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Operations & Maintenance

Operations & Maintenance

 

There can be hundreds of blades to manage across any individual wind farm, so it is crucial that the data they receive is of the highest quality and reported accurately with:

  • Correct identification of all damage
  • Correct classification of damage types
  • Correct damage severity categorisation
  • Correct sizing of defects
  • Correct scoring, to further support repair prioritisation

So, how can inspection help to ensure the integrity of blades & structures is maintained?

Innovair’s inspection solutions can support WTG operators throughout the entire life cycle of an asset, with inspection applications from blade tip to foundations, including:

  • External Blade Inspection
  • Internal Blade Inspection
  • Wind Turbine structure & component Inspection
  • Splash zone & subsea Inspection

External Blade Inspection

Seamlessly integrating autonomous drone data collection with powerful analytics enables safe, accurate & repeatable blade inspections.

Data is captured within approximately 25 minutes per turbine, covering Leading Edge, Trailing Edge, Pressure side and Suction Side. All data is thoroughly examined by our certified visual inspectors, before being presented through an online portal.

Stakeholders can be granted access to easily review and collaborate using your blade inspection data, with our experienced inspection engineers on hand throughout to provide engineering support and help you gain visibility on the condition of wind turbine blades, prioritise repair requirements and get the most value from your budget.

Our drone inspection solutions provide 100% blade coverage, ensuring all damage is identified & categorised. Tailored reports can be generated quickly allowing you to focus on critical damages and keep turbines running.

Internal Blade Inspection

We put our Qualified Inspectors at the controls of Remote Inspection Technologies (RITs), including our confined space drones and robotic crawlers, to safely deliver internal blade inspections to the highest standards.

Our approach can increase the internally inspected length of a blade by over 40% compared to man entry inspection methods and reduces the inspection time by over 50%. The real benefit is that our team remains safely outside of the blade.

Internal & External blade inspection data can be correlated within our online portal to maximise your understanding of blade condition and further support decision making.

WTG Main Structure & Component Inspection

Operating a fleet of specialist drones and robotic crawlers we can capture visual inspection, thermal inspection, ultrasonic thickness & photogrammetry data sets.

Inspections can cover all components of an onshore or offshore WTG including the nacelle, spinner, hub, tower, transition piece, boat landings etc.

Our team are experienced inspection engineers first & foremost, we then train them to be highly competent in the operation of drones & other robotics, so they are equipped to collect high-quality inspection data, accurately and repeatably.

Offshore Wind Asset Inspection

Offshore wind assets, including Offshore Sub-Stations and weather masts, also require periodic inspection to maintain their integrity. Innovair provide a set of complimentary services to support these inspection requirements.

Visual Inspection using drones can be deployed initially, gathering inspection data across all external topsides and structures, jacket, transition piece and boat landings (dependant on asset type), before undertaking any additional inspection works deemed appropriate.

To help you manage these assets we have developed tailored Remote Visual Inspection (RVI), Advanced NDT and supporting services including surface preparation / cleaning to enable thorough inspections of these assets, be that corrosion mapping of towers and Splash zone (Monopile / Transition Piece), or internal / external inspection of Caissons & J-Tubes.

We want to hear about your inspection challenges and often engage with customers in an advisory capacity, working to understand inspection needs and helping to define a suitable solution.

We have a series of established inspection capabilities but when an off the shelf solution doesn’t solve the problem, we’ll create one that does.

About Innovair

Established in 2015, Aberdeen-based Innovair is a Specialist Inspection Solutions provider. It has extensive experience in supporting engineers in disciplines such as structural, integrity, operations & maintenance roles within oil & gas and wind energy, providing visibility on the condition of their assets through trusted inspection data.

Operating both onshore & offshore in the energy sectors, Innovair offers Advanced NDT, Remote Visual Inspection, Drone Inspection & Bespoke Solutions development, typically using robotic systems to gain access safely & efficiently to remote areas of high-value assets, whether at height, in confined spaces or around the splash zone.

Combining highly experienced inspection engineers & industry leading inspection technology, with our in-house R&D & Engineering knowledge we select the right tooling and methodology for each inspection project, innovating and applying learnings to continually improve.

Innovair has multiple contracts in place with UK onshore & offshore wind farm operators, with one recently awarded 3-year contract covering the inspection of wind turbine blades and main structures across some 170 turbines and 3 offshore substations. Innovair’s largest contract win in the sector to date, it is a huge endorsement for our growing business.

The team at Innovair have completed inspection projects for some of the largest Energy companies around the world. Bringing together this experience, including ~3,000 offshore days between our two founders alone, Innovair has successfully developed a client base that trusts us to deliver, a trust well placed given the successful delivery of >200 Inspection projects to date.

If you need ‘Data you can trust’ and are looking for an experienced service provider who understands your inspection requirements, contact Innovair.

We want to work with you to help solve your inspection challenges.

Read the latest issue of the OGV Energy magazine HERE

Published: 14-06-2022

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