Heating arrangement for bonding a protective shell to a wind turbine blade and method for bonding a protective shell to a wind turbine blade

Abstract

Providing is a heating arrangement for bonding a protective shell to a wind turbine blade, including a heating blanket with a first portion and a second portion of a heatable structure, wherein the first portion and the second portion adjoin at a fold of the heating blanket, wherein the fold is curved equally or substantially equally to a curvature of an edge of the wind turbine blade or of a segment of an edge of the wind turbine blade, wherein the heating blanket is mountable to a surface of the wind turbine blade in such manner that the fold abuts the edge or the segment of the edge and that the first portion and the second portion each abuts the surface of the wind turbine blade.

Claims

1. A heating arrangement for bonding a protective shell to a wind turbine blade, comprising a heating blanket with a first portion and a second portion of a heatable structure, wherein the first portion and the second portion are connected at a curved fold of the heating blanket, wherein a curvature of the curved fold is equal to or substantially equal to a curvature of an edge of the wind turbine blade or of a segment of an edge of the wind turbine blade, wherein the heating blanket is mountable to a surface of the wind turbine blade in such manner that the curved fold abuts the edge or the segment of the edge and that the first portion and the second portion each abuts the surface of the wind turbine blade.

2. The heating arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the heating blanket comprises an elongated shape, wherein a tip-side end of the heating blanket, which is arranged towards a tip of the wind turbine blade in a mounted state of the heating blanket, comprises a smaller width than a hub-side end of the heating blanket, which is arranged towards a hub-side end of the wind turbine blade in the mounted state of the heating blanket.

3. The heating arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the heatable structure comprises a carrier layer and at least one of: at least one electrically heatable filament and at least one electrically heatable grid structure at least one of attached to and within at the least one carrier layer.

4. The heating arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the at least one carrier layer consists of a flexible material, wherein the material is silicone.

5. The heating arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the at least one carrier layer is airtight, wherein the heating blanket comprises a vacuum seal attached circumferentially at the outer edges of the heating blanket to the carrier layer.

6. The heating arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the heating arrangement comprises at least one vacuum pump, which is attachable to at least one valve of the heating blanket to evacuate a volume between the heating blanket and the wind turbine blade.

7. The heating arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the heating arrangement comprises an evacuatable vacuum bag and at least one vacuum pump, wherein the vacuum bag is arrangeable in such manner that at least the area of the wind turbine blade, which comprises the edge or the segment of the edge, and the heating blanket in its mounted state are enveloped by the vacuum bag, wherein the at least one vacuum pump is connectable to at least one valve of the vacuum bag.

8. The heating arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the heating arrangement comprises a controller connectable to the heatable structure, wherein the heatable structure comprises at least one temperature sensor, wherein said at least one temperature sensor is a Pt100-resistor, wherein the controller is configured at least one of to control a temperature of the heatable structure and to heat the heatable structure according to a predetermined temporal temperature characteristic.

9. The heating arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the heatable structure comprises a plurality of individually heatable zones, wherein at least one temperature sensor of the heatable structure is assigned to each zone, wherein at least one of the temperature of each zone is individually controllable and each zone is heatable according to an individual predetermined temporal temperature characteristic.

10. The heating arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the heatable zones are at least one of in the first portion of the heatable structure and in the second portion of the heatable structure.

11. The heating arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the heating blanket comprises an individually heatable tip zone, which abuts at least partially an apex of the tip of the wind turbine blade in the mounted state of the heating blanket.

12. A method for bonding a protective shell to a wind turbine blade, especially for repair of a leading edge of the wind turbine blade, comprising the following steps: arranging a protective shell or a protective shell and an adhesive sheet to an edge or a segment of an edge of the wind turbine blade, providing a heating blanket with a first portion and a second portion of a heatable structure, wherein the first portion and the second portion adjoin at a curved fold of the heating blanket, wherein a curvature of the curved fold is equal to or substantially equal to a curvature of the edge of the wind turbine blade or of a segment of the edge of the wind turbine blade, mounting the heating blanket to the edge or the segment of the edge of the wind turbine blade, so that the curved fold of the heating blanket abuts the edge or the segment of the edge and the first portion and the second portion of the heatable structure of the heating blanket each abuts the surface of the wind turbine blade, and heating the heating blanket.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the heating blanket comprising the heatable structure with a plurality of individually heatable zones, wherein at least one temperature sensor of the heatable structure is assigned to each zone, is used, at least one of wherein the temperature of each zone is controlled individually and wherein each zone is heated according to an individual predetermined temporal temperature characteristic.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the heating blanket comprising at least one airtight carrier layer and a vacuum seal attached circumferentially at the outer edges of the heating blanket to the carrier layer is used, wherein at least one vacuum pump is attached to at least one valve of the heating blanket and a volume between the heating blanket and the wind turbine blade is evacuated by the vacuum pump.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein an evacuatable vacuum bag and at least one vacuum pump is used, wherein the vacuum bag is arranged in such manner that at least the area of the wind turbine blade, which comprises the edge or the segment of the edge, and the mounted heating blanket are enveloped by the vacuum bag, wherein the at least one vacuum pump is connected to at least one valve of the vacuum bag and the vacuum bag is evacuated by the vacuum pump.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the heating blanket is mounted without wrinkles or creases.

17. The heating arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the heating blanket is mountable to the surface of the wind turbine blade such that there are no wrinkles or creases.

18. The heating arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the heating blanket has a non-rectangular shape.

19. A heating arrangement for bonding a protective shell to a wind turbine blade, comprising a heating structure with a first portion, a second portion, and a curved fold, wherein the curved fold adjoins the first portion to the second portion, wherein a curvature of the curved fold is equal to or substantially equal to a curvature of an edge of the wind turbine blade or of a segment of an edge of the wind turbine blade, such that the heating structure is mountable to a surface of the wind turbine blade with the curved fold abutting the edge or the segment of the edge, the first portion and the second portion each abutting the surface of the wind turbine blade, and without wrinkled areas in the heating structure.

20. The heating arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the heating structure has a non-rectangular shape.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

(1) Some of the embodiments will be described in detail, with references to the following Figures, wherein like designations denote like members, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic tow view of a first embodiment of a heating arrangement;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a cut view of the first embodiment of a heating arrangement;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a top view on a heating blanket;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a perspective view on a heating blanket;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a first perspective view of a heating blanket in its mounted state;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a second perspective view of a heating blanket in its mounted state;

(8) FIG. 7 shows a schematic top view of a second embodiment of a heating arrangement;

(9) FIG. 8 shows a schematic top view on a third embodiment of a heating arrangement;

(10) FIG. 9 shows a top view on a fourth embodiment of the heating arrangement; and

(11) FIG. 10 shows a heating blanket according to the state of the art mounted to a wind turbine blade.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(12) In FIG. 10, a detail of a wind turbine blade 1 is shown. In the tip area 2 of the wind turbine blade, a rectangular heating blanket 3 according to the state of the art is mounted to a segment of a leading edge 4 of the wind turbine blade 1. Due to its rectangular shape, the heating blanket 3 exhibits folded regions 5, 6. When the heating blanket 3 is heated, the temperature in the folded regions 5, 6 is higher than in the rest of the heating blanket 3 abutting the surface of the wind turbine blade 1. The rectangular shape of the heating blanket 3 can also cause the occurrence of wrinkles in the heating blanket which also cause uneven temperature distribution in the heating blanket. Due to the uneven temperature distribution and to the higher temperature in the folded regions 5, 6, there is a risk of temperature induced damage to the wind turbine blade 1 during the usage of the rectangular heating blanket 3 for repair of the wind turbine blade 1. Higher temperatures can cause for instance a degradation of a fibre composite material of the wind turbine blade 1 and/or a degradation of a foam core 7, which may be present inside the wind turbine blade 1, for instance in the tip region 2, wherein the remainder of the wind turbine blade 1 comprises a hollow volume 8.

(13) In FIG. 1, a heating blanket 9 of a first embodiment of a heating arrangement 14 according to the invention is shown in its mounted state. The heating blanket 9 is mounted on a leading edge 4 of the wind turbine blade 1. The heating blanket comprises a heatable structure 10. The heatable structure 10 comprises a first portion 11 and a second portion 12, which are adjoining at a fold 13 of the heating blanket. The second portion 12 abuts the opposite surface of the wind turbine blade 1 and is therefore not visible in FIG. 1. Therefore, reference is made to FIG. 2, wherein a sectional view of the heating arrangement 14 is shown. The wind turbine blade 1 comprises an outer shell 15, surrounding for instance a hollow volume 8. Furthermore, the wind turbine blade 1 comprises an adhesive layer 16 and an edge protective shell 17, which are arranged on the outer shell 15 of the wind turbine blade 1.

(14) The heatable structure 10 of the heating blanket 9 can be heated by an electrical current, which is for instance applied via cables 18 to an electrically heatable grit structure 19 of the heatable structure 10. In FIG. 2, the electrically heatable grid structure is shown schematically at a dashed line. Additionally or alternatively to the grid structure 19, also one or more electrically heatable filaments can be used for electrically heating of the heatable structure 10.

(15) By heating the heating blanket 9, an improved heat flow from the heatable structure 10 to the wind turbine blade 1 and especially to the adhesive layer 16 is obtained, since the fold 13 of the heating blanket between the first portion 11 and the second portion 12 of the heatable structure 10 exhibits a curvature equal or substantially equal to the curvature of the segment of the leading edge 4 on which the heating blanket 9 is arranged. Therefore, the heating blanket 9 can be mounted to the wind turbine blade without exhibition of wrinkles, creases or folded areas 5, 6. To facilitate a mounting of the heating blanket 9 to the wind turbine blade 1, the electrically heatable grid structure 19, which consist for instance of metal wires, is embedded within a carrier layer 20 made of a flexible material. The flexible material can be for instance silicone, rubber, fabric and/or cloth. Due to its flexibility, the heating blanket 9 can be wrapped around the leading edge 4 of the wind turbine blade 1 as it is shown in FIG. 2, wherein both the first portion 11 and the second portion 12 of the heatable structure 10 abut the surface of the wind turbine blade, or the protective shell 17, respectively, on both sides of the segment of the leading edge 4.

(16) In FIG. 3, a top view of a heating blanket 42 of a heating arrangement according to embodiments of the invention is shown, wherein for the same features the same reference numerals are used. The heating blanket 42 comprises a heatable structure 10 consisting of a grit structure 19 attached to the outer surface of a carrier layer 20. In this view, the second portion 12 of the heatable structure 10 is shown. The heatable structure 10 of the heating blanket 9 comprises a plurality of temperature sensors 21, which are located close to the fold 13 of the heating blanket 42. The temperature sensors 21 are connected by a multi-wire cable 22. The heatable structure 10 can be electrically connected via cables 18. Both the multi-wire cable 22 and the cables 18 can be connected to a controller 23. The controller 23 can measure the temperature at each of the temperature sensors 21 and can heat the heatable structure 10 in order to control the temperature of the heatable structure 10. The controller 23 can be for instance a PID-controller configured for temperature regulation. It is also possible that the controller 23 is a micro processor-based controller, which is configured to apply a temporal temperature characteristic to the heatable structure 10, so that over time, different temperatures of the heatable structure 10 can be realised. Of course, also when using a temporal temperature characteristic, a controlling of the temperature through controller 23 is possible.

(17) FIG. 4 depicts a perspective view on the heating blanket 42. From this perspective view it is discernible that the first portion 11 and the second portion 12 of the heatable structure 10 adjoin at the fold 13 of the heating blanket 42. The inner surface of the heatable structure 10 is made by the carrier layer 20, on which outer surface a grid structure 19 is attached. When mounting the heating blanket 42, the fold 13 abuts the edge or the segment of the edge of the wind turbine blade and the first portion 11 and the second portion 12 each abut the surface of the wind turbine blade 1 as previously shown in FIG. 2.

(18) In FIG. 5, a heating blanket 24 of a heating arrangement according to embodiments of the invention is shown, wherein for the same features the same reference numerals are used. Also the heating blanket 24 comprises a heatable structure 10 with an electrically heatable grid structure 19 and a carrier layer 20. The heating blanket 24 is shown in its mounted state mounted on a wind turbine blade 1. The heating blanket 24 comprises a vacuum seal 25 arranged circumferentially at the outer edge of the heating blanket 24 to the carrier layer 20. Due to the vacuum seal 25, the heating blanket 24 can be pressed on the surface of the wind turbine blade 1, so that air, which is underneath the heating blanket 24, can be removed. The removal of the air underneath the heating blanket 24, a heat transfer from the heatable structure 10 to the wind turbine blade 1 can be improved since a higher amount of the heat transfer occurs by heat conduction instead of convection.

(19) In FIG. 6, one corner of the heating blanket is shown in an upward bended state allowing a view on the bottom side of the vacuum seal 25, which abuts the surface of the wind turbine blade 1 in the mounted state of the heating blanket 24. In this embodiment, the vacuum seal 25 is casted one piece with the carrier layer 20. The electrically heatable grid structure 19 is attached on the carrier layer 20. Both the carrier layer 20 and the vacuum seal 25 are made of silicone. The vacuum seal 25 comprises a seam 26 with a flat surface for sealing against the surface of the wind turbine blade 1 along the circumference of the heating blanket. The inner area of the vacuum seal 25 comprises a rough surface 27, allowing the formation of a vacuum underneath the heating blanket 24 by pressing it against the wind turbine blade 1. Also the surface of a carrier layer 20, which is abutting the surface of the wind turbine blade 1, can exhibit such a rough surface 27.

(20) In FIG. 7, a second embodiment of a heating arrangement 28 according to the invention is shown. The heating arrangement 28 comprises the heating blanket 24 and a pump 29. The pump 29 is connected via a tube 30 to a valve 43 of the heating blanket 24. By operation of the pump 29, a vacuum can be created underneath the heating blanket 24. The outer circumference of the heating blanket 24 is sealed against the surrounding by the vacuum seal 25 as previously described.

(21) In FIG. 8, a third embodiment of a heating arrangement 31 according to the invention is shown. The heating arrangement 31 comprises the heating blanket 9 as well as the vacuum bag 32. The vacuum bag 32 can be pulled over the heating blanket 9 and a part of the wind turbine blade 1, for instance the tip area 2. The vacuum bag 32 comprises an opening 33, wherein a vacuum seal 34 is attached to the opening 33, so that the vacuum seal 34 surrounds the opening 33 circumferentially. Inside the vacuum bag 32, a vacuum can be created using the pump 29 which is connected via the tube 30 to a valve 35 of the vacuum bag 32. The opening 33 of the vacuum bag 32 is sealed against the surrounding by the vacuum seal 34. By evacuating the vacuum bag 32, a vacuum is created also underneath the heating blanket 9, so that an improved heat flow from the heating blanket 9 to the wind turbine blade 1 is obtained.

(22) In FIG. 9, a fourth embodiment of a heating arrangement 36 according to the invention is shown. The heating arrangement 36 comprises a heating blanket 37, which is depicted in its mounted state to a segment of the leading edge 14 of the wind turbine blade 1. On the inside, the wind turbine blade 1 comprises a foam core 7 close to the tip as well as a hollow volume 8 expanding from the foam core 7 to the hub side end (not shown) of the wind turbine blade 1. The heating blanket 37 comprises a first individual heatable zone 38 and a second individually heatable zone 39. The first individual heatable zone 38 is realised as a tip zone being arranged close to an apex 40 of the tip. The second individually heatable zone 39 is directed to the hub-side end of the heating blanket 37 or the wind turbine blade 1, respectively. The first individually heatable zone 38 can have for instance a length of approximately 30 cm in axial direction of the wind turbine blade 1. Both the first individually heatable zone 38 and the second individually heatable zone 39 can be heated and controlled by the controller 23. For temperature controlling, each of the zones 38, 39 comprises a temperature sensor 21, which is connected via a cable 41 to the controller 23. Each heating zone 38, 39 comprises for instance an electrically heatable grid structure, so that the temperature of each of the zones 38, 39 can be set to different values controlled separately. The application of different temperatures to the zones 38, 39 has the advantage that the part of the wind turbine blade 1, which is hollow in the inside, can be heated with a different temperature than the tip portion comprising the foam core 7. Thermally induced damage by the heating blanket 37 during bonding of a protective shell to the wind turbine blade 1 can be avoided.

(23) For repair and/or during fabrication of the wind turbine blade 1, the adhesive layer 16 and the protective shell 17 are attached to the leading edge 14 of the wind turbine blade as shown in FIG. 2. Afterwards, by using a heating arrangement according to embodiments of the invention, the heating blanket of the heating arrangement is mounted to the leading edge 14 or to the segment of the leading edge 14 of the wind turbine blade 1, so that the fold 13 of the heating blanket abuts the edge 14 or the segment of the edge 14 and the first portion 11 and the second portion 12 of the heatable structure 10 of the heating blanket each abuts the surface of the wind turbine blade 1. Subsequently, the heating blanket is heated to activate the adhesive of the adhesive layer 16 and to permanently attach the protective shell 17 to the wind turbine blade 1. Once the adhesive of the adhesive layer 16 is cured, the heating blanket is removed from the wind turbine blade 1. Afterwards, a trimming or a grinding of the surface can be performed using respective tools or machines for creation of a smooth surface to improve the aerodynamic properties of the wind turbine blade 1.

(24) For improvement of the heat flow during the heating, a vacuum can be applied underneath the heating blanket as already described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. The removal of air underneath the heating blanket improves the heat flow from the heating blanket to the wind turbine blade 1 or the adhesive layer 16, respectively, and can significantly reduce the amount of time needed for a wind turbine blade repair. Especially when performing a repair on an already installed wind turbine, a reduction of the time for repairing significantly reduces the costs of the repair. Depending on the inner structure of the wind turbine blade 1 which is repaired, a heating blanket with two or more individually heatable zones can be used adapting a temperature and/or a temporal temperature characteristic to the inner structure of the wind turbine blade improving the results of the repair and the adhesion of the protective shell 17 to the wind turbine blade 1 as described with respect to FIG. 9.

(25) Although the present invention has been disclosed in the form of preferred embodiments and variations thereon, it will be understood that numerous additional modifications and variations could be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention.

(26) For the sake of clarity, it is to be understood that the use of “a” or “an” throughout this application does not exclude a plurality, and “comprising” does not exclude other steps or elements. The mention of a “unit” or a “module” does not preclude the use of more than one unit or module.