Lightning protection system and method for wind turbine blades
AssigneeERICO International Corporation
InventorsThomas Bendlak, Matthew Flemming, Daniel Pfaff
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of installing a lightning protection system can include forming a blade wall of a wind turbine to at least partly include a socket. A part of the socket can be removed, after forming the blade wall, to provide an opening through the blade wall. A receptor plug and a receptor element can be secured to the socket at the opening.
Claims20
A method of installing a lightning protection system in a blade wall formed on a mold, the lightning protection system including a receptor plug, a receptor element, and a socket with a bottom wall, the method comprising:
- placing the bottom wall of the socket on the mold;
- forming the blade wall on the mold so that the blade wall is formed around, and at least partly includes, the socket;
- removing at least part of the bottom wall of the socket to provide an opening through the blade wall via the socket;
- securing the receptor plug to the socket, with the receptor plug on an interior side of the blade wall;
- and
- after removing the at least part of the bottom wall, securing the receptor element to the receptor plug via the opening.
A method of installing a lightning protection system in a wind turbine blade with a first blade wall formed on a first blade mold, a second blade wall formed on a second blade mold, and a blade cavity formed when the first blade wall is secured to the second blade wall, the lightning protection system including a first socket with a first bottom wall, a second socket with a second bottom wall, a first receptor plug, a second receptor plug, a first receptor element, and a second receptor element, the method comprising:
- placing the first bottom wall of the first socket on the first blade mold;
- forming the first blade wall on the first blade mold so that the first blade wall is formed around, and at least partly includes, the first socket;
- after forming the first blade wall, providing a first opening through the first blade wall via the first bottom wall of the first socket;
- securing the first receptor plug to the first socket with the first receptor plug at least partly disposed on an interior side of the first blade wall;
- placing the second bottom wall of the second socket on the second blade mold;
- forming the second blade wall on the second blade mold so that the second blade wall is formed around, and at least partly includes, the second socket;
- joining the first blade wall to the second blade wall to form the blade cavity, with the second receptor plug disposed within the blade cavity;
- after forming the second blade wall, providing a second opening through the second blade wall via the second bottom wall of the second socket;
- and
- accessing the second receptor plug via the second opening to secure the second receptor plug to the second socket.
A method of installing a lightning protection system in a wind turbine blade, the method comprising:
- forming a first blade wall around a first socket, so that an integrally formed first socket wall of the first socket separates a first internal opening of the first socket from an exterior side of the first blade wall;
- after forming the first blade wall, removing at least part of the integrally formed first socket wall to provide a first opening through the first blade wall into the first internal opening of the first socket;
- securing a first receptor plug to the first socket with the first receptor plug at least partly disposed to an interior side of the first blade wall;
- and
- securing a first receptor element to the lightning protection system to provide a conductive path from the exterior side of the first blade wall to the first receptor plug via the first internal opening of the first socket.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.