Frontier Wind, LLC Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20140271212 | FAILSAFE SYSTEM FOR LOAD COMPENSATING DEVICE - An apparatus and system for automatically deploying an air deflector of a load compensating device when there is a loss of communication or power is provided. In some examples, the apparatus and system may include a spring configured to rotate a gear, thereby deploying the air deflector. In some arrangements, the spring may be a torsion spring and may be biased to rotate the gear when released from a hold position maintained by a latch. The latch may be controlled by a release mechanism, such as a solenoid, that may be configured to activate upon occurrence of a communication loss event. The release mechanism may release the latch, thereby releasing the spring and deploying the air deflector. | 09-18-2014 |
20140271193 | Load Distribution Estimation - A system and method for pressure based load measurement are provided. The system and method measure at least one pressure differential on an airfoil and determine at least one aerodynamic load associated with the at least one pressure differential. The determined at least one load is used to modify characteristics of the airfoil to increase efficiency and/or avoid damage. The determined at least one aerodynamic load may be further utilized to balance and/or optimize loads at the airfoil, estimate a load distribution along the airfoil used to derive other metrics about the airfoil, and/or used in a distributed control system to increase efficiency and/or reduce damage to, e.g., one or more wind turbines. | 09-18-2014 |
20140271191 | MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR LOAD COMPENSATING DEVICE - A mounting arrangement for a load compensating device is provided. The mounting arrangement includes a cover sheet connected to a housing via a plurality of protrusions. The cover sheet may form a portion of a surface of an airfoil rotor blade. The housing may include a plurality of clamps extending outward from the housing and configured to contact an inner surface of the airfoil rotor blade. By tightening the clamps onto the interior surface, the device is mounted to the blade and the cover sheet may deform to correspond to the airfoil geometry of the airfoil rotor blade. The mounting arrangement may further include a mounting plate configured to permit the housing to float within the aperture formed in the airfoil rotor blade, and a tab arranged on one end of the mounting plate to distribute centrifugal force to the surface of the airfoil rotor blade. | 09-18-2014 |
20140271187 | Distributed Control System - A system and method for pressure based load measurement are provided. The system and method measure at least one pressure differential on an airfoil and determine at least one aerodynamic load associated with the at least one pressure differential. The determined at least one load is used to modify characteristics of the airfoil to increase efficiency and/or avoid damage. The determined at least one aerodynamic load may be further utilized to balance and/or optimize loads at the airfoil, estimate a load distribution along the airfoil used to derive other metrics about the airfoil, and/or used in a distributed control system to increase efficiency and/or reduce damage to, e.g., one or more wind turbines. | 09-18-2014 |
20140271186 | Blade Balancing - A system and method for pressure based load measurement are provided. The system and method measure at least one pressure differential on an airfoil and determine at least one aerodynamic load associated with the at least one pressure differential. The determined at least one load is used to modify characteristics of the airfoil to increase efficiency and/or avoid damage. The determined at least one aerodynamic load may be further utilized to balance and/or optimize loads at the airfoil, estimate a load distribution along the airfoil used to derive other metrics about the airfoil, and/or used in a distributed control system to increase efficiency and/or reduce damage to, e.g., one or more wind turbines. | 09-18-2014 |
20140271185 | DETERMINING LOADS USING VARIOUS SENSOR LOCATIONS - A system and method for pressure based load measurement are provided. The system and method measure at least one pressure differential on an airfoil and determine at least one aerodynamic load associated with the at least one pressure differential. The determined at least one load is used to modify characteristics of the airfoil to increase efficiency and/or avoid damage. The determined at least one aerodynamic load may be further utilized to balance and/or optimize loads at the airfoil, estimate a load distribution along the airfoil used to derive other metrics about the airfoil, and/or used in a distributed control system to increase efficiency and/or reduce damage to, e.g., one or more wind turbines. | 09-18-2014 |
20140271184 | ACTUATION OF DISTRIBUTED LOAD MANAGEMENT DEVICES ON AERODYNAMIC BLADES - Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided for actuating less than all of a plurality of load management devices on a wind turbine and/or a wind turbine blade. In some embodiments, the actuation sequences may be a root-to-tip, tip-to root, maximum-distributed-load, random, and/or a cycle-count actuation sequence. Further, a combination of two or more actuation sequences may be utilized to achieve a desired result. The system may choose an appropriate blade-based and/or rotor-based actuation sequence according to operating conditions, may alternate actuation sequences, and/or may employ different actuation sequences among the plurality of blades of a wind turbine. The load management devices may be actuated to different maximum heights and/or may be configured to be actuated to variable heights. The load management devices may be included as part of a distributed management system providing a corresponding controller and/or sensor at each load management device. | 09-18-2014 |
20120263601 | Wind Turbine With Deployable Air Deflectors - An apparatus and system for compensating for various load situations in a turbine includes the use of one or more deployable devices configured to extend an air deflector outwardly from a surface of a rotor blade. The air deflector may subsequently be retracted into the rotor blade once the load falls below a certain threshold. Mechanisms for extending and retracting the air deflector may include pneumatic, hydraulic and/or electromechanical devices. Air deflectors are generally configured to modify the air flow around the rotor blade to increase or decrease power generation, or reduce loads so that the risk of potential damage to components of the wind turbine is minimized. Deflectors may be positioned at various chordwise stations including leading-edge, mid-chord, and trailing-edge locations on the upper and lower surfaces at spanwise positions. Accordingly, a plurality of devices can be actuated to aerodynamically control rotor performance and loads based on wind conditions. | 10-18-2012 |
20120248256 | Pressure Based Load Measurement - A system and method for a pressure based load measurement system are provided. The system includes two pressure orifices arranged on a top surface and a bottom surface of an airfoil. The pressure differential between these two points is determined and an estimate of the aerodynamic load generated by the airfoil is determined from a linear correlation between pressure differential and load. The location of the orifices may be optimized using analytical or experimental techniques and a least squares empirical curve fit may be used to fit the data collected. | 10-04-2012 |
20120243993 | Adjustable Height Pressure Sensing Port - An adjustable height pressure sensing port arrangement is provided. In some example, the pressure sensing port may be arranged on an airfoil, such as wind turbine blade. The pressure sensing port arrangement may include a pressure sensing port body and a spring arranged within the port body. The pressure sensing port arrangement may further include a pressure sensing port arranged vertically above the spring and a rotatable capture disk arranged vertically above the port. The capture disk may be rotated to adjust a height of the capture disk. Further, the spring may be arranged to force an alignment feature of the pressure sensing port into an alignment feature on the rotatable capture disk in order to secure the port and capture disk in place. | 09-27-2012 |
20120243989 | WIND TURBINE LOAD MITIGATION DEVICE AND PORT CONFIGURATION - An active sensing system for wind turbines is described. The sensing system may include a plurality of ports, a local sensing device and a load mitigation device and may be operably coupled to a control system. The plurality of ports, local sensing device, and load mitigation device may be operably coupled and configured to monitor air pressure on wind turbine blades, determine if proper sensing operation is occurring, and eradicate an obstruction if proper sensing operation is being prevented by the obstruction. Associated methods performing the sensing and eradication of the obstruction including purging and deicing are disclosed. Wind turbines and wind turbine blades with the active sensing system are also described. | 09-27-2012 |
20120243988 | PORT PURGING AND DEICING SYSTEM - An active sensing system for wind turbines is described. The sensing system may include a plurality of ports, a local sensing device and a load mitigation device and may be operably coupled to a control system. The plurality of ports, local sensing device, and load mitigation device may be operably coupled and configured to monitor air pressure on wind turbine blades, determine if proper sensing operation is occurring, and eradicate an obstruction if proper sensing operation is being prevented by the obstruction. Associated methods performing the sensing and eradication of the obstruction including purging and deicing are disclosed. Wind turbines and wind turbine blades with the active sensing system are also described. | 09-27-2012 |
20120243980 | Rotatable Dry Air Supply - A rotatable dry air supply system for a wind turbine is provided. The system includes a rotatable dry air supply housing connected to a rotatable hub having a plurality of wind turbine blades connected thereto. The housing is rotatable with the hub and includes a compressor and a moisture trap for removing moisture from the compressed air. The moisture trap may include a plurality of outlet ports arranged around a casing of the moisture trap. The moisture purged from the outlet ports may exit through a moisture outlet in the housing of the rotatable air supply. In some arrangements, the outlet may be heated. | 09-27-2012 |
20100266408 | Methods and System for Providing Power and Signals in a Turbine - Power and signals may be transmitted from a root portion of an extendable rotor blade to a moving tip portion using a slide block and a slide channel. The slide block is configured to fit within the slide channel and includes a conductive element that comes into contact with a conductive element of the slide channel. The tip portion may be attached to the slide block such that as the slide block moves along the slide channel, the tip portion is extended or retracted accordingly. The conductive elements may be fixed within each of the slide block and slide channel so that when the tip portion is retracted or extended, the conductive elements do not move. | 10-21-2010 |
20100266405 | Pressure Based Load Measurement - A system and method for a pressure based load measurement system are provided. The system includes two pressure orifices arranged on a top surface and a bottom surface of an airfoil. The pressure differential between these two points is determined and an estimate of the aerodynamic load generated by the airfoil is determined from a linear correlation between pressure differential and load. The location of the orifices may be optimized using analytical or experimental techniques and a least squares empirical curve fit may be used to fit the data collected. | 10-21-2010 |
20100260603 | Variable Length Wind Turbine Blade Having Transition Area Elements - A wind turbine blade having a longitudinal axis is provided. The wind turbine blade includes a root portion and a tip portion. The root portion has a supported end and an unsupported end. The tip portion is configured to be slidably received within the unsupported end of the root portion. A transverse gap is defined between the root portion and the tip portion. A transition element is affixed to the unsupported end of the root portion such that the transition element at least partially bridges the transverse gap. The wind turbine blade may further include blade cleaning elements and/or sensing elements, particularly in the vicinity of the transition element. | 10-14-2010 |
20100196159 | Mass-Centralizing Blade Extension Drive Mount Locations for a Wind Turbine - Drive units for variable-length rotor blades are located so as to move mass closer to the center of a wind turbine rotor. In some cases, drive units are located within a root portion of a base blade of a blade assembly. In other cases, drive units are located outside of the blade assemblies. In some such cases, drive units are contained within separate couplers used to connect blade assemblies to a wind turbine rotor hub. In other cases, one or more drive units are located within a rotor hub. | 08-05-2010 |
20100158687 | Control Modes for Extendable Rotor Blades - A wind turbine may be controlled in a variety of manners to optimize operating parameters. In one arrangement, for example, the length or the pitch of a wind turbine rotor blade may be adjusted to avoid harmonic resonance frequencies. In another example, the length of a rotor blade may be modified to reduce noise or to optimize profits or both. The controls may be based on data from various types of sensors including accelerometers, sound meters, strain gauges and the like. Actuation of extendable rotor blades can rotate wind turbine rotors without wind or generator pulsing affording multiple advantages. A battery test control may also be used to determine the operational readiness of a battery useful for a variety of purposes in a turbine. | 06-24-2010 |
20090285682 | Wind Turbine With Deployable Air Deflectors - An apparatus and system for compensating for various load situations in a turbine includes the use of one or more deployable devices configured to extend an air deflector outwardly from a surface of a rotor blade. The air deflector may subsequently be retracted into the rotor blade once the load falls below a certain threshold. Mechanisms for extending and retracting the air deflector may include pneumatic, hydraulic and/or electromechanical devices. Air deflectors are generally configured to modify the air flow around the rotor blade to increase or decrease power generation, or reduce loads so that the risk of potential damage to components of the wind turbine is minimized. Deflectors may be positioned at various chordwise stations including leading-edge, mid-chord, and trailing-edge locations on the upper and lower surfaces at spanwise positions. Accordingly, a plurality of devices can be actuated to aerodynamically control rotor performance and loads based on wind conditions. | 11-19-2009 |
20090284016 | Wind turbine with gust compensating air deflector - An apparatus and system for counteracting wind gusts and other high load situations in a wind turbine includes the use of one or more gust counteracting devices configured to extend an air deflector outwardly from a surface of a turbine rotor blade. The air deflector may subsequently be retracted into the rotor blade once the wind gust has subsided or once the load falls below a certain threshold. Mechanisms for extending and retracting the air deflector may include pneumatic or hydraulic systems and/or electromechanical devices. Air deflectors are generally configured to normalize air flow around the rotor blade so that the risk of potential damage to components of the wind turbine is minimized. In one arrangement, the gust counteracting device may be located at a leading section of the turbine blade. Additionally or alternatively, the device may be modular in nature to facilitate the removal and replacement of the device. | 11-19-2009 |