Anti-oscillation apparatus and technique for securing wind turbine blades against oscillations

摘要

The invention relates to a method of operating a wind turbine (1) to guard against oscillations of the wind turbine blades (5) when they are at a standstill or idling at low speeds, and to a wind turbine blade anti-oscillation apparatus (10). The apparatus comprises a releasably attachable blade cover (10) that provides a non-aerodynamic surface for a region of the blade. This has been found to prevent air flow adhering to the blade and periodically detaching in a phenomenon known as vortex shedding, and therefore prevents oscillations of the blade becoming problematic. The blade cover can comprise a sleeve (10) of a net-like material, that can be positioned on the blade either before installation or in the field by service engineers using guide lines 16 and 17.

主权项

1. A method of operating a wind turbine, comprising:
providing a wind turbine having a tower, a nacelle mounted to the tower, and a rotor rotatably mounted to the nacelle, the rotor comprising a hub and at least one blade mounted to the hub, the wind turbine having an operational mode and a non-operational mode, wherein when in the operational mode electrical energy is being supplied from the wind turbine, and wherein when in the non-operational mode the wind turbine rotor is installed but the wind turbine is selectively configured such that no electrical energy is being supplied from the wind turbine; and when the wind turbine is in the non-operational mode, the method further comprising:
releasably locking the at least one wind turbine blade in place;securing a releasably attachable temporary blade cover to the at least one wind turbine blade so that the blade cover covers a region of the blade surface; andmaintaining the blade cover on the at least one wind turbine blade during the non-operational period of the wind turbine, the blade cover providing a non-aerodynamic outer surface for inducing turbulence in the air flow across the blade so as to inhibit blade oscillations induced by the air flow across the blade.