The estimated time to market and delivery of novel NDT techniques, which will be validated in areas of their intended use, will be available to manufacturers within the one year after the project ends. The monitoring of failure will be achieved during a period after installation trials have been completed.
A suite of solutions, to meet the requirements of the GRP Wind Turbine (WT) industry will also be fully commercialised within one year of project completion. Full commercialisation will require further work involving aesthetics and production engineering of the individual systems to satisfy cost, performance, standards and quality criteria.
The scientific and technical objectives are:
To significantly develop and improve NDT techniques and sensor systems, in a step change to their current capability, in order that WTB defects such as Zero Volume Unbonds (ZVU), Barely Visible Impact Damage (BVID) and defects under lightning protection are detected early in the manufacturing process. OEMs require that materials and components containing such defects be removed from production and service prior to failure. Currently these defects cannot be reliably detected in WTB as they offer poor interactions with the available NDT techniques.
As a whole "ReNEWiT" will facilitate the desirable expansion in the use of GRP materials and supports the enormous growth in WTB construction and operation predicted through this and the next decade. In summary, the step change in safety levels, confidence levels, maintenance processes capability and competitive advantage will lead to lives being saved, employment levels being maintained (and on occasion increased), the opportunities for females being enhanced, a rise in skill levels (particularly in new member states), and a reduction in the consumption of resources such as fuel and raw materials.
Specific objectives are:
- To conduct inspections faster and hence reduce installation downtime by automating NDT techniques.
- To deliver NDT techniques, validated in their individual areas of intended use. The NDT techniques will be described in a specification document for the X-ray hardware and deployment system that is capable of operating in and meeting the safety requirements of the industrial workplace.
- A technical report, which will show how operator subjectivity may be eliminated and accuracy increased leading to an increased "Probability of Detection"
- Development of a prototype robotic NDT system capable of fulfilling the inspection requirements of the Wind Turbine Blade industry
- The elimination of the necessity to manually lift heavy inspection equipment through automation, thus extending opportunities available to female and ageing operators
