The Project

Project Background

Wind turbines provide an increasing amount of the European electricity, but the leading edge on turbine blades erodes when the blade tip is hit by rain and other particles in the air. Eroded edges result in less energy generated and will weaken the basic blade structure in the long run. Therefore, there is a demand for leading edge repair. Today rope technicians do these repairs hanging from ropes from the nacelle, which is a dangerous task and furthermore expensive.

To support the ongoing growth of using wind turbines as energy generators and decrease the total costs of these repairs, an efficient and safe way to maintain turbine blades at a competitive price is required.

Rope Robotics has developed this solution – a robot that repairs wind turbine blades in the heights. Using the robot is going to replace this hazardous, manual task and minimize the cost of wind turbine blade repair.

Repairing a turbine blade is all about not compromising the aerodynamics. When the robot is hoisted and positioned, it documents the extent of damage and the repair process needed is defined. Software ensures the correct planning and execution of the repair at optimized speed. The speed, pressure and geometry are vital for the correct result. The robot is doing all repair processes needed, such as cleaning, sanding and adding the leading-edge protection (LEP), which is final step to rebuild the shape of the blade. The Robot pilot operate the robot from the ground and ensures the processes are done correctly and the quality of the repair is in compliance with the customer specification.

The EUDP funding is going to help us to take the robot offshore and optimize the remote control. This requires further development and testing of ancillary equipment, communication- and operation set-up.