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Repairing wind-power installations in stormy weather

Wind turbines need wind in order to produce electricity. But strong winds also prevent vital repair work. In order to find a solution to this problem, researchers are now developing a service platform equipped with a weather-proof booth.

Repairs to wind-powered installations often have to be postponed due to strong winds or heavy rains. In order to get round this problem, scientists at the University of Applied Sciences in Aachen, Germany are partnering with industry to develop a climbing service platform equipped with an enclosed work booth. This makes use of a chain drive to enable maintenance technicians to work at any height, in a space that is protected from the elements.

In Germany, the number of wind-powered installations in use is constantly increasing, which also means an ever greater amount of maintenance and repair work. But poor weather conditions repeatedly lead to sustained periods of standstill. The ‘Smart2’ project aims to change all this. Using the repair platform, kitted with a weather-proof work booth, installation technicians will in future be able to safely perform the maintenance work needed on the rotor blade.

Booth fixed securely to the tower

The booth’s climbing mechanism is fixed to the tower using a ring-shaped chain drive. Electrical engines are used to move the booth up and down. The predecessor project, ‘Smart’, involved building the mobile platform on a scale of 1:3 and testing this in the lab, with the construct proving a success. The current research project involves construction of the first full-scale prototype of the smart installation equipped with work booth, as well as an attachment for a transport vehicle that will fit onto this.

Additional research into on robot-based assistance

The platform is to help mounted rotor blades to be repaired exactly where they are, long before there is such large-scale damage to the blade that it has to be fully dismounted. ‘Smart2’ will also make it easier for surfaces and weld seams on the wind towers to be checked and for the necessary repairs to be carried out. Alongside this development work, the experts are also conducting research into robot-based assistance technology which could be used to undertake cleaning work independently, without the need for staff.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy is providing funding for the project to the tune of around €2.6 million over two and a half years.