In February 2019, our Structural Integrity Monitor highlighted a high level of 1P activity at one of the turbines of a 40 MW wind farm in the USA. Our team got in touch with the owner, recommending an inspection to rule out pitch misalignment, which could result in high levels of imbalance. The inspections revealed a crack at the blade root, which is the likely cause of the increased 1P activity. A planned replacement is currently being discussed, and is likely to be carried out over two days, that is 12 days less than the time estimated to respond to a blade failure, avoiding over USD 5,000 in lost revenue, not covered by the maintenance agreement, and the possibility of catastrophic damage.
Detected blade crack
Detected by our structural integrity module
