Siemens has launched a new generation of their so-called DinoTail, an aerodynamic blade add-on for wind turbine blades. The trailing edge fringe of an owl’s wing provided the inspiration for this noise-reducing component.

Owls are silent hunters. This is enabled by a particular structure of the owl’s wings: A serrated, fringed structure at the trailing edge, and small combs at the leading edge of the wings. Siemens now equips trailing edges with a combination of serrations and combs. This combed teeth concept creates fine vortices at the point where the fast air stream from above the blade profile meets the slower flow from below. As a result, the aerodynamic noise from the trailing edge of the blade is reduced. According to Siemens, the noise mitigation does not affect the annual energy production of a wind turbine. The new combed teeth blade add-on will largely replace Siemens’ first generation DinoTail for onshore wind turbines. Serial manufacturing will start soon as part of the Low Noise equipment of the new Siemens wind turbine SWT-3.3-130LN. The new DinoTail Next Generation will also be applied at further new turbine models.