Ultrasonic sound emitting devices for wind turbines
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsKevin Wayne Kinzie, Thomas Joseph Fischetti, Michael Glen Horn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wind turbine may include a tower, a nacelle mounted on the tower and a rotor coupled to the nacelle. The rotor may include a hub and at least one rotor blade extending from the hub. In addition, the wind turbine may include a nozzle mounted on or within the tower, the nacelle or the hub. The nozzle may include an inlet and an outlet. Moreover, the nozzle may be configured to accelerate a flow of fluid through the outlet such that an ultrasonic sound emission is produced by the nozzle.
Claims20
An active system for emitting ultrasonic sounds from a wind turbine, the system comprising:
- a nozzle configured to be mounted on or within a non-blade component of the wind turbine, the nozzle including an inlet and an outlet;
- and
- a pressurized fluid source in fluid communication with the inlet, wherein the nozzle is configured to accelerate a fluid flow derived from the pressurized fluid source through the outlet such that an ultrasonic sound emission is produced by the nozzle.
A wind turbine, comprising:
- a tower;
- a nacelle mounted on the tower;
- a rotor coupled to the nacelle, the rotor including a hub and at least one rotor blade extending from the hub;
- and,
- a nozzle mounted on or within the tower, the nacelle or the hub, the nozzle including an inlet and an outlet,
- wherein the nozzle is configured to accelerate a flow of fluid through the outlet such that an ultrasonic sound emission is produced by the nozzle.
A method for producing an ultrasonic sound emission from a wind turbine, the method comprising:
- operating the wind turbine with a nozzle mounted on or within a non-blade component of the wind turbine;
- and
- supplying a fluid flow through an outlet of the nozzle such that an ultrasonic sound emission is produced by the nozzle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.