Windpower Engineering & Development

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Most recent posts
    • News
    • Featured
  • Leadership
    • 2020 Winners
    • 2019 Winners
    • 2018 Winners
  • Resources
    • Digital issues
    • Podcasts
    • Suppliers
    • Wind Farm Map
    • Wind Turbine Selector Tool
    • Wind Power Videos
    • Webinars
    • Wind Power Events
  • Webinars
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
    • Magazine Subscription
    • Enewsletter Subscription
  • About Us

Robowind developing robotic tools for turbine blade O&M

By Michelle Froese | June 10, 2019

Robowind, LLC announced that it has worked with Professors Praveen Shankar and Mahdi Yoozbashizadeh from California State University to develop robots and robotic tools for wind-turbine blade maintenance. This includes installation of turbine blade performance enhancements and improvements.

Members of the research team at Cal State University with one of Robowind’s early prototypes. So far the team has completed the initial design and beta test rover and tools to implement robotic turbine blade O&M.

Robotic capabilities in development include inspection, cleaning, sanding, blade repair, painting, performance coatings, installation of vortex generators, and noise reduction products and installation of leading edge protection tape.

The company is also looking for partners in the turbine manufacturing, O&M, and drone inspection sectors who can benefit by using Robowind, and to host field trials on onshore and offshore megawatt-scale wind turbines worldwide.

Robowind also is developing a Vortex Generator (VG) product in collaboration with the CSULB Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department. Wind tunnel testing and computational fluid dynamics modeling of the product found that “the estimated increase in AEP using the VG technology is 3% to 5% at zero pitch and up to 7% at an 8-degree pitch.

These test results will be confirmed in field trials on megawatt scale wind turbines within the next 45 days.

Robotic blade maintenance changes the economics of installing retrofits that in the past may not have made financial sense due to the high cost of rope or aerial lift access. This is significant for offshore facilities where turbine blade maintenance and performance enhancement work is typically dangerous and costly.

Unfortunately, physical access to wind-turbine blades that are offshore or hundreds of feet above the ground currently requires human technicians to access the blades via ropes or high lift aerial cranes. Work is slow, dangerous, and can only be completed when there are optimal weather conditions. As a result, completing maintenance or improvements on large wind farms can take several years before every turbine has been serviced. Labor and blade access represent more than 80% of the costs for both blade maintenance and performance enhancement.

Tell Us What You Think! Cancel reply

Related Articles Read More >

NREL validates thermoplastic resin for wind blades that is easier to recycle
Using long-lasting composites for increased blade lengths
AEROX brings leading-edge protection system for wind turbine blades
How composite materials influence blade sizes and functions

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.

Webinars
Windpower Engineering & Development
  • Wind Articles
  • Subscribe to Windpower Engineering
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us/About Us

Copyright © 2021 WTWH Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Site Map | Privacy Policy | RSS

Search Windpower Power Engineering & Development

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Most recent posts
    • News
    • Featured
  • Leadership
    • 2020 Winners
    • 2019 Winners
    • 2018 Winners
  • Resources
    • Digital issues
    • Podcasts
    • Suppliers
    • Wind Farm Map
    • Wind Turbine Selector Tool
    • Wind Power Videos
    • Webinars
    • Wind Power Events
  • Webinars
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
    • Magazine Subscription
    • Enewsletter Subscription
  • About Us