| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20080286110 | Wind-turbine blade and method for reducing noise in wind turbine - Low-noise wind turbine blades are provided wherein metallic and/or polymeric cellular materials that are capable of bearing directional loads are used in the construction of wind turbine blade parts or entire sections. The use of such materials influences the air flow over them in such a way that the resulting boundary-layer turbulence is damped in a controlled way, thus weakening the noise scattering mechanism at the trailing edge, and the scattered acoustic waves are absorbed and attenuated by the material acting as an acoustic liner. | 11-20-2008 |
| 20080317598 | Power loss reduction in turbulent wind for a wind turbine using localized sensing and control - A wind turbine blade assembly includes at least one local load sensor disposed on and/or within a surface of the wind turbine blade and at least one active flow modification device disposed on and/or within a surface of the wind turbine blade and configured to alter the aerodynamics of the wind turbine blade in response to real time local load sensor measurements such that a difference between a current angle of attack and an optimum angle of attack on the wind turbine blade is substantially minimized. | 12-25-2008 |
| 20090013532 | AIRFOILS FOR USE IN ROTARY MACHINES AND METHOD FOR FABRICATING SAME - A method of fabricating an airfoil is provided. The method includes fabricating at least one airfoil including a suction side and a pressure side coupled together at a leading edge and a trailing edge, wherein the airfoil includes a plurality of first and second chord sections each extending between the trailing and leading edges, wherein at least one of the first chord sections extends outward from the pressure side of the airfoil at the trailing edge, and at least one of the second chord sections extends outward from the suction side of the airfoil at the trailing edge. | 01-15-2009 |
| 20100080708 | SCALLOPED SURFACE TURBINE STAGE WITH TRAILING EDGE RIDGES - An engine stage includes a row of airfoils joined to corresponding platforms to define flow passages therebetween. Each airfoil includes opposite pressure and suction sides and extends in chord between opposite leading and trailing edges. Extending from a surface of the platforms is a trailing edge ridge structure which adjoins the pressure sides, suction sides, and trailing edges of the airfoils with their respective platforms. | 04-01-2010 |
| 20100104436 | ACTIVE CURCILATION CONTROL OF AERODYNAMIC STRUCTURES - Active Circulation Control (ACC) of aerodynamic structures, such as a turbine blade, uses unsteady or oscillatory flow from either synthetic jets or pulsed jets to modify a velocity profile of the blade. The blade includes an opening disposed in a surface of the blade at a location proximate to a trailing edge, a leading edge, or both the trailing edge and the leading edge of the blade. An active flow control device in fluid communication with the opening produces a wall-jet of pulsed fluid that flows over the trailing edge, the leading edge, or both the trailing and leading edges of the blade and modify the velocity profile of the blade. | 04-29-2010 |
| 20100129203 | Control of shockwave-boundarylayer-interaction using MEMS plasma devices - A micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) based aerodynamic actuator is configured to modify a shockwave boundary layer interaction and limit incident boundary layer growth caused by a reflected shockwave. | 05-27-2010 |
| 20100187366 | Reduction of Tip Vortex and Wake Interaction Effects in Energy and Propulsion Systems - An airfoil includes a plasma actuation surface integrated onto the airfoil surface. On the airfoil, the plasma actuation surface is configured to provide high-frequency plasma actuation along the plasma actuation surface such that excitation of the vortex flow or shear flow mitigates the vortex flow or the shear flow associated with the airfoil. | 07-29-2010 |
| 20110135467 | SYSTEM AND METHOD OF DEICING AND PREVENTION OR DELAY OF FLOW SEPARATION OVER WIND TURBINE BLADES - A system for deicing a wind turbine blade includes an electrically powered active plasma actuator applied to a desired portion of a wind turbine blade. The activated plasma actuator energizes the air in the vicinity of the plasma actuator to increase the surface temperature of the wind turbine blade in the vicinity of the plasma actuator sufficiently to reduce or eliminate the collection of ice on a desired portion of the wind turbine blade. | 06-09-2011 |