The turbine sustained damage when it was struck by lightning in May. Initial inspections revealed a split on the outer tip of one blade that was less than 24 inches long. The split was repaired by LES and Vestas (the turbine's manufacturer with which LES has a service agreement) at an estimated cost of $45,000.
The turbine sustained damage when it was struck by lightning in May. Initial inspections revealed a split on the outer tip of one blade that was less than 24 inches long. The split was repaired by LES and Vestas (the turbine's manufacturer with which LES has a service agreement) at an estimated cost of $45,000.
Contractors initiated work that will complete repairs to Lincoln Electric System's Wind Turbine Two today (Monday, Oct. 18).
The turbine sustained damage when it was struck by lightning in May. Initial inspections revealed a split on the outer tip of one blade that was less than 24 inches long. The split was repaired by LES and Vestas (the turbine's manufacturer with which LES has a service agreement) at an estimated cost of $45,000. The unit was taken out of service for the repairs May 19 and returned to service June 1.
Vestas' inspection of the turbine revealed the other two blades also sustained damage from the lightning but that it would not prevent the turbine from operating until additional technicians were available to make …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]Contractors initiated work that will complete repairs to Lincoln Electric System's Wind Turbine Two today (Monday, Oct. 18).
The turbine sustained damage when it was struck by lightning in May. Initial inspections revealed a split on the outer tip of one blade that was less than 24 inches long. The split was repaired by LES and Vestas (the turbine's manufacturer with which LES has a service agreement) at an estimated cost of $45,000. The unit was taken out of service for the repairs May 19 and returned to service June 1.
Vestas' inspection of the turbine revealed the other two blades also sustained damage from the lightning but that it would not prevent the turbine from operating until additional technicians were available to make final repairs. The estimated cost of these repairs is $41,000.
Vestas brought in four technicians who will focus on the mechanical work of bringing the rotor and blades to the ground and putting them back in place when repairs are completed. These technicians also will replace several bearings. Another two technicians will repair damage to the blades.
Initial work will involve assembling the two cranes that will be used to bring the blades and rotor an estimated 213 feet to the ground for the repairs and to hoist them back up when repairs are completed. The rotor alone weighs 15,900 pounds and has a diameter of 154 feet. Each blade is 77 feet long.
Specifically, the repair work will involve:
* replacing a bearing in the generator and a bearing between a blade and the hub that allows the blade to pitch in the wind;
* repairing a blade by cutting off the damaged portion and replacing it with a new tip, and
* repairing a broken portion of another blade.
Technicians will also repair normal erosion damage on the leading edges of all three blades, which occurs when items such as bugs and dirt hit the blades while they are revolving at speeds up to 157 miles per hour.
Editor's note: Each of the two turbines has a nameplate capacity of 660 kilowatts for a total of 1320 kilowatts.