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Our two man team, which comprised an industry qualified inspection engineer and an experienced turbine UAV pilot, mobilised to inspect 23 of the oldest turbines in the fleet to determine the levels of damage and asset integrity. Turbines in these particular sites require regular inspection as the region is subject to frequent storms and lightning strikes, therefore up-to-date condition assessments are crucial.
During the limited time that the turbines were taken out of operation, competent technicians (CT) were able to access the nacelle and hub while the drone inspections were being carried out. This allowed the CTs to make effective use of the turbine downtime to conduct required checks and other minor works.
The advantages of using a drone for this inspection campaign include:
Lower risk than traditional rope access inspection – avoiding the need to climb up and down the turbines whilst attached to ropes, and extended periods of working at height
Non-contact – using an experienced drone pilot meant any potential contact with the blades was avoided, therefore removing the risk of damage
Less downtime – the speed of inspection meant that turbine downtime was minimised, and the full inspection campaign could be completed quicker than using rope access.