Windpower Engineering & Development

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Most recent posts
    • News
    • Featured
  • Resources
    • U.S. offshore wind projects
    • Digital issues
    • Podcasts
    • Suppliers
    • Wind Power Videos
    • Wind Power Events
  • Webinars
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
    • Enewsletter Subscription
    • Magazine Subscription
  • About Us
  • 2022 Leadership in Wind
    • 2021 Winners
    • 2020 Winners
    • 2019 Winners

Materials, reliability, & standards blade reliability collaborative

By Paul Dvorak | July 22, 2014

The Blade Reliability Collaborative (BRC) has focused recently on inspection methods to find flaws and damage in blades, and the effect of those defects on structural and aerodynamic performance.  Additionally, the project has started a new effort looking at repair methods.

Researchers at Sandia have completed design and manufacturing of non-destructive inspection (NDI) test panels which will be tested by personnel from blade and inspection equipment manufacturers, along with blade service technicians.  The inspection panels were designed with input and review from industry, and feature a multitude of types and sizes of flaws.  Formal invitations to participate in this study will be sent out within the next month.  When complete, the project will give a clear picture of the ability of NDI equipment and methods to find problems in blades.

Sandia blade repair collab
Sandia staff, along with researchers from Texas A&M and the University of California at Davis are also nearing completion of an experimental and computational effort to study the effects of leading edge erosion on the aerodynamic performance of blades.  The work included several rounds of wind tunnel testing of airfoils with erosion and model development and validation.  Several papers have been produced from this work, with the latest showing very good correlation between the models of erosion and the experimental results.  The major outcome of this research has been that leading edge erosion has, in many cases, a more severe effect on aerodynamic performance than what is assumed during the design process.  It is estimated that this can lead to energy losses of 5% for modern turbines.

Finally, staff from Sandia and Montana State University have begun to study repair methods for wind blade composites.  While the topic of repairs to composite laminates is not new, the issue as it relates to wind blades is important to look at as blades are often repaired in adverse conditions and are not subject to the same standards as industries like aerospace.  A recent Master’s thesis looks at the adequacy of scarf repairs through mechanical testing and finite element modeling.  Additionally, the report describes a survey of the wind blade repair industry as well as an examination of relevant standards.  The thesis finds scarf repairs to be adequate for lightly loaded regions of blades, albeit overly-conservative when designed to standards.  The study also finds that scarf repairs can result worse performance than the flawed structure when applied to highly loaded areas of the blade.

Josh Paquette, (505) 844-7766.

Sandia

sandia.gov


Filed Under: Blades, News
Tagged With: NREL, Sandia
 

About The Author

Paul Dvorak

Tell Us What You Think!

Related Articles Read More >

Stora Enso, Modvion partner on wooden wind turbine towers
EDF tests underwater drone at UK offshore wind farm
GE unveils 3-MW onshore turbine built for North American market
TotalEnergies developing 1-GW offshore wind farm off Carolina coast

Podcasts

Wind Spotlight Interview: RAD Torque Systems
See More >

Windpower Engineering & Development Digital Edition

Digital Edition

Browse the most current issue of Windpower Engineering & Development and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading wind power engineering magazine today.

Windpower Engineering & Development
  • Wind Articles
  • Solar Power World
  • Battery Power Tips
  • Subscribe to Windpower Engineering
  • Advertising
  • About Us/Contact Us

Copyright © 2022 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Windpower Engineering & Development

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Most recent posts
    • News
    • Featured
  • Resources
    • U.S. offshore wind projects
    • Digital issues
    • Podcasts
    • Suppliers
    • Wind Power Videos
    • Wind Power Events
  • Webinars
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
    • Enewsletter Subscription
    • Magazine Subscription
  • About Us
  • 2022 Leadership in Wind
    • 2021 Winners
    • 2020 Winners
    • 2019 Winners