Offshore Wind Blade Winter Inspections

by Frank Haggerty

17 hours ago

Offshore Wind Blade Winter Inspections 
 
Most ocean wind blades are over 100 meters (about 350 feet) and are hybrid blades.
 
Hybrid wind turbine blades are manufactured by combining materials like carbon fiber and fiberglass. The purpose is cost-efficiency, flexibility, strength, and stiffness. 
 
The blades are built in molds with structural foam and balsa wood infused with resin to create a lightweight, aerodynamic structure.
 
In July 2024, a hybrid blade broke off the coast of Nantucket, dumping 50 tons of fiberglass, foam, and balsa wood into the ocean environment. The blades had never been tested in an ocean environment. Over 60 blades were identified as having manufacturing defects.
 
Since the accident, enhanced monitoring was added, including a new algorithm for existing fiber-optic sensors to prevent future blade failures. 
 
The recent winter temperatures from Maine to Rhode Island have seen temperatures in the single digits. 
 
Hybrid wind turbine blades are prone to cracking in cold weather due to extreme brittleness, ice-induced uneven loading, and fatigue from low temperatures. Ice buildup on leading edges creates structural imbalances and causes rapid micro-cracking, which could lead to severe blade failure. 
 
Cold weather increases "torsional stiffness" and induces fatigue, requiring testing.
 
Following the 2024 Nantucket failure, rigorous inspections should take place.  

 

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  • Thinklike A. Mountain

    Top ICE Official in Maine Responds to Platner, Mills, Bellows, and Joyce's Criticisms of Operation Catch of the Day
    https://robinsonreport.substack.com/p/top-ice-official-in-maine-res...

    16 hours ago

  • Dan McKay

    I wonder if these blades are monitored with strain guages.

    15 hours ago

  • Frank Haggerty

    The July 2024 failure of a 107-meter turbine blade off the Nantucket project has faced criticism regarding testing limitations at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and quality control failures GE Vernova's LM manufacturing plant in Canada. =
    Critical concerns have been raised about the certification of the prototype blade and torsional 
    testing at the Mass Clean Energy Center in Charlestown, Massachusetts
    Physical Size Constraints: The WTTC's facility was originally designed to accommodate blades up to 90 meters. To test the 107-meter GE Haliade-X prototype, engineers had to cut the tip off the blade to make it fit.
    • Data Extrapolation: Because the full blade could not be tested intact, engineers were forced to "extrapolate data" to certify the results, rather than conducting full-scale physical tests.
    • Lack of Torsion Testing: Reports indicate that cutting the blade prevented complete torsion testing, which is essential for validating how a blade withstands twisting forces.
    Actual field tests have never been conducted 

    10 hours ago