Automated drone inspection of wind turbines to find critical damages
Project Overview
One of the leading energy infrastructure companies in Mexico was looking to inspect one of its wind farms with more than 80 turbines. This was a time sensitive assignment due to reports of high severity damage such as root cracks on a few turbine blades. The additional complexity of a narrow window of good weather meant a need for rapid data capture with few options for a redo. Full inspection reports were needed quickly, which meant the more traditional methods of data processing and analysis wouldn’t have sufficed.
All of these challenges made it an ideal project for Concept X’s Lambda Scan and Inspect applications.
Our Solution
Concept X partnered with a field inspection company specialising in drone inspections. Both optical and thermal cameras were used as payloads to detect surface and internal damages. Our field partners were provided with Lambda Scan application to enable quick inspections and onsite real-time data audit. This meant highly accurate inspection data capture without need for site revisits.
Inspection data was uploaded to our Lambda Inspect cloud application, where it was processed, enhanced, and analysed using our AI systems. Our proprietary blade stitching approach meant we could produce highly accurate 2d blade models for both optical and thermal scans. This meant precise location and dimensions for all damages identified by AI models.
Automated reports generated from the software along with all the data was made accessible securely through the cloud application.
Using our proprietary blade stitching algorithms we were able to precisely locate and measure damages
Project Outcome
Use of Lambda applications meant the client was able to complete their inspection ahead of time, and the overall project was a big success.
Several low severity and a few critical damages were identified through our software. Minor issues ranged from leading edge erosions to lightning protector damages, while major issues identified included surface and internal cracks.
Concept X also demonstrated use of AI in both automating and enhancing wind turbine inspections.
Some key benefits for the client include:
- Re-inspections due to poor data reduced by 70%
- Total project duration reduced by 50% through automation
- 30% more precise damage sizing through our 2d blade models