Method and apparatus for use in protecting wind turbine blades from lightning damage
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsVijaykumar Muppayya Hiremath, Kavala Venkateswara Rao
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus facilitate protecting wind turbine blades from lightning damage. A turbine blade for use with a wind turbine includes a first sidewall and a second sidewall. The second sidewall is coupled to the first sidewall along a leading edge and along an axially-spaced trailing edge such that a cavity is defined between the first and second sidewalls. A relief system is coupled to at least one of the first and second sidewalls. The relief system is configured to discharge flow from the cavity when a pressure within the cavity exceeds a predetermined threshold.
Claims20
A blade for use with a wind turbine, said blade comprising:
- a first sidewall;
- a second sidewall coupled to said first sidewall along a leading edge and along an axially-spaced trailing edge such that a cavity is defined between said first and second sidewalls;
- and
- a relief system coupled to at least one of said first and second sidewalls, said relief system configured to discharge flow from said cavity when a pressure within said cavity exceeds a predetermined threshold.
A wind turbine comprising:
- a tower;
- a nacelle coupled to said tower;
- at least one blade coupled to said nacelle and comprising:
- a first sidewall;
- a second sidewall coupled to said first sidewall along a leading edge and along an axially-spaced trailing edge such that a cavity is defined between said first and second sidewalls;
- and
- a relief system coupled to at least one of said first and second sidewalls, said relief system configured to discharge flow from said cavity when a pressure within said cavity exceeds a predetermined threshold.
A method for assembling a wind turbine, said method comprising:
- coupling a nacelle to a tower;
- coupling at least one blade to the nacelle, wherein the blade includes a first sidewall, and a second sidewall that are coupled together along a leading edge and along an axially-spaced trailing edge such that a cavity is defined between the first and second sidewalls;
- and
- coupling a relief system to at least one of the first and second sidewalls, wherein the relief system is configured to discharge flow from the cavity when an operating pressure within the cavity exceeds a predetermined threshold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.