Abstract
In order to tackle the problem of the high failure rate of blades of large wind turbine units due to lightning damage, a new lightning protection system (NLPS) for wind turbine blades is proposed based on the lightning damage mechanism of blades. Firstly, 10 high-voltage discharge tests are performed for blades with and without the NLPS to study the effect of lightning protection. The results show that when the surface of the blade without the NLPS is struck by lightning 10 times, the damage rate of the blade is 100%; for the blade with the NLPS and the lightning attachment position is always on the NLPS in 10 discharge tests, the damage rate of blades is 0% and the lightning protection rate of blades is 100%, indicating that the lightning protection effect for blades with the NLPS is greatly improved. Moreover, the static electric fields of the blades with and without the NLPS are calculated. The results show that the NLPS can shield the electric field around the lower lead wire of the blade, thus effectively reducing the electric field intensity. The NLPS initiates the upward leader more easily than the lower lead wire; therefore, the lightning attachment point is located on the NLPS, thus protecting the blade. Secondly, the aerodynamic and aero-noise characteristics of the blade with and without the NLPS are calculated. The results indicate that the NLPS has little influence on the aerodynamic performance of the blade but has some influence on the aero-noise of the blade. The aero-noise of the airfoil can be reduced at angles of attack of 4°, 8°, 11°, and 15°, but the influence of different phase angles of the airfoil on the amplitude of the sound pressure level (SPL) varies. The aero-noise of the airfoil with the NLPS decreases by 16% and 8% at angles of attack of 4° and 8°, respectively. In general, the design of the NLPS reaches the desired requirements, but it still needs to be further optimized in combination with the blade manufacturing process.
Highlights
Lightning is one of the main factors affecting the safe operation of wind turbines [1]
The results showed that the lift–drag ratio of the optimized airfoil increased near the design working attack of angle, and the overall noise decreased compared with the initial airfoil, which means that the optimized airfoil had better aerodynamic and aero-noise performance
The lightning arc moved the lightning strikewith attachment position the blade edge, Ten discharges werefrom applied to the blades and without the to in thetrailing test, and the which caused erosion of the blade surface
Summary
Lightning is one of the main factors affecting the safe operation of wind turbines [1]. Wind turbine blades are high, prominent, and often located in the wilderness or mountainous areas and suffer from lightning. Due to the increase of tip height of wind turbine, the effect of lightning strikes on wind turbines in space is obviously enhanced, resulting in a further increase in the accident. Wind turbine blades are high, prominent, and often located in the wilderness or mountainous areas and suffer Electronics. Due to the increase of tip height of wind turbine, the effect of lightning strikes on wind turbines in space is obviously enhanced, resulting in a further increase in the accident rate of lightning damage for large capacity units. The operating data of Europe, America, Japan, and and China show that most of the lightning strike points of wind turbines are positioned on the blades
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