Three European companies are working on a drone that could deliver spare parts and tools from vessels to offshore wind turbines, cutting delivery times to technicians atop wind turbine generators.
Siemens Gamesa, Ørsted, and ESVAGT have teamed up in a project named “Operative package deliveries by drones” that will examine the potential in meeting offshore Wind Turbin Generator technicians’ needs in an easier way.
“A technician is wasting time if critical tools or critical spare parts aren’t available to him’, says Flemming Hjorth, Head of New Services Business Development at ESVAGT:
“When we transfer a WTG technician from vessel to WTG, he brings both spare parts and tools with him. But it often happens that the technician needs additional equipment, tools or spare parts while inside the WTG. Today, such a scenario requires the vessel to return to the WTG or that we send a transfer boat over to the WTG with the necessary gear, which the technician then has to get down and get. This process can be optimized’, says Flemming Hjorth.
Siemens Gamesa, Ørsted and ESVAGT collaborate with a number of subcontractors about a solution in the innovation project, where drones can deliver packages weighing up to 3-4 kg directly to the WTG nacelle.
"Most often, it is the small spare parts that make a difference: smaller electrical components or a specific tool. Delivering these with a drone could potentially spare us a tremendous amount of time and contribute to making the operation of the offshore wind farm even more efficient’, says Flemming Hjorth.
"Our ambition is to get a drone to transport spare parts between two variable points, following a route that will be adjusted along the way. It is complex, even when using drone pilots, and it becomes even more demanding once you add the changing weight of the cargo, the wind’s impact, the use of magnetic compass in an offshore farm with lots of steel, and so on. But the potential in finding a solution is extremely interesting’, says Flemming Hjorth.
The project Operative package deliveries by drones is sponsored by the European Regional Development Fund and runs until June 2020.