WIND TURBINE BLADE BRUSH

• US 20080166241A1
• Filed: 01/04/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: GE Wind Energy GmbH (GE Aerospace)
• Inventors: Herr, Stefan, Koegler, Klaus, Dobrzynski, Werner
• Application Number:
  US11/619,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20080166241A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 416/241R
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 1/065 characterised by their construction elements F03D13/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/38 Blades for axial flow compressors F04D29/324
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2260/96 Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2240/122 related to the trailing edge of a stator vane
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2240/304 related to the trailing edge of a rotor blade
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

A wind turbine blade for use in a wind energy system comprises a blade body having a trailing edge and a leading edge, and a plurality of bristles disposed on an outer surface of said blade body. The bristles are typically attached to said blade body in the vicinity of said trailing edge and serve to reduce noise caused by the airflow around the blade during operation.

Claims

1. A rotor blade for use in a wind energy system, comprising:

a blade body having a trailing edge and a leading edge, and

a plurality of bristles disposed on an outer surface of said blade body.

2. The rotor blade of claim 1, wherein said bristles are attached to said blade body in the vicinity of said trailing edge.

3. The rotor blade of claim 1, wherein said bristles are arranged in at least one row along a longitudinal direction of said blade.

4. The rotor blade according to claim 3, wherein said at least one row of bristles has a length between 5 and 100% of the total rotor blade length.

5. The rotor blade of claim 1, further comprising a carrier element, wherein said carrier element is attached to said blade body, and said bristles are attached to said carrier element.

6. The rotor blade according to claim 1, wherein the length of said bristles lies in a range between 10 mm and 100 mm.

7. The rotor blade according to claim 1, wherein said bristles are flexible.

8. The rotor blade according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of said bristles lies in a range between 0.1 mm and 4 mm.

9. The rotor blade according to claim 1, wherein the blade comprises bristles of different lengths and/or of different diameters.

10. The rotor blade according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the parameters chosen from the group consisting of length, diameter and flexibility of the bristles varies depending on the distance of said bristle from the blade root.

11. A rotor blade for use in a wind energy system, comprising:

a shell having a trailing edge and a leading edge,

a brush comprising a plurality of bristles,

wherein said brush is disposed on said shell in the vicinity of said trailing edge.

12. The rotor blade according to claim 11, wherein said brush has a length between 1 and 100% of the total rotor blade length.

13. The rotor blade according to claim 11, wherein the length of said bristles lies in a range between 10 mm and 100 mm.

14. The rotor blade according to claim 11, wherein said bristles are flexible.

15. The rotor blade according to claim 11, wherein the material of the bristles is chosen from the group consisting of synthetic polymer, silicone, metal, quartz or natural fiber.

16. The rotor blade according to claim 11, wherein the diameter of said bristles lies in a range between 0.1 mm and 4 mm.

17. The rotor blade according to claim 11, wherein a blade comprises bristles of different lengths and/or of different diameters.

18. The rotor blade according to claim 11, wherein at least one of the parameters of said bristles, chosen from the group consisting of length, diameter and flexibility, varies in accordance with a chord length of said blade.

19. The rotor blade according to claim 11, wherein a plurality of discrete brushes are disposed about the rotor blade.

20. A wind turbine for use in a wind energy system, comprising:

a rotor blade comprising a blade body having a trailing edge and a leading edge, and

a plurality of bristles disposed on an outer surface of said blade body.