Affiliation:
1. School of Engineering and Architecture, University College Cork, T12 K8AF Cork, Ireland
2. Marine and Renewable Energy Ireland, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, P43 C573 Cork, Ireland
3. UCD Centre for Mechanics, Dynamical Systems and Risk Laboratory, School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland
Abstract
Operations and maintenance (O&M) of floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) require regular inspection activities to predict, detect, and troubleshoot faults at high altitudes and in harsh environments such as strong winds, waves, and tides. Their costs typically account for more than 30% of the lifetime cost due to high labor costs and long downtime. Different inspection methods, including manual inspection, permanent sensors, climbing robots, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), can be employed to fulfill O&M missions. The UAVs, as an enabling technology, can deal with time and space constraints easily and complete tasks in a cost-effective and efficient manner, which have been widely used in different industries in recent years. This study provides valuable insights into the existing applications of UAVs in FOWT inspection, highlighting their potential to reduce the inspection cost and thereby reduce the cost of energy production. The article introduces the rationale for applying UAVs to FOWT inspection and examines the current technical status, research gaps, and future directions in this field by conducting a comprehensive literature review over the past 10 years. This paper will also include a review of UAVs’ applications in other infrastructure inspections, such as onshore wind turbines, bridges, power lines, solar power plants, and offshore oil and gas fields, since FOWTs are still in the early stages of development. Finally, the trends of UAV technology and its application in FOWTs inspection are discussed, leading to our future research direction.
Reference267 articles.
1. Review of the Current Status, Technology and Future Trends of Offshore Wind Farms;Ocean Eng.,2020
2. (2024, January 25). Energy Transition Outlook 2023. Available online: https://www.dnv.com/energy-transition-outlook/special-reports.html.
3. Lee, J., and Zhao, F. (2022). GWEC Global Wind Report, Global Wind Energy Council. Available online: Https://www.gwec.net.
4. Why Offshore Wind Energy?;Esteban;Renew. Energy,2011
5. Buck, B.H., and Langan, R. (2017). Operation and Maintenance Costs of Offshore Wind Farms and Potential Multi-Use Platforms in the Dutch North Sea BT—Aquaculture Perspective of Multi-Use Sites in the Open Ocean: The Untapped Potential for Marine Resources in the Anthropocene, Springer International Publishing.
Cited by
4 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献