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AssigneeLm Glasfiber A/S
InventorLars Bo Hansen
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The invention relates to a method of lightning-proofing a blade (1) on a wind-energy plant, which blade comprises a blade shell (2) configured essentially as a fiber-reinforced laminate, which laminate comprises electrically conductive fibers, wherein the blade comprises at least one lightning arrester (9) configured for conducting lightning current, including preferably to ground. The method comprises that the electrically conductive fibers are connected to each other, and that at least one metallic receptor (4, 24, 25) is arranged for capturing lightning current at or in proximity of the external face of the blade; and that the receptor and the fibers are connected to the lightning arrester for equalizing the difference in potential between the lightning arrester and the electrically conductive fibers. When the electrically conductive fibers are connected to each other, the fibers will cooperate on the conduction of a possible lightning current to prevent the current from running in individual fibers. Simultaneously the metallic receptor will serve as the primary lightning capturing device and reduce the risk of lightning striking the laminate. The receptor being connected to the lightning arrester, the current will predominately be conducted to ground, while the risk of transfer to the laminate is minimized in that a possible difference in potential between fibers and lightning arrester has been equalized.
A method of lightning-proofing a blade (1) of a wind-energy plant, which blade comprises a blade shell (2) configured essentially as one or more fiber-reinforced laminate parts (7;
A wind-energy plant comprising at least one lightning-proofed blade (1), which blade comprises a blade shell (2) configured essentially as one or more fiber-reinforced laminate parts (7, 18), which laminate parts comprise electrically conductive fibres (21), where the blade comprises at least one lightning arrester (9) configured for conducting lightning current, including preferably to ground, wherein at least a number of the electrically conductive fibres within the same laminate part are connected to each other by electrically conductive means (6, 12, 13), and wherein at least one metallic receptor (4, 24, 25) is arranged for capturing lightning current at or in proximity of the external face of the blade, and wherein the receptor is connected to the lightning arrester, for equalising difference in potential between the lightning arrester and the electrically conductive fibres;
A lightning-proofed blade (1) for a wind-energy plant, said blade comprising a blade shell (2) configured essentially as one or more fibre-reinforced laminate parts (7, 18), which laminate parts comprise electrically conductive fibres (21), wherein the blade comprises at least one lightning arrester (9) configured for conducting lightning current, including preferably to ground, wherein at least a number of the electrically conductive fibres within the same laminate part are connected to each other by electrically conductive means (6, 12, 13), and wherein at least one metallic receptor (4, 24, 25) is arranged for capturing lightning current at or in proximity of the external surface of the blade, and wherein the receptor is connected to the lightning arrester, for equalising the difference in potential between the lightning arrester and the electrically conductive fibres;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.