​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.
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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:

• Torsional loads are the realistic loads during blade operation.
• The failure mode table now includes the instability phenomena (e.g., flutter, edgewise vibrations), torsional loads, and one of the main themes of CORTIR II, the shear web disbonding.
• Risk-based maintenance highlights its importance during the decision-making of WTOs when it comes to choosing the most appropriate and cost-efficient maintenance strategy for their fleets.

Also, the following new topics have been included:

• The digital twin concept is introduced, and the validation process of such numerical models by optimizing measurement and sub-component and full-scale testing.
• Monitoring techniques are described in the handbook as tools used to reduce the risk on blades so that damages can be detected in good time and catastrophic failures can be avoided.
• Measurement sensors are also accommodated, by expressing how they can be used in computational model validation.
• The leading-edge erosion and lightning are also introduced comprehensively with great contributions from Polytech.

 
”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 [email protected].

Monitoring and risk
If the industry is to follow the increasing demand for more gigawatts, scaling of blades is necessary and already unavoidable. Therefore, the challenges that modern large blades bring to the market due to minimal structural considerations need to be addressed and taken into account when looking at risk.

At the conference, Sensoria by MISTRAS Group and Bladena presented to the entire value chain why continuous monitoring may play an essential role. Adding to this why acoustic emission and loads & vibration monitoring are not only considered to prevent catastrophic failures but also perceived as a source of collecting information for further understanding of damage mechanisms and possible application of a damage tolerance approach. ​

This led to a debate on how this knowledge can be applied in a preventive and proactive risk-based maintenance strategy in a panel with Shell, SR Energy, and Ørsted giving their opinion on this matter. 

Representing the academia DTU Wind, DTU Construct, and Aalborg University also stated their view on how the above can be used as a methodology to assist risk-based maintenance strategies for utility companies, service companies, and manufacturers. 
 
Who was behind the event?
Even though both Bladena and DTU Wind are used to hosting seminars and workshops within their respective projects, this was the first time the two made a joint international event open for the entire wind industry. Bladena’s CORTIR II project and DTU’s Relife project (both funded by EUDP) came together to communicate about the effects of risk mitigation and monitoring on blades as both projects are working towards extending the life of blades.
 
Future events
In 2023 Bladena will finalize the CORTIR II project where +50 wind turbine owners and operators from the WTO Blade Network and CORTIR II Partners will be invited to attend. To become a member of the WTO Blade Network, please reach out to Bladena.
 
Supported by EUDP
A great thanks to the Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program (EUDP), which is for funding the CORTIR Phase 2 project (Cost, Risk and Transition zone Innovative Reinforcement) together with support from the whole value chain in the wind industry to reduce LCoE.

For further information please visit www.bladena.com, CORTIR II or contact CORTIR Project Manager CEO Find Mølholt Jensen +45 53700276 [email protected].

PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J. – SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 – Sensoria™ by MISTRAS Group, an innovative 24/7/365 wind blade monitor, is pleased to announce a collaboration with Danish blade specialist Bladena to provide an innovative solution to help maximize offshore wind blade integrity and uptime.
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​By reducing the need for traditional, manual spot inspections and extending the operational lifetime of offshore wind blades by detecting and addressing the root cause of the damages, the Sensoria™-Bladena collaborative relationship is focused on decreasing wind energy costs related to manual labor, unexpected structural damages, and unnecessary, prolonged blade downtime. This combination will help enhance the generating capacity and annual energy production (AEP) of wind turbines for wind energy owners and operators and contribute to lower operating expenditures (OPEX).
Learn more about the Sensoria™ wind blade monitor at https://sensoriawind.com/. Learn more about Bladena at https://www.bladena.com/.

 
About Sensoria™ by MISTRAS Group
Sensoria™— a MISTRAS Group (NYSE: MG) brand — is a 24/7/365 remote rotor blade monitoring system. Using advanced acoustic emission (AE) technology, Sensoria™ continuously detects and reports blade damages to provide Edge-to-Edge Intelligence on wind blade integrity. Developed and manufactured in-house and backed by MISTRAS’ legacy of AE leadership, Sensoria™ delivers real-time damage detection, accessible integrity data through the Sensoria™ Insights Portal, and inspection and maintenance support services through Sensoria™ Dispatch. To learn more, visit https://sensoriawind.com/.
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About Bladena
Bladena is a recognized blade expert on structural damages, specialized in providing advisory services and retrofit solutions on blades. Bladena’s business is based on advanced blade data achieved through many years of field experience and strong collaboration with industrial partners and top worldwide research institutions. They administrate the Wind Turbine Owners (WTO) Blade Network with more than 50 WTOs, as well as several development projects in collaboration with the entire value chain of the wind energy industry, using their expertise to help their customers lower operating expenditures (OPEX), risk of blade failure, and loss of annual energy production (AEP). To learn more, visit https://www.bladena.com/. 

Download press release here