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US 2014/0112780 A1Published application
Wind turbine and method of operating the same
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsAndreas Herrig, Biju Nanukuttan, JR., Christian Aloysius Carroll
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wind turbine is provided. The wind turbine includes at least one blade having a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge that define an airfoil-shaped profile. The pressure side has a morphable region. The wind turbine also includes a control system configured to activate the morphable region to alter the airfoil-shaped profile and reduce negative lift generated by the blade when the blade is oriented at a negative lift angle.
Claims20
A wind turbine comprising:
- at least one blade comprising a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge that define an airfoil-shaped profile, wherein said pressure side comprises a morphable region;
- and
- a control system configured to activate said morphable region to alter said airfoil-shaped profile and reduce negative lift generated by said blade when said blade is oriented at a negative lift angle.
A wind turbine comprising:
- at least one blade comprising a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge that define an airfoil-shaped profile, wherein said suction side comprises a morphable region;
- and
- a control system configured to determine whether said blade in a clean condition or a rough condition and activate said morphable region based upon said determination.
A method of operating a wind turbine, said method comprising:
- adjusting a pitch of a blade using a control system such that the blade transitions from a positive lift angle to a negative lift angle;
- and
- activating a morphable region of the blade to alter an airfoil-shaped profile of the blade and reduce negative lift generated by the blade when the blade is oriented at the negative lift angle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.