Methods and apparatus for deicing airfoils or rotor blades
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorDavid Lawrence LeMieux
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for deicing a rotor blade having a blade root, a blade tip, and a leading edge in which the rotor blade is operably coupled to a hub of a turbine includes circulating heated air through an outflow channel from the blade root towards the blade tip, recirculating the heated air via a return channel from the blade tip to the blade root, whereupon the recirculated heated air becomes returned air, and reheating the returned air for further circulation.
Claims23
A method for deicing a rotor blade, said rotor blade having a blade root, a blade tip, a leading edge, and a trailing edge, said rotor blade operably coupled to a hub of a turbine, said method comprising:
- circulating heated air through an outflow channel from the blade root towards the blade tip wherein the outflow channel extends along the leading edge of the blade;
- recirculating the heated air via a return channel from the blade tip to the blade root, whereupon said recirculated heated air becomes returned air wherein the return channel is positioned between the outflow channel and at least a portion of a center line, said center line extending from the blade tip to the blade root between the leading edge and the trailing edge of the rotor blade;
- at least partially insulating the heated air in the outflow channel from the blade root to the blade tip utilizing the returned air;
- and
- using a heating element to reheat the returned air, wherein the heating element is configured to adjust at least one of a temperature or a volume of the recirculated heated air.
A deicing apparatus comprising:
- a turbine or engine having a hub;
- a rotor blade operably coupled to the turbine or engine and having a blade root, a leading edge, a tip, a trailing edge, a center line extending from the blade root to the blade tip located between said leading edge and said trailing edge, an outflow channel therein from the blade root to the blade tip, and a return channel from the blade tip to the blade root located between said outflow channel and at least a portion of said center line, wherein the return channel is configured to recirculate air flowing through the outflow channel back to the blade root such that the outflow channel is at least partially insulated by the recirculating air;
- and
- at least one heater configured to direct heated air through the outflow channel to reheat said recirculated air and to adjust at least one of heated air volume and temperature.
A wind turbine comprising:
- a rotor including at least one blade;
- and
- a thermal camera system comprising at least one thermal camera configured to detect thermal radiation from a leading edge of said at least one rotor blade, said thermal camera system further configured to utilize at least one sensor configured to facilitate determination of at least one of the following:
- thermal output of said leading edge;
- rate of airflow about said leading edge;
- thermal conductivity of said leading edge;
- atmospheric temperature;
- and
- wind speed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.