Hybrid pultrusion plates for a conductive spar cap of a wind turbine blade

A method of manufacturing a wind turbine blade shell component (38), the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a plurality of pultrusion plates (64), wherein each of the pultrusion plates (64) comprises a top surface (81), an opposing bottom surface (82) and two lateral surfaces (83, 84);
• arranging the pultrusion plates (64) on a blade shell material (89) in a mould (77) for the wind turbine blade shell component;
• and
• bonding the pultrusion plates (64) with the blade shell material to form the wind turbine blade shell component,
• wherein each of the pultrusion plates (64) is formed of a pultrusion fibre material comprising a plurality of tows of glass fibre material (70) and a plurality of tows of carbon fibre material (68),
• wherein adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material are provided along an entirety of the lateral surfaces (83, 84) of each of the pultrusion plates,
• wherein the adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material provided along the entirety of the lateral surfaces (83, 84) of each of the pultrusion plates are provided in a continuous path extending from the top surface (81) to the opposing bottom surface (82), and
• wherein the pultrusion plates are arranged into adjacent stacks of the pultrusion plates, and wherein a continuous path (67) of the adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material extends from the top surface of an uppermost one of the pultrusion plates to the bottom surface of a lowermost one of the pultrusion plates of each one of the stacks of the pultrusion plates, wherein the continuous path of the adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material within each one of the stacks of the pultrusion plates is an electrically conducting path.

A lightning protection system (102) for a wind turbine blade, the lightning protection system comprising:

• a lightning conductor (104) disposed at least partially in the interior of a wind turbine blade;
• and
• one or more electrically conducting lightning receptors (106, 107, 108) disposed on one or more surfaces of the wind turbine blade,
• wherein the one or more electrically conducting lightning receptors are electrically connected to a spar cap,
• wherein the spar cap comprises a plurality of pultrusion plates (64), each of the pultrusion plates (64) comprising a top surface (81), an opposing bottom surface (82) and two lateral surfaces (83, 84),
• wherein each of the pultrusion plates is formed of a pultrusion fibre material comprising a plurality of tows of glass fibre material (70) and a plurality of tows of carbon fibre material (68),
• wherein adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material are provided along an entirety of the lateral surfaces (83, 84) of the pultrusion plate,
• wherein the pultrusion plates are arranged into adjacent stacks of the pultrusion plates, and
• wherein a continuous path (67) of the adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material extends from the top surface of an uppermost one of the pultrusion plates to the bottom surface of a lowermost one of the pultrusion plates of each one of the stacks of the pultrusion plates, wherein the continuous path of the adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material within each one of the stacks of the pultrusion plates is an electrically conducting path.

A lightning protection system (102) for a wind turbine blade, the lightning protection system comprising:

• a lightning conductor (104) disposed at least partially in the interior of a wind turbine blade;
• and
• one or more electrically conducting lightning receptors (106, 107, 108) disposed on one or more surfaces of the wind turbine blade,
• wherein the one or more electrically conducting lightning receptors are electrically connected to a spar cap,
• wherein the spar cap comprises a plurality of pultrusion plates (64), each of the pultrusion plates (64) comprising a top surface (81), an opposing bottom surface (82) and two lateral surfaces (83, 84),
• wherein each of the pultrusion plates is formed of a pultrusion fibre material comprising a plurality of tows of glass fibre material (70) and a plurality of tows of carbon fibre material (68),
• wherein adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material are provided along an entirety of the lateral surfaces (83, 84) of the pultrusion plate, and
• wherein several adjacent columns of the adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material are provided along the entirety of the lateral surfaces of each of the pultrusion plates.

A lightning protection system (102) for a wind turbine blade, the lightning protection system comprising:

• a lightning conductor (104) disposed at least partially in the interior of a wind turbine blade;
• and
• one or more electrically conducting lightning receptors (106, 107, 108) disposed on one or more surfaces of the wind turbine blade,
• wherein the one or more electrically conducting lightning receptors are electrically connected to a spar cap,
• wherein the spar cap comprises a plurality of pultrusion plates (64), each of the pultrusion plates (64) comprising a top surface (81), an opposing bottom surface (82) and two lateral surfaces (83, 84),
• wherein each of the pultrusion plates is formed of a pultrusion fibre material comprising a plurality of tows of glass fibre material (70) and a plurality of tows of carbon fibre material (68),
• wherein adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material are provided along an entirety of the lateral surfaces (83, 84) of the pultrusion plate, and
• wherein a continuous row of the adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material extends between the lateral surfaces of each of the pultrusion plates, said continuous row being spaced apart from the top surface and from the bottom surface of each of the pultrusion plates.

A lightning protection system (102) for a wind turbine blade, the lightning protection system comprising:

• a lightning conductor (104) disposed at least partially in the interior of a wind turbine blade;
• and
• one or more electrically conducting lightning receptors (106, 107, 108) disposed on one or more surfaces of the wind turbine blade,
• wherein the one or more electrically conducting lightning receptors are electrically connected to a spar cap,
• wherein the spar cap comprises a plurality of pultrusion plates (64), each of the pultrusion plates (64) comprising a top surface (81), an opposing bottom surface (82) and two lateral surfaces (83, 84),
• wherein each of the pultrusion plates is formed of a pultrusion fibre material comprising a plurality of tows of glass fibre material (70) and a plurality of tows of carbon fibre material (68),
• wherein adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material are provided along an entirety of the lateral surfaces (83, 84) of the pultrusion plate,
• wherein each of the pultrusion plates comprises a checkerboard pattern of the tows of carbon fibre material and the tows of glass fibre material in a centre region of each of the pultrusion plates, as seen in a vertical cross section of each of the pultrusion plates, or
• wherein each of the pultrusion plates comprises several rows of the adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material along the lateral surfaces thereof, as well as a continuous line of the tows of carbon fibre material extending between the lateral edges within each of the pultrusion plates, or
• wherein each of the pultrusion plates comprises several rows of the adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material along the lateral surfaces thereof, wherein a checkerboard pattern is provided in a centre region of each of the pultrusion plates.

A lightning protection system (102) for a wind turbine blade, the lightning protection system comprising:

• a lightning conductor (104) disposed at least partially in the interior of a wind turbine blade;
• and
• one or more electrically conducting lightning receptors (106, 107, 108) disposed on one or more surfaces of the wind turbine blade,
• wherein the one or more electrically conducting lightning receptors are electrically connected to a spar cap,
• wherein the spar cap comprises a plurality of pultrusion plates (64), each of the pultrusion plates (64) comprising a top surface (81), an opposing bottom surface (82) and two lateral surfaces (83, 84),
• wherein each of the pultrusion plates is formed of a pultrusion fibre material comprising a plurality of tows of glass fibre material (70) and a plurality of tows of carbon fibre material (68),
• wherein adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material are provided along an entirety of the lateral surfaces (83, 84) of each of the pultrusion plates,
• wherein the adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material provided along the entirety of the lateral surfaces (83, 84) of each of the pultrusion plates are provided in a continuous path extending from the top surface (81) to the opposing bottom surface (82), and
• wherein several adjacent columns of the adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material are provided along the entirety of the lateral surfaces of each of the pultrusion plates.

A lightning protection system (102) for a wind turbine blade, the lightning protection system comprising:

• a lightning conductor (104) disposed at least partially in the interior of a wind turbine blade;
• and
• one or more electrically conducting lightning receptors (106, 107, 108) disposed on one or more surfaces of the wind turbine blade,
• wherein the one or more electrically conducting lightning receptors are electrically connected to a spar cap,
• wherein the spar cap comprises a plurality of pultrusion plates (64), each of the pultrusion plates (64) comprising a top surface (81), an opposing bottom surface (82) and two lateral surfaces (83, 84),
• wherein each of the pultrusion plates is formed of a pultrusion fibre material comprising a plurality of tows of glass fibre material (70) and a plurality of tows of carbon fibre material (68),
• wherein adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material are provided along an entirety of the lateral surfaces (83, 84) of each of the pultrusion plates,
• wherein the adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material provided along the entirety of the lateral surfaces (83, 84) of each of the pultrusion plates are provided in a continuous path extending from the top surface (81) to the opposing bottom surface (82), and
• wherein a continuous row of the adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material extends between the lateral surfaces of each of the pultrusion plates, said continuous row being spaced apart from the top surface and from the bottom surface of each of the pultrusion plates.

A lightning protection system (102) for a wind turbine blade, the lightning protection system comprising:

• a lightning conductor (104) disposed at least partially in the interior of a wind turbine blade;
• and
• one or more electrically conducting lightning receptors (106, 107, 108) disposed on one or more surfaces of the wind turbine blade,
• wherein the one or more electrically conducting lightning receptors are electrically connected to a spar cap,
• wherein the spar cap comprises a plurality of pultrusion plates (64), each of the pultrusion plates (64) comprising a top surface (81), an opposing bottom surface (82) and two lateral surfaces (83, 84),
• wherein each of the pultrusion plates is formed of a pultrusion fibre material comprising a plurality of tows of glass fibre material (70) and a plurality of tows of carbon fibre material (68),
• wherein adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material are provided along an entirety of the lateral surfaces (83, 84) of each of the pultrusion plates,
• wherein the adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material provided along the entirety of the lateral surfaces (83, 84) of each of the pultrusion plates are provided in a continuous path extending from the top surface (81) to the opposing bottom surface (82),
• wherein each of the pultrusion plates comprises a checkerboard pattern of the tows of carbon fibre material and the tows of glass fibre material in a centre region of each of the pultrusion plates, as seen in a vertical cross section of each of the pultrusion plates, or
• wherein each of the pultrusion plates comprises several rows of the adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material along the lateral surfaces thereof, as well as a continuous line of the tows of carbon fibre material extending between the lateral edges within each of the pultrusion plates, or
• wherein each of the pultrusion plates comprises several rows of the adjoining ones of the tows of carbon fibre material along the lateral surfaces thereof, wherein a checkerboard pattern is provided in a centre region of each of the pultrusion plates.