# US 9,039,381 B2 · Wind turbine blade and method for manufacturing a wind turbine blade with vortex generators > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,039,381 B2 - Document ID: US9039381B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/313,609 - Filed: 2011-12-07 - Published: 2012-11-08 - Granted: 2015-05-26 - Earliest claimed: 2010-12-17 - Assignees: Vestas Wind Systems A/S - Applicants: Ronald Grife; Carsten Hein Westergaard; Joshua Bryant; David Chao; Kim Mittendorf; Jou-Young Choi; Abigail Arrington - Inventors: Ronald Grife; Carsten Hein Westergaard; Joshua Bryant; David Chao; Kim Mittendorf; Jou-Young Choi; Abigail Arrington - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9039381B2 ## CPC - F03D 1/0675: {of the blades} - F05B 2240/122: Vortex generators, turbulators, or the like, for mixing - F05B 2240/30: Characteristics of rotor blades, i.e. of any element transforming dynamic fluid energy to or from rotational energy and being attached to a rotor - F05B 2240/3062: Vortex generators - Y02E 10/72: Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction - Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product - Y10T 29/49337: Composite blade - F03D: WIND MOTORS - F05B: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract A wind turbine for generating electrical energy may include a wind turbine blade including a plurality of vortex generators integrally formed in the outer surface of the blade. The vortex generator includes a first component that defines a portion of the outer surface of the blade and a second component defining the shape of the vortex generator and at least partially surrounded by the first component. A method of manufacturing the wind turbine blade includes disposing a first plurality of layers of structural material over a mold main body and a removable insert member with a shaped cavity. A shaped plug is then pressed into the shaped cavity, and a second plurality of layers of structural material is disposed over the plug and the mold main body to complete manufacture of a wind turbine blade with a vortex generator. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A wind turbine blade, comprising: at least two outer shells defining partial portions of the wind turbine blade, wherein at least one of the outer shells includes an outer surface defined substantially in its entirety by a layer of structural material; and a plurality of vortex generators integrally formed in the at least one of the outer shells along the outer surface, each vortex generator including an outer first component defined by a portion of the layer of structural material and an inner second component defining the shape of the vortex generator and at least partially surrounded by the outer first component. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The wind turbine blade of claim 1, wherein the outer first component of each vortex generator is composed of a first material, and the inner second component of each vortex generator is composed of a second material different than the first material. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The wind turbine blade of claim 2, wherein the first material includes a fiber-reinforced plastic, and the second material includes a plastic material. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The wind turbine blade of claim 1, wherein the inner second component of the plurality of vortex generators defines a triangular prism shape including an upstream surface facing towards a leading edge of the wind turbine blade and a downstream surface facing towards a trailing edge of the wind turbine blade generally angled from the upstream surface. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The wind turbine blade of claim 4, wherein the triangular prism shape of each of the plurality of vortex generators defines a triangular cross section transverse to a length of each of the plurality of vortex generators, the length extending between tapered upstream and downstream ends such that the triangular cross section is largest at a center of the triangular prism shape and tapered to be smaller at the upstream and downstream ends. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The wind turbine blade of claim 4, wherein the wind turbine blade defines a chord length adjacent each of the plurality of vortex generators, and wherein each of the plurality of vortex generators defines a triangular cross section at a center of the triangular prism shape which defines a height extending above the outer surface of the wind turbine blade that ranges from 0.5% to 1% of the chord length adjacent that vortex generator and which defines a width extending between the upstream and downstream surfaces that ranges from 0.5% to 1% of the chord length adjacent that vortex generator, with the ratio of the height to the width being greater than or equal to 1. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A wind turbine comprising: a tower; a nacelle disposed adjacent a top of the tower; and a rotor including a hub and a plurality of wind turbine blades according to claim 1 and extending from the hub. ### Claim 8 A method of manufacturing a wind turbine blade having at least one vortex generator, the method comprising: inserting a first removable insert member with a first vortex generator cavity into a recessed cavity of a mold main body; disposing a first layer of structural material over the mold main body and the first removable insert member, the first layer of structural material configured to define substantially an entirety of an outer surface of an outer shell which defines a partial portion of the wind turbine blade; pushing a shaped plug into the first vortex generator cavity of the first removable insert member to push the first layer of structural material into the first vortex generator cavity; disposing a second layer of structural material over the mold main body, the first removable insert member, and the shaped plug to form the outer shell of the wind turbine blade with an integral vortex generator, with the vortex generator including an outer first component defined by a portion of the first layer of structural material and an inner second component defined by the shaped plug which defines the shape of the vortex generator while being at least partially surrounded by the outer first component; demolding the outer shell of the wind turbine blade and the integral vortex generator from the mold main body and the first removable insert; and coupling the outer shell to one or more outer shells to assemble the wind turbine blade. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein demolding the wind turbine blade and the integral vortex generator further includes demolding the wind turbine blade and the integral vortex generator simultaneously. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein demolding the wind turbine blade and the integral vortex generator further includes: demolding the wind turbine blade from the mold main body while the first removable insert member remains coupled to the integral vortex generator; and demolding the integral vortex generator from the first removable insert member after the wind turbine blade has been demolded from the mold main body. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein demolding the integral vortex generator from the first removable insert member includes manually peeling the first removable insert member gradually from the integral vortex generator. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein demolding the wind turbine blade and the integral vortex generator further includes: demolding the integral vortex generator from the first removable insert member while the wind turbine blade remains coupled to the mold main body; and demolding the wind turbine blade from the mold main body after the integral vortex generator has been demolded from the first removable insert member. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising: replacing the first removable insert member in the recessed cavity of the mold main body with a second removable insert member with a second vortex generator cavity having a different shape than the first vortex generator cavity such that the second removable insert member forms a second vortex generator on the wind turbine blade having a different shape. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising: replacing the first removable insert member in the recessed cavity of the mold main body with a third removable insert member having no vortex generator cavity such that the mold main body and the third removable insert member form a wind turbine blade including no integral vortex generators. ### Claim 15 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising: applying a coat of binder to the first vortex generator cavity of the first removable insert prior to disposing the first layer of structural material over the mold main body and the first removable insert member. ### Claim 16 A wind turbine including a plurality of wind turbine blades including at least one integral vortex generator, wherein each of the wind turbine blades is formed by the process comprising: inserting a first removable insert member with a first vortex generator cavity into a recessed cavity of a mold main body; disposing a first layer of structural material over the mold main body and the first removable insert member, the first layer of structural material configured to define substantially an entirety of an outer surface of an outer shell which defines a partial portion of the wind turbine blade; pushing a shaped plug into the first vortex generator cavity of the first removable insert member to push the first layer of structural material into the first vortex generator cavity; disposing a second layer of structural material over the mold main body, the first removable insert member, and the shaped plug to form the outer shell of the wind turbine blade with an integral vortex generator, with the vortex generator including an outer first component defined by a portion of the first layer of structural material and an inner second component defined by the shaped plug which defines the shape of the vortex generator while being at least partially surrounded by the outer first component; demolding the outer shell of the wind turbine blade and the integral vortex generator from the mold main body and the first removable insert; and coupling the outer shell to one or more outer shells to assemble the wind turbine blade. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The wind turbine of claim 16, wherein each of the wind turbine blades includes a first plurality of integral vortex generators disposed in a first spanwise row and a second plurality of integral vortex generators disposed in a second spanwise row. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The wind turbine of claim 17, wherein the first plurality of integral vortex generators include pairs of vortex generators spaced from one another and angled to define a V-shaped vortex generator formation with an apex of the V-shaped vortex generator V shape directed in an upstream direction. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The wind turbine of claim 18, wherein each of the first plurality of integral vortex generators defines a triangular prism shape including an upstream surface facing towards a leading edge of the wind turbine blade and a downstream surface facing towards a trailing edge of the wind turbine blade and generally angled from the upstream surface. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The wind turbine of claim 19, wherein the triangular prism shape of each of the first plurality of integral vortex generators defines a triangular cross section transverse to a length of each of the first plurality of integral vortex generators, the length extending between tapered upstream and downstream ends such that the triangular cross section is largest at a center of the triangular prism shape and tapered to be smaller at the upstream and downstream ends. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The wind turbine of claim 19, wherein the wind turbine blade defines a chord length adjacent each of the first plurality of integral vortex generators, and wherein each of the first plurality of integral vortex generators defines a triangular cross section at a center of the triangular prism shape which defines a height extending above the outer surface of the wind turbine blade that ranges from 0.5% to 1% of the chord length adjacent that integral vortex generator and which defines a width extending between the upstream and downstream surfaces that ranges from 0.5% to 1% of the chord length adjacent that integral vortex generator, with the ratio of the height to the width being greater than or equal to 1.