Wind Turbine Rotor Blade Pre-Staged for Retrofitting with a Replacement Blade Tip Segment

• US 20200132054A1
• Filed: 10/30/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Merzhaeuser, Thomas, Von Terzi, Dominic Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 11,162,476 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 1/065 characterised by their construction elements F03D13/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 1/0675 of the blades
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 80/30 Lightning protection
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 80/50 Maintenance or repair
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2230/60 Assembly methods
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2230/80 Repairing, retrofitting or upgrading methods
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/302 Segmented or sectional blades
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/307 Blade tip, e.g. winglets
• 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 method for manufacturing a wind turbine blade that is pre-staged for subsequent retrofitting with a replacement blade tip segment includes providing the wind turbine blade with a continuous spar structure from a root end to a tip end of the wind turbine blade. At a pre-defined span-wise location, one of a span-wise extending beam structure or span-wise extending receiver section is configured with the spar structure.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a wind turbine blade that is pre-staged for subsequent retrofitting with a replacement blade tip segment, comprising:

providing the wind turbine blade with a continuous spar structure from a root end to a tip end of the wind turbine blade; and

at a pre-defined span-wise location, incorporating one of a span-wise extending beam structure or span-wise extending receiver section with the spar structure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the beam structure is incorporated with the spar structure by fixing a root-end of the beam structure with the spar structure and leaving a tip-end of the beam structure free of the spar structure, the beam structure having a size for insertion into a receiver section within the replacement blade tip segment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiver section is incorporated with the spar structure by fixing a root-end of the receiver section with the spar structure such that the receiver section extends at least to a location of a chord-wise joint line where the replacement blade tip segment will be retrofitted.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the spar structure includes opposite shear webs, comprising fixing a root-end of the beam structure or root-end of the span-wise extending receiver section between the shear webs.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrofitting the wind turbine blade at a time subsequent to manufacture of the wind turbine blade by:

cutting an existing blade tip segment from the wind turbine blade at a chord-wise joint line such that a tip-end of the beam structure extends span-wise from a remaining blade root segment beyond the chord-wise joint line, or a tip end of the receiver section is exposed in the remaining blade root segment at the chord-wise joint line;

removing the spar structure from the tip-end of the beam structure or the receiver section;

aligning and connecting the replacement blade tip segment with the blade root segment in a span-wise direction so that the beam structure moves into a mating receiver section of the replacement blade tip segment, or the receiver section receives a mating beam structure of the replacement blade tip segment; and

providing a finish surface to blade shell components of the blade root segment and the replacement blade tip segment at the joint line.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the spar structure includes opposite shear webs and the root-end of the beam structure or the root end of the receiver section is between and fixed to the shear webs, and wherein the removing of the spar structure comprises cutting away the shear webs along the tip-end of the beam structure or the tip end of the receiver section.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the wind turbine blade is operational on a wind turbine at a field site, comprising performing the retrofitting process with the wind turbine blade in an up-tower position on a rotor hub of the wind turbine.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the wind turbine blade is operational on a wind turbine at a field site, comprising removing and lowering the wind turbine bade from a rotor hub of the wind turbine and performing the retrofitting process with the wind turbine blade in a down-tower position relative to the rotor hub.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising producing and maintaining an inventory of the replacement blade tip segments, wherein for the retrofitting process, one of the replacement blade tip segments is selected from the inventory and transported to the field site.

10. A wind turbine blade that is pre-staged for subsequent retrofitting with a replacement blade tip segment, comprising:

a pressure side shell;

a suction side shell joined to the pressure side shell along a leading edge and a trailing edge such that an interior cavity is defined between the pressure side shell and the suction side shell;

a continuous spar structure within the interior cavity from a root end to a tip end of the wind turbine blade; and

at a pre-defined span-wise location, one of a span-wise extending beam structure or span-wise extending receiver section configured with the spar structure;

wherein the span-wise extending beam structure is configured for insertion into a mating receiver section in a replacement blade tip segment, or the receiver section is configured for receipt of a mating beam structure extending from a replacement blade tip segment.

11. The wind turbine blade of claim 10, wherein the beam structure comprises a root end fixed to the spar structure and a tip-end that is adjacent and unfixed to the spar structure, wherein the spar structure can be removed from alongside the tip-end of the beam structure when retrofitting the wind turbine blade with the replacement blade tip segment.

12. The wind turbine blade of claim 10, wherein the receiver section comprises a root end fixed to the spar structure such that the receiver section extends at least to a location of a chord-wise joint line where the replacement blade tip segment will be retrofitted.

13. The wind turbine blade of claim 10, wherein the spar structure includes opposite shear webs, comprising fixing a root-end of the beam structure or root-end of the span-wise extending receiver section configured between the shear webs.