INTRODUCTION
The WINTUR project is partly funded by the European Seventh Framework Program (FP7) over two years and will develop new technology to continuously monitor off and onshore wind turbine blades.The project will develop an advanced integrated system for real-time SHEM and impending failure detection for on and offshore wind turbine blades, enabling a fundamental realignment of inspection/maintenance strategies. These will now be based on the actual condition of the blades. The capability of the system will be demonstrated in laboratory tests on wind turbine blades. Wind turbine blades are manufactured from various non-metallic materials - glass fibre reinforced plastic (GFRP), carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) (generically FRP) and wood, the latter being frequently combined with FRP. These non-metallic materials are notoriously difficult to inspect by non-destructive methods. For example, they attenuate ultrasound and cannot be readily inspected by radiography. Bearing in mind the above stated need and taking account of the limitations of current methods, a project is proposed to develop an SHEM system for continuously monitoring wind turbine blades. Criteria to be fulfilled by the system are that: -
- It should not require the interruption of power generation.
- The transducers used should be sufficiently light, flexible and of low enough profile as not to interfere with blade aerodynamics.
- The data should be collected and transmitted to a central base without human intervention on site.
