Image analysis for blade defects

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Wind Energy is a rapidly progressing renewable energy technology worldwide and within Canada. One of the potential detractions from the deployment of wind turbines will be blade defects from many sources including manufacture, transportation and environmental degradation. This proposal will see the Wind Energy Group (WEG) at the University of Waterloo (Waterloo) partner with Complete Wind Corporation (CWC) of Goderich, ON, a wind turbine blade service company with a long record of blade inspection and technology development. With the purchase of a wind turbine, the owner/operator typically receives a warranty valid for a 2 to 5 year period. Nearing the end of this initial warranty period, it is critical that the owner/operator perform an End of Warranty (EOW) inspection on their rotor blades before deciding on how the turbines are to be serviced and maintained for the remainder of their design life. It is also common that the EOW inspection is called for in term loan agreements. This inspection is important even if the owner/operator plans to continue with the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) service team. The company has significant know-how regarding wind turbine blade inspection and has completed inspections around the world. They have identified improved blade inspections as key to market penetration and will complement and assist the WEG research team at Waterloo. Innovative image analysis techniques developed by the WEG at Waterloo combined with their turbine expertise will be utilized in this project in conjunction with the technical know-how and skill set of the CWC team to produce a blade image analysis strategy.