Wind Turbine Blade Inspections with the Elios 3

Explore how the Elios 3 drone revolutionized wind turbine blade inspections, delivering results in just one day instead of five!

Key Benefits at a Glance

Safety

Inspecting the inside of a wind turbine blade involves working at heights and in tight spaces. The Elios 3 reduces risks by eliminating the need for human entry into the blade, making it a safer option.

Speed

The Elios 3 completed a full blade inspection in just 27 minutesâ€”far quicker than the 2 hours needed with a rover or up to 2 days using manual methods. It's clearly the fastest solution available.

Data Quality

Equipped with a 4K camera, the Elios 3 captured detailed images of lightning damage and past maintenance work along the blades. Its LiDAR point cloud also provided accurate navigation within the confined space.

Access

After launching from the hub, the Elios 3 could fly into each blade without needing repositioning. Its compact size allowed it to reach nearly the entire length of the blade, collecting essential data remotely.

According to the Global Wind Energy Council, there are over 341,000 wind turbines worldwide. These towering structures are highly efficient, with an average turbine from 2020 generating enough power for a household for a month in just 46 minutes. However, maintaining these massive systems comes with significant challenges.

Wind turbines are located high above ground and often in cramped, hard-to-reach areas. To inspect them, workers require specialized training to navigate confined spaces safely. This makes finding qualified personnel difficult and costly. Traditional methods are not only slow but also risky.

Why Use Drones for Wind Turbine Inspections?

In February 2024, Swedish company Drone Solution partnered with a wind turbine management firm to test if drones could be used to inspect the inside of wind turbines. While they had already used drones for external inspections, this was the first time they attempted internal blade inspections. Drone Solution is among the few operators globally capable of performing such tasks.

A wind turbine with trees around it against a grey and cloudy sky The sheer scale of wind turbines makes inspections extremely challenging.

Blade inspections typically focus on identifying manufacturing faults or lightning damage. A lightning strike may leave only a small mark on the outside, but the internal structure could suffer serious damage. In some cases, a blade might even explode if the Lightning Protection System is faulty. Regular inspections help prevent these issues, especially since repairing a damaged blade can cost up to $1 million.

Drone Solution wanted to show that the Elios 3 could offer a faster, safer, and more effective way to inspect both the inside and outside of wind turbines. Their goal was to demonstrate how drones could streamline the entire inspection process.

Planning a Wind Turbine Blade Inspection with the Elios 3

Each wind turbine has three blades, all of which need to be inspected individually. Traditionally, this requires trained personnel to enter the blades, which are narrow and filled with internal structures like shear webs. Inspectors must rotate the blades to check both sides, making the process time-consuming and labor-intensive.

As a result, traditional blade inspections can take anywhere from 5 to 9 days, depending on the turbineâ€™s size. Drone Solution aimed to prove that the Elios 3 could significantly speed up this process.

The Process: A Drone Wind Turbine Blade Inspection

The demonstration involved a turbine with 67-meter-long blades. Drone Solutionâ€™s team had previously undergone wind turbine training before arriving on-site. They took a 20-minute elevator ride to the hub, where they accessed the blades through hatches.

They programmed the turbine to pitch two blades upward, positioning them at angles similar to 10 and 2 oâ€™clock on a clock. This ensured the drone would safely return to the hub in case of any issues.

The Elios 3 outside of an access hatch on a turbine

The Elios 3 was flown into each blade and navigated along the shear webs for 30 meters. The pilot used the 4K camera to capture visual data and identify potential issues, including lightning damage. The FlyAware LiDAR scan helped navigate the tight, dark space when the drone was out of sight.

The entire inspection was completed in 27 minutes across three flights. The process was repeated for all three blades. Afterward, a second drone was used to inspect the exterior of the turbine.

Snapshot: the Elios 3 flying inside a turbine blade with the shear web on the left

Results of the Drone Wind Turbine Blade Inspection

Both Drone Solution and their client were impressed by the results. The Elios 3 revealed internal damage that wasnâ€™t visible from the outside, proving its effectiveness over traditional methods. This type of inspection usually requires two trained individuals, but the drone reduced the number of people needed to just one.

With the Elios 3, each blade could be inspected in under 30 minutes. Traditional methods, whether using a person or a rover, took much longerâ€”up to a day per blade. This made the drone solution not only faster but also more cost-effective.

Thanks to the success of this trial, Drone Solution hopes to expand the use of drone inspections across more wind farms. This could become a regular and valuable mission for their team, offering a safer, faster, and more reliable alternative to traditional blade inspections.

Glass Vacuum Lifter

Introducing the Glass Vacuum Lifter, a revolutionary lifting solution available in two robust models - Glassboy 500 and Glassboy 750, offering maximum load capacities of 500kg and 750kg respectively. Both models are designed to revolutionize the way you handle heavy glass and other materials, making the lifting and transportation process safer, easier, and more efficient.

With a Single Cup design, these Glass Vacuum Lifters boast a compact size and lightweight self-weight, making them highly portable and easy to maneuver. Despite their sleek design, they are capable of handling heavy loads with ease, ensuring smooth and secure lifting operations.

The aluminum alloy suction cups are not only durable but also provide excellent suction power, ensuring a secure grip on various surfaces. For rough surface materials, the included sponge rubber pads offer additional stability and are easily replaceable for convenient maintenance.

A convenient cart is included for easy transportation of the Glass Vacuum Lifter and your loads, making it a perfect choice for use in warehouses, construction sites, and other industrial environments.

With a waterproof rating of IPX2, these lifters can withstand splashes and moisture, ensuring reliable performance even in damp or wet conditions. The battery-powered operation eliminates the need for cumbersome cable connections, offering greater freedom and flexibility during use.

The intelligent pulse pump system automatically stops and starts as needed, saving energy and extending battery life. Plus, the manual tilting and rotating features allow for precise positioning and adjustment of loads, making it easy to maneuver and place glass or other materials exactly where they need to go.

For added safety and convenience, the Glass Vacuum Lifters come with an extra hook coupling for full vertical lifting, enabling you to lift loads straight up with ease. Additionally, an alert system warns you when the vacuum is low, the battery is running low, or when charging is needed, ensuring you are always aware of the operating status of your lifter.

Whether you're lifting glass panels, sheets of metal, or any other heavy materials, the Glassboy 500 and Glassboy 750 Glass Vacuum Lifters are the perfect tools for the job. Choose the model that suits your needs and experience the difference a quality vacuum lifter can make in your lifting and transportation operations.

Vacuum Lifter,glass lifter,glass Vacuum Lifter,glass lifting equipment,glass installation lifter,glass lifting

Guangdong Cowest Machinery Equipment Co.,ltd. , https://www.cowestmac.com