and wavelength of sinusoidal heating strands along the rotor blade length. The amplitude is increased and wavelength decreased toward the blade tip, creating higher heating density where icing is most severe. This non-uniform distribution optimizes heating effectiveness at different locations without requiring completely different heating systems for different zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters (amplitude and wavelength) of the heating strands along the blade length to adjust heat distribution. By progressively increasing amplitude and decreasing wavelength toward the tip, the system achieves variable heating intensity from a single continuous structure, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and effectiveness.
2Power
If heating strands are arranged in a straight line, then the manufacturing is simple, but the specific surface heating power is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses curved sinusoidal paths instead of straight lines for the heating strands. This curvature increases the effective length of heating elements within the same spatial envelope, thereby increasing the specific surface heating power. The sinusoidal shape is manufactured by laying strands in a wave pattern during blade construction, which is achievable with standard manufacturing techniques.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the heating device is integrated into the rotor blade surface, then the structural integrity is maintained, but the installation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heating strands are integrated directly into the rotor blade structure during manufacturing, merging the heating function with the blade's structural components. The strands are embedded within the blade material, eliminating separate installation steps and ensuring the heating system becomes an inherent part of the blade structure, thus maintaining integrity while managing complexity through integration.
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 targeted and efficient heating, increasing the specific surface heating capacity and preventing or breaking up icing effectively, while maintaining structural integrity and simplicity in design.
Implementation Method 1
A heating device with sinusoidal or zigzag-shaped electrically conductive heating strands integrated into the rotor blade's surface
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
The invention relates to a rotor blade (1) of a wind turbine (100), comprising a heating device (33), arranged in the rotor blade (100), in the region of the rotor blade surface thereof, for heating the rotor blade (1), wherein the heating device (33) has electrically conductive heating strands (2) and the heating strands (2) run in a sinusoidal, wavy and/or zigzagging form, with an amplitude that defines a sine amplitude, wave height or zag height, and a wavelength that defines a period length, a wave length or a zag spacing, wherein the amplitude and/or the wavelength varies along the heating strands (2), in order in this way to vary from portion to portion a specific surface heating output of the heating device (33).