Development and Assessment of Advanced Inspection Methods for Wind Turbine Blades Using a Focused WINDIE Experiment

Abstract

Wind turbine blades pose a unique set of inspection challenges that span from very thick and attentive spar cap structures to porous bond lines, varying core material and a multitude of manufacturing defects of interest. The need for viable, accurate nondestructive inspection (NDI) technology becomes more important as the cost per blade, and lost revenue from downtime, grows. NDI methods must not only be able to contend with the challenges associated with inspecting extremely thick composite laminates and subsurface bond lines but must also address new inspection requirements stemming from the growing understanding of blade structural aging phenomena. Under its Blade Reliability Collaborative program, Sandia Labs quantitatively assessed the performance of a wide range of NDI methods that are candidates for wind blade inspections. Custom wind turbine blade test specimens, containing engineered defects, were used to determine critical aspects of NDI performance including sensitivity, accuracy, repeatability, speed of inspection coverage, and ease of equipment deployment. The Sandia Wind NDI Experiment (WINDIE) was completed to evaluate fifteen different NDI methods that have demonstrated promise for interrogating wind blades for manufacturing flaws or in-service damage. These tests provided the information needed to identify the applicability and limitations of advanced inspection methods for wind turbine blades. Ultimately, the proper combination of several inspections methods may be required to produce the best inspection sensitivity and reliability for both near-surface and deep, subsurface damage. Based on these results, phased array ultrasonics was selected for further development and introduction at blade manufacturing facilities. Hardware was developed and customized to optimize UT sensitivity and deployment to address blade inspection needs. Inspection procedures were produced and beta tested at blade production facilities. This study has identified one optimum overall NDI method while determining complimentary NDI methods that can be applied to produce a comprehensive blade inspection system. The detection of fabrication defects helps enhance plant reliability and increase blade life while improved inspection of operating blades can result in efficient blade maintenance, facilitate repairs before critical damage levels are reached and minimize turbine downtime.