Patent ID: 10690112

Abstract:
A family of dual-winglet rotor blades are designed to dissipate the low energy flow in the wake of a turbine rotor. In some embodiments a dual-winglet having a first winglet transitioning from the lift surface of a rotor blade and a second winglet transitioning from the pressure surface of the rotor blade creates two distinct streams in the wake of the rotor. In one embodiment the first winglet curving away from the lift surface turns the lift force toward the center of the rotor plane while a second, smaller, winglet curving away from the pressure surface of the rotor blade turns the lift force away from the center of the rotor plane. In other embodiments winglets create a virtual shroud that expands the wake to dissipate the low-energy flow in the turbine wake. In another embodiment a dual winglet combines the aforementioned mixing effect with the wake expansion effect.