Deutsche WindGuard Inspection has expanded its portfolio of technical inspections for onshore and offshore wind turbine generators (WTG) to include examinations by drone. Besides drone-based visual inspections using a zoom camera, the company also offers its customers contactless lightning protection measurements. These are performed with the technology from TOPseven.
The lightning protection measurement is based on the non-invasive injection of an electromagnetic field into the lightning protection system, which the 3D field sensor mounted on the drone measures during flight operation along the rotor blades. The control software, which is based on artificial intelligence, first calculates the exact flight route on which the drone then autonomously flies along the WTG to conduct the necessary measurements. With this measurement technology and mathematical-algorithmic processing of the collected field data, it is possible to check whether the lightning protection system is functioning properly.
For visual inspection and evaluation, Deutsche WindGuard offers two alternative options: The autonomous patrol provides complete 3D external views of all inspected WTG components, once the high-resolution images have been processed by TOPseven. With the more time-saving manual flight, Deutsche WindGuard’s inspectors can react flexibly and directly on site and take a closer look at any damage they may have discovered.