Experimental and Numerical Analysis of the Effect of a New Lightning Protection System on Lightning Protection and Aerodynamic Noise Performance of Wind Turbine Blades

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.