Aperture control system for use with a flow control system
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsBiju Nanukuttan, Stefan Herr, Afroz Akhtar, EswaraRao Vsj Anjuri, Wouter Haans
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Abstract
An active flow control system for use with a wind turbine is provided. The wind turbine includes at least one blade. The active flow control system includes an air distribution system at least partially defined within said at least one blade. The air distribution system includes at least one aperture defined through the at least one blade. An aperture control system is in operational control communication with the air distribution system. The aperture control system includes an actuator at least partially positioned within the at least one blade and configured to control a flow of air discharged through the at least one aperture.
Claims14
An active flow control system for use with a wind turbine that includes at least one blade having a longitudinal axis and a chord wise axis, said active flow control system comprising:
- an air distribution system at least partially defined within said at least one blade, said air distribution system comprising at least one aperture defined through said at least one blade;
- and,
- an aperture control system in operational control communication with said air distribution system, said aperture control system comprising:
- a sensor coupled to the wind turbine and configured to measure at least one of an environmental condition and an operating condition of the wind turbine;
- and
- an actuator at least partially positioned within said at least one blade, said actuator comprising a vortex generator configured to rotate from said at least one blade, beyond the aperture and into an outer air flow over said at least at one blade to control a flow of air discharged through said at least one aperture based on the measurement of said sensor.
A method of manufacturing a blade for a wind turbine that includes an active flow control system having an aperture and an actuator, said method comprising:
- defining the aperture through the blade;
- defining at least one manifold at least partially within the blade and in flow communication with the aperture;
- defining a chamber within the blade, adjacent to the aperture and in flow communication with the at least one manifold, the chamber configured to impart a direction to a flow of air from the manifold;
- coupling a sensor to the wind turbine, the sensor configured to measure at least one of an environmental condition and an operational condition of the wind turbine;
- and,
- coupling an actuator at least partially within the blade, the actuator comprising a vortex generator configured to rotate from the at least one blade, beyond the aperture and into an outer air flow over the at least at one blade to control the flow of air discharged through the aperture based on the measurement of the sensor.
A method for operating an active flow control system that is at least partially defined within a blade of a wind turbine, the active flow control system including an aperture defined through the blade and an actuator associated with the aperture, said method comprising:
- measuring at least one of an environmental condition and an operational condition of the wind turbine using a sensor;
- controlling a size of the aperture based on the measured condition using the actuator associated with the aperture;
- and,
- moving a vortex generator beyond the aperture and into an outer air flow of the blade.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.