Practical Experiments on the Efficiency of the Remote Presence: Remote Inspection in an Offshore Wind Turbine

Abstract

Offshore wind power has become a growing interest in the worldwide society. New research and investigation in this kind of technology is increasing year after year. Thus, the inspection on the offshore wind turbines is expensive but necessary.The goal of this project is to demonstrate the efficiency of a Remote Inspection System inside the nacelle of an Offshore Wind Turbine. The way of carrying out inspections on real nacelles, as well as other aspects from maintenance is discussed. Three different companies have been taken into account when developing an Inspection Plan.This master thesis contains a theoretical design of the input device that would be used in the future for inspection and maintenance tasks. A gamepad has been implemented as a temporary solution for the input device.It has been demonstrated how the prototype is able to detect failures in a scenario simulating a real nacelle. Although it has not been possible to test sound, heat or vibration, this kind of things would be easily detected by adding some more additional sensors.The conclusion is that a solution for reducing maintenance tasks relies on the development of effective condition monitoring and remote control systems.