Spatiotemporal Variability in Wind Turbine Blade Leading Edge Erosion
Wind turbine blade leading edge erosion (LEE) reduces energy production and increases wind energy operation and maintenance costs. Degradation of the blade coating and ultimately damage to the underlying blade structure are caused by collisions of falling hydrometeors with rotating blades. The selec...
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/2/425 |
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| author | Sara C. Pryor Jacob J. Coburn Rebecca J. Barthelmie |
| author_facet | Sara C. Pryor Jacob J. Coburn Rebecca J. Barthelmie |
| author_sort | Sara C. Pryor |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Wind turbine blade leading edge erosion (LEE) reduces energy production and increases wind energy operation and maintenance costs. Degradation of the blade coating and ultimately damage to the underlying blade structure are caused by collisions of falling hydrometeors with rotating blades. The selection of optimal methods to mitigate/reduce LEE are critically dependent on the rates of coating fatigue accumulation at a given location and the time variance in the accumulation of material stresses. However, no such assessment currently exists for the United States of America (USA). To address this research gap, blade coating lifetimes at 883 sites across the USA are generated based on high-frequency (5-min) estimates of material fatigue derived using a mechanistic model and robust meteorological measurements. Results indicate blade coating failure at some sites in as few as 4 years, and that the frequency and intensity of material stresses are both highly episodic and spatially varying. Time series analyses indicate that up to one-third of blade coating lifetime is exhausted in just 360 5-min periods in the Southern Great Plains (SGP). Conversely, sites in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) exhibit the same level of coating lifetime depletion in over three times as many time periods. Thus, it may be more cost-effective to use wind turbine deregulation (erosion-safe mode) for damage reduction and blade lifetime extension in the SGP, while the application of blade leading edge protective measures may be more appropriate in the PNW. Annual total precipitation and mean wind speed are shown to be poor predictors of blade coating lifetime, re-emphasizing the need for detailed modeling studies such as that presented herein. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-26143614d1bf4bc9831bb2d0c89bfc3b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| spelling | doaj-art-26143614d1bf4bc9831bb2d0c89bfc3b2025-01-24T13:31:26ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732025-01-0118242510.3390/en18020425Spatiotemporal Variability in Wind Turbine Blade Leading Edge ErosionSara C. Pryor0Jacob J. Coburn1Rebecca J. Barthelmie2Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USADepartment of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USASibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USAWind turbine blade leading edge erosion (LEE) reduces energy production and increases wind energy operation and maintenance costs. Degradation of the blade coating and ultimately damage to the underlying blade structure are caused by collisions of falling hydrometeors with rotating blades. The selection of optimal methods to mitigate/reduce LEE are critically dependent on the rates of coating fatigue accumulation at a given location and the time variance in the accumulation of material stresses. However, no such assessment currently exists for the United States of America (USA). To address this research gap, blade coating lifetimes at 883 sites across the USA are generated based on high-frequency (5-min) estimates of material fatigue derived using a mechanistic model and robust meteorological measurements. Results indicate blade coating failure at some sites in as few as 4 years, and that the frequency and intensity of material stresses are both highly episodic and spatially varying. Time series analyses indicate that up to one-third of blade coating lifetime is exhausted in just 360 5-min periods in the Southern Great Plains (SGP). Conversely, sites in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) exhibit the same level of coating lifetime depletion in over three times as many time periods. Thus, it may be more cost-effective to use wind turbine deregulation (erosion-safe mode) for damage reduction and blade lifetime extension in the SGP, while the application of blade leading edge protective measures may be more appropriate in the PNW. Annual total precipitation and mean wind speed are shown to be poor predictors of blade coating lifetime, re-emphasizing the need for detailed modeling studies such as that presented herein.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/2/425bladesCONUShydroclimateLCoELEEoperations and maintenance |
| spellingShingle | Sara C. Pryor Jacob J. Coburn Rebecca J. Barthelmie Spatiotemporal Variability in Wind Turbine Blade Leading Edge Erosion Energies blades CONUS hydroclimate LCoE LEE operations and maintenance |
| title | Spatiotemporal Variability in Wind Turbine Blade Leading Edge Erosion |
| title_full | Spatiotemporal Variability in Wind Turbine Blade Leading Edge Erosion |
| title_fullStr | Spatiotemporal Variability in Wind Turbine Blade Leading Edge Erosion |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatiotemporal Variability in Wind Turbine Blade Leading Edge Erosion |
| title_short | Spatiotemporal Variability in Wind Turbine Blade Leading Edge Erosion |
| title_sort | spatiotemporal variability in wind turbine blade leading edge erosion |
| topic | blades CONUS hydroclimate LCoE LEE operations and maintenance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/2/425 |
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