Offshore wind turbine blade campaign for major structural repairs

Benefits

• Highly trained Level B blade technicians supplied as part of whole dedicated team
• Direct reporting into the client’s maintenance systems
• Technical support and advice provided with supervisors onsite throughout the project
• Complex blade repairs successfully delivered through cost efficient methods

Challenge

• Our client approached Alpha to provide a full campaign team to deliver blade repairs on an offshore wind farm throughout 2018
• A total of 12 blades, showing signs of failure due to erosion and lightning strikes, required repairs
• Severity of blade damage and the need to use rope access meant our client needed a higher level of skilled and competent blade technician
• Generating efficiency was being reduced due to the effect of category 3 to 5 failures. This level of failure posed major risks to blade integrity due to the need to rebuild the blade and repair de-lamination
• Adverse weather conditions, such as heavy wind and rain, also presented a number of challenges including the ability to work safely on ropes and the effect of wave height on sailing conditions
• The client required a solution which contained flexible working and core skills to fully complete the blade repair campaign with minimal production downtime.

Solution

• The Alpha team were located on standby close to the embarkation point of IJmuiden, providing local support to assist with weather delay challenges
• A dedicated team worked on the campaign for the entire duration, maximising efficient working and ensuring continuity in the delivery of the work
• With highly trained Level B blade technicians, Alpha had the capability and expertise to undertake all blade repairs
• The complexity of repairs presented the most significant challenge. Alpha blade technicians were able to rectify up to category 5 failures which included, for example, the repair of detached material from the blade structure
• Alpha undertook all work utilising rope access, saving time and cost without the need for construction and expense of an access platform
• Photo and repair descriptions were loaded into the repair report, a process where our technicians can load reports directly into the maintenance systems of the client
• This method of documentation speeds up reporting and allows the client to make swift, informed decisions on future work and provides them with a fully documented history
• Alpha successfully completed all repairs and blade upgrades with cost efficient methods, zero incidents and within the client’s expected timescale.