Having successfully completed four major research projects (CORTIR II, CORTIR, RATZ and LEX), Bladena has been successful in continuing the collaboration with EUDP and 24 companies in a new 2-years project called CORTIR Phase III. The partners cover the entire value chain involving 18 wind turbine owners (WTO), 1 independent service provider (ISP), 1 manufacturer (OEM), 1 insurance company, 1 independent consultancy as well as 2 Danish universities. Partners are: Bladena, AAU Civil Engineering, DTU Construct, Global Wind Service, TÜV SÜD Denmark, Codan, Nordex, Engie, Shell, Statkraft, Northland Power, SR Energy, ScottishPower, EDF Renewables, TOWII, Equinor, SSE Renewables, Galp Energia, WindMW, Arise, Skellefteå Kraft, Sahara Wind, ENEL, European Energy, OX2 Project scope The main deliverables of the project are an innovative trailing edge reinforcement to remove the root cause of trailing edge split failures, a field measurement campaign, a sub-component level test campaign focusing on specific failure modes, a thorough Validation Process, and the application of the damage tolerance approach similar to other industries (civil engineering, naval architecture, aircraft, oil and gas) in order to increase blade reliability. Bladena and partners have a budget of 2.8 mill. Euro to deliver the results within the 2-year project framework. As the wind industry is continuously growing, so are the wind turbines. With increasing blade lengths structural failures of the blades become a significantly higher technical as well as financial risk, resulting in increased cost for repair and loss of Annual Energy Production (AEP). In many cases, the blades’ actual lifetime is far shorter than it is predicted once commissioned into operation. One of the critical structural issues of large (+60m) wind turbine blades is trailing edge splits, frequently for blades with large flatback trailing edge profile where corner bondlines can be found. This failure mode is today occurring more frequently due to significantly increased fatigue peeling stresses in the adhesive bondlines. A field measurement/demonstration campaign will complement the development of the solution. Shell, as one of the management steering group members of the project, will provide an operational turbine to perform in-field measurements, focusing on out-of-plane panel deformation. During the measurement campaign, Global Wind Service and Nordex will support Bladena in the installation of the equipment. Value for partners and the wind industry
The measured in-plane strengths are in such high ranges that it is not possible to experience in-field. As part of the CORTIR III project, a sub-component level test is designed to demonstrate the impact of panel bending on specific failure modes rather than in-plane strength or wrinkles. During the 2-year project period, a large number of whitepapers will be released to further mature the industry which all will be paired with an online webinar free to attend for anyone who is interested. Kick-off seminar and acknowledgement On the 21st of March 2024, Bladena successfully hosted the kick-off seminar for the CORTIR III project. During the event 16 of the partner companies were represented with a total of 25 participants. We would like to say thank you to all attendees of the fruitful seminar and also the partners who could not make it to the kick-off event for their support. A great thanks also goes to the Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program (EUDP), which is administered by the Danish Energy Agency (Energistyrelsen part of Klima-, Energi-, og Forsyningsministeriet) for funding the CORTIR Phase III project.
For further information please contact CORTIR Phase III Project Manager, Bladena’s CEO, Find Mølholt Jensen at fmj@bladena.com. Based on the previous successes, Bladena is hosting another exclusive webinar, this time with a focus on wind turbine blade testing methodologies. The webinar will be presented by Find Mølholt Jensen, PhD, CEO of Bladena, discussing insights about blade testing methodologies with special attention on the implications of undertested (and overtested) parts of WTG blades. The following points will be the key highlights of the webinar:
As during the previous webinars, Find’s presentation will be followed by a Q&A session, where the participants ask their questions to Find and further discuss specific topics. Here are the practical details of the coming webinar: Date: 11th of April, 2024 Time: 14:00 – 14:45 CEST Platform: Microsoft Teams The participation is free of charge, sign up is available by submitting the submission form below. We are pleased to announce that our application was successful and got approved by @EUDP for a 2-year project, marking a meaningful step forward in our commitment to optimizing the performance and reliability of wind turbine blades.
The CORTIR phase III project has a prominent consortium of 22 partners headed by Bladena. The core partners of the project besides Bladena are DTU Construct; Aalborg University Institut for Byggeri, By og Miljø; and Global Wind Service, in addition we have a WTO steering group consisting of RWE, Engie, and Shell Global Solutions International. Besides the above already mentioned, 14 other owner/operators (TOWII, Statkraft, Northland Power, Scottish Power, SR Energy, EDF Renewables North America, WindMW, Arise, Equinor, Galp Energia, Skellefteå Kraft, SSE, ENEL and Sahara Wind), 1 OEM (Nordex), 1 insurance company (CODAN), and 1 independent consultancy (TÜV SÜD Denmark) will be in the consortium. The primary focus of the project is minimizing Operational Expenditure (OPEX) of wind turbine blades and maximizing the Annual Energy Production (AEP) of wind turbines, using a risk-based approach. The project will have 4 main topics:
We believe that, with this project we can take an important step towards more reliable wind turbine blades with extended lifetime, keeping the turbines in operation longer without having to perform costly repairs or in some cases even blade replacement. The whole consortium is excited to begin this project in 2024, as quoted from Tobias Söderlund from Skellefteå Kraft, one of the partners of the project: “It came as great news to us that the CORTIR phase III project has been approved. This strategic collaboration, led by Bladena and supported by a distinguished consortium, underscores our collective commitment to advancing wind turbine blade reliability. Looking forward to a successful project that sets new standards in operational efficiency and blade reliability.” Another project participant, Francisco Garcia from ENEL also added: “We are delighted by the approval of the CORTIR phase III project. Led by Bladena and supported by a distinguished consortium, this strategic collaboration reinforces our shared dedication to advancing wind turbine blade reliability. Anticipating a successful project that will establish new benchmarks in operational efficiency and blade reliability, we look forward to the impactful outcomes ahead." The consortium would like to acknowledge the EUDP (Danish Energy Development and Demonstration Program) for financial support under the grant number: 640232-511715. If you have any questions regarding the project, please feel free to reach out to the project manager, Find Mølholt Jensen at fmj@bladena.com.
In recent years, wind energy experts have faced significant challenges in maintaining the structural integrity of large wind turbine blades. However, a groundbreaking keynote paper has emerged, offering a comprehensive solution to this problem and equipping wind energy companies with innovative methods to optimize productivity and profitability. This influential paper sheds light on the critical role of torsional loads, which have been identified as a major contributing factor to the growing incidence of structural damages in large wind turbine blades. It highlights the new set of challenges arising from the scaling up of blade sizes without giving due consideration to torsional load components. The increasing concern among prominent wind turbine owners/operators (WTOs) and the recognition of inadequate consideration of torsional loads in testing campaigns by DNV underscore the significance of this topic. Collaborating with esteemed institutions such as Shell, DTU (Technical University of Denmark), and AAU (Aalborg University), Bladena has dedicated the past two years to extensive research on the pivotal role of torsional loads. The paper comprehensively examines the new challenges faced by wind turbine blades, focusing on both experimental and numerical perspectives. On the experimental front, a rigorous large-scale test was conducted at the DTU test facility, while non-linear geometrical 3D FEM simulations were performed from a numerical standpoint. The detailed findings from both approaches are extensively discussed within the paper. A notable highlight of the study is the identification of ever-increasing torsional loads as a potential cause for shear-web and sandwich skin debonding in critical areas of wind turbine blades, including the transition zone and the max chord area. The paper delves into the root causes of failure modes such as CSSD (cross-sectional shear distortion) and breathing (out-of-plane deformation of unsupported panels), which can directly result from applied torsional loads. Furthermore, the paper offers recommendations and suggestions aimed at mitigating the occurrence of catastrophic failures currently observed in the field. These proposed remedies are considered valuable additions to the wind energy industry.
Read the full paper for more information under the following link: https://www.bladena.com/news/innovative-paper-unveils-important-findings-of-torsional-loads-that-will-boost-the-performance-of-large-wind-turbines If you have any questions or comments do not hesitate to contact us on info@bladena.com. If you would like to hear more, sign up to attend our webinar on the topic on the 14th of July, 14:00-14:30 CEST by submitting the form below. Raising awareness of Torsional Loads impact during operational conditions on wind turbine blades.6/28/2023
Through a 2-year project called CORTIR phase 2 blade experts from the entire value chain (14 WTOs, 5 ISPs, 1 insurance company, 1 OEM and 2 universities) have worked hard to investigate the impact of torsional loads on wind turbine blades under operational conditions moreover a huge effort was put on tackling these impacts throughout investigating testing standards and regulations, developing a solution to mitigate them and creating maintenance strategies for WTOs. On June 28th, Bladena celebrated with partners the finalization of the project. During recent years, the size of the wind turbine blades has been increasing significantly. For offshore operations the blades length on working wind turbines has reached 60m+ and some OEMs even offer 100m+ blades. With increased blade lengths and growing energy production, the loads on the blades have also drastically scaled up giving rise to more structural challenges. Within the CORTIR phase II project frame Bladena in collaboration with AAU and DTU Construct has investigated the impact of torsional loads on large blades (60m+) these studies showed a significant increase in Root Torsional Moment (RTM) with the scaling of blade length. The torsional moment and the tip deflection under the combination of flapwise and edgewise load components lead to significant out-of-plane deformation in the root transition zone of the blade. This out-of-plane deformation directly causes a significant increase of interlaminar stresses and peeling stresses in the bondlines. The current standards and regulations do not require the application of torsional loads (combination of flapwise and edgewise loads with an offset) during the full-scale test program. By including torsional loads withing the test requirements the risk of critical failure modes in the early stage of the blade’s lifetime would be significantly decreased which would lower operation costs (OpEx) for the WTOs and increase Annual Energy Production (AEP). A multi-scale level test campaign was executed by Bladena and DTU Construct to verify the findings of the FEM (Finite Element Model) numerical analysis regarding the increased peeling stresses in the aft shear web adhesive bondline due to the out-of-plane deformation of the composite panels caused by torsional loads. The tests successfully proved the FEM results and therefore Bladena has developed a product to mitigate the issue. The RTZ Solution™ was developed and demonstrated in different test setups to decrease the out-of-plane deformation in the root transition zone and thereby significantly decreasing the risk of a critical failure mode. Phase 2 of the CORTIR project series focused on finding different ways to ease the pain caused by the torsional loads on large wind turbine blades. Besides the previously discussed findings, a new damage categorization scheme and efficient use of the damage tolerance approach were developed too in order to help the decision-making process of the WTOs.
The final report includes papers made within the CORTIR II project and they can be found in the appendix section of the report. The report with the appendices will be published soon. A great thanks also goes to the Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program (EUDP), which is administered by the Danish Energy Agency (EUDP-program) for funding the CORTIR phase 2 project together with support from the whole value chain in the wind industry with the aim to reduce LCoE. During the period of the project the WTO Blade Network has grown to 55 members, we also would like to say thank you for the members to showing us support and interest towards solving serious issues together. For further information please visit www.bladena.com, and/or reach out to the project manager of the CORTIR phase 2 project, Find Mølholt Jensen, CEO of Bladena at fmj@bladena.com. Bladena is proud to announce the appointment of a new Chairman and a new board member. These new appointments follow the company's mission to drive innovation and strengthen its global position in the renewable energy industry. The new Chairman of Bladena is Mr. Jens Egelund-Müller. He brings a solid experience and expertise to the company, in driving a customer focused commercial mindset that will enable Bladena’s future growth, internationally. He has held senior positions in multinational and SME’s throughout his +25Years career and will use his experience together with the executive team to unleash the full potential of Bladena.
"I am honored to be joining the Board of Bladena as Chairman,” says Jens. "The company has a large potential which I am looking forward to support and by widening the understanding of these issues secure a better profitability for wind turbine owners across the world. Not least in a time, where blades are becoming larger and thereby need Bladena's insights and solutions. I am looking forward to working with the team to drive growth and build upon its already impressive journey." Alongside the appointment of Jens Egelund-Müller, Bladena is also welcoming a new board member, Mr. Peter Grabau. Peter brings with him many years of knowledge from the wind turbine blade design and manufacturing part of the value chain, having worked in executive positions at several multinational OEMs. “Bladena has for many years been a company that I have followed closely. Throughout the organization there is a lot of passion for wind turbine blades. They have a unique set of skills that I look forward to digging deeper into, so that we can successfully grow the company even more," says Peter Grabau. Bladena has built its reputation as a Blade Expert in renewable energy, and these appointments are just the latest example of the company's commitment to driving innovation and growth in the industry. With Mr. Egelund-Müller and Mr. Grabau on board, Bladena is well-positioned to continue delivering value to its customers and stakeholders, while also generating sustainable growth and profitability for its shareholders. Used by the entire wind industry all around the world and nominated several times for its excellent communications design the Blade Handbook has become a go-to manual for the industry to use to easier communicate about wind turbine blades. A shared lingo for the future of wind Over the past 7 years, the Blade Handbook has been commonly used by utility companies (WTOs), manufacturers (OEMs), and service companies (ISPs) - amongst others - as the book is designed to improve the common understanding of everyday blade-related issues, to get a common language in the wind industry, and to help newcomers getting an overview. The reason for its success comes down to the collaborations and contributions from blade specialists together with the support from visualization and communication professionals. Developed by experts
To hit a high score in any product or service in any market knowing the end user's needs is essential. In this case, the book started as a document aimed to help all parties involved in a project headed by Bladena named LEX (Funded by EUDP – Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Programme) to get a common understanding of words, processes, levels, and the overall concept. It was clear back then that a shared lingo was needed as a specific blade issue would have many names depending on the eyes looking at it. By teaming up with KIRT x THOMSEN in the concept and design phase with contributions from the partners in the project it was clear that this book started showing great potential. In the following years the visualizations, contributions, and themes were updated in the following projects RATZ, EWIC, and CORTIR resulting in three award nominations and copies shipped worldwide. Gladly, the development of the handbook has been able to continue in the ongoing CORTIR II project – still headed by Bladena with support from KIRT x THOMSEN, partners, and new contributors. What to look forward to in the new edition In the 2022 edition some of the existing content that has been heavily updated are:
”This handbook is a clear result of what happens when companies with different views and understanding come together, building a bridge. By introducing a common language to the wind industry (the value chain) we facilitate the communication around blades,” says Find Mølholt Jensen, CEO, and Founder, Bladena. Editor & contributor: Bladena – experts in structural blade failures providing advisory services and retrofit solutions to lowering the OPEX, risk of blade failure, and loss of AEP to the wind industry. Concept and Design by: KIRT x THOMSEN – experts in visualization, Cleantech, and design with an established and recognized presence within the wind industry and successfully co-developed projects in the markets of wave energy, electric vehicles, smart grid, and in collaboration with public research institutions. Contributors and partners: A great thank goes to EUDP and all partners in the LEX, RATZ, EWIC, CORTIR, and CORTIR II projects together with the ReLife project partners for all their contributions. To download the electronic 2022 Blade Handbook edition, click here. To receive hard copies please contact Bladena at info@bladena.com. |
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