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- Category: Articles
An Evaluation of Lightning Locating Systems to Prevent RiskWind farms are known to be particularly exposed during thunderstorms and workers on site are prone to lightning strikes. Thunderstorm warning systems are widely used to prevent lightning related accidents and are already employed in several sectors such as industry, utility networks, leisure activities, transport and civil protection. This article outlines how lightning locating systems can provide an early warning, taking into account the needs of the operators to be notified with a sufficient lead time to apply safety procedures.
By Stéphane Schmitt, Product Manager and Head of Marketing, Meteorage, France
- Category: Articles
New artificial intelligence (AI) based damage discovery technology can assist O&M organisations to detect defects and critical blade conditions through automated analysis of inspection data. Recent core enhancements in AI combined with high performance cloud-based platforms process inspection data in near real time and provide higher quality results at a lower cost when compared with human-based detection and analysis.By Whitney Weller and Kevin Wells, AirFusion, USA
- Category: Articles
Making Wind Energy Greener by Making the Turbines Themselves RecyclableAlthough fields of spinning wind turbines are a renewable source of energy, a challenge to wind energy production is the energy used to create the turbine and make the 150-foot-wide fibreglass turbines strong and durable. Additionally, when the turbines wear out after 20 or 25 years, only part of the material can be recycled. Therefore, wind turbine production is an ideal project for the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), a 160+ member, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and US Department of Energy driven consortium committed to increasing domestic production capacity and manufacturing jobs across the US composites industry. IACMI’s projects incorporate industry sectors including improving the composite materials used in the manufacturing of wind turbines, cars, compressed gas storage tanks and a number of other products such as airplanes and sporting goods.
By Liz Entman, Vanderbilt University and Emily King, Hannah Jay, and Robin Pate ,IACMI – The Composites Institute, USA
- Category: Articles
Materials and method to reduce the radar cross section of wind turbinesReduction of the radar cross section is an important aspect when planning a modern wind power plant. In the European Union the building permits for more than 20GW of wind power plants are rejected till the end of 2011 because of interference with civil and military radars. This equates to an estimated value in 2011 of more than € 30 billion.
By Jari Jekkonen, Veijo Kangas, Pasi Moilanen and Marko Luukkainen, Morphona, Finland
- Category: Articles
SeaVision, Three-Dimensional Underwater Laser Imaging System
In recent years, three-dimensional (3D) imaging sensors have increased in popularity as a tool for surface-based structural integrity assessment. These sensors provide 3D volumetric information that can be compared against baseline models for the detection of structural defects. Kraken’s SeaVision is a subsea high resolution full colour laser imaging sensor that transfers these capabilities to the subsea domain. With the deployment of offshore wind set to almost triple in the next 10 years, the need for innovative and low-risk solutions to inspect assets is crucial. Traditional inspection regimes need to be enriched with full 3D digitalisation of the inspected subsea structure. Cloud enabled four-dimensional (4D) data analytics, which track the development of the asset over time, are a step forward towards more cost-effective subsea asset management.
By Patrick Merz Paranhos and Jakob Schwendner, Kraken Robotik, Germany
- Category: Articles
Power Curve Verification Using Ground-Based and Nacelle-Mounted Remote Sensing Devices
A power curve measurement using remote sensing technology was performed in Uruguay after previous measurements had been completed by an independent laboratory, and the results showed that the measured power curve was considerably below the advertised one. The classification procedure of the ground-based lidar and the power curve results according to the IEC 61400-12-1 Ed. 2 standard are presented in this work.
By Andres Guggeri and Vasilii Netesov, Ventus Energía, Uruguay
- Category: Articles
Using Interfering Sound Waves for Monopile Investigation
Offshore wind farm operators face a challenge when trying to establish the integrity of the monopile-transition piece interface which has been used in 80% of turbines constructed before 2012. A key focus is the layer of grout which bonds the two steel sections of the structure, the integrity of which could affect the turbine’s long-term stability. Uniper Technologies, working with a team from the British Geological Survey, has developed a system, the first of its kind, which uses interfering sound waves to investigate the monopile-transition piece underwater and highlight any areas of defective or missing grout. The system, which has been successfully trialled at sea, was a winner of the recent Subsea Inspection competition organised by the Carbon Trust’s Offshore Wind Accelerator. Importantly the technique can inspect the structure from a single surface and within the tight timescales required for offshore procedures. Inspection data is interpreted and shared in a transparent format.
By Dr Colin Brett, Head of Inspection, Uniper Technologies, UK
