Wind Turbine Blade Trailing Edge Tab Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wind turbine blade designs with thick flat-back trailing edges enhance structural strength and lift but suffer from noise, drag, and manufacturing complexities due to vortex shedding and sharp contours, while solutions like splitter plates reduce noise but not manufacturing issues.
Innovation Solution
A tab extending from the pressure side near the trailing edge, particularly in the aft 10% of the chord, increases lift by slowing airflow and directing it downward, with varying tab heights and shapes to optimize lift and reduce drag, and can be integrated or attached as an add-on with turbulators for enhanced performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a thick flat-back trailing edge is used, then structural strength and lift are improved, but noise and drag increase due to vortex shedding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by replacing the sharp flat-back trailing edge with a rounded trailing edge. This curvature modification eliminates the sharp contours that cause vortex shedding, thereby reducing noise and drag while maintaining structural strength through the rounded geometry
2Force
If a thick flat-back trailing edge is used, then lift is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases due to sharp contours
Solution Approach 1:
The rounded trailing edge replaces difficult-to-mold sharp contours with smooth curved surfaces that are easier to manufacture. This curvature transformation maintains the lift-enhancing thickness while eliminating molding problems associated with sharp edges
3Object-generated harmful factors
If a splitter plate is added to reduce vortex shedding, then noise is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the source of vortex shedding by removing sharp contours from the trailing edge design. Instead of adding a splitter plate to mitigate the problem, the solution extracts the harmful sharp edges and replaces them with rounded contours, thereby reducing noise without adding device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
By applying curvature to the trailing edge, the patent fundamentally changes the geometry to prevent vortex shedding at its source, eliminating the need for additional components like splitter plates and thereby reducing device complexity
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 tab design enhances lift and structural strength while minimizing drag and manufacturing complexities, offering improved aerodynamic performance and practical molding capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
a tab extending into the boundary layer on the pressure side of a wind turbine blade near the trailing edge to increase lift
Data Source
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AI summary
A wind turbine blade (20B-C) with a rounded trailing edge (42A-E) and an elongated tab (44A-J) extending from the pressure side (PS) within the aft 10% of the local chord (C) and generally parallel to the trailing edge to increase lift. The tab may have a height (H) that is greatest on the radially inboard end to maximize lift, and lower on the outboard end to minimize drag. It may have a base with a length of at least 60% of its height.