Longer blades mean increased wind loads and, in turn, more mechanical stress on the entire turbine. To counter this, we at Polytech use fiber optics, IIoT measurement technology, smart data, and model-based machine learning to craft our most intelligent blade sensor yet.
One way to use our sensor technology is for load monitoring, which is a vital part of any individual pitch control system. This allows you to design the mechanical structures more cost-effectively and thus massively reduce the material costs of the entire rotor. At the same time, it opens the possibility of using the same turbine type for a wider range of wind conditions as well as optimizing the design for specific locations.
In short, it expands the range of economically viable sites for your turbines and allows for significantly increased energy production through larger rotors in the same wind class. All of which helps make your turbines more competitive in the international arena.
In addition to load monitoring, our sensor technology can be used for ice monitoring, allowing you to accurately measure the amount of ice directly on each blade. The moment your blades are ice free, the turbine restarts, and you’re back in business. No need to wait for visual inspection causing unnecessary downtime.
Finally, Polytech’s state-of-the-art hardware can also be used for condition monitoring. The system can continually monitor the condition of your blades, and should anything happen, you’ll get a notification immediately.
Polytech’s blade sensor technology is based on fiber optics, making it immune to lightning strikes, and giving it unlimited cable length. The durability is unmatched, far outlasting the lifetime of the wind turbine itself. Now that should take the load off your shoulders.
