It is described a method of operating at least one adaptable airflow regulating system (13) of at least one rotor blade (15) of a wind turbine (1) connected to a utility grid (6), the method comprising: receiving information (10) regarding a grid disturbance; adapting, in particular during a disturbance duration, the airflow regulating system (13) based on the information (10), while the wind turbine (1) stays connected to the utility grid (6).

A device and a method of controlling an operation of a wind turbine is provided. The wind turbine includes a rotor having a plurality of rotor blades, the rotor being mounted to a nacelle to rotate about a rotation axis and the nacelle being mounted to a tower to rotate about a yaw axis so that the rotation axis is also rotatable about the yaw axis. The method includes the following steps: determining a wind direction, acquiring a yaw angle of the nacelle and the rotation axis, determining an angular misalignment between the wind direction and the yaw angle of the rotation axis, which angular misalignment is measured in a plane which is perpendicular to the yaw axis, and performing a stall operation in case the angular misalignment exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

A wind turbine includes a blade. The blade includes a blade body; an active member mounted to the blade body and configured to move between a retracted position and an extended position to change an aerodynamic property of the blade; and a bladder which is configured to be connected to a pneumatic or hydraulic system of the wind turbine to move the active member when the bladder is filled by a fluid supplied by the pneumatic or hydraulic system, or when the fluid is removed from the bladder by the pneumatic or hydraulic system. The wind turbine includes a retaining means configured to prevent the active member from moving towards the extended position.

A linear actuator is provided. The linear actuator comprises: a body; a shaft adapted to move linearly relative to the body; a driver adapted to drive the linear movement of the shaft; and a shape memory alloy component configured to compensate for thermal expansion or contraction of the linear actuator due to a change in temperature thereof.

Provided is a control device configured to control a wind turbine, the wind turbine including a rotor being rotatable about a rotational axis, wherein the rotor has at least one blade, the blade including at least one add-on member which is actuated by a corresponding trim actuator to alter aerodynamic properties of the blade and a pitch actuator to alter a pitch angle of the blade. The control device is configured to determine an idling mode or a self-sustaining mode of the wind turbine; to control the pitch actuator to set a predetermined pitch angle of the blade, if the idling mode or the self-sustaining mode is determined; and to cause a target rotational speed of the rotor by variably controlling the trim actuator of the blade, if the idling mode or the self-sustaining mode is determined.

Provided is a wind turbine, including: at least one rotor blade, at least one aerodynamic device for influencing the airflow flowing from the leading edge section of the rotor blade to the trailing edge section of the rotor blade, wherein the aerodynamic device is mounted at a surface of the rotor blade, a pneumatic actuator of the aerodynamic device for actuating the aerodynamic device at least between a first protruded configuration and a second retracted configuration, a pressure supply system for operating the actuator by a pressurized fluid, a centrifugal device rotatable about a rotor axis of the wind turbine, the centrifugal device including an air inlet of receiving a flow of the pressurized fluid including humidity from the pressure supply system and a water outlet for letting a flow of condensed water to exit the centrifugal device.

A lift control device actively controls the lift force on a lifting surface. The device has a protuberance near a trailing edge of its lifting surface, which causes flow to separate from the lifting surface, generating regions of low pressure and high pressure which combine to increase the lift force on the lifting surface. The device further includes a means to keep the flow attached around the protuberance or to modify the position of the protuberance in response to a command from a central controller, so as to provide an active control of the lift between a maximum value and a minimum value.

An actuator device for a wind turbine, in particular for a rotor blade of a wind turbine, and also to an associated wind turbine and a method of assembly, with an actuator component and a control component, wherein the actuator component has at least one actuator layer with a preferential direction and, substantially parallel to the actuator layer, at least one exciting layer, wherein the actuator layer comprises a photoactuator, wherein the photoactuator is designed to change a strain and/or stress of the actuator layer in the preferential direction on the basis of excitation light, wherein the exciting layer is designed to guide excitation light into the actuator layer, wherein the control component comprises a light source and a light guide, wherein the light source is arranged away from the exciting layer and is connected to the exciting layer by means of the light guide and wherein the light guide runs in different directions through the exciting layer.

A method of controlling a wind turbine, wherein the wind turbine includes a hub having at least one blade with at least one an add-on member which is actuated to alter aerodynamic properties of the blade. The method includes a step of acquiring a target noise level, and a step of controlling the at least one add-on member of the blade such that an actual noise level caused by the operation of the wind turbine is equal to or below the target noise level.

A flow control device on a structure such that strain in the structure is at least partially transferred to the flow control device is disclosed having at least two states, or shapes, separated by an elastic instability region. The flow control device is arranged to rapidly transition, or snap through, from the first state to the second state when strain in the structure exceeds an activation threshold of the flow control device. A spoiler on an aerofoil may have a rest position where it is substantially flush with the low pressure surface and an activated position where it protrudes from the low pressure surface and modifies the airflow over that surface. The spoiler bends to move from the rest position to the activated position when the strain in the aerofoil crosses a threshold. The deployed spoiler reduces the lift on the aerofoil, acting to reduce the lift induced strain of the aerofoil to which the spoiler is attached.