Operations & maintenance
From fixing errors to preventing decline Aerones envisions a much more efficient system in which a more nuanced schedule of robot-based maintenance can be carried out at shorter intervals on less-developed cases of leading-edge erosion. This way, the turbine’s energy output suffers less, there is less danger to rope technicians and maintenance takes a fraction of the usual amount of time. “Let’s say that the period between having to perform level five leading-edge erosion repair on your wind turbine is six years. Using our robot, you would perform maintenance – not repairs – to the turbine every two and a half years,” Kruze explains. “This maintenance is performed exceedingly quicker and more accurately than the usual repairs, reducing overall downtime and maximising energy output.” As well as maintaining general energy output levels, Kruze believes that this preventative approach will elongate the life of the blades overall. Though Aerones are currently testing how long this system will extend the life of blades, he says that “even 1% longer is worth billions of savings in the long run”.
Much of Aerones future relies on the aforementioned modularity of its robot. “It allows us to approach each service of the overall repair, ultimately removing the need for dangerous human ascents at all,” Kruze says. This also means the Aerones robot can keep up with turbines as they grow in size and stature.
But there is another factor that could play a large role in the future of Aerones and of wind energy in general: data. Kruze tells a story from when Aerones started out, mainly carrying out drone-based inspections for the wind energy sector. Looking into lightning-based protections, the general consensus was that lightning damage was an inevitability. However, though 20% of the turbines inspected did not have sufficient lightning protection, 80% of insurance cases were caused by lightning. Insurance companies and wind energy organisations took notice of these findings.
Kruze says that this is part of the same preventative mindset that he hopes the industry will take towards repairs. “Just test your lightning protection systems, repair that 20% and avoid a lot of insurance cases,” he says. With the repair robot also reporting back data from every turbine it works on, there are no doubt more cost-saving solutions hidden in these numbers that are yet to be unearthed. So, for now, Aerones robots will crawl up and down the turbines onshore, removing risks to humans, improving turbine downtime and beating back the scourge of leading-edge erosion. As turbines are kept in a better condition, pollinated – if you will – by this insect-like robot, larger ones will be planted, more energy generated, and a new sustainable future will fully bloom. ●
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SUHNER_HalfPage_178x124_RF_Dec2022.indd 1 World Wind Technology /
www.worldwind-technology.com
Antenna Type 91121514 for sub- 500 MHz & smar grid networks
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