EchoBolt Advanced Fastener Inspection for Wind Turbines

英国拥有丰富的风力资源，在海上风力发电方面处于世界领先地位。2018年，风电行业提供了英国电力供应的17%（57.1 TWh）[英国能源统计，2018年]，预计未来十年将大幅增长（国家电网FES）。为了确保可再生能源可以有效地部署，以应对气候变化，并确保消费者的成本保持在较低水平，该行业必须继续开发新技术，并更有效地运行。目前，风力涡轮机与将风力涡轮机部件连接在一起的螺栓连接的例行重新紧固相关，导致了显著的成本和停机时间。该项目将开发一种独特的方法来监测螺栓连接的状况，而不需要定期重新紧固，使风力涡轮机运营商能够降低结构故障的风险，大幅降低维护成本，增加涡轮机产量，降低消费者的能源成本。该项目将为英国技术出口到全球风力发电行业提供基础，创造熟练的就业机会，降低消费者的能源成本，增加风电场的部署和利用，有助于应对气候变化。

The UK has significant wind power resources and leads the world in offshore wind power generation. In 2018 the wind industry provided 17% (57.1 TWh) of the UK electricity supply \[UK Energy Statistics, 2018\] and is forecast to increase substantially over the coming decade (National Grid FES). In order to ensure renewable energy can be deployed effectively to combat climate change and to ensure costs to consumers remain low the industry must continue to develop new technologies and operate more efficiently.Currently wind turbines incur significant cost and downtime associated with routine retightening of bolted connections that join wind turbine components together. This reduces the amount of power they can generate and increases the costs of operation.This project will develop a unique method for monitoring the condition of bolted connections without the need to regularly retighten, allowing wind turbine operators to reduce the risk of structural failure, substantially reduce maintenance costs, increase turbine production and lower the cost of energy to the consumer.This project will provide the basis for a UK technology to be exported to the global wind industry, creating skilled jobs, reducing the cost of energy to the consumer and allowing the increase in deployment and utilisation of wind farms helping to combat climate change.