Add-ons for OEM Wind Turbines

- unlock the full potential

of your blade designs

www.powercurve.dk
 The Facts

What is a
Vortex Generator?
Today, the wind turbine industry is able to benefit
from the aircraft industry by utilizing the well-
known vortex generator technology to improve
aerodynamic performance of wind turbines.

The use of vortex generators is not a new technology. Employed to

increase the aerodynamic performance and stability of an air foil,
vortex generators increase the efficiency of a wind turbine rotor.

Postponing the Stall Point

Each vortex generator consists of a triangular wing with a sharp
leading edge. They are fabricated in multiple of pairs and integrated
on a base plate, suitable for adhesive attachment on the blade surface.
Each pair is symmetrically opposed in order to generate counter-
rotating and interacting vortexes that energise the airflow to stay
attached on the blade.

The occurrence of stalled air flow on a pitch operated blade is unde-

sired as blade lift is abruptly reduced and drag significantly increased.
Stall is likely to occur during wind speed transients depending on the
WTG control scheme but also when the blade surface is roughened.
Age-related blade surface roughness extracts energy from the
boundary layer resulting in increased undesired stall occurrences.

When correctly designed and positioned on the blade, vortex genera-

tors will make the wind flow stay attached on the blade surface for a
longer time, thus reinstalling lost lift due to age-related blade surface
roughness. In short, the effect of the vortex generators is a reduced
negative consequence of the blade surface degradation due to wear
and tear.

Design and Installation

If the vortex generators are not designed or positioned correctly, the
anticipated increase of the wind turbine power output may fail to
appear. For that reason, it is important to always work closely with
experts when pursuing the positive effect of vortex generators.

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 About Power Curve

Experience and
Expertise
When developing new products for the wind energy
industry, Power Curve teams up with the best there is.
In Power Curve, experts join forces.

When applying the Power Curve solution on original

manufactured blades, the inevitable loss of aero-
dynamic efficiency as blade surfaces degrade is
postponed. For that reason, an increasing number
of OEMs choose to pre-install vortex generators on
their blades before they leave the production site.

The partners behind Power Curve have worked

individually within the wind turbine industry
for many years, producing more than 5 million
vortex generators in the past decade. In 2013,
they merged into the company Power Curve where
they form a team of experts and represent world-
class competencies within:

the application of passive blade enhancement Sander Tech

devices for wind turbines
scientific wind power aerodynamic research and
engineering
plastic injection moulding, shaping
and installation
lifting, handling and installation of
complex components to the wind
turbine industry
DTU Ris
The DTU Ris Department of Wind Energy is one of
the worlds leading applied-research organizations
of the vortex technology and is the engineer behind
the Power Curve technology platform: A calculation
tool which is able to analyse the effects of applied
blade enhancing devices. This technology platform
enables Power Curve to design and manufacture
the optimal add-on devices and calculate their most
advantageous positioning on the blade.
Based on decades of experience
in the OEM industry, Sander Tech has
gained a unique and comprehensive insight into the
driving parameters of developing, specifying and
manufacturing injection moulded plastic devices for
the harsh and demanding conditions in which wind
turbines operate. Together with significant adhe-
sive suppliers, Sander Tech has also developed high
quality adhesion methods, processes and solutions.
Liftra
Liftra is specialized in lifting, transporting and hand-
ling of heavy components within the global wind
industry. Liftras engineering team is renowned for
their flexible and customised solutions, from equip-
ment development and production to on-site instal-
lation and maintenance. Offering a deep knowledge
of on-site logistics, handling and installation, Liftra
manages the installation process in Power Curve.

P OW E R C U RV E 3
 Your Choices

The Production Process

Power Curves OEM solution includes a complete package of thoroughly developed solutions, from
material to moulding; from small vortex generators for the outer part of the blade to large vortex genera-
tors which are applied closer to the rotor centre; from adhesion technology to logistics. However, should
you prefer to use your own design, Power Curve also put our expertise and experience at your disposal in
the design and production process.

Depending on which solution you choose, the total duration of production varies:

Power Curve Recommended Solution: Sourcing immediately

Solution based
on generic Power Adhesion
Logistics
Curve products technology
and tools

Existing Technology Available: Specifications and tool implementation

Solutions based
Forwarding
on customer Material Adhesion
of existing QA protocol
proporitary design selection technology
mould(s)
and tools

New Solution to be Developed: Development work required

Solution based
Component Concept Mould Material
on new design
design prototypes design selection
and tools

4 P OW E R C U RV E
 The Technology

Injection Moulding
In short the injection moulding technology is a series of
processes where melted thermo plastic is forced under
high pressure into a mould cavity defining the shape of
the final object. Once the plastic has cooled, the object
is released and then the process begins all over again.
The short phase between the injection and the cooling of the
object into its solid form is referred to as the "dwelling" phase.
This step ensures that the mould cavities are completely filled
before cooling begins.

There are three main parts in an injection moulded plastics Plastic

Moving Fixed granules Hopper
machine: The mould, the clamping unit and the injection unit. platern platern
Mould Injection
The clamping unit holds the mould together during the plastic Tie Mould Drive
cylinder
clamping bar tool Barrel unit
injection and the cooling process. cylinder Screw

Plastic material in the form of small pellets are fed into the
injection unit and then heated to a molten stage (transforming
from a solid state to a liquid). After reaching the right tempera-
ture, the hot molten plastic is forced into the mould. Either a
screw or a ram controls the pressure and speed of this phase of
Heater
the injection process. Check bands
Molton valve
plastic

The process of injection moulding

Logistics

Technology
Adhesion
testing/Validation QA protocol Logistics
technology
of solution

PROJECT STEPS

P OW E R C U RV E 5
 Quality Assurance

Excellence
is a Promise
The Power Curve production is a process of defining, developing and refining special vortex
generators that have been tailored for your next wind turbine project.

From start to finish, from raw material to complete product, not a
single step in the production goes uninspected, and we are proud
to provide our clients with the best quality assurance.
Product Inspection
Measuring process: Weight, dimensions and strength testing
The first 100 mouldings are discarded to ensure uniform
high quality
All items are visually inspected during production
Produced items are selected for thorough QA control at
fixed intervals
Material Assurance
Component traceability is ensured by date and hour and
operator initial registration on box labels
All raw materials are supplied with data sheets, including
relevant batch numbers
Adhesive Verification
Adhesives selected according to the actual customer
application, e.g. blade surface, installation environment and
HSE requirements
Data sheets and test results are provided as required
Collaboration with world-leading adhesive suppliers
Workflow Integration
Predefined work and installation instructions for workshop
implementation to ensure a smooth workflow integration
Specialist training for your production teams and site
managers on all solutions
Professional logistics partners are trained to transport your
products from A to B

6 P OW E R C U RV E
 Your Benefits
Low-Cost
High-Tech Solution
Optimised to Cope With Real-Life Application
The rationale for applying the Power Curve solution on original
manufactured blades is to postpone and in large to prevent the
inevitable loss of power efficiency as the blade surface degrades.
This has lead an increasing number of OEMs to preinstall vortex
generators on their turbines so the end user can enjoy the effect
of postponed expensive blade surface repair work. This is possible
due to the power efficient prolonging effect of vortex generators
which compensate for real-life blade surface wear and tear.
Customised for OEM Wind Turbines
The range of wind turbine blade designs is wide and so each
Power Curve solution requires complex and carefully calculated
fitting schemes and procedures. At Power Curve, we make sure
that you receive a customised add-on solution, optimised for
your wind turbines.
Designed For Client Workflow
Power Curve makes it straight-forward to enhance energy out-
put performance for OEM wind turbines. The Power Curve team
The principal AEP effect of vortex generators related to blade surface roughness
EXPECTED AEP
TIME
manufactures and delivers customised solutions for smooth
implementation in the client production line. The add-ons are
easily installed while the blade is still on the ground or at the
production facility. Requirements to workflow, work instructions,
QA and EHS are evaluated as an integrated part of the Power
Curve solution.
Thoroughly Validated and Low-Risk Solution
Designed to enhance aerodynamic performance, the effect of
the vortex generator technology has been thoroughly validated
by several independent researchers and institutions. As the
Power Curve solution is applied to compensate for the gradual
loss of aerodynamic performance, no structural risk is intro-
duced as the application objective is to re-establish lost lift on
the blades.
Based on the underlying physics of stall and pitch control princi-
ples, the Power Curve solutions are designed for pitch controlled
turbines where the effects of vortex generators are predictable
and controllable.
Modified by
vortex generators
Without vortex
generators
P OW E R C U RV E 7
OEM Installs Power Curve Solution
The demand for durable and cost-effective optimisation
solutions is growing, and several world-leading OEMs
have installed Power Curves add-on solution on their
wind turbines blades.
One of the major European OEMs has chosen to install Power
Curve vortex generators on their new wind turbines blades to
ensure that the blades are as life-cycle optimised and performance
robust as possible.
were set, the vortex generators were put into production and
delivered to the OEMs production facilities.
Scope of Delivery
Since this OEM has their own in-house expertise and are able to in-
stall the add-ons without external assistance, they have chosen the
Power Curve Basic package.* This package includes different vortex
generator sizes that have been developed and produced by Power
Curve for the specific types of blades.

Assessment and Design
In this specific case, the OEM is fully capable of making in-house
simulations and specification of the optimal vortex generator
design and positioning. The Power Curve experts were involved
in the design process as consultants, and when all specifications
Cooperation with this major European OEM was established in 2013,
and Power Curve continuously delivers vortex generators to the
client production units in Europe and South America.
*Please see our website www.powercurve.dk or our corporate brochure for further
information about the Power Curve packages.

Global Locations

Denmark
Power Curve (head office)
Stationsmestervej 81
9200 Aalborg SV
P: (+45) 96 600 300
E: info@powercurve.dk

Spain China Germany USA

P: (+34) 944 044 521 P: (+86) (22) 5981 0101 P: (+49) (40) 248 278 800 P: (+1) 309 731 4940
Avenida San Bartolome E4C-103, Binhai Finance Zone Papenreye 63 875 N Michigan Ave, suite 3950
Portal N 1, Piso 2 A 3rd Avenue, TEDA 22453, Hamburg Chicago, Illinois 60611
Baracaldo C.P. 48902 Tianjin, 300 457

www.powercurve.dk