ROTOR BLADE EXTENSION

• US 20160177915A1
• Filed: 09/29/2015
• Published: 06/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Jensen, Sune Niemann, Gonzalez, Alejandro Gomez
• Application Number:
  US14/868,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20160177915A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 1/0633 of the blades
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 1/0675 of the blades
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 80/30 Lightning protection
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2230/80 Repairing, retrofitting or upgrading methods
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/307 Blade tip, e.g. winglets
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2250/183 zigzag
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A rotor blade extension for mounting over a tip of a wind turbine rotor blade, including an airfoil extension portion) configured to extend a length of the rotor blade, a leading edge portion configured to cover a profile of the leading edge of the rotor blade, and a trailing edge portion configured to cover a profile of the trailing edge of the rotor blade, is provided. A wind turbine including a number of rotor blades and a rotor blade extension mounted to each rotor blade is also provided.

Claims

1. A rotor blade extension for mounting over a tip of a rotor blade of a wind turbine, comprising:

an airfoil extension portion configured to extend a length of the rotor blade;

a leading edge portion configured to cover a portion of a profile of a leading edge of the rotor blade; and

a trailing edge portion configured to cover a portion of a profile of a trailing edge of the rotor blade.

2. The rotor blade extension according to claim 1, wherein the airfoil extension portion extends outboard of the tip of the rotor blade by a distance of at least 0.5% of the blade length.

3. The rotor blade extension according to claim 1, wherein the airfoil extension portion extends outboard of the tip of the rotor blade by a distance of at least 2% of the blade length.

4. The rotor blade extension according to claim 1, wherein the airfoil extension portion extends outboard of the tip of the rotor blade by a distance of at most 20% of the blade length.

5. The rotor blade extension according to claim 1, wherein the airfoil extension portion extends outboard of the tip of the rotor blade by a distance of at most 10% of the blade length.

6. The rotor blade extension according to claim 1, wherein the leading edge portion and/or the trailing edge portion extend inboard by a distance of at least 1% of the blade length.

7. The rotor blade extension according to claim 1, wherein the leading edge portion and/or the trailing edge portion extend inboard by a distance of at least 5% of the blade length.

8. The rotor blade extension according to claim 1, wherein the airfoil extension portion is tilted outward from a longitudinal axis) of the rotor blade.

9. The rotor blade extension according to claim 1, wherein a longitudinal axis of the airfoil extension portion is skewed towards the trailing edge of the rotor blade relative to a longitudinal axis of the rotor blade.

10. The rotor blade extension according to claim 1, comprising a number of serrated elements arranged on the trailing edge portion.

11. The rotor blade extension according to claim 1, wherein the leading edge portion is coated for protecting the rotor blade against corrosion of the leading edge.

12. The rotor blade extension according to claim 1, comprising a number of vortex generator elements arranged on a surface of the rotor blade extension.

13. The rotor blade extension according to claim 1, wherein the leading edge portion extends further inboard than the trailing edge portion.

14. The rotor blade extension according to claim 1, wherein the rotor blade extension fits flush over the tip of the rotor blade.

15. The rotor blade extension according to claim 1, wherein

the leading edge portion is configured to extend a portion of the profile of the leading edge of the rotor blade in a chordwise direction;

and/or

the trailing edge portion is configured to extend a portion of the profile of the trailing edge of the rotor blade in the chordwise direction.

16. The rotor blade extension according to claim 1, comprising a coating in a signal color.

17. A wind turbine comprising a number of rotor blades and a rotor blade extension according to claim 1 mounted to each of the number of rotor blades.

18. The wind turbine according to claim 14, wherein a rotor blade comprises an aero-elastic rotor blade.