| Power plant products
Huge rotor blade inspection campaign completed
Sulzer Schmid, a Swiss company that is pioneering UAV technology (ie, drones) for wind rotor blade inspections, has completed its fourth European inspection campaign for Vestas, covering 4000 wind turbines in seven countries across Northern and Central Europe. The collected data is expected to give Vestas and its customers actionable insights on the health of their fleets.
Sulzer Schmid managed all aspects of the campaign. Its scope involved planning inspections, mobilising and training 25 inspection teams, providing hardware and ensuring 24/7 support to field teams to keep the drones flying at all times. The campaign used two types of drone- enabled inspection solutions: the 3DX AutoPilot and the ultra-portable 3DX SmartPilot. This combination was intended to ensure the reliability and flexibility needed to cover a full range of wind farms over a wide geographic area, from large industrial wind parks to small, remote sites with difficult access. The campaign also included the inspections of Vestas next generation EnVentus series.
Inspection images and metadata captured by the drones were uploaded to the browser-based 3DX Blade Platform for processing, and Sulzer Schmid personnel completed the annotations
using AI enhanced software and Vestas’ own taxonomy.
The 3DX Blade Platform integrates every aspect of the rotor blade inspections in one place and allows Vestas to monitor the campaign progress at any time. A new damage progression module makes it possible to track the evolution of damages identified in previous campaigns, laying the foundation for predictive maintenance. A collaborative deep link feature enables full details from the inspection to be easily shared within the organisation
“The collaborative features of the 3DX Blade Platform help us streamline the communication with our customers, plan our repair campaigns more efficiently, thus saving downtime and ensuring the integrity of our blades” commented Lean Frandsen, technical planner, Special Task Nordic, Vestas Northern – Central Europe.
‘Innovative’ wind farm technologies under test in Spain
RWE is testing two promising technologies at a new onshore wind farm in Spain. They are intended to reduce the impact on the environment during the construction phase of the plant on the one hand, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions during subsequent operation on the other.
Specifically, the company has now made the investment decision for the Orkoien pilot project near Pamplona. There, in the north of the country, a 5.7 MW turbine is being built to gather experience with the two technologies. Construction works are underway and commissioning is planned for summer 2023. In the first, special plastic mats are used for the first time in the construction phase. Their
great advantage in temporary work areas such as access roads and storage areas, is that they minimise the construction-related impact on the soil. Normally, these areas are excavated and gravelled. Now, only the surface is smoothed with the excavator. Then the access and storage areas are temporarily covered with the plastic overlays. Following the work, the vegetation can regenerate completely. Another advantage: the mats, which are partly made of recycled material, can be reused in other projects. A significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is expected of the second technology, which is being used for the first time in the Orkoien pilot project, in the medium-voltage switchgear at the base of the turbine tower,
where a new kind of insulating agent in the circuit breaker is being trialled to replace the customary SF6 arc extinguisher.
Unfortunately SF6 is a greenhouse gas that impacts the climate. Therefore, it may only be used under strict conditions. With the use of “SF6-free switchgear”, RWE is now testing an alternative that reduces greenhouse gas emissions to almost zero. This new technology relies 85 % on dry air and 15 % on C5 fluoroketones as an insulating agent. In addition to being environmentally friendly, the technology has the same technical reliability as SF6. RWE is therefore also preparing for the SF6 ban announced by the EU for new plants from 2031.
PV’s role in building renovation
Berlin-based photovoltaic specialists Kintlein & Ose took on and completed an 8500m² roof renovation on an industrial-scale German dairy farm, alongside the installation of a 1.5 MW photovoltaic system using LONGi solar modules. During the works, which were completed in only four weeks, the farmer, whose farm is located in the Brandenburg village of Briesen, carried on with business as usual, managing and milking his large herd of dairy cows. As is often the case with older agricultural buildings, the Briesen facility’s asbestos roofing could not support solar modules and had to be replaced, to ensure the long-term operation of the PV system. The previous roof also had numerous chimneys and vents that the solar array had to be
designed around.
Kintlein & Ose, who undertook the project in co-operation with their partner K&O Dach und Bauservice, offset the cost of the new roof against the lease payments. The contractual agreement effectively delivered the farm an entire asbestos removal and renovation using trapezoidal steel sheets free of charge.
Leasing to an external operator offers a practical alternative for farmers interested in PV. They get a rooftop clean power plant but avoid taking on an operational role in addition to their agricultural business. In Briesen, the farmer’s contract relieves him from any solar operating and maintenance obligations. The energy generated by the farm’s
rooftop solar system is fed directly into the local utility’s grid, and could make a substantial contribution in terms of kWh per year, reducing CO2
emissions by around 850 tons.
www.modernpowersystems.com | October 2022 | 47
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55
