Reliability and Failure Analysis of Wind Turbines 2013

March 20-21, 2013

Offshore wind power is expected to make a major contribution to electricity supply after the energy turn-around in Germany. Land-based wind turbine has proven its worth but its aging plants cause increasingly more problems. Offshore turbines will have to meet even greater demands made on their system reliability since their sites will be more difficult to be accessed and any exchange of plant components and parts will call for highly sophisticated logistics. Many requirements relative to loads and maintenance in maritime environments may certainly be derived from the experience gained with offshore structures for oil and gas production. Special actions will have to be taken in design, manufacturing and monitoring to prevent damage. Experience may not be gained for better design and construction of new turbines unless this will have been based on systematic damage analyses. Therefore, damage types found in transmissions, components, frequency converters, towers, foundations and power electronic systems will be presented. The current state of early detection of damage in wind turbines and components will be addressed, too, and the need for ongoing research into damage processes and associated preventive and remedial actions will be discussed.

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