Configurable winglet for wind turbine blades
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsBiju Nanukuttan, Subhrajit Dey, Wouter Haans, Jaikumar Loganathan
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Abstract
A wind turbine includes a plurality of rotor blades for converting wind energy to rotational energy. The rotor blades have winglets that are configurable. A sensor senses a parameter and generates a sensed signal indicative of the parameter. A processor receives the sensed signal for generates an actuator signal in response thereto. An actuator is associated with each of the winglets for configuring the winglets in response to the actuator signal.
Claims30
A rotor blade of a wind turbine, comprising the rotor blade having a winglet that is configurable in response to a sensed parameter.
A wind turbine, comprising:
- a plurality of rotor blades for converting wind energy to rotational energy, the rotor blades having winglets that are configurable;
- a sensor for sensing a parameter and generating a sensed signal indicative of the parameter;
- a processor receptive to the sensed signal for generating an actuator signal in response thereto;
- and
- an actuator associated with each of the winglets for configuring the winglets in response to the actuator signal.
A method of configuring a winglet of a rotor blade at a wind turbine, comprising:
- sensing a parameter;
- and
- configuring the winglet in response to the parameter.
A method of configuring winglets of rotor blades at a wind turbine, comprising:
- at low winds orienting the winglets in about the same plane as the rest of the respective rotor blades;
- and
- at high winds orienting the winglets away from the wind turbine, where the low winds have a wind speed that is less than a wind speed of the high winds.
A method of configuring winglets of rotor blades at a wind turbine, comprising:
- at low winds orienting the winglets towards the wind turbine;
- and
- at high winds orienting the winglets away from the wind turbine, where the low winds have a wind speed that is less than a wind speed of the high winds.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.