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WO2015048974A1 - Dégivrage par liquide chauffé - Google Patents

Dégivrage par liquide chauffé Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2015048974A1
WO2015048974A1 PCT/DK2014/050309 DK2014050309W WO2015048974A1 WO 2015048974 A1 WO2015048974 A1 WO 2015048974A1 DK 2014050309 W DK2014050309 W DK 2014050309W WO 2015048974 A1 WO2015048974 A1 WO 2015048974A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
liquid
wind turbine
heated liquid
blade
blades
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/DK2014/050309
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Torben Friis Baun
Peter LINDHOLST
Jesper Lykkegaard NEUBAUER
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Vestas Wind Systems AS
Original Assignee
Vestas Wind Systems AS
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Vestas Wind Systems AS filed Critical Vestas Wind Systems AS
Publication of WO2015048974A1 publication Critical patent/WO2015048974A1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F03D—WIND MOTORS
    • F03D80/00—Details, components or accessories not provided for in groups F03D1/00 - F03D17/00
    • F03D80/40—Ice detection; De-icing means
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/70—Wind energy
    • Y02E10/72—Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to heated liquid de-icing and, in particular, to the de- icing of wind turbine blades using a heated liquid.
  • Wind turbines effectively harvest wind energy to generate electrical power and are becoming increasingly popular as an alternative energy source to the traditional sources for generating electrical power.
  • Harvesting wind energy is considered to be a cleaner more sustainable source for the generation of electrical power.
  • wind turbines 101 typically comprise a tower 102 that is located on a foundation 103 (e.g. a solid foundation or a floating foundation, and so on), a nacelle 104 located on the tower 102 to house the electrical and mechanical apparatus, such as a gearbox, a generator, drive shafts, etc., and a rotor 105 with one or more turbine blades 106 connected to the nacelle 104 via a hub, as shown in Figure 1 .
  • the turbine blades are rotated by the incident wind energy which drives a generator to produce electrical power.
  • the operation of the wind turbine can be significantly degraded by ice accretion on the wind turbine blades.
  • ice accretion on the blades may change the aerodynamic shape of the blades and decrease the speed of rotation of the wind turbine resulting in significantly reduced electrical power production.
  • the ice accretion will also add weight to the blades causing increased loads on the wind turbine and potential stress failures of the blades amongst other disadvantages caused by the buildup of ice on the wind turbine blades.
  • the present invention seeks to address, at least in part, some or all of the problems and disadvantages described hereinabove.
  • a method comprising: supplying a heated liquid from a liquid reservoir to one or more wind turbine blades; and dispersing the heated liquid within the one or more wind turbine blades internal structure.
  • heated water is supplied from a liquid reservoir to or into the one or more wind turbine blades wherein the heated liquid is dispersed within the one or more wind turbine blades internal structure.
  • the wind turbine blades can be de-iced as the dispersed heated liquid may impact the internal structure of the wind turbine blades and transfer heat from the heated liquid to the blade structure.
  • the transfer of heat to the blade structure heats and raises the temperature of the blade structure thereby de-icing the wind turbine blade.
  • the heated liquid may also transfer heat to the air in the blade which may in turn transfer heat to the blade structure thereby further enhancing the de-icing of the blade.
  • the heated liquid may also generate steam or evaporated heated liquid which may also heat the blade structure and further enhance the de-icing of the wind turbine blade.
  • the method may further comprise aligning the one or more blades in a de-icing position to enable the heated liquid to be supplied to the one or more wind turbine blades.
  • the wind turbine blades may be aligned in a de-icing position.
  • the de-icing position may be any suitable position at which the wind turbine blades can be de- iced.
  • the de-icing position may include positioning the wind turbine blade above the horizontal position, or below the horizontal position.
  • Aligning the one or more blades in a de-icing position may comprise aligning one or more blade couplings with respective one or more hub couplings to enable the supply of heated liquid to the one or more wind turbine blades.
  • one or more couplings for the inflow of heated water to the blade and for the outflow of cooled water from the blade are aligned with the respective couplings in the hub when the blade is in a de-ice position.
  • Aligning the one or more blades in a de-icing position may comprise positioning one or more wind turbine blades in an above horizontal position. By positioning the blade(s) to be de-iced in an above horizontal position means that the cooled liquid can, under the influence of gravity, return or collect in the root end of the blade.
  • the method may further comprise opening one or more valves to enable the supply of heated liquid to the one or more wind turbine blades.
  • Each of the one or more wind turbine blades may be supplied with the heated liquid sequentially.
  • each blade may be individually supplied with heated liquid to de-ice each blade independently.
  • Two or more wind turbine blades may be supplied with the heated liquid
  • more than one blade may be supplied with the heated liquid at any one time in order to de-ice more than one blade at any time.
  • Dispersing the heated liquid may comprise supplying the heated liquid through one or more feed lines within the wind turbine blade; and spraying via a plurality of nozzles the heated liquid into the one or more wind turbine blades internal structure from the one or more feed lines.
  • Inside or internal to the blade there may be one or more feed lines which may include a plurality of nozzles such that the heated liquid may be sprayed into the internal cavity of the blade via the nozzles on or in the feed line(s) in the blade.
  • the heated liquid may be supplied from the liquid reservoir under sufficient pressure that the heated liquid is sufficiently dispersed from the nozzles such that it may impact the internal structure of the blade shell.
  • the feed line(s) may be any appropriate dimension or size to further enhance the dispersal of the heated liquid within the blade.
  • the nozzles may be formed as part of the feed line(s), e.g. openings in the feed line(s), or may be attached or connected to the feed line(s).
  • feed lines in the blade there may be any number of feed lines in the blade.
  • the feed line(s) may be substantially straight, "T” shaped, “V” shaped, “VV” shaped, or any suitable shape, or combination of shapes, to effectively and efficiently de-ice the blade and substantially cover the internal blade structure with heated liquid when heated liquid is dispersed within the blade cavity.
  • the nozzles may be positioned or located circumferentially around the one or more feed lines within the wind turbine blades.
  • the nozzles may be evenly positioned or located along the one or more feed lines within the blade.
  • the nozzles may be unevenly positioned or located along the one or more feed lines within the blade.
  • a greater proportion of nozzles may be positioned or located along the one or more feed lines towards the centre area of the wind turbine blade than towards a root end of the blade and/or a tip end of the wind turbine blade.
  • there may be a greater concentration or number of nozzles towards the centre of the blade or where there is a greater surface area of the blade to be de-iced using the heated liquid.
  • The may further comprise draining cooled liquid from the one or more wind turbine blades. Once the heated liquid has been dispersed within the blade the heated liquid may transfer heat to the blade and/or air within the blade and will cool. The cooled liquid may then be drained from the blade.
  • the method may further comprise collecting the cooled liquid; and returning or pumping the cooled liquid to the liquid reservoir.
  • the cooled liquid may be collected in the blade and returned to the liquid reservoir by, for example, pumping it from the blade or sucking the cooled liquid out of the blade via a pump.
  • the method may further comprise opening one or more valves to enable the cooled liquid to return to the liquid reservoir via a return line.
  • the method may further comprise supplying the heated liquid to one or more wind turbine blades until a predetermined threshold is exceeded.
  • the predetermined threshold may include one or more of a temperature of the one or wind turbine blades structure, a temperature of the heated liquid, a temperature of cooled liquid, a predefined time period. Accordingly, the wind turbine blade(s) may be supplied with heated liquid to be dispersed within the blade(s) until a predetermined threshold is met, meaning that the blade has been de-iced or substantially de-iced.
  • the method may further comprise determining if all of the wind turbine blades have been subjected to heated liquid; and if one or more wind turbine blades have not been subjected to heated liquid then aligning the one or more wind turbine blades that have not been subjected to heated liquid to enable the heated liquid to be supplied to the one or more wind turbine blades. Therefore, if any wind turbine blades have not been subjected to heated liquid de-icing then the blade(s) which have not been de-iced may be aligned in a de-icing position to enable the heated liquid to be supplied to and dispersed within those blade(s).
  • the method may further comprise determining whether all or substantially all of the cooled liquid has been removed from the blade.
  • the blade may be held or further actions (e.g. moving another blade to the de-icing position, re-starting operation of the wind turbine, and so on) may be delayed or prevented from operating until it is determined that all or substantially all of the cooled liquid has been returned to the liquid reservoir.
  • the method may wait a predefined time period, or may receive input from one or more sensors in the blade which indicate that the cooled liquid has been removed or substantially removed from the blade.
  • the method may further comprise determining whether all of the wind turbine blades have been de-iced or substantially de-iced. If it is determined that one or more of the wind turbine blades have ice accretion then the heated liquid de-icing process may be repeated.
  • a heated liquid de-icing system comprising: a liquid reservoir containing a liquid; a heating element for heating the liquid; one or more feed lines for supplying the heated liquid to one or more wind turbine blades; and one or more nozzles on the feed line for dispersing the heated liquid within the one or more wind turbine blades.
  • the heated liquid de-icing system may further comprise one or more actuators between a wind turbine nacelle and a wind turbine hub to enable to the flow of heated liquid from the nacelle to the hub.
  • the heated liquid de-icing system may further comprise one or more hub couplings in the hub; and one or more blade couplings in a wind turbine blade, wherein the one or more wind turbine blades are positioned such that the one or more hub couplings and a corresponding the one or more blade couplings are aligned to supply heated liquid to the wind turbine blade from the hub.
  • the heated liquid de-icing system may further comprise one or more valves to enable and disable a supply of heated liquid to one or more wind turbine blades.
  • the one or more feed lines may extend from a root end of the wind turbine blade to, or near to, a tip end of the wind turbine blade. There may be any number of feed lines within a wind turbine blade.
  • the nozzles may be positioned circumferentially around the one or more feed lines within the wind turbine blades.
  • the nozzles may be evenly positioned along the one or more feed lines.
  • the nozzles may be unevenly positioned along the one or more feed lines.
  • a greater proportion of nozzles may be positioned along the one or more feed lines towards the centre area of the wind turbine blade than towards a root end of the blade and/or a tip end of the wind turbine blade.
  • the heated liquid de-icing system may further comprise one or more drains positioned within the one or more wind turbine blades to return cooled liquid to the liquid reservoir.
  • the drain may further comprise a collector to collect the cooled liquid.
  • the heated liquid de-icing system may further comprise one or more return lines to return the cooled liquid to the liquid reservoir.
  • the heated liquid de-icing system may further comprise one or more pumps to pump the cooled liquid to the liquid reservoir.
  • the heated liquid de-icing system may further comprise one or more valves to control a flow of cooled liquid to the liquid reservoir.
  • a wind turbine comprising a heated liquid de-icing system as defined by any one, or any combination, of the features described hereinabove.
  • a controller for controlling a heated liquid de-icing system and implementing any one, or any combination, of the features described hereinabove.
  • Figure 1 shows a typical wind turbine.
  • Figure 2 shows a liquid de-icing arrangement in accordance with many of the embodiments of the present invention.
  • Figure 3 shows a flow chart of a control process according to many of the embodiments of the present invention.
  • Figure 1 shows a typical wind turbine 101 which comprises a tower 102 located on a foundation 103 (e.g. a solid foundation or a floating foundation), a nacelle 104 located on the tower 102 to house the electrical and mechanical apparatus, such as a gearbox, a generator, drive shafts, (not shown for ease of illustration) and a rotor 105 with one or more turbine blades 106 connected to the nacelle 104 via a hub, as shown in Figure 1 .
  • the wind turbine comprises three blades, however as will be appreciated, the wind turbine may comprise one or more blades as required by the particular design of wind turbine.
  • the wind turbine shown in Figure 1 is a horizontal axis wind turbine, meaning the blades rotate around a substantially horizontal axis, however as will be appreciated, the wind turbine may be a vertical axis wind turbine with the blades rotating around a substantially vertical axis.
  • the blades of a wind turbine can be subjected to a buildup of ice which degrades the performance of the wind turbine and may cause failures of the blades.
  • heated liquid is dispersed into the blade in order to heat the blade surface and/or shell structure.
  • Liquid such as water
  • the heat transfer coefficient of water is significantly greater than other mediums such as air.
  • the heat transfer coefficient of water is approximately 500 to 10,000 W/m 2 K whilst the heat transfer coefficient of air is approximately 10 to 100 W/m 2 K.
  • the use of heated liquid to de-ice wind turbine blades has greater efficiency and effectiveness over other mediums such as air.
  • FIG. 2 shows a simplified view of the heated liquid arrangement 201 of many embodiments of the present invention.
  • a liquid reservoir 202 within a nacelle 203 and a hub 204 that is connected to one or more blades 205.
  • the hub 204 is connected to the nacelle 203 such that the hub will rotate in operation.
  • other mechanical e.g. generator, drive shafts, and so on
  • electrical systems e.g. control systems
  • Three blades are shown in Figure 2 however, as will be appreciated, there may be any number of blades connected to the hub.
  • the liquid reservoir 202 stores the liquid solution that may be dispersed into the blades.
  • the liquid solution may be any suitable liquid such as water, salt water, oil, hydraulic oil, or any other suitable liquid.
  • the liquid includes an anti-freeze agent such as a Glycol based anti-freeze agent to ensure that both the liquid in the reservoir 202 and the liquid dispersed into the blade does not freeze, as this may damage the heated liquid arrangement and/or the wind turbine blades.
  • the liquid is a mixture of 50% water and 50% glycol based anti- freeze agent to prevent the liquid from freezing down to -40 Degrees Celsius (°C).
  • the mix of liquid to anti-freeze agent may be any suitable mix that prevents the liquid from freezing in the location, and under the environmental conditions at the location, that the wind turbine is operating.
  • the liquid reservoir 202 includes a heating element 206 to heat the liquid in the reservoir to a predetermined temperature.
  • predetermined temperature to which the heating element 206 heats the liquid in the reservoir in these embodiments is 80 °C.
  • the predetermined temperature may be any suitable temperature that enables the de- icing of the blades when the heated liquid is dispersed in the blades.
  • the predetermined temperature may be any temperature between 50°C and 90°C, and in particular in the range of 60°C and 80°C.
  • the liquid reservoir 202 in these embodiments is shown in Figure 2 to be a separate reservoir located in the nacelle 203 of the wind turbine that is specific for the purpose of de-icing the wind turbine blades.
  • the liquid reservoir could be located in a tower of the wind turbine, hub of the wind turbine, in the wind turbine blades, or any other suitable location in the wind turbine or in proximity to the wind turbine (e.g. a tank of liquid that may be used by one or more wind turbines to feed the de-icing arrangement).
  • the liquid reservoir may form part of another system in the wind turbine, for example, the coolant system.
  • the coolant system of the wind turbine is utilized to provide the liquid to the de-icing arrangement then the coolant liquid may be heated by a heating element external to the coolant reservoir or a heating element inside the coolant reservoir.
  • the liquid reservoir 202 located in the nacelle 203 further includes an output 207, for the heated liquid to exit the liquid reservoir 203, and an input 208, for the return liquid to return to the liquid reservoir 203.
  • the output 207 may include a pumping mechanism 209 to pump the heated liquid towards the blades 205.
  • the heated liquid may be pumped at a suitable pressure to force the heated liquid into one or more blades at the same time and to suitably disperse the heated liquid into the internal structure of the blades.
  • a feed line 210 e.g. a pipe or hose is connected to the pumping mechanism 209 at the output 207 of the liquid reservoir to enable the heated liquid to flow towards and into the wind turbine blade 205 via the hub 204, as will be described in more detail below.
  • a return line 21 1 (e.g. a pipe or hose) is connected to the input 208 to enable the liquid returning from the blades to enter the liquid reservoir for re-heating, as required.
  • the input 208 may also include a suction pump to draw the cooled liquid from the blades back to the liquid reservoir.
  • there may be one or more pumps located in the blades and/or the hub to pump the cooled liquid out of the blades and return the liquid to the liquid reservoir.
  • the system may incorporate a vacuum to enable the cooled liquid to be returned to the liquid reservoir.
  • feed lines and return lines described hereinabove are preferably formed from non-metallic material so as to prevent lightning strike on the blades, hub, and or nacelle.
  • the feed line 210 and the return line 21 1 are connected to one or more actuators 212 and to one or more hub couplings 213.
  • the actuator 212 enables the heated liquid to flow from the effectively stationary nacelle 203 to the hub 204 which, in operation, is rotating.
  • the actuator 212 also enables used and cooled liquid to return from the hub 204 to the input of the liquid reservoir 202 in the nacelle 203. Whilst the wind turbine is in operation the hub 204 will be rotating and therefore the actuator 212, or other suitable connection, enables the liquid to pass between the effectively stationary nacelle 203 and the rotating hub 204 during operation of the wind turbine.
  • the liquid may not pass between the nacelle and hub whilst the hub is rotating and as such the actuator maintains a connection between the nacelle and hub which does not get twisted or tangled so that when the hub stops rotating the liquid can pass between the nacelle and hub.
  • the hub coupling 213 provides a connection point for the blades 205 such that the heated liquid can flow into the blades 205 and the cooled liquid to flow out of the blades 205.
  • the hub coupling provides a connection on the hub side for the respective feed line to the blade and the return line from the blade.
  • each blade 205 includes a blade coupling 214 which when aligned with the hub coupling 213 enables the liquid to flow into and out of the blade.
  • the hub coupling 213 and the blade coupling 214 when aligned may mate using magnets, pins, or any other suitable mating means to enable the hub coupling 213 and the blade coupling 214 to connect and enable the liquid to flow in and out of the blade.
  • the blade coupling therefore provides a connection on the blade side for the respective feed line to the blade and the return line from the blade.
  • the feed line 210 and return line 21 1 are installed from the liquid reservoir to the hub coupling(s) in the hub and from the blade coupling in each of the one or more blades 205 to extend into the blade internal cavity.
  • the feed line and return line may be installed through the same ducting and openings as the electrical wiring or other pipework in the nacelle, hub and/or blades. Alternatively, or additionally, further openings or ducting may be implemented in the nacelle, hub and/or blades in order to enable the feed line and the return line to be appropriately positioned in the wind turbine.
  • the separate feed line 210 and return line 21 1 may be considered as one continuous feed line and one continuous return line from the liquid reservoir through to the internal structure of the blade.
  • the separate feed line and return line may be installed or implemented in separate sections.
  • the feed line may include one or more hose/pipe sections from the liquid reservoir to the actuator, from the actuator to the hub coupling, from the blade coupling into the blade.
  • a similar arrangement may be implemented for the return line in the wind turbine.
  • the feed line and return line may be installed in as many sections that are suitable for the implementation of the feed line and return line.
  • the feed line and the return line may be different material, shape, size, opening diameters, and so on, in each of the sections as appropriate to enable the flow of liquid into the blade from the liquid reservoir and out from the blade to the liquid reservoir.
  • the feed line enters the blade 205 at the blade root end 215 and extends from the root end 215 of the blade towards the tip end 216 of the turbine blade.
  • the feed line 210 may extend the total distance from the blade root end to the blade tip end or may extend a sufficient distance towards the root tip that enables the root tip to be heated by the heated liquid once it is dispersed into the blade.
  • the feed line may extend to, for example, 1 metre from the tip end of the blade.
  • the feed line may form an "S" shape, "U” shape, ⁇ " shape, "V” shape, “VV” shape, or any other shape so as to be able to sufficiently disperse the heated liquid towards the substantial majority of the internal surface of the blade structure.
  • nozzles 217 Spaced along the feed line 210 in the blade are one or more nozzles 217 to disperse the heated liquid into the blade structure.
  • the heated liquid may be dispersed by, for example, spraying the heated liquid towards the internal shell structure of the blade 205.
  • the nozzles 217 may be a separate nozzle structure attached to the feed line 210 or the nozzles 217 may be integrated into the feed line by, for example, one or more holes in the feed line 210.
  • the nozzles 217 may extend radially around the circumference of the feed line 210. Alternatively, the nozzles 217 may be spaced at predetermined angles around the circumference of the feed line 210, for example, every 15 degrees, every 20 degrees, every 30 degrees, every 45 degrees, and so on.
  • the extent of the nozzle coverage around the circumference of the feed line is any such configuration/arrangement that enables the heated liquid to be sufficiently dispersed in the blade so as to effectively and efficiently heat the shell structure of the blade to substantially remove the ice accretion from the blade.
  • the number of nozzles located along the feed line within the blade will be any suitable number that enables the majority or substantially all the internal surface area of the blade structure to be subject to the dispersed heated liquid.
  • the nozzles for dispersing the heated liquid may disperse, e.g. spray, the heated liquid perpendicular to the feed line or spray the heated liquid in, for example, a fan shape. If the heated liquid is dispersed in a fan shape then the fan shape may cover any suitable angle, for example, 45 degrees.
  • the nozzles may be positioned evenly along the feed line, e.g. every 5
  • centimetres 10 centimetres, 20 centimetres, 50 centimetres, and so on, or may be unevenly positioned depending on the area of the internal blade structure that is to be covered. For example, in a middle section of the blade there is a greater area of internal blade structure to be de-iced than, for example, towards the tip end of the blade and as such there may be a greater concentration of nozzles in the middle section of the blade than towards the tip end of the blade.
  • one or more nozzles may be positioned on the end of the feed line such that heated liquid may be dispersed at and into the blade tip end of the blade.
  • the substantial majority of the heated liquid dispersed inside the blade structure may impact the internal surface of the shell structure of the blade causing the heat from the heated liquid to be transferred to the shell structure in order to heat the shell structure of the blade from the inside.
  • the dispersed heated liquid may additionally and advantageously heat the air inside the blade by transferring heat from the heated liquid to the air. Accordingly, the heated air may further transfer heat to the internal blade structure so that any areas of the internal blade structure that are not directly impacted by the heated liquid may also be subject to heating.
  • the heated liquid may also cause or generate heated steam or evaporated heated liquid within the blade internal cavity which may further aid the heating of the blade shell structure.
  • the dispersed liquid will then cool and, in many of the embodiments, is collected and returned to the liquid reservoir for re-heating and to again be dispersed inside the blade whilst the blade is being de-iced.
  • the cooled liquid within the blade structure may be collected and returned to the liquid reservoir by one or more arrangements.
  • the blade 205 is positioned above the horizontal during the heated liquid de-icing process so that the cooled dispersed liquid flows towards the root end 215 of the blade.
  • the cooled liquid flows to the root end of the blade under the influence of gravity.
  • a drain 218 may be located towards or in the root end 215 of the blade 205 to drain the cooled liquid into the return line 21 1.
  • An additional collecting member 219 may also be implemented in the blade to stop and collect the cooled liquid at the root end of the blade.
  • a vacuum in the de-icing system or arrangement may enable the cooled liquid to be "sucked" back along the return line to the liquid reservoir.
  • a pump may be located at the root end of the blade in order to pump the cooled liquid back to the liquid reservoir 202.
  • the pump may alternatively, or additionally, be provided at the liquid reservoir end 220 in order to suck the cooled liquid from the blade.
  • the cooled liquid may flow towards and collect at the tip end 216 of the blade 205.
  • a collector, a drain and/or pump arrangement may be implemented towards the tip end 216 of the blade 205 in order to return the cooled liquid back to the liquid reservoir.
  • one or more drains and one or more return lines may be implemented along the leading edge of the blade 205 and/or the trailing edge of the blade 205.
  • One or more pumps may also be implemented in the trailing edge region of the blade and or in the leading edge region of the blade so as to collect and return the cooled liquid to the liquid reservoir.
  • the different arrangements for returning the cooled liquid to the liquid reservoir may be implemented in the blade. Accordingly, one or more of the different arrangements described hereinabove for returning the cooled liquid to the liquid reservoir may be combined and implemented in the blade to ensure that the cooled liquid can be collected and returned to the liquid reservoir.
  • the heated liquid de-icing may be utilized whilst the blades are in any position, e.g. above the horizontal position or below the horizontal position, and could effectively be utilized whilst the blades are stopped, e.g. not rotating, or whilst the blades are rotating as the cooled liquid will be efficiently and effectively collected, drained from the blade and returned to the liquid reservoir by any of, or a combination of, the arrangements described hereinabove.
  • one or more valves 221 may be implemented to open and close the feed line and the return line.
  • the feed line there may be a valve on the output of the liquid reservoir, and/or a valve in the hub, and/or a valve in the blades, to control the flow of heated liquid into the blade.
  • a valve or combination of valves in the feed line may be a single valve or combination of valves in the feed line to ensure that the flow of heated liquid can be controlled.
  • the return line there may be a valve on the input of the liquid reservoir, and/or a valve in the hub, and/or a valve in the blades, to control the flow of the return cooled liquid from the blade.
  • There may be a single valve or combination of valves in the return line to ensure that the flow of the return cooled liquid can be controlled.
  • the heated liquid de-icing arrangement is a closed loop system.
  • the heated liquid de-icing arrangement may be an open loop system with the liquid to be heated and dispersed in the blades originating from the sea, ocean or lake for a floating wind turbine, or a wind turbine located offshore, or the liquid may originate from a mains water supply or other supply of liquid such as an external tank of liquid that may be used by one or more turbines.
  • the heated liquid de-icing arrangement is an open loop system then the liquid may be combined with an anti-freeze solution, such as a Glycol based agent, before being heated and/or dispersed in the blades.
  • the cooled liquid may be drained external to the wind turbine, for example, into an external tank, a drainage system, or into a body of water such as the ocean.
  • the cooled liquid could effectively be drained out of the blade directly, e.g. by a valve or hole in the blade, or may be removed via a return line to the external tank, drainage system, or body of water.
  • the heated liquid arrangement described hereinabove can be used to effectively reduce or substantially remove ice accretion from the wind turbine blades in cold conditions by transferring heat from the heated liquid to the structure of the wind turbine blades.
  • the heat transfer may be achieved by direct transfer of heat from the heated liquid on impacting the internal structure of the blade when dispersed from the feed line. Additionally, heat from the heated liquid may also heat the air within the wind turbine blade which in turn may further heat the structure of the wind turbine blade.
  • control process 301 utilises the heated liquid de-icing
  • step 302 it is determined that ice accretion has built up on one or more blades and the heated liquid de-icing process is to be initiated.
  • the determination of ice accretion on the blades may be made via any suitable mechanism, for example, monitoring the power output of the wind turbine, monitoring the environmental conditions, visual inspections via cameras, blade profiling, and so on.
  • step 303 the blades are moved to a first de-icing position in which they are positioned such that at least one blade is above the horizontal position.
  • a single blade is de-iced using the heated liquid at any one time.
  • the blade to be de-iced by the heated liquid is positioned such that it is above the horizontal and the blade coupling is aligned with the hub coupling to allow the heated liquid to flow into the blade and the cooled liquid to flow out of the blade, once the heated liquid de-icing is activated.
  • the blades may be positioned by utilizing the wind conditions and parking the rotor once the blades are in the correct initial position for the heated liquid de-icing process. If the wind turbine cannot use the wind conditions to position the blades then the rotor of the wind turbine may be driven or rotated using a motor mode of operation where electrical power is used to drive the rotor and position the blades accordingly into the initial position.
  • a wind turbine may have any number of wind turbine blades in any arrangement and therefore, the blades may be moved to an initial position where at least one blade is above the horizontal position.
  • the heated liquid de-icing is initiated for the blade that is positioned above the horizontal position.
  • the liquid reservoir containing, for example, a water and glycol based anti-freeze agent mixture, is heated to a predetermined temperature, which in this
  • the heating of the liquid may be started once it is determined that there is ice accretion on the blades, or the liquid may be maintained at the predetermined temperature in the liquid reservoir.
  • the valves controlling the flow of liquid into those blades are opened and the pump activated allowing the heated liquid to flow into the feed line for the blade from the liquid reservoir.
  • the heated liquid is then dispersed in the internal structure of the blades via the nozzles on the one or more feed lines within the blade.
  • the heated liquid is effectively sprayed onto the internal structure of the blades, thereby transferring heat to the blade structure enabling the ice to be melted, or the bond between the ice and the outer surface of the blade to be weakened allowing the ice to be removed from the blade.
  • step 305 the control process determines whether a predetermined threshold has been exceeded.
  • the predetermined threshold may be a temperature, for example, the temperature of the blade structure, the internal temperature of the blade, and/or the
  • the predetermined threshold may be a time period, for example, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, or any suitable time period that allows the heat transfer from the heated liquid to the blade structure to effectively de-ice the turbine blade.
  • the time period may be a set value or may be dependent on the ambient conditions, for example, the colder the external temperature the greater the predetermined time period and therefore the time period may be dependent on the environmental conditions to allow the blade to be de-iced. If the predetermined threshold is not yet exceeded then the process continues to disperse heated liquid into the blade. If the predetermined threshold is exceeded then, in step 306, it is determined whether all of the blades have been subject to heated liquid de-icing.
  • the blades are rotated so that a blade which has not been subjected to heated liquid de-icing is positioned above the horizontal and the blade coupling is aligned with the hub coupling to enable the flow of liquid to and from the blade.
  • the control process may also determine whether all the cooled liquid has been collected and drained from the blade prior to rotating the blades to subject the next blade to the heated liquid de-icing.
  • the blade may include one or more sensors located at or near to the drain location(s) to indicate whether the cooled liquid has sufficiently drained or the blades will be prevented from rotating for a period of time, e.g. 5 minutes, or any suitable time period to ensure that the cooled liquid is sufficiently drained from the blade.
  • the blades may be re-positioned using the wind conditions to rotate the rotor or the blades may be re-positioned by activating a motor mode of operation in which the rotor is driven to rotate.
  • step 307 once it is identified that the next blade to be subject to the heated liquid de-icing has been aligned with the hub coupling and is positioned above the horizontal then the heated liquid de-icing may then be initiated for the next blade.
  • the control process returns to step 304 to subject the blade to heated liquid de- icing and the process is repeated until it is determined in step 306 that all the blades have been subject to heated liquid de-icing at which the control process moves onto step 308.
  • step 308 the de-icing process may end and the wind turbine is able to return to normal operation as the heated liquid de-icing will have removed or substantially removed the ice accretion on the blades.
  • determination may be made to check whether the blades have been sufficiently de-iced and, if not, then the de-icing process may be repeated to ensure that the ice accretion on the blades has been sufficiently removed.
  • the determination to check whether the blades have been sufficiently de-iced may be made utilizing the same method for determining the ice accretion, or by any suitable method, e.g. ambient conditions, and/or blade sensors, and/or visual inspections, and so on.
  • a single blade was de-iced at any one time using the heated liquid arrangement.
  • more than one blade may be simultaneously de-iced using heated liquid.
  • two blades may be positioned above the horizontal position in a ⁇ " shape and each of the two blades above the horizontal position may be aligned with corresponding hub couplings to enable the liquid to flow into and out of the two blades.
  • the remaining blade of a three blade arrangement may then be de-iced separately or in combination with another blade so that one or more blades are de-iced twice.
  • the initial position and the position of the blades for heated liquid de-icing was above horizontal so that the cooled liquid in the blades flows to the root end of the blade under the influence of gravity.
  • the heated liquid arrangement may include one or more drainage points towards the tip end of the blade and therefore, the control process may initially position the blades below the horizontal position so that, under the influence of gravity, the cooled liquid flows towards the tip end of the blade.
  • the trailing edge and/or leading edge of the blade may include one or more drainage points and therefore the blades could be de-iced using the heated liquid at any position. It will also be appreciated that with a combination of one or more of the drainage points that the blade could be de-iced using heated liquid whilst rotating.
  • the control process may be implemented by a controller (wherein the controller may include one or more processors, inputs, outputs, memory, and so on) in the wind turbine.
  • the controller may be an existing controller within the wind turbine or may be a controller specific to controlling the de-icing process. Alternatively, or additionally, the controller may be part of a wind power plant control system.
  • the de-icing arrangement advantageously enables heated liquid to be dispersed within one or more turbine blades to efficiently and effectively heat the interior and/or the shell structure of the wind turbine blades in order to remove ice accretion from the wind turbine blades. While embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that such embodiments are described by way of example only.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Sustainable Development (AREA)
  • Sustainable Energy (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Wind Motors (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un dégivrage par liquide chauffé, au moins une aube de turbine éolienne étant alimentée en liquide chauffé provenant d'un réservoir de liquide, et le liquide chauffé alimenté étant dispersé dans ladite au moins une structure interne d'aube de turbine éolienne aux fins d'un dégivrage efficace et substantiel de ladite au moins une aube de turbine éolienne.
PCT/DK2014/050309 2013-10-04 2014-10-02 Dégivrage par liquide chauffé Ceased WO2015048974A1 (fr)

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DKPA201370553 2013-10-04

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WO2015048974A1 true WO2015048974A1 (fr) 2015-04-09

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CN107676233A (zh) * 2017-11-09 2018-02-09 华润电力投资有限公司深圳分公司 一种风力发电机组及其叶片除冰系统
CN108167142A (zh) * 2017-12-26 2018-06-15 湖北三江航天红阳机电有限公司 一种激光去除风机叶片表面覆冰的方法和装置
CN108180120A (zh) * 2017-12-26 2018-06-19 湖北三江航天红阳机电有限公司 一种激光去除风机叶片表面覆冰的方法和装置
CN108700042A (zh) * 2016-03-01 2018-10-23 9719245加拿大公司 风轮机叶片除冰系统和方法
CN110454336A (zh) * 2019-08-26 2019-11-15 安徽理工大学 一种风力机叶片表面除冰装置
CN110486222A (zh) * 2019-09-05 2019-11-22 国电联合动力技术有限公司 一种防冰风电叶片及风电叶片防止结冰的方法
CN113167868A (zh) * 2018-12-10 2021-07-23 爱贝欧汽车系统有限公司 用于传感器的除冰系统
CN113187677A (zh) * 2021-05-24 2021-07-30 中广核新能源蚌埠有限公司 一种叶片防覆冰装置
CN115539333A (zh) * 2021-06-30 2022-12-30 北京金风科创风电设备有限公司 叶片除冰装置、风力发电机组和叶片除冰方法

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WO2013091648A1 (fr) * 2011-12-21 2013-06-27 Vestas Wind Systems A/S Pale d'éolienne

Cited By (11)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN108700042A (zh) * 2016-03-01 2018-10-23 9719245加拿大公司 风轮机叶片除冰系统和方法
EP3423712A4 (fr) * 2016-03-01 2019-10-09 9719245 Canada Inc. Systèmes et procédés de dégivrage de pale d'éolienne
US10823152B2 (en) 2016-03-01 2020-11-03 Borealis Wind Inc. Wind turbine blade de-icing systems and methods
CN107676233A (zh) * 2017-11-09 2018-02-09 华润电力投资有限公司深圳分公司 一种风力发电机组及其叶片除冰系统
CN108167142A (zh) * 2017-12-26 2018-06-15 湖北三江航天红阳机电有限公司 一种激光去除风机叶片表面覆冰的方法和装置
CN108180120A (zh) * 2017-12-26 2018-06-19 湖北三江航天红阳机电有限公司 一种激光去除风机叶片表面覆冰的方法和装置
CN113167868A (zh) * 2018-12-10 2021-07-23 爱贝欧汽车系统有限公司 用于传感器的除冰系统
CN110454336A (zh) * 2019-08-26 2019-11-15 安徽理工大学 一种风力机叶片表面除冰装置
CN110486222A (zh) * 2019-09-05 2019-11-22 国电联合动力技术有限公司 一种防冰风电叶片及风电叶片防止结冰的方法
CN113187677A (zh) * 2021-05-24 2021-07-30 中广核新能源蚌埠有限公司 一种叶片防覆冰装置
CN115539333A (zh) * 2021-06-30 2022-12-30 北京金风科创风电设备有限公司 叶片除冰装置、风力发电机组和叶片除冰方法

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