Advanced Solutions for Improving Erosion Resistance of Wind Turbine Blades

A blade made of layered composite material is better resistant to delamination and detachment failures when exposed to fluid flows, especially fluctuating loads. The blade has skins with overlapping layers that extend from body portions between the skins towards the trailing edge. The internal layers have body portions and skin portions that form the skin. This integral layer arrangement prevents delamination by providing overlapping connections between the skins. The idea is that adjacent layers of the composite material overlap rather than join at the spar, skins, or leading/trailing edges. This keeps the layers connected along the blade instead of having detached sections.

Lightweight wind turbine blade that can be optimized while improving resistance to environmental degradation. The blade has a variable density along its length that increases from exterior to interior. It uses a core of lower-density material surrounded by higher-density material. This reduces weight without sacrificing strength. The core has void spaces that decrease density and are surrounded by denser material. The blade can be 3D printed layer by layer with the variable density configuration. The core with void spaces can be honeycomb-like or porous structures.

A wind turbine blade with a durable erosion shield that can be easily and quickly repaired without removing the blade from the turbine. The blade has a composite shell body made of fibers and resin. Along the leading edge is an erosion shield with two layers. The first layer is a thermoplastic material that can be heat welded to the composite shell. The second layer is a tougher thermoplastic for erosion resistance. The shield layers can be welded in place, and then repaired by welding on new material if eroded. This avoids removing and replacing the entire shield.

Profiled protective tape for wind turbine blades to improve erosion resistance without negatively impacting aerodynamics. The tape has a thicker center section and thinner lateral sections. The tape cross-section is outwardly curved or trapezoidal. The thicker center covers the leading edge. The lateral sections are directed towards the trailing edge. The tape is attached to the blade with an adhesive bond. The thicker center protects the leading edge better while the thinner lateral sections maintain aerodynamics.

Method to retrofit older wind turbine blades with erosion-resistant coatings that protect against particle erosion. The method involves creating a copy of the blade's surface geometry using 3D printing or foam molding, coating the copy with a fiber-reinforced polymer to create a mold, and then applying the erosion-resistant coating to the original blade surface using the mold. The coating is built up in layers with fiber reinforcement closest to the blade surface for impact resistance. This avoids the need to access the blades at height for coating and provides accurate replication of the blade geometry.

Coating system for protecting surfaces subject to erosion. The system has a flexible carrier layer sandwiched between two adhesive layers. The carrier allows the coating to be peeled off for repair without damaging the substrate. The first adhesive layer bonds to the substrate and the second adhesive layer bonds to the coating. The adhesive layers have lower cohesive strength than adhesive strength to allow delamination at the carrier. This enables damaged coatings to be removed by peeling off the carrier layer, exposing the adhesive layer for replacement.

Wind turbine blade with improved erosion resistance and aerodynamic performance. A metal strip is attached to the leading edge of the blade tip to suppress erosion. This strip covering the leading edge helps protect against rain and dust erosion.

Wind turbine rotor blade with an erosion-resistant leading edge cap that is formed from a thermoplastic-based fiber-reinforced composite. The blade body shell is also made from a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite. The thermoplastic resin in both materials allows the leading edge cap to be welded onto the blade at the interface, providing enhanced erosion resistance and joint strength compared to thermoset composites.

An erosion-resistant aerodynamic fairing for a rotor blade that provides long-term erosion protection without increasing blade mass or complexity. The fairing has a thermoplastic film pre-form fixed to the fairing body. The pre-form is a fused thermoplastic film outer layer backed by a fiber substrate. During manufacturing, the pre-form is placed in the mold with the film against the mold surface. Reinforcing fiber layers are added and resin is applied to form the fairing body. The resin impregnates the fiber substrate and forms a continuous matrix between the pre-form and body, fixing the pre-form in place.

Rolling bearing with improved corrosion resistance for use in harsh environments like wind turbines. A porous sacrificial anode coating is formed on a bearing component surface. The porous coating is impregnated with a diluted epoxy resin sealing agent. The sealed porous coating is then coated with epoxy and urethane layers. The porous anode coating protects the bearing surface from corrosion by sacrificing itself. The sealing and top coats improve the adhesion and durability of the sacrificial coating.

A wind turbine blade with an erosion-resistant shield on the leading edge. The erosion shield is made of two thermoplastic materials, one attached to the blade surface and another layer on top for wear resistance. This shield lasts longer than prior erosion tapes and allows repairing sections as needed. The first thermoplastic layer is laser welded to the blade surface and the second wear layer is attached to it. The shield is thermo-welded plastic sheets that can be replaced if damaged.

Ice-resistant paint for wind turbine blades that prevents ice formation while maintaining durability. It contains hydrophobic functional nanoparticles dispersed in a high-solid polyurethane paint. The nanoparticles are functionalized silica that resist ice buildup. The paint is made by mixing the nanoparticles with the paint components. Applying this ice-resistant paint to wind turbine blades helps prevent ice formation during cold weather without sacrificing the protective properties of the paint.

Operating wind turbines with geared pitch systems to extend their lifespan by preventing fretting corrosion and wear. The method involves varying the blade pitch in discrete steps as wind speed increases in the sub-nominal zone below rated speed, while above rated speed it maintains a constant tip speed ratio by varying generator torque. By using discrete pitch steps in the sub-nominal zone, the gears are not constantly sliding against each other.

Improving the sealing of an open-type wind turbine generator to prevent intrusion of rain, snow, dust, etc into the generator to avoid damaging the insulation. The generator uses internal airflow to create a pressure barrier at the annular gap between the rotor and stator, resisting external severe airflow. A spiraling comb mechanism at the gap generates spiral air flows that dry and seal the gap, especially at the windward inlet. An internal air source system introduces dry air into the generator. This seals the generator against external severe airflow like rain, snow, etc.