Wind Turbines and Wind Turbine Blade Repair And Maintenance

Social IssuesEnvironment

  • Author Cory Sober
  • Published December 3, 2010
  • Word count 485

Wind turbine blade repair and maintenance is vital to ensure that they can provide the maximum efficiency year round. Unfortunately it can happen that the blades on wind turbines can become quickly damaged if a storm hits. If they are not fixed immediately they could pose a serious threat to passers by, wildlife, and property as well as reducing overall efficiency of the wind energy project.

The performance of wind turbines can drop immediately even by debris or roughness being present on the actual blades. Repairing damaged components or removing debris is not a task for the uninformed or inexperienced. It requires a thorough understanding of the engineering process and well rounded knowledge of aerodynamic principles. Blade inspection, cleaning, and repairs should always be left to the professionals.

In many cases the damage that exists may not be visible from the ground. In fact cracking may occur which is invisible to the naked eye. All turbine blades, large or small, are most often manufactured out of composite materials. Wearing in the composite material can quickly grow to the extent that the device starts to fail and efficiency becomes non-existent.

Preventive maintenance and blade profile management are essential in making sure that any given wind turbine can produce the amount of electricity it has been designed to handle. Addressing minor problems is key to preventing down time that results in reduced production efficiency. By hiring experienced wind turbine maintenance professionals that have access to the best analytical tools, optimizing a large scale wind energy project becomes more cost effective efficient.

There are now new developments within the field of wind turbine blade repairs that can allow the owners or operators of the systems to reduce costs and ensure maximum productivity. For example, there is now technology that is easy to use and can cure any cracks or deterioration on minutes. This removes the problem of constant down time that may often lead to spiraling maintenance costs.

As the growth of wind turbines for commercial and residential purposes has placed a strain on the support infrastructure that exists, it is important that new technology and concepts are made available that would allow for any problems to be addressed and solved with the least amount of effort and disruption. Safety is also a factor in repairing damaged turbine blades. Extended down time is not an option and with large turbines, height and weather can pose great risk, and should be left to trained experts.

The number of factors that can impact on the performance of a wind turbine blade are many. For example a build up of ice can cause a serious lessening of performance and also present a real danger to people on the ground. By having on hand the details of professional maintenance experts the chance of a disastrous problem occurring would be kept to a minimum and the efficiency of the device would be enhanced.

Cory Sober is the IT Director for UpWind Solutions, a full-service operations and maintenance provider for utility-scale wind energy projects and wind farms. He is part of a highly trained team focused on maximizing long-term productivity of wind turbines, and as a result, delivering a higher return on investment for wind energy projects.

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