THE SURFACE STRUCTURE OF WINDMILL ROTORS FOR SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

• US 20140127017A1
• Filed: 07/05/2012
• Published: 05/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hafmex Invest Oy
• Original Assignee: Hafmex Invest Oy
• Inventors: Virtanen, Jorma, Hauvonen, Kalevi
• Application Number:
  US14/130,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20140127017A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 416/95
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 3/041 Carbon nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 7/06 Elements
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 5/24 Electrically-conducting paints conductive materials H01B1/00
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 7/61 inorganic
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 7/70 characterised by shape, e.g. fibres, flakes or microspheres
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 1/06 Rotors
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 80/40 Ice detection; De-icing means
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2280/2006 Carbon, e.g. graphite
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2280/6011 Coating
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2214/02 Heaters specially designed for de-icing or protection against icing
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2214/04 Heating means manufactured by using nanotechnology
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/105 using a susceptor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

The present invention relates to an improvement of windmill rotors—more specifically rotors that have been designed to be used in cold and wet climate, such as northern sea areas. This can be achieved by incorporating an electrically conducting layer on or in the surface of a windmill blade. The same coating can also be used to achieve a stealth property.

Claims

1. A coating for windmill blades, known for a) it contains carbon nanotubes, and b) the current for heating is generated by external potential source, or c) the current is generated electromagnetically/electromagnetic induction.

2. A coating of claim 1, in which the said carbon nanotubes are multiwalled carbon nanotubes, and they have been mixed with polysaccharide, such as cellulose or hemicellulose.

3. A coating of claim 1 that contains hard abrasion resistant nano-, or microparticles, such as silica, alumina, fluoroapatite, silicon carbide, diamond, or superdiamond particles.

4. A coating of claim 1 that is used in windmill blade, or in a part of a windmill blade, or in an air plane wing, or in a blade of a helicopter.

5. A coating of claim 1 that is used for heating of a deck structures and/or outer surfaces of a body of a boat or ship.

6. A coating of claim 1 that is used for heating of a roof of a building, or masts.

7. A heating element that has been fabricated using a coating of claim 2, and two wires have been attached with the said heating element, and the wires have been connected with an external potential source that can be direct current or alternating current source.

8. A heating element of claim 7, in which into the attachment site of the said wires, and heating elements has been electrochemically deposited metal, such as copper.

11. A heating element of claim 7, in which the resistance is getting smaller stepwise or linearly/smoothly towards the tip of the blade.

12. A windmill blade, in which into the front edge are integrated separate heating elements according to cross-section FIG. (1), and FIGS. (2) and (3) that have been glued, for instance, with epoxy, or spraying coating material of claim 2 on the surface of a mold before fabrication.

13. A windmill blade, in which erosion resistance of the front edge, and heating elements is increased by adding or coating with a coating material of claim 3.

15. A windmill blade that has been coated with a coating of claim 1, and that has a microwave source inside.

9. A blade of a windmill that contains several heating elements, and each of the said heating element can be heated separately using external control electronics.

10. Heating elements that have been connected to one potential source so that the heating power of the heating elements is adjusted by choosing the thickness of the elements so that at the tip of the blade the resistance of the element is smaller than closer to the base.

14. A coating material that will absorb radar radio signals, known for the composition that contains carbon nanotubes, and is capable significantly or totally prevention of the reflection the radar signal, eliminating the disturbance for the radar, and allowing the detection of the targets behind the windmill.