Esvagt and Wind Power LAB have launched WTG Blade Assessment, a new service concept said to reduce weather risks and costs related to drone inspections of offshore wind turbines.
WTG Blade Assessment is part of the companies’ recently established joint venture EWPL Ocean , which is dedicated to offering services that support the control of offshore assets and expand their lifetime without any weather risk for owners.
According to Esvagt, turbine blade inspections are currently done via camera from the tower foundation, via drone from a crew transfer vessel, or by a photographer from a helicopter, which all require decent weather and costly specialists.
EWPL Ocean turns inspections upside down already from the previous winter season, which is usually characterized by very few inspections due to weather conditions, the company said.
“Nowadays, inspecting turbine blades is costly, laborious, slow and imprecise. We are ameliorating all aspects,” said Søren Karas . CCO at ESVAGT and Chairman of the Board at EWPL Ocean.
“It is often decided to inspect during the summer, when the weather risk is at its lowest. The attached disadvantage is that once the recordings have been analysed, summer is over – and it is then unavoidable to have to wait until the following summer before being able to repair the damages, and by that time, they might well be aggravated.”
The concept includes drone pilots photographing the turbine blades from Esvagt’s vessels off season, before summer, seeking necessary repairs. After 24h, the customer receives the first assessment, and a week later, Wind Power LAB verifies and analyzes the needed repairs.
“Through trial cases, we have already observed that we identify the scope of the blade damages more precisely than previously possible,” Anders Røpke , CEO at EWPL Ocean, said.
“We offer a much more flexible and accurate inspection with a subsequent analysis; offered at the optimal time – at a much more affordable price.”