Modified rotor blade assemblies with access windows and methods for making the same

Abstract

Methods for modifying a rotor blade for a wind turbine include removing a cutout section from a shell of the rotor blade, wherein removing the cutout section provides an access window to an interior support section of the rotor blade, and sealing the cutout section back to the shell to close the access window.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for modifying a rotor blade for a wind turbine, the method comprising:
 removing a cutout section from a shell of the rotor blade, wherein removing the cutout section provides an access window to an interior support section of the rotor blade; and,   sealing the cutout section back to the shell to close the access window.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising modifying at least one portion of the interior support section of the rotor blade via the access window while the cutout section is removed from the shell. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein modifying at least one portion comprises modifying a bond between a shear web and a spar cap. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising connecting a support lip to at least a portion of a perimeter of the access window for supporting the cutout section when it is sealed back to the shell. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the support lip is connected to an interior surface of the shell. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cutout section removed from the shell does not overlap with a spar cap. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the access window is disposed between the spar cap and a trailing edge. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising temporarily disposing a template on an exterior surface of the shell to identify the cutout section to be removed. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein sealing the cutout section back to the shell comprises disposing a prefabricated sealing layer over a joint between the cutout section and the shell. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 removing at least one additional cutout section from the shell of the rotor blade, wherein removing each of the at least one additional cutout sections provides an additional access window to the interior support section of the rotor blade; and,   sealing each of the at least one additional cutout sections back to the shell to close each of the additional access windows.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising modifying at least one additional portion of the interior support section of the rotor blade via each of the additional access windows while each of the additional cutout sections are removed from the shell. 
     
     
         12 . A modified rotor blade for a wind turbine, the modified rotor blade comprising:
 an interior support section extending in a spanwise direction;   a shell surrounding the interior support section; and,   a cutout section sealed to the shell, the cutout section being previously temporarily removed from the shell to provide an access window to the interior support section.   
     
     
         13 . The modified rotor blade of  claim 12 , further comprising a support lip connected to at least a portion of a perimeter of the access window for supporting the cutout section. 
     
     
         14 . The modified rotor blade of  claim 13 , wherein the support lip is connected to an interior surface of the shell. 
     
     
         15 . The modified rotor blade of  claim 12 , wherein the interior support section comprises a shear web connected to at least one spar cap. 
     
     
         16 . The modified rotor blade of  claim 15 , wherein the cutout section temporarily removed from the shell does not overlap with the at least one spar cap. 
     
     
         17 . The modified rotor blade of  claim 12 , wherein the cutout section is disposed between the at least one spar cap and a trailing edge. 
     
     
         18 . The modified rotor blade of  claim 12 , further comprising a prefabricated sealing layer disposed over a joint between the cutout section and the shell. 
     
     
         19 . The modified rotor blade of  claim 12 , wherein the shell and the cutout section comprise a resin-infused fiber material. 
     
     
         20 . The modified rotor blade of  claim 12 , wherein the shell comprises at least one additional cutout section sealed to the shell, wherein each of the at least one additional cutout sections was previously removed from the shell to provide at least one additional access window to an interior of the rotor blade.