Efficient wind turbine blades, wind turbine blade structures, and associated systems and methods of manufacture, assembly and use

• US 8,506,258 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2011
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
• Original Assignee: Modular Wind Energy, Inc.
• Inventors: Baker, Myles L., Arendt, Cory P., Madrid, Bernard G., Vilhauer, Sheldon
• Primary Examiner(s): EDGAR, RICHARD A
• Application Number:
  US13/154,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20120082558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 244/123.8, 244/124, 416/226
• US Class Current: 416/226
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/304 In-plane lamination by juxtaposing or interleaving of plies, e.g. scarf joining
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 99/0028 hollow blades
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/085 Wind turbine blades
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 1/0675 of the blades
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 13/10 Assembly of wind motors; Arrangements for erecting wind motors
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/30 Characteristics of rotor blades, i.e. of any element transforming dynamic fluid energy to or from rotational energy and being attached to a rotor
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/302 Segmented or sectional blades
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/74 Wind turbines with rotation axis perpendicular to the wind direction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49316 Impeller making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49337 Composite blade
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49339 Hollow blade

Abstract

Wind turbine systems and methods are disclosed herein. A representative system includes a wind turbine blade having an inner region that has an internal load-bearing truss structure, and an outer region that has an internal, non-truss, load-bearing structure. In particular embodiments, the truss structure can include a triangular arrangement of spars, and/or can include truss attachment members that connect components of the truss without the use of holes in the spars. Spars can be produced from a plurality of pultruded composite members laminated together in longitudinally extending portions. The longitudinally extending portions can be connected at joints that interleave projections and recesses of each of the spar portions. The blades can include fan-shaped transitions at a hub attachment portion, formed by laminated layers and/or a combination of laminated layers and transition plates.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a wind turbine blade, the method comprising:

moving fibers through a resin bath to wet the fibers with resin;

moving the wet fibers through a heated die to cure the resin and shape the resin and fibers into an elongate composite pultrusion;

cutting the elongate composite pultrusion into individual pieces to form a plurality of pultruded composite pieces;

laminating the plurality of pultruded composite pieces together to form a spar portion elongated along a longitudinal first axis and flat along a second axis transverse to the first axis, wherein each of the pultruded composite pieces overlaps with the others in the spar portion at least one longitudinal location; and

attaching the spar portion to a skin to form a portion of a wind turbine blade structure.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the skin includes an external aerodynamic surface positioned relative to a longitudinally-extending spanwise axis, a chordwise axis transverse to the spanwise axis, and a thickness axis transverse to both the chordwise and spanwise axes, and wherein attaching the spar portion to the skin includes orienting the spar portion along the spanwise axis and fixedly attaching the spar portion to a plurality of ribs extending along the chordwise axis.

3. The method of claim 1:

wherein the wind turbine blade portion is positioned relative to a longitudinally-extending spanwise axis, a chordwise axis transverse to the spanwise axis, and a thickness axis transverse to both the chordwise and spanwise axes;

wherein laminating the plurality of pultruded composite pieces together to form a spar portion includes laminating a first plurality of pultruded composite layers together to form a first spar portion having a first spar end portion with a plurality of first projections and first recesses along the chordwise axis, and laminating a second plurality of pultruded composite layers together to form a second spar portion having a second spar end portion with a plurality of second projections and second recesses along the chordwise axis; and

wherein the method further comprises;

inserting individual first projections into corresponding second recesses, and inserting individual second projections into corresponding first recesses, to join the first spar end portion to the second spar end portion.

4. A method of manufacturing a wind turbine blade having an external aerodynamic surface with a longitudinally-extending spanwise axis, a chordwise axis transverse to the spanwise axis, and a thickness axis transverse to both the chordwise and spanwise axes, the method comprising:

positioning a plurality of turbine blade ribs in a manufacturing assembly, wherein individual ribs are aligned with the chordwise axis and are spaced apart from each other along the spanwise axis;

positioning a first elongate layer of composite material across the plurality of ribs along the spanwise axis;

applying a layer of adhesive to the first layer of composite material;

positioning a second elongate layer of composite material on the layer of adhesive;

compressing the first and second elongate layers of composite material together; and

curing the adhesive to laminate the second layer of composite material to the first layer of composite material and form a spar portion extending along the spanwise axis between the plurality of ribs.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein positioning a first elongate layer of composite material across the plurality of ribs includes positioning a first layer of precured composite material across the ribs, and wherein positioning a second elongate layer of composite material on the layer of adhesive includes positioning a second layer of precured composite material on the layer of adhesive.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein positioning a first elongate layer of composite material across the plurality of ribs includes positioning a first pultruded layer across the ribs, and wherein positioning a second elongate layer of composite material on the layer of adhesive includes positioning a second pultruded layer on the layer of adhesive.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein each of the individual ribs includes a cutout, and wherein positioning a first elongate layer of composite material across the plurality of ribs includes positioning portions of the first elongate layer of composite material into each of the cutouts.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein each of the individual ribs includes a cutout, and wherein the method further comprises:

positioning individual fittings in each of the individual cutouts;

attaching the individual fittings to the corresponding ribs; and

attaching a corresponding portion of the spar portion to each of the individual fittings.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

positioning a plurality of additional elongate layers of composite material on the first and second elongate layers; and

terminating the individual layers of composite material at different longitudinal locations to form a spar end portion having a plurality of projections and recesses, with individual projections alternating with individual recesses along the thickness axis.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein curing the adhesive to laminate the second layer of composite material to the first layer of composite material and form a spar portion includes forming a spar end portion having a plurality of projections and recesses, with individual projections alternating with individual recesses along the chordwise axis.

11. The method of claim 4 wherein the plurality of turbine blade ribs is a plurality of first turbine blade ribs, wherein curing the adhesive to laminate the second layer of composite material to the first layer of composite material and form a spar portion includes forming a first spar portion having a first spar end portion with a plurality of first projections and first recesses, and wherein the method further comprises:

positioning a plurality of second turbine blade ribs in a second manufacturing assembly, wherein individual second ribs are aligned with the chordwise axis and are spaced apart from each other along the spanwise axis;

positioning a third elongate layer of composite material across the plurality of second ribs along the spanwise axis;

applying a second layer of adhesive to the third layer of composite material;

positioning a fourth elongate layer of composite material on the second layer of adhesive;

compressing the third and fourth elongate layers of composite material together;

curing the second layer of adhesive to laminate the third layer of composite material to the fourth layer of composite material and form a second spar portion extending along the spanwise axis between the plurality of second ribs, the second spar portion including a second spar end having a plurality of second projections and second recesses;

applying adhesive to the first spar end portion and the second spar end portion;

inserting individual first projections into corresponding individual second recesses, and inserting individual second projections into corresponding first recesses, to join the first spar portion to the second spar portion.

12. The method of claim 4 wherein compressing the first and second elongate layers of composite material together includes:

removably coupling a plurality of compressing apparatuses to the first and second layers of composite material between individual turbine blade ribs; and

operating the compressing apparatuses to compress the first and second layers of composite material together.

13. The method of claim 4 wherein compressing the first and second elongate layers of composite material together includes:

positioning a first tool portion on one side of the first and second layers of composite material, the first tool portion having an expandable member;

positioning a second tool portion on the opposite side of the first and second layers of composite material;

coupling the first tool portion to the second tool portion; and

expanding the expandable member to compress the first and second layers of composite material together.

14. The method of claim 4 wherein compressing the first and second elongate layers of composite material together includes:

positioning a first tool portion on one side of the first and second layers of composite material, the first tool portion having an expandable member;

positioning a second tool portion on the opposite side of the first and second layers of composite material;

coupling the first tool portion to the second tool portion; and

inflating the expandable member to compress the first and second layers of composite material together.

15. The method of claim 4 wherein compressing the first and second elongate layers of composite material together includes:

positioning a first tool portion on one side of the first and second layers of composite material, the first tool portion having a first expandable member;

positioning a second tool portion on the opposite side of the first and second layers of composite material, the second tool portion having a second expandable member;

coupling the first tool portion to the second tool portion; and

expanding the first and second expandable members to compress the first and second layers of composite material together.