In-service X-ray radiography of offshore wind blades (RADBLAD)

该项目的第一阶段将展示使用灵活的移动爬壁机器人、便携式放射成像设备和人工智能(AI)技术对位于极端和具有挑战性的环境中的离岸风电场进行资产管理的可行性。获得离岸风力涡轮机叶片是困难和昂贵的，例如，在船上使用大型起重机或使用绳索/平台系统攀登。由于在海外部署大型系统很困难，需要一种模块化的方法来轻松地将轻量级系统运输到测试地点并快速组装它们。现场组装的模块化爬壁机器人将携带射线成像部署系统沿风塔向上移动。两个臂将在刀片的两边以90度的配置延伸，这样源和探测器就在刀片的两边。当沿着叶片宽度检查叶片的复杂气动形状时，智能定位系统将保持两者对齐和垂直。然后，攀爬机器人将沿着塔向上移动一小段距离，并重复覆盖叶片的宽度。需要一个智能控制定位系统，因为每个水平面上的叶片形状和曲率是不同的，并且源/探测器需要适应最佳成像的形状。为了应对叶片的面内和平面外振动，X射线源和探测器将通过在部署臂中设计被动顺应性来保持相对于叶片的静止。嵌入式智能将进行自动缺陷检测和分类，并能够自主决策，以便进一步检查和干预。

"The first phase of the project will demonstrate the feasibility of using agile mobile wall-climbing robots, portable radiography equipment and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to perform asset management of off-shore wind farms located in extreme and challenging environments. Gaining access to off-shore wind turbine blades is difficult and expensive e.g. with large cranes on ships or climbing with rope/platform systems. Because of the difficulty of deploying large systems off-shore, a modular approach is required to easily transport lightweight systems to test sites and assemble them quickly. A modular wall climbing robot, assembled on site, will carry the radiography deployment system up the wind tower. Two arms will extend on either side of a blade positioned in a 90 degree configuration so that the source and detector are on either side of the blade. An intelligent positioning system will keep the two aligned and normal to each other as the complex aerodynamic shape of the blade is inspected along the width of the blade. The climbing robot will then move a small distance up the tower and repeat coverage of the blade width. Allowing a full length of the blade, with inspection starting from the tip of the blade up to the blade root.An intelligent control positioning system will be required since the blade shape and curvature will be different in each horizontal plane and the source/detector will need to adapt to the shape for optimum imaging. To cope with blade in-plane and out-of-plane vibrations, the X-ray source and detector will be kept stationary with respect to a blade by designing passive compliance into the deployment arm.Embedded intelligence will carry out automated defect detection and classification and enable autonomous decision making for further inspection and intervention."