Definition of requirements
18 February 2022
During the first four months of the project, exhaustive search, analysis and compilation of relevant information has been performed in order to define key aspects. Concretely, the technical requirements of the new materials to be developed, the requirements related to monitoring and modelling, a mapping of relevant standards, the specifications of the demo sites and the plan for technology risk mitigation.
Definition of requirements for new materials
In task 1.1., TECNAN along with other partners specialized in anticorrosion and antifouling coatings as well as in coatings and composites for the blades, completed the very first part of the work. The aim was to provide an overview of the characteristics of new materials and monitoring procedures.
In the very first phase of WP1, exhaustive researches were carried out to provide guidelines and the technical requirements of the new materials to be developed. This first step will ensure that the project technologies can be implemented successfully. As relevant information compiled for each technology, the main technical challenges of the project where highlighted:
- Anticorrosion coatings
- Antifouling coatings
- Coatings for the blades
- Composite for the blades
- Concrete enhancements
Definition of requirements related with monitoring and predictive
From M1 to M4, Task 1.2 focused on the definition of the requirements for the Structural Health Monitoring systems and the modelling activities to be developed within WP3. The results of the task resulted in a summary of the identified requirements. The MAREWIND project will develop two types of monitoring system:
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Full-filed non-destructive testing (NDT), such as infrared thermography and 3D digital image correlation (DIC), supported by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). INEGI started the definition of requirement of the NDT system by reviewing those standards related to NDT procedures and thermography methodology. They also reviewed the European and local regulations and requirements for the operation of unmanned aircraft at the demonstration sites.
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Remote optical sensors, such as fibre Bragg grating (FBG) and distributed fibre optic (DFO) sensors, integrated into blades and concreted-based structural components to provide real-time feedback on deformation and structural integrity state of components. The monitoring system based on remote optical sensors will be developed by CETMA and INEGI, with CETMA focusing on sensorization of concrete-based structural components and INEGI focusing on blade representative components.
Standards mapping
In Task 1.3 all the partners compiled the relevant standards and regulations related to the project developments. The early identification of standards will also allow a future identification of possible standardization gaps. Relevant partners from the project contributed to the review, checking the standards already implemented their entities, and also the new potential ones that could be of interest in relation to the technologies of the project.
Two main compilations were made:
- DNV guidelines compliance, crucial to ensure posterior market implementation and the standards map.
- Innovation technologies where no standards and regulations could be found were identified.
Specifications for demonstrations sites
In the next phase in Task 1.4, after some discussions, a final overview of the potential demonstration sites – onshore and offshore – was given. For the offshore testing locations, various potential places are contemplated including the north of Portugal, the north of Spain and Canary Islands. The onshore wind farms are the second group of locations, a pre‐selection of onshore locations related to the real condition tests of the project was presented. These locations are divided in two groups the North of Spain wind farms and the South of Spain wind farms. The early contemplations are based on the climate of these areas since it could be very valuable for real environment tests.
