WO2016184619A1

WO2016184619A1 - Rotor blade with serrations

Info

Publication number: WO2016184619A1
Application number: PCT/EP2016/058428
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael J. Asheim; Manjinder J. Singh
Original assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
Priority date: 2015-05-21
Filing date: 2016-04-15
Publication date: 2016-11-24
Also published as: ES2934695T3; JP6657259B2; ES2864028T3; DK3426914T3; US20180142671A1; DK3096003T3; CN109416017A; KR20200000501A; JP2018522157A; EP3096003A1; ES2867759T3; EP3268605B1; US11220993B2; CA2986281A1; MX2017014834A; PL3096003T3; BR112017023400A2; KR20180011211A; CN109416017B; EP3096003B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a rotor blade (20) for a wind turbine (10), wherein the rotor blade (20) comprises serrations (30) along at least a portion of the trailing edge section (23) of the rotor blade (20). The serrations (30) comprise a first tooth (31) and at least a second tooth (32), and the first tooth (31) is spaced apart from the second tooth (32). The area (35) between the first tooth (31) and the second tooth (32) is at least partially filled with porous material such that generation of noise in the trailing edge section (23) of the rotor blade (20) is reduced. Furthermore, the invention relates to a wind turbine (10) comprising at least one such a rotor blade (20).

Description

Rotor blade with serrations The present invention relates to a rotor blade for a wind turbine which is configured such that generation of noise in the trailing edge section of the rotor blade is reduced com^¬ pared to conventional rotor blades. The invention furthermore relates to a wind turbine comprising at least one of such a rotor blade.

During rotation of a rotor blade about the rotational axis of the rotor of a wind turbine, noise is generally generated at the trailing edge section of the rotor blade. Among other things, the major source of noise is the interaction of tur^¬ bulent structures in the boundary layer with the trailing edge. Literature shows that most noise is emitted if the an^¬ gle between the mean flow direction and the trailing edge is about 90 degrees. Additionally, mixing of the flow from suc- tion and pressure side of the rotor blade past the trailing edge, which is also referred to as flow recovery, can lead to turbulence which can also adversely impact the noise generat^¬ ed from the wind turbine. This noise may be an issue, especially if the wind turbine is installed onshore near a residential area. In this case, threshold values indicating the maximum allowable noise being generated by the wind turbine generally applies. Thus, a concept how to reduce noise which is generated at the trailing edge section of the rotor blade is highly advantageous .

In the prior art, different concepts regarding noise reduc- tion of rotor blades of a wind turbine exist. One approach is the provision of serrations, such as a serrated panel, at the trailing edge section of the rotor blade. Due to the serra^¬ tions, the angle between the direction of the airflow and the trailing edge is modified. This modification may significant^¬ ly reduce the generated noise at the trailing edge.

Another approach of noise reduction of rotor blades is the provision of bristles, such as a brush, or a comb at the trailing edge section. An example of a rotor blade of a wind turbine comprising a comb-like structure at the trailing edge has been disclosed in the patent application

US 2007/0077150 Al . Therein, a rotor blade with a plurality of flexible bristles, which are aligned in a row and protrude over the trailing edge of the rotor blade, are provided in order to reduce the noise which is generated due to the in^¬ teraction of the turbulent structures in the boundary layer with the trailing edges as well as the noise due to turbu- lence generated by the pressure recovery.

However, the noise reduction which can be achieved by apply^¬ ing one of the mentioned concepts may be insufficient and un^¬ satisfying .

Thus, it is the objective of the present invention to provide a rotor blade for a wind turbine with an improved noise re^¬ duction potential. This objective is reached by the subject matter of the inde^¬ pendent claims. Advantageous embodiments and modifications are disclosed in the dependent claims.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a rotor blade for a wind turbine, wherein the rotor blade com^¬ prises serrations along at least a portion of the trailing edge section of the rotor blade. The serrations comprise a first tooth and at least a second tooth, wherein the first tooth is spaced apart from the second tooth. Furthermore, the area between the first tooth and the second tooth is at least partially filled with porous material such that generation of noise in the trailing edge section of the rotor blade is re^¬ duced . A key aspect of the present invention is that by providing porous material in between two adjacent teeth of the serra^¬ tions, noise which is generated by the merging airflow from the pressure side and the suction side between the adjacent teeth is reduced. In other words, while in a rotor blade with conventional serrations, the jet of airflow which passes through the teeth, i.e. which passes through the gap or interstice between two adjacent teeth, generate noise due to the pressure recovery from the pressure side and the suction side of the rotor blade, the porous material between the ad^¬ jacent teeth allows the pressure gradient in the flow direc^¬ tion across the trailing edge to equalize more slowly. Conse^¬ quently, a reduction in the magnitude of the acoustic emis- sion may be achieved.

A second aspect and further advantage of the present configu^¬ ration is that the generally finer structures of the porous material compared to the structure of the serrations causes the frequencies of the emitted noise to increase. A noise comprising higher frequencies has the advantages that it is dampened more rapidly in the ambient air than noise with low^¬ er frequencies. Thus, the sound pressure level perceived by an observer on the ground is reduced.

In summary, the inventive rotor blade comprising serrations and a porous material in between two adjacent teeth has the double advantage that the intensity of the noise is reduced because the pressure gradient between the suction side and the pressure side has more stable environment to equalize; and the noise which is generated has generally higher fre^¬ quencies due to the finer structure of the porous material compared to the structure of the serrations. Overall, a sig^¬ nificant noise reduction can thus be achieved.

A wind turbine is referred to as a device that converts ki^¬ netic energy of the wind into a rotational movement, i.e. in^¬ to rotational energy of the rotor of the wind turbine. This rotational energy is destined to be used for generating elec^¬ tricity.

The first tooth is spaced apart from the second tooth which has to be understood in that the tip of the first tooth is separated by a gap from the tip of the second tooth. In one alternative, also the basis of both teeth is separated by a pre-determined distance. In another alternative, the first tooth and the second tooth are closely adjacent to each other at their bases and are only separated from each other at their tips.

The area between the first tooth and the second tooth may be partially filled with porous material or even entirely filled with porous material.

In the context of this patent application, a porous material is understood as a material which comprises an open area fraction which is other than zero per cent and other than one hundred per cent. The open area fraction is defined as the fraction of the open air area compared to the total area cov^¬ ered by the porous material.

Descriptively speaking, any material which is composed by solid sections and by sections with openings is a porous ma^¬ terial which is in principle suited to be arranged between adjacent teeth of the serrations of the rotor blade.

Advantageously, the open area fraction of the porous materi- al, i.e. the porosity of the porous material, is greater than 10 % and/or smaller than 90 %. The exact preferred value of the porosity depends on how quickly the pressure equalization is required. Note that in principle, a lower porosity set up allows for faster equalization/recovery compared to a higher porosity of the porous material. In particular, the porosity of the porous material is greater than 20 % and/or smaller than 80 %. The porosity is preferably adjusted to the desired impact of the porous material on the merging airflows between the pres^¬ sure side and the suction side. The mentioned lower and upper limit for the porosity are considered as particularly suited for an efficient noise reduction.

The porous material may for example be a mesh comprising a plurality of strands which are connected to each other in a regular pattern.

The mesh may for example consist of a first set of parallel strands and a second set of parallel strands and both sets of parallel strands are arranged in a predetermined angle. This predetermined angle may for example be 90°.

An advantage of having a mesh as porous material is that it is readily available and robust. Furthermore, the porosity, which is defined as the fraction of the open air area compared to the total area covered by the mesh, can be adjusted by the thickness of the strands and the distance of adjacent strands .

In another embodiment, the porous material is made of an open cell foam. A foam is understood as a substance that is formed by pockets of gas in a solid.

It is advantageous to use an open cell foam because an open cell foam is characterized by pockets of gas connecting with each other. Thus, the air from the pressure side can flow through a labyrinth of interconnected gas pockets to the suc^¬ tion side and vice versa.

An advantage of choosing an open cell foam as porous material between adjacent teeth is that the porosity of the porous ma- terial can be chosen in a relatively broad range and that open cell foam material is readily available. Advantageously, a solid reticulated foam is used. In another aspect of the invention, the porous material com^¬ prises a plurality of fibers.

More particularly, the plurality of fibers may also be de- scribed as porous material. This way of describing the fibers is based on the understanding of the notion "porous material" as being a material which is composed by solid sections and by sections with openings. In other words, if the area be^¬ tween two adjacent teeth is filled with solid fibers and the- se fibers occupy thirty per cent of this area, this area can be described as being filled with a porous material having a porosity of thirty per cent.

Fibers are generally understood as having a length which sig- nificantly exceed their thickness. Fibers are also referred to as bristles or brushes. The plurality of fibers may lead to a comb-like structure.

In an embodiment of the invention, the rotor blade has a length of at least twenty meter, in particular at least thirty meter.

In another embodiment of the invention, the chordwise exten^¬ sion of the first tooth is less than five meter, in particu- lar less than three meter.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, the rotor blade comprises serrations along at least a portion of the trailing edge section of the rotor blade, wherein the spanwise exten- sion of the portion of the trailing edge section exceeds fifty centimeter, in particular exceeds one meter.

In another advantageous embodiment, the fibers are arranged substantially parallel to each other. In particular, the sub- stantially parallel fibers are arranged in substantially chordwise direction of the rotor blade. The chordwise direc^¬ tion is defined as being the direction of the chord lines of the rotor blade. The chord lines are perpendicular to the span of the rotor blade and connect the leading edge of the rotor blade with the trailing edge of the rotor blade. The airflow across the suction side or the pressure side typical^¬ ly also flows in substantially chordwise direction.

Particularly, the fibers may be tapered in the direction to^¬ wards the trailing edge of the rotor blade.

Note that in the context of this patent application, the trailing edge of the rotor blade is defined as being the part of the rotor blade which is located furthest downstream with regard to the airflow flowing across the suction side and the pressure side. The trailing edge is part of the trailing edge section .

The trailing edge of a rotor blade with no serrations or the like typically has the shape of a straight line. In the pres^¬ ence of serrations, the contour of the serrations represents the trailing edge of the rotor blade. In case of a plurality of fibers filled in the area between the serrations, the trailing edge may be formed by both a portion of the contour of the serrations and the outer rim of the fibers - respect^¬ ing the definition that the trailing edge of the rotor blade is defined as being the part of the rotor blade which is lo^¬ cated furthest downstream.

Advantageously, the porous material is made from plastic. Al^¬ ternatively, any other material, such as metal or fabric, may also be used to fabricate the porous material, in particular the fibers.

Plastic has the advantage that it is relatively inexpensive, readily available, harmless and robust. Particularly the lat^¬ ter point is important as rotor blades are destined to oper- ate many years in harsh conditions. As a repair or substitu^¬ tion of the fibers is complex and expensive, such a long liv^¬ ing material as mentioned is preferred. In another advantageous embodiment, the plurality of fibers comprises a first portion which is arranged within the chordal plane of the rotor blade, and a second portion which is arranged outside the chordal plane of the rotor blade.

The chordal plane is defined as the plane which is defined by the plurality of chord lines of the rotor blade. In the case of an untwisted rotor blade, the chordal plane is a planar plane. In the case of a twisted rotor blade, the chord lines may be arranged such with regard to each other that they are not parallel with each other but that they comprise different angles towards each other. In this case, the chordal plane has the shape of a curved plane. In particular, all serrations may be arranged within the same plane, preferably the chordal plane of the rotor blade. Then, in a first option, the plurality of fibers may also be ar^¬ ranged within the chordal plane. This has the advantage of ease of manufacturing.

Alternatively, the plurality of fibers in a second portion may also be out of the chordal plane. This has the advantage that the noise reduction capability of the serrations with the fibers may further be improved. In particular, the second portion may be adjacent to the trailing edge of the rotor blade, i.e. downstream. Note that the fibers are permanently bent out of the chordal plane in the second portion of the plurality of fibers. In addition, they may be further bent or deviated out of the chordal plane under certain, in particu- lar heavy, loading of the trailing edge section of the rotor blade. This case is also referred to as a flexible and pas^¬ sively bending trailing edge section.

In an embodiment of the invention, the fibers may be config- ured as stiff or rigid in this embodiment.

In general and not being limited to the above described spe^¬ cific embodiment, the fibers are advantageously configured to be stiff. This means that under typical operating conditions of the wind turbine, i.e. for wind speeds smaller than twenty meter per seconds, substantially no bending of the fibers oc^¬ curs .

In another embodiment of the invention, the fibers may fea^¬ ture a certain flexibility such that a certain bending of the fibers even below the mentioned wind speeds of twenty meter per seconds occurs .

The trailing edge of the rotor blade is defined as the line or edge of the rotor blade which is furthest downstream with regard to the airflow flowing across the rotor blade. The plurality of fibers may completely fill the area between the first tooth and the second tooth. Thus, the trailing edge can be described as a substantially straight line.

Alternatively, it may be advantageous to arrange the plurali^¬ ty of fibers such that it fills the whole area adjacent to the tips of the teeth but that it does not completely fill the part of this area in the middle between two adjacent teeth. This results in a trailing edge which is shifted to^¬ wards the leading edge of the rotor blade between two adja^¬ cent teeth.

The first tooth and/or the second tooth may have a triangular shape as viewed in a top view onto the serrations. In partic^¬ ular, the triangular shape may be described as having a tip and a base wherein the tip is directed towards the trailing edge, i.e. it may even be a part of the trailing edge, and the base of the tooth is directed towards the leading edge of the rotor blade. This shape and orientation of the teeth has been proven as particularly advantageous for load reduction, noise reduction and lift increase of the rotor blade.

The inventive concept of the present invention, which aims to reduce the generation of noise in the trailing edge section of a rotor blade for a wind turbine, may alternatively be de^¬ scribed as follows: As seen in chordwise direction from the leading edge towards the trailing edge of the rotor blade, the trailing edge sec^¬ tion starts with a base line, which extends substantially perpendicular to the chordwise direction. Continuing further towards the trailing edge, the trailing edge section compris^¬ es a first region. The first region is characterized by sub^¬ stantially solid material. The first region is limited at the one side by the base line and at the other side by a first dividing line. Continuing further towards the trailing edge, the trailing edge section further comprises a second region. The second region is characterized by substantially porous material. The second region is limited at the one side by the first dividing line and at the other side by a second divid- ing line. The second dividing line coincides with the trail^¬ ing edge of the rotor blade.

The first and second dividing lines may in principle have any shape: They may be periodic or non-periodic, straight or curved, its derivatives may be continuous or discontinuous in spanwise direction, et cetera. Some possible design choices are disclosed in the drawings and the accompanying descrip^¬ tion. The only requirement according to this aspect of the invention is that the first dividing line is not arranged further towards the trailing edge than the second dividing line. In other words, it may be the case that the first re^¬ gion characterized by solid material extends until the trail^¬ ing edge in certain spanwise regions, but it may not be the case that the second region characterized by the porous mate- rial is between the base line and the first region as seen from a chordwise direction from the leading edge to the trailing edge. Descriptively speaking, the first and second region are arranged such that the air first flows across the first, solid region and subsequently across the second, po- rous region and not the other way round.

The invention is further directed towards a wind turbine com^¬ prising at least one rotor blade as described above. Embodiments of the invention are now described, by way of ex ample only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which :

Figure 1 shows a wind turbine;

Figure 2 shows an inventive rotor blade for a wind turbine;

Figure 3 shows a serrated panel with porous material between adjacent teeth;

Figure 4 shows serrations with a plurality of fibers in a first embodiment;

Figure 5 shows serrations with a plurality of fibers in a se cond embodiment;

Figure 6 shows serrations with a plurality of fibers in a third embodiment;

Figure 7 shows serrations with a plurality of fibers in a fourth embodiment;

Figure 8 shows serrations with a plurality of fibers in a fifth embodiment;

Figure 9 shows serrations with fins on one side and a plural ity of fibers;

Figure 10 shows serrations with fins on both sides and a plu^¬ rality of fibers;

Figure 11 shows serrations with ridges and a plurality of bers; and Figures 12 to 22 show different variants how to arrange a re^¬ gion of porous material at the trailing edge section of a ro^¬ tor blade. The illustration in the drawings is in schematic form. It is noted that in different figures, similar or identical ele^¬ ments may be provided with the same reference signs.

In Figure 1, a wind turbine 10 is shown. The wind turbine 10 comprises a nacelle 12 and a tower 11. The nacelle 12 is mounted at the top of the tower 11. The nacelle 12 is mounted rotatable with regard to the tower 11 by means of a yaw bear^¬ ing. The axis of rotation of the nacelle 12 with regard to the tower 11 is referred to as the yaw axis.

The wind turbine 10 also comprises a hub 13 with three rotor blades 20 (of which two rotor blades 20 are depicted in Fig^¬ ure 1 ) . The hub 13 is mounted rotatable with regard to the nacelle 12 by means of a main bearing. The hub 13 is mounted rotatable about a rotor axis of rotation 14.

The wind turbine 10 furthermore comprises a main shaft, which connects the hub 13 to a rotor of a generator 15. The hub 13 is connected directly to the rotor of the generator 15, thus the wind turbine 10 is referred to as a gearless, direct driven wind turbine. As an alternative, the hub 13 may also be connected to the rotor of the generator 15 via a gearbox. This type of wind turbine is referred to as a geared wind turbine .

The generator 15 is accommodated within the nacelle 12. It comprises the rotor and a stator. The generator 15 is ar- ranged and prepared for converting the rotational energy from the rotor into electrical energy. Figure 2 shows a rotor blade 20 of a wind turbine. The rotor blade 20 comprises a root section 21 with a root 211 and a tip section 22 with a tip 221. The root 211 and the tip 221 are virtually connected by the span 26 which follows the shape of the rotor blade 20. If the rotor blade were a rec^¬ tangular shaped object, the span 26 would be a straight line. However, as the rotor blade 20 features a varying thickness, the span 26 is slightly curved, i.e. bent as well. Note that if the rotor blade 20 was bent itself, then the span 26 would be bent, too.

The rotor blade 20 furthermore comprises a leading edge sec^¬ tion 24 with a leading edge 241 and a trailing edge section 23 with a trailing edge 231.

The trailing edge section 23 surrounds the trailing edge 231. Likewise, the leading edge section 24 surrounds the leading edge 241. At each spanwise position, a chord line 27 which connects the leading edge 241 with the trailing edge 231 can be defined. Note that the chord line 27 is perpendicular to the span 26. The shoulder 28 is defined in the region where the chord line comprises a maximum chord length.

Figure 2 furthermore discloses serrations 30 which are locat^¬ ed in the outboard section of the rotor blade 20. More par^¬ ticularly, the serrations 30 are located at the trailing edge section 23 of the rotor blade 20. The serrations 30 comprise a plurality of adjacent teeth. The chordwise extension of the teeth is decreasing towards the tip 221 of the rotor blade 20. Note that a plurality of fibers is entirely filling the area between adjacent teeth of the serrations 30 (symbolized by the hatched area) . The trailing edge 231 in the outboard section of the rotor blade where the serrations 30 are at^¬ tached is represented by the outermost part of the fibers and the tips of the serrations 30. Figure 3 shows a serrated panel 41 which is arranged and pre^¬ pared for being attached to a rotor blade for a wind turbine. The serrated panel 41 comprises a porous material between its serrations. Exemplarily, the serrated panel 41 is made of plastic and has been produced by injection moulding. The ser^¬ rated panel 41 comprises an attachment portion 43 which is arranged and prepared for attaching the serrated panel 41 to the remaining part of the rotor blade. The serrated panel 41 furthermore comprises a portion with serrations 30. The ser- rations comprise a plurality of teeth. In particular a first tooth 31, a second tooth 32, a third tooth 33 and a fourth tooth 34 are illustrated in Figure 3. All teeth 31 - 34 shown in Figure 3 have substantially the same shape, namely a tri^¬ angular shape as seen in a top view. The triangles comprise rounded tips. Alternatively, the triangle-shaped teeth may also comprise a sharp tip. In the area 35 between the first tooth 31 and the second tooth 32 a mesh is placed. The mesh serves as porous material for modifying the recovery of the pressure gradient from the pressure side to the suction side in a favorable, noise reducing way. Furthermore, the mesh is designed to shift the frequencies of the generated noise to higher values. The mesh is made of a plurality of first strands which are substantially parallel to each other and which cross a plurality of second strands which themselves are substantially parallel to each other as well. Thus, a regular and reproducible porous material is obtained. The mesh fills the whole area 35 between the first tooth 31 and the second tooth 32. It also covers the areas between the further teeth 32, 33, 34 of the serrations 30.

Note that the rotor blade may also comprise a plurality of serrated panels 41 with one panel being lined up next to each other in spanwise direction. Adjacent panels may advanta^¬ geously overlap at its sides in order to reduce whistle tones which otherwise might be generated at the border where two adjacent panels meet. Figure 4 shows another serrated panel 41. In this embodiment, the porous material is realized by a set of fibers 42. These fibers 42, which can also be described as bristles or nee^¬ dles, are orientated in substantially chordwise direction of the rotor blade. This has to be understood that the serrated panel 42 is arranged and prepared to be attached to the re^¬ maining part of the rotor blade in such a manner that the fi^¬ bers 42 are orientated in chordwise direction after attaching the serrated panel 41 to the remaining rotor blade. Note that the fibers 42 between the first tooth 31 and the second tooth 32 all end at approximately the same chordwise position.

Thus, a straight trailing edge 231 is obtained.

In contrast to that, the length of the fibers between the se- cond tooth 32 and the third tooth 33 as well as between the third tooth 33 and the fourth tooth 34 are varying. This leads to a trailing edge 231 which is retracted, i.e. shifted towards the leading edge once the serrated panel 41 has been attached to the remaining rotor blade. Such a shape of the fibers 42 has the advantage that more flexibility in the de^¬ sign of the porous material is given and further improvement potential regarding noise reduction is given. In the embodi^¬ ment of Figure 4 only a variation in the length of the fibres 42 is realized. This means that still all fibers 42 are ar- ranged within the chordal plane of the rotor blade.

Figure 5 shows an embodiment of the invention wherein the fi^¬ bers 42 are within the chordal plane in a first portion 36, but which are outside of the chordal plane in a second por- tion 37. Thus, an undulating or wavy shape of the porous ma^¬ terial as viewed in a cross-sectional view is obtained. This design also has the potential of further improvement of noise reduction. Note that Figure 5 illustrates a permanent deflec^¬ tion of the fibers 42 out of the chordal plane in the second portion 37 and not a bending of the fibers 42 under extreme loading. Variations in the orientation of the fibers 42 due to loading of the fibers 42 may additionally occur. It may be advantageous that the fibers 42 are tapered towards the trailing edge 231. This may be advantageous in terms of structural considerations. Regarding the length variations of the fibers, a sine wave shape may be particularly advantageous.

Exemplary dimensions of a fiber between adjacent teeth may be two millimeters in diameter and between one and ten centime- ters in length.

Figures 6 to 12 disclose exemplary embodiments how the serra^¬ tions and the plurality of fibers may be concretely config^¬ ured and arranged.

Figure 6 shows a first tooth 31 and a second tooth 32, being separated and spaced apart by an area 35. In this area 35, a plurality of fibers 42 is arranged. The fibers 42 are orien^¬ tated substantially parallel to each other. Additionally, the fibers 42 are orientated substantially parallel to the chordwise direction of the rotor blade at this radial posi^¬ tion, i.e. at this spanwise position.

In comparison to Figures 4 and 5, which illustrate the ar- rangement of the fibers 42 between the teeth 31, 32, 33, 34 in a more schematic way, Figure 6 seeks to illustrate an ex^¬ emplary configuration and arrangement of the fibers 42 in a more detailed manner. For instance, the fibers 42 are depict^¬ ed as three-dimensional objects, showing that the fibers 42 may in practice advantageously have a certain thickness in order to provide the desired stiffness. As a result, the fi^¬ bers 42 do not substantially bend during standard operation conditions of the wind turbine, as neither the serrations 31, 32 do .

Figure 7 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention. The only difference of this embodiment compared to the embod^¬ iment as illustrated in Figure 6 is the chordwise length of the fibers 42. While in the embodiment of Figure 6 the lengths of the fibers are chosen such that the result is a straight trailing edge of the rotor blade, in the embodiment of Figure 7 the fibers in the center portion of the area 35 between adjacent teeth 31, 32 are chosen to have a compara^¬ tively shorter length.

Figure 8 illustrates another variant of how to configure and arrange the fibers 42. Like in the embodiment of Figure 6, the lengths of the fibers 42 are chosen such that the result is a straight trailing edge 231 of the rotor blade. As a dif^¬ ference, the thickness of the fibers 42 decreases towards the respective tips of the fibers 42. In other words, the fibers 42 are tapered towards the tip. Optionally, the teeth 31, 32 of the serrations may also feature a decreasing thickness.

Figure 9 to 12 show various examples how a serrated panels with fibers can be combined with other aerodynamic devices. Figure 9 illustrates the arrangement of fins 44 upstream of the teeth 31, 32 of the serrated panel 41. The fins 44 can be seen as another means to manipulate the airflow across the rotor blade such that eventually the noise, which is generat^¬ ed in the trailing edge section of the rotor blade, is re- duced. The fins 44 may be arranged on one side of the serrat^¬ ed panel 41, e.g. at the suction side.

The fins 44 may alternatively also be arranged on both sides of the serrated panel, i.e. at both the pressure and the suc- tion side. Such an embodiment is illustrated in Figure 10.

The fins which are arranged at the suction side of the rotor blade are referred to as suction side fins 441, the fins which are arranged at the pressure side of the rotor blade are referred to as pressure side fins 442.

Figure 11 illustrates an embodiment of a serrated panel 41 with ridges 45. The ridges 45 have the objective to guide the airflow and/or break up spanwise coherence of the airflow. The ridges may be arranged at the pressure side of the rotor blade (as in the example shown in Figure 11), at the suction side of the rotor blade, or on both sides. The ridges 45 may be arranged upstream of the serrations and may extend the fi- bers 42.

Figures 12 to 22 show different variants how to arrange a re^¬ gion of porous material at the trailing edge section 23 of a rotor blade.

As seen in chordwise direction 271 from the leading edge towards the trailing edge of the rotor blade, the trailing edge section 23 starts with a base line fO, which extends substan^¬ tially perpendicular to the chordwise direction 271. Continu- ing further towards the trailing edge 231, the trailing edge section 23 comprises a first region 52. The first region 52 is characterized by substantially solid material. The first region 52 is limited at the one side by the base line fO and at the other side by a first dividing line f1. Continuing further towards the trailing edge 231, the trailing edge sec^¬ tion 23 further comprises a second region 53. The second re^¬ gion 53 is characterized by substantially porous material. The second region 53 is limited at the one side by the first dividing line fl and at the other side by a second dividing line f2. The second dividing line f2 coincides with the trailing edge 231 of the rotor blade.

The first and second dividing lines fl, f2 may in principle have any shape: They may be periodic or non-periodic, straight or curved, its derivatives may be continuous or dis^¬ continuous (in spanwise direction 272), et cetera. Some pos^¬ sible design choices are disclosed in Figure 12 to 22.

In Figure 12, the first dividing line fl is serrated and the second dividing line f2 is straight. In Figure 13, both the first dividing line fl and the second dividing line f2 are serrated. Both dividing lines fl, f2 have the same periodicity. The embodiment of Figure 14 is similar to the one of Figure 13, but the serrations of the second dividing line f2 are pointing away from the base line fO instead of towards the base line f0. The embodiment of Figure 15 is also similar to the one of

Figure 13, but the serrations of the second dividing line f2 are smoothened - they actually resemble more comprising a wave form instead of serrations. In Figure 16, both the first dividing line fl and the second dividing line f2 comprise a wave form. Both dividing lines fl, f2 have the same periodicity.

In Figure 17, the first dividing line fl is serrated and the second dividing line is chosen such that only a part of the area between adjacent teeth of the first region 52 is filled with porous material, i.e with the second region 53.

In Figure 18, both the first dividing line fl and the second dividing line f2 resemble a pulse form. Both dividing lines fl, f2 have the same periodicity.

In Figure 19, both the first dividing line fl and the second dividing line f2 comprise a wave form, in particular a sine wave form. The periodicity of the first dividing lines fl differs from the periodicity of the second dividing line f2.

In Figure 20, both the first dividing line fl and the second dividing line f2 have a random form, resulting in a chaotic pattern. The embodiment of Figure 21 resembles Figure 19, but both di^¬ viding lines fl, f2 having the same periodicity instead of differing periodicities. Finally, in Figure 22, both the first dividing line fl and the second dividing line f2 are straight.

Claims

Patent claims

1. Rotor blade (20) for a wind turbine (10),

wherein

- the rotor blade (20) comprises serrations (30) along at least a portion of the trailing edge section (23) of the ro^¬ tor blade (20) ,

- the serrations (30) comprise a first tooth (31) and at least a second tooth (32), and

- the first tooth (31) is spaced apart from the second tooth (32) , characterized in that the area (35) between the first tooth (31) and the second tooth (32) is at least partially filled with porous material such that generation of noise in the trailing edge section (23) of the rotor blade (20) is reduced.

2. Rotor blade (20) according to claim 1,

wherein the open area fraction of the porous material is greater than 10 per cent and/or smaller than 90 per cent.

3. Rotor blade (20) according to one of the claims 1 and 2, wherein the porous material is a mesh comprising a plurality of strands which are connected to each other in a regular pattern .

4. Rotor blade (20) according to one of the claims 1 and 2, wherein the porous material is made of an open-cell foam.

5. Rotor blade (20) for a wind turbine (10),

wherein

- the serrations (30) comprise a first tooth (31) and at least a second tooth (32), and - the first tooth (31) is spaced apart from the second tooth (32) , characterized in that the area (35) between the first tooth (31) and the second tooth (32) is at least partially filled with a plurality of fibers such that generation of noise in the trailing edge section (23) of the rotor blade (20) is reduced.

6. Rotor blade (20) according to claim 5,

wherein the fibers (42) are arranged substantially parallel to each other, in particular in substantially chordwise di^¬ rection of the rotor blade (20) .

7. Rotor blade (20) according to one of the claims 5 or 6, wherein the fibers (42) are tapered in direction towards the trailing edge (231) of the rotor blade (20) .

8. Rotor blade (20) according to one of the claims 5 to 7, wherein the plurality of fibers comprises

- a first portion (36) which is arranged within the chordal plane of the rotor blade (20), and

- a second portion (37) which is arranged outside the chordal plane of the rotor blade (20) .

9. Rotor blade (20) according to claim 8,

wherein the second portion (37) is adjacent to the trailing edge (231) of the rotor blade (20) .

10. Rotor blade (20) according to one of the claims 5 to 9, wherein the fibers are arranged such that the trailing edge (231) of the rotor blade (20) between the tip of the first tooth (31) and the tip of the second tooth (32) is formed by a substantially straight line.

11. Rotor blade (20) according to one of the claims 5 to 9, wherein the fibers are arranged such that the trailing edge (231) of the rotor blade (20) between the tip of the first tooth (31) and the tip of the second tooth (32) is formed by a line which is deviating from a straight line in the direc- tion towards the leading edge (241) of the rotor blade (20) .

12. Rotor blade (20) according to one of the preceding claims ,

wherein an aerodynamic device for manipulating an airflow which is flowing across the aerodynamic device is mounted up^¬ stream of the first tooth (31) and the second tooth (32) .

13. Rotor blade (20) according to claim 12,

wherein the aerodynamic device is arranged at a pressure (252) and/ or at a suction side (251) of the rotor blade (20) .

14. Rotor blade (20) according to one of the claims 12 or 13, wherein the aerodynamic device comprises a plurality of fins (44, 441, 442) and/or a plurality of ridges (45) .

15. Wind turbine (10) with at least one rotor blade (20) ac^¬ cording to one of the preceding claims.