A WIND TURBINE

Abstract

A horizontal axis wind turbine comprising a rotor having a plurality of blades, the rotor having a radius of at least 80 meters, the blades comprising: a root end and a tip end; a leading edge and a trailing edge; a shoulder between the root end and the tip end where a chord length defined between the leading edge and the trailing edge is at a maximum; wherein: Sol.sub.r is at least 0.0140 at 0.7R; Sol.sub.r is at least 0.0116 at 0.8R; Sol.sub.r is at least 0.0090 at 0.9R; Sol.sub.r being the combined radius specific solidity of the blades.

Claims

1. A horizontal axis wind turbine comprising a rotor having a plurality of blades, the rotor having a radius of at least 80 meters, the blades comprising: a root end and a tip end; a leading edge and a trailing edge; a shoulder between the root end and the tip end where a chord length defined between the leading edge and the trailing edge is at a maximum; wherein: Sol.sub.r is at least 0.0140 at 0.7R; Sol.sub.r is at least 0.0116 at 0.8R; Sol.sub.r is at least 0.0090 at 0.9R; Sol.sub.r being the combined radius specific solidity of the blades and is defined by: $So{l}_r=\frac{n.c_r}{2\pi R}$ where n = the number of blades, C.sub.r = the chord length at the specific radius and R = the rotor radius.

2. The wind turbine according to claim 1, wherein: Sol.sub.r is at least 0.0164 at 0.6R.

3. The wind turbine according to claim 1, wherein: Sol.sub.r is at least 0.0199 at 0.5R.

4. The wind turbine according to claim 1 wherein: Sol.sub.r is at least 0.0146 at 0.7R; Sol.sub.r is at least 0.0123 at 0.8R; Sol.sub.r is at least 0.0099 at 0.9R.

5. The wind turbine according to claim 1 wherein Sol.sub.r is at least 0.0172 at 0.6R.

6. The wind turbine according to claim 1 wherein Sol.sub.r is at least 0.0200 at 0.5R.

7. The wind turbine according to claim 1 wherein Sol.sub.r is below 0.0164 at 0.7R; Sol.sub.r is below 0.0133 at 0.8R; Sol.sub.r is below 0.0108 at 0.9R.

8. The wind turbine according to claim 1 wherein the shoulder is located at a position between 0.18R and 0.35R.

9. The wind turbine according to claim 1 wherein at the shoulder position a combined radius specific solidity of the blades, Sol.sub.r, is less than 0.027.

10. The wind turbine according to claim 1 wherein a ratio $\frac{So{l}_{r-}0.7R}{So{l}_{r-}shoulder}$ is greater than 0.5 and preferably greater than 0.55; wherein said ratio is the combined radius specific solidity of the blades at 0.7R to the combined radius specific solidity of the blades at the shoulder of the blades.

11. The wind turbine according to claim 1 wherein the design Reynolds number at the tip of the blades is at least 1.1×10.sup.6.

12. The wind turbine according to claim 1 wherein the design Reynolds number at the shoulder of the blades is at least 9×10.sup.6.

13. The wind turbine according to claim 1 wherein the blades extend in a spanwise direction from the root end to the tip end, and extend in a chordwise direction along a chord from the leading edge to the trailing edge; the blades being twisted between the root end and the tip end and the twist is defined by a twist distribution curve along the spanwise direction of the blades, each blade comprising: an inboard region between the root end of the blade and the shoulder of the blade; an outboard region between 0.9R and the tip end of the blade; and a mid-board region located between the inboard region and the outboard region; a noise reduction feature in the mid-board region of the blade, the noise reduction feature projecting from the trailing edge and extending from a first radial position R1 toward the tip end; wherein the twist distribution curve comprises a first inflection point in the vicinity of the first radial position.

14. The wind turbine according to claim 13, wherein the noise reduction feature comprises a serrated trailing edge.

15. The wind turbine according to claim 13, wherein the twist decreases in the mid-board region of the blade toward the outboard region.

16. The wind turbine according to claim 13 wherein when the twist distribution comprises a first inflection point in the vicinity of the first radial position, the first inflection point is less than 15% of the rotor radius from the first radial position R1 .

17. The wind turbine to claim 13 wherein the twist distribution curve comprises a second inflection point located between the first inflection point and the tip end.

18. The wind turbine according to claim 13 wherein the first radial position R1 is located between 0.6R and 0.8R.

19. The wind turbine according to claim 8, wherein the shoulder is located at the position between 0.2R and 0.3R.

20. The wind turbine according to claim 9, wherein at the shoulder position the combined radius specific solidity of the blades, Sol.sub.r, is less than 0.026.

21. The wind turbine according to claim 11, wherein the design Reynolds number at the tip of the blades is at least 1.2×10.sup.6.

22. The wind turbine according to claim 12, wherein the design Reynolds number at the shoulder of the blades is at least 10×10.sup.6.

23. The wind turbine according to claim 16, wherein when the twist distribution comprises a first inflection point in the vicinity of the first radial position, the first inflection point is less than 10% of the rotor radius from the first radial position R1.

24. The wind turbine according to claim 16, wherein when the twist distribution comprises a first inflection point in the vicinity of the first radial position, the first inflection point is less than 5% of the rotor radius from the first radial position R1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0060] In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, examples of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the following Figures, in which:

[0061] FIG. 1 is a view of a horizontal axis wind turbine.

[0062] FIG. 2a is a perspective view of a wind turbine blade and FIG. 2b is a cross section through the wind turbine blade.

[0063] FIG. 3 shows cross sections along the span of a blade.

[0064] FIG. 4 shows the chord distribution of a blade.

[0065] FIGS. 5 and 6 show the radius specific solidity of two blades.

[0066] FIGS. 7 and 8 show the twist distribution of blades.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0067] FIG. 1 shows a horizontal axis wind turbine 10. The wind turbine 10 comprises a tower 12 supporting a nacelle 14 to which a rotor 16 is mounted. The rotor 16 comprises a plurality of wind turbine blades 18 that extend radially from a central hub 19. In this example, the rotor 16 comprises three blades 18.

[0068] FIG. 2a is a view of one of the blades 18 of the wind turbine 10. The blade 18 extends from a generally circular root end 20 to a tip end 22 in a longitudinal spanwise direction, and between a leading edge 24 and a trailing edge 26 in a transverse chordwise direction. The blade 18 comprises a shell formed primarily of fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP). The blade 18 comprises a suction surface 28 and a pressure surface 29. The rotor 16 has a radius such that the tip ends of the blades are at position r = R and the axis of rotation is at r = 0.

[0069] The blade 18 transitions from a circular profile to an airfoil profile moving from the root end 20 of the blade 18 towards a shoulder 25 of the blade 18, which is the widest part of the blade 18 where the blade 18 has its maximum chord. The blade 18 has an airfoil profile of progressively decreasing thickness from the shoulder towards the tip end of the blade.

[0070] The wind turbine blade 18 comprises an inboard region between the root end of the blade and the shoulder 25 of the blade; a tip region between a rotor radius 0.9R and the tip end of the blade; and a mid-board region located between the inboard region and the tip region.

[0071] FIG. 2b is an illustration of an airfoil profile of the wind turbine blade in the mid-board blade region. A chord line connects the leading edge 24 and the trailing edge 26.

[0072] FIG. 2a shows that the blade may comprise a noise reduction feature 27 which in this example is a serrated trailing edge. The serrations serve to reduce noise caused by the blade 18 in use. In an example, the serrations are provided as an add-on component which is adhesively bonded to the blade at the trailing edge, and may be formed from injection moulded plastic for instance. The serrations which are in the form of triangles, e.g. a saw tooth shape, are understood to reduce aerodynamic trailing edge noise through interaction with a turbulent boundary layer which flows over the blade surface. In another example, the noise reduction feature may comprise bristles and/or combs extending from the trailing edge.

[0073] The noise reduction feature may only cover a given length of the blade span, particularly towards the tip where the trailing edge noise is most dominant. The noise reduction feature starts at a radial location R1 and extends towards the tip of the blade. In an example, the radial location R1 may be at 0.7R. In particular, the noise reduction feature has a proximal end (nearest to the root end 20 of the blade) that is located in the mid-board region of the blade.

[0074] Referring to FIG. 2a, a blade coordinate system may be defined. The origin of the coordinate system is aligned with the rotational axis of the rotor at r = 0. The X-axis extends parallel to the rotor axis. The Z-axis extends along a pitch axis of the blade, which in the example of FIG. 2a is aligned with the spanwise direction of the blade. The Y-axis is perpendicular to the X-axis and the Z-axis.

[0075] As is well known in the art, a wind turbine rotor blade can rotate about a pitch axis in order to regulate the power output of the wind turbine and the loads experienced by the wind turbine components. In the case of a wind turbine where the blades have no coning and no prebend, the blade spanwise axis is aligned with the pitch axis. In this case, the blades will pitch about the Z-axis. However, if the blades have either prebend or coning, the pitch axis is not coincident with the blade spanwise axis.

[0076] The airfoil profile of the wind turbine blade is twisted along the spanwise direction to account for the fact that, in operation, the outboard region of the wind turbine blade moves faster than the inboard region of the wind turbine blade. As the blade twists along its length, the chordline rotates arounds the spanwise axis of the blade. As can be seen in FIG. 3, cross sections of the blade are taken along the length of the blade. The cross section profiles are adjacent to the root (profile 30), 0.25R (profile 32), 0.5R (profile 34) and at 0.95R (profile 36). The twist angle of each of the profiles is shown in FIG. 3 and as can be seen in this example the twist angle generally decreases from the root of the blade to the tip of the blade.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 3 the twist involves rotation of the blade about the spanwise or Z axis. When the blade is twisted such that leading edge points down, as indicated by the curved arrow in FIG. 3, the twist is increasing and conversely when the twist is decreasing the leading edge is being raised. A twist angle represents the angle between a local chord and the plane of rotation of the rotor.

[0078] FIG. 4 shows the chord distribution of a blade along its spanwise length. In this Figure, the X axis represents the radius and the Y axis represents the chord length. As can be seen the chord length initially increases until the shoulder of the blade and then it decreases towards the tip of the blade. As will be appreciated, for a given number of blades the radius specific solidity (Sol.sub.r) is directly proportional to the local chord length on the blade.

[0079] FIG. 5 illustrates the combined radius specific solidity (Sol.sub.r) of an outer half of a rotor with improved blades in comparison with conventional blades. The X axis represents the distance along the blade in terms of radius. The radius specific solidity values are shown on the Y axis. The dashed line 40 represents a rotor with conventional blades, and the solid line 42 represents a rotor with improved blades having higher radius specific solidity values.

[0080] The chart shown in FIG. 5 extends to 90% radius of the rotor. The last 10% of the rotor radius has not been included because at the tip region the chord length may rapidly decrease to zero.

[0081] The rotor with the improved blades shown in FIG. 5 has the following combined radius specific solidity values: [0082] Sol.sub.r is 0.0140 at 0.7R; [0083] Sol.sub.r is 0.0116 at 0.8R; [0084] Sol.sub.r is 0.0090 at 0.9R.

[0085] As discussed above, Sol.sub.r is the combined radius specific solidity of the blades and is defined by:

[00006]$So{l}_r=\frac{n.c_r}{2\pi R}$

where n = the number of blades, Cr= the chord length at the specific radius and R = the rotor radius.

[0086] When these solidity values are used in combination with a rotor having a radius of at least 80 m there are a number of advantages in comparison to a conventional blade. In particular, the higher solidity values (which arise from increased chord lengths in the outer 30% of the blade) means that this part of the blade will generate more lift so that the tip speed of the rotor can be reduced. The operating angle of attack of the rotor blade can also be reduced which will lead to a reduction in aerodynamic noise.

[0087] FIG. 6 shows the improved blade (represented by solid line 42) compared to a conventional blade (represented by the dashed line 40) with radius on the X axis and radius specific solidity values on the Y axis. As can be seen on the improved blade the solidity value at the shoulder of the blade (where the chord is at a maximum) is lower than the solidity of the conventional blade. This feature, in combination with the improved blade having a higher solidity in at least the outer 30% of the blade, helps to reduce the extreme loads experienced by the blade in use because the chord length at the shoulder is reduced.

[0088] At the shoulder position the combined radius specific solidity of the blades, Sol.sub.r, may be less than 0.027 and may preferably be less than 0.026.

[0089] The increased rotor solidity in at least the outer 30% of the blades may result in higher loads, due to the increase in chord length in comparison to a conventional blade. In particular, the extreme loads that the wind turbine experiences may be increased. But, providing the rotor with a relatively low rotor solidity at the shoulder of the blades can mitigate against these increased loads and help to protect the wind turbine from damage

[0090] In particular, a ratio of the combined radius specific solidity of the blades at 0.7R to the combined radius specific solidity of the blades at the shoulder of the blades is greater than 0.5 and preferably greater that 0.55.

[0091] As mentioned above with respect to FIG. 3, a twist angle of the blade reduces in the direction towards the tip of the blade. FIG. 7 shows a twist distribution for a conventional blade identified by the dashed line 50. A twist distribution for an improved blade is identified by line 52. As is standard in the art the twist initially increases in the root region of the blade for structural reasons before reducing towards the tip. The blade twist is necessary as the effective flow at the blade in use comprises the rotor rotational speed and the oncoming wind speed. As the peripheral speed of the blades increase along the blade span, the angle of attack of a blade section also varies along the blade span. To maintain the angle of attack and the lift force along the blade, the blade therefore has a twist distribution from the root to the tip.

[0092] The tip of the blade is also “de-twisted” in order to reduce the induced drag from the tip of the blades. This is shown in FIG. 7 starting at approximately 0.95R, but this feature is not relevant to the present disclosure.

[0093] When comparing the conventional twist distribution line 50 with the improved twist distribution line 52 in FIG. 7, it can be seen that there is a “bump” in the twist distribution line at around 0.7R. This feature is enlarged and exaggerated for clarity in FIG. 8.

[0094] In the twist distribution shown in FIG. 8, when moving from the mid-board region towards the tip there is a first concave region C1, a convex region C2 and a second concave region C3. The terms “concave” and “convex” are purely used for convenience and are seen from a view point above the twist distribution line in FIG. 8. A conventional twist distribution curve in this region (e.g. from 0.4R to 0.9R) has a purely concave shape.

[0095] The first and second concave regions C1 and C3 are defined by the slope of the twist distribution having a positive second derivative. The convex region C2 is defined by the slope of the twist distribution having a negative second derivative.

[0096] The concave regions C1 and C3 join the convex region C2 at a first inflection point I1 and a second inflection point I2, respectively. At the inflection points the second derivative of the twist distribution is zero.

[0097] The position of the first inflection point I1 corresponds with the start of the noise reduction feature 27 at radial position R1 (the “start” of the noise reduction feature being the proximal end nearest to the root of the blade 18). While the noise reductions feature 27 at the trailing edge acts to reduce the trailing edge, there may be a negative effect on the aerodynamic performance. In particular, the noise reduction feature may reduce the lift and/or increase the drag generated by the blade at the radial position where the noise reduction feature is positioned. To compensate for this loss of lift, the improved blade exhibits the “bump” in the twist distribution as just described. In particular, the twist value is reduced so that the leading edge of the airfoil is rotated upward. Rotating the airfoil section in this direction will increase the local angle of attack and thus increase the lift generated by the blade at that radial location.

[0098] Expressed another way, the twist angle is lowered in the vicinity of the noise reduction feature to place that part of the blade at a higher angle of attack to compensate for the lift reduction caused by the noise reduction feature. The twist angle is lowered such that the gradient of the twist distribution curve becomes steeper in the vicinity of the noise reduction feature, when moving towards the tip.

[0099] In an example, the noise reduction feature is a serrated trailing edge 27 which starts at a radial location 0.7R. To have an effective reduction in twist at the serrated trailing edge, the first inflection point I1 will be located rootward of the radial location 0.7R. For example, the first inflection point I1 may be located at 0.65R.

[0100] More generally, the first inflection point I1 is in the vicinity of the radial location R1 where the noise reduction feature starts. For example, the inflection point is less than 15% of the rotor radius from R1, preferably less than 10% and more preferably less than 5%.

[0101] After the first inflection point I1 when moving towards the tip there is a second inflection point I2. The purpose of the second inflection point is to raise the twist angle so that the angle of attack will be reduced towards the tip.

[0102] As has been described, an improved rotor according to the invention may exhibit the following features when compared to a conventional blade: [0103] The combined radius specific solidity of the blades is increased in at least an outer part of the blades, particularly the last third of the blades. This is achieved by a bigger chord which allows the tip speed to be reduced and the local angle of attack to be reduced, both of which lead to a reduction in noise. [0104] When the blade is fitted with a noise reduction feature at the trailing edge, an inflection point in the twist distribution provides a change in the local angle of attack to compensate for a loss of aerodynamic performance caused by the noise reduction feature.

[0105] These features may be used alone, or in combination. When these features are used in combination the increased solidity provides a larger chord in the outer part of the blade. This means that the angle of attack can be reduced and so the local blade section is twisted so that the leading edge is rotated downwards (i.e. the twist angle is increased). This can be seen in FIG. 7 where the improved blade (illustrated by solid line 50) has a greater twist angle after approximately 0.6R. Advantageously, as the twist angle is higher (compared to a conventional blade) there is therefore capacity to reduce the twist to compensate for a loss of aerodynamic performance caused by the noise reduction feature.

[0106] Referring to FIG. 7, in the first half of the blade the twist angle of the improved blade (line 52) is lower than the twist angle of the conventional blade (line 50). As discussed, a lower twist translates to a higher angle of attack, and as can be seen from FIG. 6 the improved blade (line 42) generally has a reduced chord length compared to a conventional blade (line 40) in this blade region. As noted previously, smaller chord lengths in the area around the shoulder of the blade can be used to reduce extreme loads experienced by the blade in use.

[0107] When the twist “decreases” the leading edge of the blade is rotated upwards to increase the local angle of attack. However, this is purely a convention and it is possible that the twist could be measured in the opposite sense, so that when the twist decreases the leading edge is rotated downwards. In the present disclosure, the twist is defined as decreasing when the leading edge of the blade is rotated upwards.

[0108] Many modifications may be made to the examples described above without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the accompanying claims.