Partially Transparent Wind Turbine Blade Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wind turbine generators with horizontal axis have a negative visual impact due to their large size and number, disrupting natural environments, and existing solutions like transparent rotor blades or reinforced plastic blades do not fully address the aesthetic concerns while maintaining efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A blade for wind turbine generators made from composite carbon fibre material with transparent polycarbonate panels and reinforcement ribs, designed to be partially transparent, reducing visual impact by allowing visibility through the blades while maintaining structural integrity and aerodynamic efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If wind turbine generators are equipped with large blades to increase power concentration, then energy generation capability is improved, but visual impact on the environment worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies transparency modification to the blade material, transforming it from opaque to transparent. This allows the blade to become visually invisible or blend with the background, thereby reducing the visual impact on the environment while maintaining the necessary structural integrity and power generation capability through proper material selection and structural design
2Object-affected harmful factors
If transparent rotor blades are used to reduce visual impact, then aesthetic appearance is improved, but structural strength and manufacturing complexity worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite material construction, combining transparent materials with reinforcement structures. This allows the blade to achieve both transparency for aesthetic purposes and sufficient structural strength through the composite design, where the transparent material provides visual transparency while embedded reinforcement elements provide mechanical strength
Solution Approach 2:
The blade is divided into multiple segments or layers, with transparent panels combined with reinforcement ribs or structural elements. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the transparent portions for aesthetic purposes and the reinforcement portions for structural integrity, simplifying the overall manufacturing process
3Power
If blade length is increased to provide higher power concentration, then energy generation is improved, but disturbance to natural environment worsens
Solution Approach 1:
By making the blades transparent, the patent reduces the visual disturbance to the natural environment. The transparent blades allow the surrounding landscape to be seen through them, minimizing the visual intrusion of large structures into natural settings while still providing the necessary power concentration from extended blade length
Data Source
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AI summary
It is described a blade (6) for a wind turbine (1) for converting wind energy into electric energy, comprising: - a blade structure (7) longitudinally extending along a blade axis (X1) and comprising a blade tip (11), an opposite blade root (12), a longitudinal leading edge portion (13) and a longitudinal trailing edge portion (14) which are extended between the blade root (12) and the blade tip (11); and - an outer aerodynamic shell (20) defining an airfoil (25) including an airfoil leading edge (26), an airfoil trailing edge (27) and an airfoil suction side and an airfoil pressure side (28, 29) between said airfoil leading and trailing edges (26, 27). The outer aerodynamic shell (20) comprises a suction side panel (31) and a pressure side panel (33) which are made from a transparent material and are fastened to the blade structure (7) so as to define the airfoil suction side and the airfoil pressure side (28, 29), respectively, wherein said blade (6) comprises a transparent region (40) between said transparent panels (31, 33) and wherein said transparent panels (31, 33) are arranged facing one another so that it is possible to see through the blade (6) looking through said transparent panels (31, 33) and said transparent region (40). A method for assembling the blade (6) is also described.