Did you know that wind energy produced nearly 400 billion kilowatt hours of power in 2021? With a number like that, it’s clear that wind energy is no longer a fad but a significant player in the energy industry. At the front line of wind energy are the wind turbines that generate the power, both land-based and off-shore.
As with any mechanism, proper upkeep is essential. Unfortunately, repairing an ineffective turbine is difficult due to its height and cost, both in terms of maintenance specialists and having it not produce power. Read on to learn more about wind turbine inspection and its benefits.
Benefits of Getting a Wind Turbine Inspection
There are many benefits to getting an inspection that produces financial and operational benefits. Some of these benefits include:
Prevent More Costly Wind Turbine Maintenance
By being proactive and getting an inspection ahead of time, the inspector may find a problem in its infancy. In addition, this could enable you to have proactive maintenance performed, which is less costly.
Optimal Use of Turbine
A proactive inspection can shorten any downtime that a wind turbine experiences. This optimizes its productive ability. Considering that the average turbine produces at least 6 million kilowatt hours a year, any lost time is a significant energy loss.
Inspection Backed by Coverage
Some inspections are covered by a warranty, meaning that anything missed would be fixed free of charge. This can provide additional peace of mind. Before any inspection, you should ask about items like this.
What Should a Good Inspection Include?
A good turbine inspection covers all of the major wind turbine parts. These parts include:
Turbine Blades
When inspecting the blades, there should be both a surface and a subsurface inspection. On the surface, an inspector should look for cracks, erosion, and signs of being struck by a bird or lightning. The subsurface inspection is conducted through thermal imagining and ultrasound, trying to identify the same issues as the surface inspection.
Braking and Other Mechanical Systems
When reviewing the brakes and other mechanical systems of a wind turbine, an inspector will check functionality but also for signs of excessive wear and tear through visual and auditory methods.
Nacelle
The nacelle is the protective housing for the wind turbine’s moving parts, including the gearbox, drive train, and brakes. With this component, the primary check is to ensure that structural integrity remains intact. In addition, an inspector should look for cracks and any damage that could result in snow or rain penetrating the systems.
Wind Turbine Inspection
A good wind turbine inspection should rely on visual cues and use technology to see what the human eye can not. First, a turbine’s major parts are reviewed to determine any current or future problems.
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