WINDEA Blade Service Concept Passes Offshore Turbine Test

WINDEA Offshore, together with its partner WP Systems, has tested the operation of the working platform SYSTEM terra for the repair of rotor blades at a Siemens SWT-3.6 offshore test turbine in the German district of Nordfriesland.

The platform, which is used for maintenance and repair of rotor blades, has thus proven its functionality for the first time on an offshore wind turbine, WINDEA Offshore said. About 30 representatives of different manufacturers as well as of some of the largest operators of offshore wind farms followed the invitation of WINDEA Offshore and took an active part in the demonstration.

The SYSTEM terra working platform developed for the rotor blade repair of onshore turbines has already been tested on the market for two years and is in continuous operation within the Buss Energy Group.

The platform is already being modified to meet special offshore requirements and further developed into the SYSTEM aqua. The corrosion protection of the platform, as well as the conditions of the offshore turbines, play an important role. Among other things, the different dimensions of the foundation structures, the anchor points for rope attachments and also the bending of the rotor blades must be taken into account.

Ole Renner, CEO of WP Systems: “The personal exchange with manufacturers and operators has shown that we are absolutely on the right track. The feedback on the functionality and processing of our maintenance system was extremely positive. Once again it became clear to me how important such live demonstrations are.”

The on-site demonstration not only provided customers with a presentation of the WINDEA Blade Service concept and an inspection of the maintenance system. Rather, all participants were able to move along the offshore rotor blade at the platform themselves and thus gained an insight into the optimal working conditions, the company said.

Martin Frederiksen, Integrity Specialist at Ørsted, said: ”Safety and reliability are our top priorities. With this working platform we see the conditions fulfilled and could imagine using such a system for our maintenance and repair works.“