Wind turbine blade
AssigneeSiemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Innovation & Technology S.L.
InventorVictor March Nomen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A blade for a wind turbine including a lightning protection system and a non-conductive exterior surface. The lightning protection system includes an internal down conductor for conducting lightning current towards a base portion of the blade, and one or more exposed lightning receptors. For the lightning receptors, for one or more points on the other of the suction side or pressure side of the blade at the spanwise position corresponding to the lightning receptor, the total breakdown voltage along any path of lightning from any of the one or more points to the lightning receptor via the interior of the blade is greater than the total breakdown voltage along an indirect path from the point to the lightning receptor around the exterior surface of the blade.
Claims15
A blade for a wind turbine comprising a tip region, extending from a tip end to an intermediate spanwise position, a proximal region, extending from the intermediate spanwise position to a base portion, a lightning protection system and a non-conductive exterior surface, the lightning protection system comprising:
- an internal down conductor for conducting lightning current towards the base portion of the blade;
- and
- one or more lightning receptors, the one or more lightning receptors located on a suction side or a pressure side of the blade at a spanwise position of the blade, the one or more lightning receptors extending through the exterior surface of the blade and electrically connected to the internal down conductor;
- wherein for a lightning receptor of the one or more of the lightning receptors:
- for one or more points on an other of the suction side or pressure side of the blade at the spanwise position corresponding to the lightning receptor, an electrical insulation level for a leader along any path of lightning from any of the one or more points to the lightning receptor via an interior of the blade is greater than an electrical insulation level for a leader along an indirect path from the point to the lightning receptor around the exterior surface of the blade, wherein the leader is an ionized path, wherein, in the proximal region, all lightning receptors are located at a same suction side or pressure side of the blade.
A method of manufacturing a blade for a wind turbine, the method comprising:
- providing a blade having a non-conductive exterior surface;
- providing a down conductor for conducting lightning current towards a base portion of the blade and locating the down conductor in an interior of the blade;
- providing one or more lightning receptors in an intermediate region of the blade all at the same suction side or pressure side of the blade and for each lightning receptor:
- extending the lightning receptor through the exterior surface of the suction side or pressure side of the blade at a spanwise position of the blade and exposing the lightning receptor externally to the blade;
- and
- electrically connecting the lightning receptor to the down conductor;
- wherein a lightning receptor of the one or more of the lightning receptors:
- for one or more points on the other of the suction side or pressure side of the blade at the spanwise position corresponding to the lightning receptor, an electrical insulation level for a path of lightning from any of the one or more points to the lightning receptor through the interior of the blade is greater than an electrical insulation level for an indirect path from the point to the lightning receptor around the exterior surface of the blade.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.