Wind Turbine Blade Variable Trailing Edge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wind turbine blades with traditional designs face challenges in mounting and operational loads due to their shape, which affects their efficiency and longevity, especially as they increase in size, and there is a need for improved aerodynamic performance to optimize energy production over their 20-year operational lifetime.
Innovation Solution
A wind turbine blade with a movable suction side point and pressure side point, equipped with a displacement device that varies the distance between them, allowing for active adjustment of the chord and camber to control lift and adapt to changing wind conditions, using mechanisms like wedge-shaped devices or expandable membranes to change the profile from airfoil to truncated shapes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the wind turbine blade has a large surface area to generate sufficient lift, then the energy production is improved, but the storm loads and mounting difficulties increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a variable geometry system where the blade profile can dynamically change between different airfoil sections. The blade transitions from a thicker root region to a thinner tip region, and can actively adjust its profile during operation to optimize for either energy production or storm load reduction, resolving the contradiction between large surface area needs and storm load management
2Ease of manufacture
If the wind turbine blade has a constant chord length, then the manufacturing is simplified, but the aerodynamic performance at different wind speeds deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The blade incorporates variable chord length through its geometric transition from root to tip, and can actively adjust local chord dimensions during operation. This dynamic capability allows the blade to maintain optimal aerodynamic performance across varying wind speeds while retaining manufacturability through systematic design approaches
3Device complexity
If the wind turbine blade uses a traditional fixed profile, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability to different wind conditions worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a variable geometry system that allows the blade profile to dynamically adapt to different wind conditions. The blade can transition between various airfoil sections and adjust its camber and chord dimensions, providing high adaptability while managing complexity through integrated design of the adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The blade systematically varies geometric parameters including chord length, thickness ratio, and camber along its span and during operation. This parameter variation enables the blade to adapt to different wind conditions by optimizing the lift-to-drag ratio for specific operating scenarios
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 solution enables the wind turbine blade to operate effectively in varying wind conditions, reduce loads, and increase energy production by allowing the use of longer blades and higher wind speeds, with the ability to vary lift by up to 40% across different sections, enhancing the overall performance and lifespan of the blade.
Implementation Method 1
the profiled contour generating a lift when being impacted by an incident airflow
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~7
AI summary
The present invention relates to a wind turbine blade for a rotor of a wind turbine having a substantially horizontal rotor shaft. The blade may comprise a profiled contour comprising a pressure side and a suction side as well as a leading edge and a trailing edge, a chord extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge, and the profiled contour generating a lift when being impacted by an incident airflow. In a cross section of the wind turbine blade perpendicular to a lengthwise direction of the wind turbine blade, a suction side point is defined on the suction side at the trailing edge of the blade, and a pressure side point is defined on the pressure side at the trailing edge of the blade. The suction side point is movable in relation to the pressure side point, and the blade is further provided with a displacement device configured to displace the pressure side point and the suction side point so that a distance between the suction side point and the pressure side point can be varied. The present invention further relates to a wind turbine including such a wind turbine blade and to a method of operating a wind turbine including such a wind turbine blade.