Biomimetic Blades for Wind Turbine Noise Control
75 patents in this list
Updated:
Wind turbine noise remains a significant barrier to widespread deployment, with blade-generated sound levels reaching 95-105 dB at typical operating speeds. Current turbines produce both tonal noise from blade passage and broadband noise from turbulent boundary layer interactions, creating acoustic signatures that can impact communities up to several kilometers away.
The fundamental challenge lies in modifying blade geometry to reduce acoustic emissions while maintaining—or even improving—the aerodynamic performance that drives power generation.
This page brings together solutions from recent research—including non-smooth leading edges inspired by owl wings, curved sawtooth trailing edges based on bird feathers, and whale tail fin-inspired flaps that manage flow separation. These and other biomimetic approaches demonstrate how lessons from nature can be applied to achieve meaningful noise reductions while preserving or enhancing turbine efficiency.
1.Non-Smooth Leading Edge and Curved Serrated Trailing Edge Wind Turbine Blade Design
XINJIANG UNIV, XINJIANG UNIVERSITY, 2024
Bionic wind turbine blade design that reduces noise without sacrificing aerodynamic performance. The blade has a non-smooth leading edge and a curved sawtooth trailing edge, especially at the middle to end sections of the blade. This bionic shape inspired by owl wings and feathers aims to significantly reduce aerodynamic noise generated by wind turbine blades while maintaining aerodynamic efficiency. The non-smooth leading edge and curved serrated trailing edge are applied to the noise source areas near the blade mid-span.
2.Bionic Airfoil Wind Turbine Blade with V-Shaped Web Surface Stripes
XINJIANG UNIV, XINJIANG UNIVERSITY, 2024
Wind turbine blade design to reduce vibrations and improve efficiency by borrowing from nature. The blade has a bionic airfoil shape based on a cuckoo wing cross-section, and a V-shaped stripe pattern on the web surface inspired by cuckoo feathers. This coupled design suppresses blade flutter and reduces vibration displacement. The bionic airfoil improves lift and reduces drag, while the V-shaped stripes absorb vibration energy and hinder deformation. It allows higher loads and improves blade life.
3.Wind Turbine Blade with Cuckoo Wing-Inspired Convex-Concave Airfoil Profile
Guangdong Midea Refrigeration Equipment Co., Ltd., Midea Group Co., Ltd., GD MIDEA AIR-CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT CO LTD, 2024
Blade design for wind turbine blades that reduces noise compared to conventional blade shapes. The blade has a profile inspired by the wings of long-eared cuckoos. The blade has a lower convex curve and an upper concave curve. This shape guides airflow into the concave section which throws it out, reducing unstable circulation and noise. The cuckoo wing-inspired blade design was found to significantly reduce noise compared to conventional blade shapes through numerical simulation and experimental testing.
4.Wind Turbine Blade with Bonded Sawtooth Trailing Edge Panels
SHENNENG BEIFANG ENERGY DEVELOPMENT CO LTD, SHENNENG BEIFANG TONGLIAO ENERGY DEV CO LTD, 2024
Wind turbine blade design with sawtooth panels at the trailing edge to improve power generation and reduce noise. The blade has a main body and multiple sawtooth panels attached to the trailing edge. The sawtooth panels increase lift by creating vortices and delaying airflow separation compared to a smooth trailing edge. This provides higher torque and annual power generation. The sawtooth panels are bonded to the blade body rather than fastened to avoid impacting structural stability and noise.
5.Bionic Wind Turbine Blade with Trailing Edge Line Flap Resembling Shark Fin
NORTH CHINA ELECTRIC POWER UNIV BAODING, NORTH CHINA ELECTRIC POWER UNIVERSITY, XIONGAN INNOVATION RES INSTITUTE, 2024
Bionic wind turbine blade design inspired by shark fins to improve aerodynamic performance. The blade has a line flap resembling a shark's fin at the trailing edge. The flap width is 0.2% of the blade chord length and height is 2% of the chord length. This bionic feature increases lift by enhancing the pressure differential between the blade suction and pressure surfaces. It improves blade performance without significant drag increase.
6.Arc-Shaped Fin Flap Structure on Wind Turbine Blade Trailing Edge
NORTH CHINA ELECTRIC POWER UNIV BAODING, NORTH CHINA ELECTRIC POWER UNIVERSITY, XIONGAN INNOVATION RES INSTITUTE, 2023
A bionic design for wind turbine blades that improves lift force and aerodynamic performance with reduced drag compared to conventional blades. The bionic design adds an arc-shaped fin flap to the trailing edge of the blade inspired by shark tails. The fin tapers gradually from the front to the back and has a streamlined shape. This fin profile increases the pressure difference between the suction and pressure surfaces, boosting lift force without significantly increasing drag.
7.Wind Turbine Blade with Stacked Curved Sections and Surface Wings
Xi'an Jiaotong University, XIAN JIAOTONG UNIVERSITY, 2023
Bionic wind turbine blade design to reduce noise and improve durability. The blades have a unique shape with curved sections joined at tapered ends. The curved sections form an arc transition between larger and smaller planes. Multiple curved sections are stacked perpendicularly to form the blade. Wings are attached to the blade surface. This bionic blade shape reduces noise by reducing pressure pulsations on the blade surface. The tapered ends and curved sections also improve durability by reducing stress concentrations. The wings further reduce noise by altering the flow over the blade.
8.Wind Turbine Blade with Irregular Leading Edge for Vortex-Induced Flow Stabilization
Fanstel Electric Co., Ltd., FANS-TECH ELECTRIC CO LTD, 2022
Bionic blade design for wind turbines that reduces aerodynamic noise compared to conventional blades. The blade has a non-smooth leading edge shape with features like sawtooths, bumps, and concave points. This bionic leading edge structure helps rectify the airflow velocity distribution on the blade surface, reducing pressure pulsations and separations that cause noise. The irregular edge induces vortex generation to control separation and stability. It aims to uniformize airflow over the blade and mitigate wake turbulence at the trailing edge.
9.Asymmetric Cross-Flow Wind Wheel Blades with Vortex-Reducing Profile
GUANGDONG MIDEA REFRIGERATION EQUIPMENT CO LTD, MIDEA GROUP CO LTD, 2022
A blade design for cross-flow wind wheels that reduces noise compared to conventional blades. The blades have a non-symmetric shape with a thicker middle section and narrower sides. This asymmetric profile reduces eddy currents and vortices that generate noise. The blade shape is designed based on reference distances and heights to optimize the noise reduction.
10.Wind Turbine Blade Retrofit with Bionic Aerodynamic Shrapnel Featuring Whale Tail Fin Geometry
NORTH CHINA ELECTRIC POWER UNIV BAODING, NORTH CHINA ELECTRIC POWER UNIVERSITY, 2022
Retrofitting wind turbine blades with bionic aerodynamic shrapnel to improve blade performance and delay stall. The shrapnel is shaped like a whale tail fin and attaches to the blade suction surface between 50-70% of the chord length. The shrapnel angle is 22-45 degrees to the blade contour. Its length in the chord direction is 10-13% of the chord. The shrapnel bounces at high angles to prevent separation, but doesn't disrupt flow at low angles.
11.Wind Turbine Blade with Trailing Edge Serrations and Flow Alignment Vanes
LM WP PATENT HOLDING AS, 2022
Wind turbine blade with trailing edge serrations that reduce noise and improve aerodynamics. The blade has serrations along the trailing edge with flow alignment vanes positioned apart from the notional line connecting the serration base to apex. The vanes align flow towards the notional line to reduce trailing edge vortices and noise. The serrations protrude into the wake, continuing the flow alignment effect after the air leaves the serrated surface. The vanes are preferably plastic to match the blade material. The blade can have a profiled contour with a bead between the trailing edge and leading edge. The serrated panel can attach to the blade edge.
12.Wind Turbine Blade with Swept and Unhedral Curved Edges for Noise Reduction
Universitas Gadjah Mada, 2022
High speed wind turbine blade design to reduce noise levels when the turbine rotates at high speed. The blade shape is optimized with swept and unhedral curves on the leading and trailing edges to create a low noise airflow around the blade tips. This reduces noise compared to conventional blade shapes by naturally guiding the airflow along the curved surfaces instead of causing turbulence and noise impacts. The swept and unhedral curves aim to minimize low frequency noise absorption and maximize high frequency noise dissipation.
13.Bionic Trailing Edge Wind Turbine Blade with Adjustable Whale Tail Fin-Shaped Flap
NORTH CHINA ELECTRIC POWER UNIV RESTRAINT, NORTH CHINA ELECTRIC POWER UNIVERSITY, 2022
Bionic trailing edge wind turbine blade design to reduce noise and vibrations. The design involves adding a whale tail fin-shaped flap at the base airfoil blade trailing edge that can be adjusted based on the separation point position. The flap is symmetrically distributed on both sides of the blade suction surface and pressure surface. This bionic trailing edge modification mimics the shape of whale tails and aims to reduce noise and vibrations during wind turbine operation.
14.Bionic Axial Flow Wind Wheel with Bird Wing-Inspired Blade Tip Deflection
Fasite Electric Co., Ltd., FANS-TECH ELECTRIC CO LTD, 2022
A bionic axial flow wind wheel with blades inspired by bird wings to improve efficiency and reduce noise compared to traditional wind wheels. The blades have a deflected portion near the tips that extends from where the blade deflects to the tip. The deflected portion angles away from the pressure surface. This bionic design mimics the bird wing leading edge curve and tip deflection. It improves flow state between the blade and collector, reducing separation and vortices. The deflected portion reduces noise by concentrating flow and preventing separation.
15.Axial Fan Blade with Bionic V-Shaped Concave and Zigzag Sawtooth Trailing Edge
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY UNIV IN CHINA, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY IN CHINA, 2022
Axial fan blade design that reduces power consumption and noise compared to conventional blades. The blade trailing edge is modified using bionic features inspired by fish tails and bird wings. The modification involves a V-shaped concave section with an angle of 145-175 degrees cut into the blade. Further away from the blade hub, a zigzag sawtooth section like a bird's wing is added. This bionic profile reduces tip leakage flow and wake compared to a straight trailing edge. The blade design improves load distribution, reduces power, and noise.
16.Wind Turbine Blade Tip with Y-Shaped Double Winglets and Integrated Air Termination Device
HUADIAN ZHENGZHOU MECHANICAL DESIGN INST CO LTD, HUADIAN ZHENGZHOU MECHANICAL DESIGN INSTITUTE CO LTD, 2022
Wind turbine blade tip design with double winglets to improve aerodynamic performance and reduce noise. The blade tip has a Y-shaped winglet with a curved-swept leading edge and concave trailing edge. The winglet has an air termination device connected to the lightning arrester. This design reduces tip loss, improves blade efficiency, and changes airflow distribution to reduce noise compared to conventional blade tips.
17.Wind Turbine Blade with Sinusoidal Convex Leading Edge Geometry
INST ENG THERMOPHYSICS CAS, INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING THERMOPHYSICS CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, 2021
Bionic leading edge wind power blade design to improve aerodynamics and reduce noise compared to traditional blades. The blade has a sinusoidally varying convex leading edge shape that is periodically distributed along the blade. This bionic leading edge geometry promotes boundary layer attachment, reduces separation, and improves performance over the entire blade span. The convex shape is optimized through testing and design to balance aerodynamics and noise reduction.
18.Bionic Wind Turbine Blade Incorporating Cuckoo Wing-Inspired Airfoil with Herringbone Grooves
UNIV XINJIANG, XINJIANG UNIVERSITY, 2021
Wind turbine blade design that improves efficiency by combining a biological airfoil inspired by cuckoo wings with herringbone grooves. The bionic blade shape is reconstructed from cuckoo wing cross-sections. Then herringbone grooves are designed based on the reconstructed blade. This coupling increases pressure difference between the blade surfaces, boosting efficiency. The biological airfoil and herringbone blade design enhances wind turbine power generation compared to conventional blades.
19.Bionic Airfoil Wind Turbine Blade with Sawtooth Trailing Edge
UNIV XINJIANG, XINJIANG UNIVERSITY, 2021
A low-noise wind turbine blade design inspired by bird wings to reduce aerodynamic noise while maintaining performance. The blade has a bionic airfoil shape and a sawtooth trailing edge. The bionic airfoil mimics bird wing shapes for efficient lift and reduced drag. The sawtooth trailing edge reduces turbulence and noise compared to a conventional straight edge. This bionic blade design aims to solve the tradeoff between noise reduction and aerodynamic performance in wind turbine blades.
20.Non-Smooth Leading Edge and Bionic Airfoil Wind Turbine Blade Design
UNIV XINJIANG, XINJIANG UNIVERSITY, 2021
Bionic wind turbine blade design inspired by cuckoo wings for higher efficiency and power generation. The blade lacks a smooth leading edge like traditional blades, instead it has a non-smooth structure like cuckoo wings. The blade also uses a bionic airfoil shape. This design based on cuckoo wing characteristics provides a 17.7% increase in power coefficient compared to standard wind turbine blades at high tip speeds.
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