Posters
Come meet the poster presenters to ask them questions and discuss their work
We would like to invite you to come and see the posters at our upcoming conference. The posters will showcase a diverse range of research topics, and will give delegates an opportunity to engage with the authors and learn more about their work. Whether you are a seasoned researcher or simply curious about the latest developments in your field, we believe that the posters will offer something of interest to everyone. So please join us at the conference and take advantage of this opportunity to learn and engage with your peers in the academic community. We look forward to seeing you there!
PO298: Shape sensing of wind turbine blades: the Application to 5 Operational Pilot Projects
Rui Figueiredo, COO, Fibersail
Abstract
Energy is an integral part of economic growth and social development. Efforts made to respond to climate change have led to the growth in the use of renewable energy resources for energy generation, among which wind is one of the most prominent sources. Despite the greater focus on the development of wind infrastructure solutions, the operation and maintenance perspective has not received the same level of attention. Contrary to expectations, the LCoE of wind energy did not decrease as planned. Therefore, it is essential to develop smarter asset operations and management solutions for WTs to reduce operational costs, improve reliability, and ensure the growth of the wind market. To address these concerns, CMS emerged as a solution to support and optimize operational and maintenance strategies. This paper presents a CMS based on an advanced shape sensing solution for WT blades being developed by Fibersail. This new technology involves the installation of fiber-optics based sensors into the turbine blades. These sensors continuously monitor and measure the real-time shape, deformation, and structural health of blades. By collecting various parameters such blade curvature, twist and deflection, this technology provides valuable data that allows to infer the aerodynamic performance and monitor the behaviour health through blade lifetime. After presenting the technology, the paper continues with the description of its application to 5 pilot projects. These 5 case studies involve the instrumentation of WT blades with different operating ages (new and old wind farms), different technological advances (old and modern WTs) and blades with different lengths (small and large blades). Different instrumentation solutions adopted for each project (designed to respond to different requirements) are also presented, as well as the main results. With this work it is also possible to understand the evolution of the Fibersail system to the current solution.
