The multi-stage drone system developed by the Deutsche Windtechnik Inspection Body for inspecting rotor blades and lightning protection systems has successfully passed validation. This is the conclusion reached by TÜV NORD during a conformity assessment that it carried out for the first time. The drone is able to determine the technical condition of the rotor blades and the functionality of the lightning protection system, and the risks regarding stability and public safety can then be assessed. This means that the drone system, which is called CU-RE, is also suitable for periodic inspections.
“The validation by TÜV NORD confirms that the drone technology used by the Deutsche Windtechnik Inspection Body is suitable for carrying out a range of important inspections such as periodic and condition-oriented inspections. In view of the current shortage of skilled workers and the rapidly growing turbine inventory, this is very good news for the entire industry because drones will significantly reduce the amount of work required as well as downtimes. In Germany this will close an important gap because legislators have not yet adopted any mandatory requirements for the use of drones in the wind energy industry,“ said Matthias Brandt, Director of Deutsche Windtechnik. In addition, using drones to carry out inspections provides long-term benefits associated with continuous data analysis: Over the years, monitoring the surface condition of the inspected components provides a detailed basis for predictive maintenance.
First independent validation for a German inspection body’s drone system
Michael Lange, Head of the ISO 17029 Conformity Assessment Body for Wind Energy at TÜV NORD, explained: “The inspection procedure was validated against our new TÜV NORD standard. This standard defines criteria and inspection points that allow drone inspection procedures to be evaluated. For the validation, the reliability of the processes was evaluated using documentation tests. In addition to specifications for the equipment used, this also includes specifications for flying and quality assurance. The successful validation only applies to the drone technology used by Deutsche Windtechnik. Other drone systems on the market can also be evaluated using the new standard. By introducing our new standard TN-P-V01-001, TÜV NORD has responded to the increasing use of drones and created a uniform assessment for the safety of wind turbines.”
Risk analysis decides whether validated drone system CU-RE is deployed
