Rope Access Wind Turbine Blade Repair, Nakhon Ratchasima Thailand

Dacon’s GWO rope access team recently completed a wind turbine blade repair in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima in Thailand. The repair involved blade repair on several wind turbines with defects ranging from coating damage and pitting to open bond lines and severely damaged blade tips with fiber glass ruptures. Dacon is a leading inspection and training provider in the region offering advanced internationally accredited and recognized GWO and IRRATA training, inspection, and repair services.

As the demand for energy increases worldwide and the focus on clean renewable energy continues, Thailand’s renewable energy market has seen significant growth in the past 10 years with wind and solar energy. Thailand’s wind energy sector is expected to see an estimated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5% over the next 4 years. Onshore wind farms continue to drive the market over offshore farms due to declining costs and ease of installation, especially with Thailand’s high winds in the northeast of the country and during the monsoon season. Thailand’s wind energy sector has generated USD 3 billion of direct investment in Thailand’s economy with an additional 6-10 billion forecasted before 2050 and the creation of 10,000 additional jobs.

Wind turbine blades are highly susceptible to environmental factors such as air density creating more or less force pushing on the blades based on ambient air temperature. Even slight icing on blades can cause sufficient surface roughness reducing aerodynamic efficiency and in turn power output. Minor Damage and environmental factors can cause severe reductions in efficiency with regular severe icing causing a reduction of up to 20%. Damage also causes imbalance and vibrations in the blades causing parts of the turbine to wear out more quickly and even shutdowns effecting a projects financial performance and returns. Damage to wind turbines can be caused by any number of factors such as lightning strikes, foreign objects such as hail or birds and general wear and tear from use or vibrations. Dacon offers a comprehensive inspection and repair program covering tower and blade repair.

In addition to GWO and IRATA certified rope access inspections Dacon also offers a range of drone inspection services. Drone or Unmanned Arial Vehicle (UAV) inspection drastically reduces inspection costs while increasing the speed, accuracy, and record keeping of inspections for future follow up and inspection data comparison. Dacon’s inspection and repair programs offer clients an end-to-end experience covering the entire process from initial consultation to final reporting and returning of the asset to the client. A brief overview of the service process can be seen below as well as details wind turbine inspection services.

Wind Turbine Inspection Process

Initial consultation with a Dacon inspection expert outlining client requirements
Environment and asset material testing for initial analysis and job scope
Thorough cleaning of the asset to insure accurate inspection
Asset inspection both visual and using advanced non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques
Repair of blade and tower components
Final inspection and repair assessment prior to handing the asset back over to the client

Dacon Inspection Technologies Wind Turbine Inspection and Repair Services

Wind Turbine Tower Services
Inspection
Cleaning
Construction assembly support
Dent removal
Torque testing and replacement of bolts
Maintenance and inspection of fall arrest systems
Weld inspection
Coating and composite repairs

Wind Turbine Blade Services

Visual inspection
Laminate repairs
Coating repairs
Re-drilling of drain holes
Construction assembly support
Inspection and installation of lightning protection
External cleaning

Wind Turbine Remote Visual Inspection (RVI)/Borescope Services

Gear box
Generator and convertor
Coating repairs
Main baring and main shaft
Construction assembly support
Rotor hub
Drone Inspection