ROTOR BLADE COATING

Abstract

The present invention relates to a rotor blade which has a coating, to a corresponding method for producing the coating, and to a method for heating and/or deicing the outer surface of the rotor blade and/or an outermost layer applied onto the outer surface of the rotor blade. The task underlying the invention is to develop a functional multi-layered coating that constitutes a comprehensive protection against the various environmental influences. The task is accomplished by a rotor blade which has an outer surface and by an at least two-layered coating applied onto the outer surface, having a first adhesion-facilitating metal layer and/or a first adhesion-facilitating layer which has electric heating elements and a second metal layer, wherein the first adhesion-facilitating metal layer and/or the first adhesion-facilitating layer which has electric heating elements is arranged between the outer surface of the rotor blade and the second metal layer.

Claims

1. A rotor blade having an outer surface and an at least two-layered coating applied onto the outer surface, wherein the at least two-layered coating comprises a first adhesion-facilitating metal layer and/or ora first adhesion-facilitating layer having electric heating elements, and a second metal layer, wherein the first adhesion-facilitating metal layer or the first adhesion-facilitating layer having electric heating elements is arranged between the outer surface of the rotor blade and the second metal layer.

2. The rotor blade according to claim 1, wherein the second metal layer or every additional layer arranged on top of the second metal layer has a thermal conductivity of at least 100 to 400 W/(mK), or the second metal layer and every possibly existing additional layer together have a combined thermal conductivity of at least 30 W/(mK).

3. The rotor blade according to claim 1, wherein an outermost layer of the coating has a Vickers hardness of at least 100.

4. The rotor blade according to claim 1, wherein the electric heating elements are mutually interconnected, wherein the heating elements extend over a surface of at least 0.02% of the outer surface of the rotor blade.

5. The rotor blade according to claim 1, wherein the first adhesion-facilitating metal layer the first adhesion-facilitating layer having electric heating elements is at least, in part, a thermally sprayed layer, or the second metal layer is a layer applied by a cold gas spraying process.

6. The rotor blade according to claim 1, wherein the second metal layer is electrically coupled with a lightning conduction device, or the first adhesion-facilitating metal layer or the first adhesion-facilitating layer having electric heating elements is coupled with at least one device for conducting current through the first adhesion-facilitating metal layer or through the electric heating elements, or the rotor blade comprises means for establishing an electrical connection between the first adhesion-facilitating metal layer or the first adhesion-facilitating layer having electric heating elements and at least one device for conducting current through the first adhesion-facilitating metal layer or through the electric heating elements, wherein the at least one device, the means, or the rotor blade are arranged such that the current causes a heating of the second metal layer or a deicing of the outer surface of the rotor blade or of the outermost layer.

7. A method for the coating of a rotor blade with an outer surface, wherein initially, a first adhesion-facilitating metal layer or a first adhesion-facilitating layer having electric heating elements is applied onto the outer surface, and subsequently, a second metal layer is applied such that the first adhesion-facilitating metal layer or the first adhesion-facilitating layer having electric heating elements is arranged between the outer surface and the second metal layer, wherein the second metal layer is applied by means of a cold gas spraying process.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the second metal layer or every additional layer applied onto the second metal layer has a thermal conductivity of at least 100 to 400 W/(mK), or the second metal layer and every possibly existing additional layer together have a combined thermal conductivity of at least 30 W/(mK).

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein an outermost layer of the coating has a Vickers hardness of at least 7, and wherein the second metal layer forms the outermost layer.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the application of the first adhesion-facilitating layer having electric heating elements comprises the following steps: application of the electric heating elements onto the outer surface of the rotor blade, and application of an adhesion-facilitating material onto the electric heating elements or onto the outer surface of the rotor blade.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the first adhesion-facilitating metal layer or the first adhesion-facilitating layer having electric heating elements is applied at least in part by means of thermal spraying, or the metallic second layer is applied by means of a cold gas spraying process.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein the second metal layer is electrically coupled with a lightning conduction device, or the first adhesion-facilitating metal layer or the first adhesion-facilitating layer having heating elements is coupled with at least one device for conducting current through the first adhesion-facilitating metal layer or through the electric heating elements, or means are generated for electrically coupling the first adhesion-facilitating metal layer or the first adhesion-facilitating layer having electric heating elements to at least one device for conducting current through the first adhesion-facilitating metal layer or through the electric heating elements, wherein the at least one device, the means, or the rotor blade in is arranged such that the current causes a heating of the second metal layer or a deicing of the outer surface of the rotor blade or of the outermost layer.

13. A method for a partially heating or deicing of an outer surface of a rotor blade or of a coating applied on the outer surface of the rotor blade or of an outermost layer, wherein the rotor blade features an at least two-layered coating applied to the outer surface which comprises a first adhesion-facilitating metal layer or a first adhesion-facilitating layer having electric heating elements, as well as a second metal layer, wherein the first adhesion-facilitating metal layer or the first adhesion-facilitating layer having electric heating elements is arranged between the outer surface of the rotor blade and the second metal layer, wherein at least one voltage is applied to the first adhesion-facilitating metal layer or to the first adhesion-facilitating layer having electric heating elements such that current flows through the first adhesion-facilitating metal layer or through the electric heating elements, thus causing a heating of the second metal layer or the deicing of the outer surface of the rotor blade or of the outermost layer.

14. A wind power plant featuring a tower and a nacelle and at least two, in particular three, rotor blades that are fastened to the nacelle so as to be rotatable around a joint axis or includes coated rotor blades according to claim 1.

15. The rotor blade according to claim 2, wherein the second metal layer and every existing additional layer together have a combined thermal conductivity of at least 100 W/(m K).

16. The rotor blade according to claim 15, wherein the second metal layer and every existing additional layer together have a combined thermal conductivity of 100 to 400 W/(mK).

17. The rotor blade according to claim 3, wherein the second metal layer forms the outermost layer.

18. The rotor blade according to claim 4, wherein the electric heating elements form a network structure.

19. The method according to claim 8, wherein the second metal layer and every existing additional layer together have a combined thermal conductivity of at least at least 100 W/(mK).

20. A wind power plant featuring a tower and a nacelle and at least two rotor blades that are fastened to the nacelle so as to be rotatable around a joint axis or includes rotor blades coated according to the method of claim 7.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] FIG. 1 exemplarily shows a possible structure as a partial section of a rotor blade.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] FIG. 1 shows a cross section of a part of the rotor blade. A first part of the rotor blade 1 is identifiable, made out of a glass fiber-reinforced synthetic material. Without further coating, this glass fiber-reinforced synthetic material forms the outer surface 2. According to the invention, this surface is referred to as outer surface 2 even when a coating is present. Applied onto it is a first adhesion-facilitating layer 3. Applied onto that layer is an intermediate layer 4, onto which a second metal layer 5 is applied, which, after their application, form the outer surface of the coated rotor blade.