Danes Bankroll Blade Maintenance Research

Denmark’s Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program (EUDP) has awarded financial support to the CORTIR project proposed by a partnership of 21 industry companies and two universities headed up by Bladena ApS.

The total budget for the project is DKK 28.8 million (EUR 3.9 million) and the EUDP support is 51%.

CORTIR – Cost and Risk Tool for Interim and Preventive Repair – includes the development of a numerical tool (CAR-Tool) to optimize the management of turbine blade maintenance in terms of risks and costs, with the main focus on reducing the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE) and securing alignment towards maintenance throughout the full value chain. Early work in this area has illustrated that significant improvements can be achieved by employing an all-encompassing and rigorous tool based on known structural issues.

Relating the technical inputs to the cost structures within O&M activities, the tool output will suggest an optimum inspection and maintenance strategy to be used for decision making which is both technically and financially sound.

CORTIR will further demonstrate how blade retrofits can be deployed beneficially in this effort and support the reduction of LCoE by diverting from standard repair solutions. This part of the project includes both experimental and theoretical work.

The project aims at benefiting everyone engaged in the blade maintenance activities, the owners as well as the companies that provide maintenance services to the industry, i.e. manufacturers, wind turbine owners, service companies and insurance companies.

The partners include Bladena, AAU Civil Engineering, DTU Mechanical Engineering, Kirt x Thomsen, ECC, Guide2Defect, Codan, Global Wind Service, E.ON, Engie, Hofor, EDF Energy, Equinor (Statoil), Innogy, EWII, Acciona Energy, Arise, Ørsted, Enel, Vector Cuatro (Part of FalckRenewable), LM Wind Power, Nordex, and Vestas.