Mobility Platform for Autonomous Offshore Wind Turbine Blade Repair

Maintenance and repair costs for offshore wind turbines have proven to be significantly higher than for land-based turbines, largely because of the difficulties involved in physical access to offshore turbines. As a result, there is increasing interest in developing autonomous mobile robots capable of performing inspection and maintenance tasks without the presence of a human operator onboard the turbine itself. It is anticipated that the use of autonomous robots to perform repair tasks will lead to significant reductions in operations and maintenance costs, and by extension the levelized cost of energy, for offshore wind energy. The goal of this project is to develop an autonomous mobile robot capable of attaching to the turbine blade and traversing it without the presence of a human operator. Starting from a base station on a ship, buoy, or turbine nacelle, the robot will fly to the turbine blade, attach to it, walk to the desired location on the blade, and perform the desired inspection or maintenance task. It will then detach from the blade and return to its base station, where it will land autonomously. These mobility tasks will be performed using onboard feedback control and sensing, with only high-level direction from a remote operator. During the Phase I SBIR, Persimia will define system requirements and perform preliminary design of the mobility platform. In addition, the research team will develop a multi-body simulation model which will simulate vehicle flight to the blade, attachment, and traversal of the blade in preparation for repair. Limited laboratory tests will be performed to verify performance of key components such as the suction cup legs and rotor system. During Phase II, a prototype of the robot will be constructed, and testing will be performed at a wind turbine of relevant scale demonstrating the robot’s ability to autonomously fly to, traverse, and detach from the blade. This will set the stage for further development of the system to include autonomous blade inspection and repair capabilities.