Blade Maintenance: Observations from the Field and Practical Solutions

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q  This webinar will be available afterwards at www.windpowerengineering.com & email

q  Q&A at the end of the presentation q  Hashtag for this webinar: #WindWebinar

Before We Start

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Introducing the Speakers

MODERATOR

FEATURED SPEAKER

FEATURED SPEAKER

FEATURED SPEAKER

Michelle Froese Senior Editor Windpower Engineering & Development

Kelly Miller Composite Report Manager EDF Renewable Services

Matt Sigala Area Technical Specialist EDF Renewable Services

Jon Salmon Senior Technical Services Manager EDF Renewable Services

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BLADE MAINTENANCE: observations from the field and practical solutions

Jon Salmon, P.E., Senior Technical Services Manager Kelly Miller, Composite Repair Manager Matt Sigala, Composite Specialist

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EDF Renewable Services

5

6.81 8.05

5.91 4.1

1.88 1.34 1.78 1.16 0.75 0.72 0.73

7.26 8.05 5.91

4.38 2.64 2.44 3.11

1.85 1.86 1.08 1.1

0 2 4 6 8

10

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Safety Performance 2005-2015

DART TRIR

TRIR: Total Recordable Incident Rate DART: Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred

30 years of expertise in renewable energy industry

Largest third-party provider of Operation and Maintenance (O&M) services in North America

Offer O&M, BOP, scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, blade inspections, blade repair and asset management

410 technicians and supervisors

Solutions customized to your specific projects needs

Company culture focused on safety

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Key Figures Across North America

6

10,723 7,782 6,703

4,094 3,840

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

Operations & Maintenance

Developed Put Into Service

Installed Capacity

Divested

EDF EN North America Activity

December 31, 2015

MW

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Blade Trends

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Larger rotors and longer,

heavier blades

Increased structural loading

Higher maintenance

costs

Turbine power ratings are increasing

Wind cost of energy

Least amount of

blade material

Lower design safety factors

Higher maintenanc

e costs

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Blade Trends

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Growing awareness of blade problems

Aging of flexible megawatt blades

The number of owners seeking blade maintenance services is increasing due to:

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Why is Blade Maintenance Important?

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Preserve the blade structure

Retain airfoil shape

Reduce AEP losses

Repair costs increase non-linearly as degradation progresses

Risk of complete blade loss

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Maintenance Factors

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Airborne erosive particles

•  Water •  Ice •  Sand •  Dust

Lightning frequency and intensity

Moisture ingestion

Freeze and thaw cycles

Blade design and manufacture

• Material erosion properties • Leading edge protection • Adhesive properties and processing • Workmanship

•  Blade degradation rate varies greatly site to site •  Some factors to consider at your site:

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Things to Consider

•  Established blade and site maintenance plan

•  Perform inspections early and often

•  Owner budget

•  Provider capabilities:

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Inspection techniques

Database to organize collected blade data

Maintenance and repair planning

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Things to Consider

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Modes of Inspection •  Visual inspections •  Binoculars • Cameras •  Technicians on the blade • Drones

Ability to see fine details • High image resolution •  Image effects: contrast, brightness •  Zoom ability

Cost and productivity •  Inspection • Data Management • Reporting

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Inspection Approach

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•  The industry has multiple different inspection techniques putting the customer in control of their solution

•  Blade maintenance needs can change depending on:

Turbine Age (construction vs. 10 years in)

Condition of Turbines

Climate

Customer Budget

Blade Design

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Basic Visual Inspection

•  Visual inspection typically using binoculars •  Technicians inspect each blade noting damage •  Lowest cost option and often included with O&M contract

Photographic Inspection

•  Inspection with a camera, typically including a telephoto lens •  Technicians inspect each blade and are able to show owners

damage through photographs

Technicians on the blade

•  Technicians are secured to the blade using ropes, cranes or a platform

•  Visually inspect and take photos of blade noting any damage

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UAV Inspection

•  Inspection with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or a drone •  UAV takes up close photos or videos of each blade •  Technicians then analyze data to see damage

Mosaic Image Mapping

•  Inspection performed with a high powered telephoto lens •  Photos are stitched together to form a mosaic image map •  Owners are able to see each blade in single photograph

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Data Management Reporting Capabilities

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Basic Reporting • May include photographs • Detail recommended repairs •  Paper or email form • Difficult to show yearly damage progression

Database • Central location to store reports from year to year • Difficult to note damage progression •  Includes photos of every blade •  Stored online or on computer

Website •  Includes photos and may include mosaic image map photos • Online with 24/7 access •  Easily see damage progression from year to year •  Ability to filter and search through photos and blades

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Lightning Strikes

Leading Edge Erosion

Laminate Delamination

Moisture Ingestion

Freeze & Thaw Cycling

Manufacturer Defects

Common Blade Failures

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Lightning Damage Repair Progression

Removal of gel coat and NDT

Damage prep for repair

Repair laminate cured

Gel coat / LEP applied

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Lightning Damage Repair

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Specially trained technicians test and repair Lightning Protection Systems

Repair damaged laminate

Repair and replace lightning protection receptors

Delamination

Disbond

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Leading Edge Erosion Control and Repair

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Specially trained blade repair technicians inspect and repair erosion damage

Install and replace leading edge protection

Bond line repairs

Leading edge preventive maintenance

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Costs of Not Repairing

A small problem one year can become a big problem the next

Leading edge erosion left untreated is more expensive to fix in the long term

Unrepaired damage can impact your plant performance

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Costs of Not Repairing •  Over time, blade repair costs increase •  Repair costs increase non-linearly as

degradation progresses •  Erosion can cause significant AEP

reductions

*Data courtesy of 3M

Pits and gouges reduce AEP from 4% up to 10%

Delamination reduces AEP up to 20%

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Questions?

MODERATOR

FEATURED SPEAKER

FEATURED SPEAKER

FEATURED SPEAKER

Michelle Froese Senior Editor Windpower Engineering & Development mfroese@wtwhmedia.com

Kelly Miller Composite Report Manager EDF Renewable Services Kelly.miller@edf-re.com

Matt Sigala Area Technical Specialist EDF Renewable Services Matthew.sigala@edf-re.com

Jon Salmon Senior Technical Services Manager EDF Renewable Services Jon.salmon@edf-re.com

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q  This webinar will be available at www.windpowerengineering.com & email

q  Tweet with hashtag #WindWebinar

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