Above: An autonomous vehicle that deploys a conducting cable in wind turbine blades to determine lightning protection system continuity and reduce maintenance costs.
Wind turbines are potential targets for lightning strikes. The turbine’s lightning protection system (LPS) is cumbersome and costly to check but needed to prevent blade damage. We have designed an autonomous vehicle that lays a temporary cable on the existing LPS inside a blade. A time-domain reflectometer is then used to measure the continuity and locate potential damages along the blade LPS.
Sponsorship
Sponsored by Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy
Director
Eric Rubio
Team Members