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US 2022/0193797 A1Published application
Method and apparatus for insitu extension of wind turbine blades
OwnerBento Massahiko Koikeinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for the refurbishment and repowering of wind turbines through the extension of existing installed blades so that they can catch more wind energy and therefore enable an increase in the overall average power output of the wind turbine.
Claims24
A rail-guided milling tool, comprising:
- a milling wheel configured to remove material from a surface;
- a working arm configured to press the milling wheel towards a surface;
- a pivoting rod pivotably connected to the working arm;
- a table supporting the pivoting rod, the table configured to slide along a rail;
- and
- wherein the working arm configured to move the sliding table and the milling wheel along a rail.
3 more elements
A method of increasing the energy output of a wind turbine without removing the turbine blade, comprising:
- affixing a tool positioning fixture to a blade of a wind turbine;
- aligning a rail-guided milling tool to surface of the blade, the rail-guided milling tool supported by the tool positioning fixture;
- milling material from the blade in the shape of a camber of a milling wheel of the rail-guided milling tool;
- pivoting in one direction a working arm of the rail-guided milling tool to a stop pin, the stop pin preventing milling of the blade below a certain depth;
- rotating the working arm in the opposition direction to move the milling wheel along at least one rail of the rail-guided milling tool to progressively remove material from the blade without causing heating or mechanical stress to the blade;
- cutting the tip off of the blade;
- aligning an extension blade to the shape of the camber of the blade;
- bonding the extension blade to the blade thereby increasing the power of the wind turbine without increasing the weight of the blade of the wind turbine.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.