Noise reducer for rotor blade in wind turbine

• US 8,523,515 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2010
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Drobietz, Roger, Koegler, Klaus Ulrich, Kinzie, Kevin Wayne, Fisher, Murray, Livingston, Jamie
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiehe, Nathaniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): YOUNGER, SEAN JERRARD
• Application Number:
  US12/946,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20110142666A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: 416/62, 416/146.R, 416/223.R, 416/228, 416/243, 415/119
• US Class Current: 415/119
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 1/0675 of the blades
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/301 Cross-section characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2260/96 Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine is disclosed. The rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade having surfaces defining a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending between a tip and a root. The rotor blade further includes a noise reducer configured on a surface of the rotor blade, the noise reducer comprising a plurality of serrations, each of the plurality of serrations defining a centerline. The centerline of each of the plurality of serrations defines a individual tailored angle dependent on at least one of span-wise location, local chord, width, length, bend angle, and thickness.

Claims

1. A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine, comprising:

a rotor blade having surfaces defining a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending between a tip and a root, the rotor blade further defining a pitch axis; and

,

a noise reducer configured on a surface of the rotor blade, the noise reducer comprising a plurality of serrations, each of the plurality of serrations defining a centerline,

wherein the centerline of each of the plurality of serrations is in the range between approximately 10 degrees from perpendicular to the pitch axis and approximately perpendicular to the pitch axis,

wherein a cross-section of each of the plurality of serrations is approximately parallel to a local flow streamline defined for that serration, and

wherein each of the plurality of serrations is individually oriented based on the centerline, and wherein a bend angle of each of the plurality of serrations is individually set to a pre-calculated orientation based on the local flow streamline, the cross-section and the span-wise location of that serration.

2. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1, wherein the centerline of each of the plurality of serrations is approximately perpendicular to the pitch axis.

3. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1, each of the plurality of serrations defining a width and a length, and wherein each of the plurality of serrations has a length to width ratio in the range between approximately 0.5:

1 and approximately 4;

1.

4. The rotor blade assembly of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of serrations has a length to width ratio in the range between approximately 1:

1 and approximately 2;

1.

5. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1, the rotor blade defining a local chord for each of the plurality of serrations, each of the plurality of serrations defining a length, and wherein the length of each of the plurality of serrations is in the range between approximately 5% of the local chord and approximately 15% of the local chord.

6. The rotor blade assembly of claim 5, wherein the length of each of the plurality of serrations is approximately 10% of the local chord.

7. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1, wherein the cross-section of each of the plurality of serrations is generally linear.

8. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1, wherein the cross-section of each of the plurality of serrations is generally curvilinear.

9. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1, each of the serrations defining a thickness, and wherein the thickness of each of the plurality of serrations is in the range between approximately 0.1 millimeters and approximately 2.5 millimeters.

10. The rotor blade assembly of claim 9, wherein the thickness of each of the plurality of serrations is in the range between approximately 1 millimeter and approximately 2 millimeters.

11. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1, wherein the noise reducer is configured on the trailing edge of the rotor blade.

12. A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine, comprising:

a rotor hub defining a center point,

a rotor blade extending from the rotor hub, the rotor blade having surfaces defining a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending between a tip and a root; and

,

a noise reducer configured on a surface of the rotor blade, the noise reducer comprising a plurality of serrations, each of the plurality of serrations defining a centerline,

wherein a line is defined for each of the plurality of serrations between the centerline of each of the plurality of serrations and the center point of the rotor hub, the line intersecting the centerline of each of the plurality of serrations at a base of each of the plurality of serrations, and wherein the centerline of each of the plurality of serrations is in the range between approximately 10 degrees from perpendicular to the line and approximately perpendicular to the line,

wherein a cross-section of each of the plurality of serrations is approximately parallel to a local flow streamline defined for that serration, and

wherein each of the plurality of serrations is individually oriented based on the line defined for that serration, and wherein a bend angle of each of the plurality of serrations is individually set to a pre-calculated orientation based on the local flow streamline, the cross-section of that serration and the span-wise location of that serration.

13. The rotor blade assembly of claim 12, wherein the centerline of each of the plurality of serrations is approximately perpendicular to the line.

14. The rotor blade assembly of claim 12, each of the plurality of serrations defining a width and a length, and wherein each of the plurality of serrations has a length to width ratio in the range between approximately 0.5:

1 and approximately 4;

1.

15. The rotor blade assembly of claim 12, the rotor blade defining a local chord for each of the plurality of serrations, each of the plurality of serrations defining a length, and wherein the length of each of the plurality of serrations is in the range between approximately 5% of the local chord and approximately 15% of the local chord.