彩民宝典

彩民宝典 engineering students are finalizing an infrared imaging system that will allow a user to monitor subsurface features in wind turbine blades, an invention that could make wind turbine repair safer, faster and more cost-efficient.

Members of the capstone design team, sponsored by , said their greatest accomplishment has been turning an idea into a useful product that is accepted by an experienced team of engineers in industry.

鈥淭his is real engineering,鈥� said David Molitor, a mechanical engineering BS/MS student. 鈥淚t鈥檚 physical, real and it works.鈥�

On April 26, this team, along with roughly听145 others, will present their design at the 2019 Engineering Projects Expo.

Given the complexity of the Siemens Gamesa project, undergraduate and graduate students in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science joined forces on one team. Al Dayn, Alexandra Jaros, David Molitor, Austin Napier, Richard Poulson, Eric Rocilez, Ben Setterquist, Chad Sloan and Aiden Zheng worked together to design a better way to monitor the condition of wind turbine blades.

鈥淲ind turbine blades have an expected lifetime operation of 20 years or longer,鈥� said Molitor. 鈥淥ver time, a blade might be affected by frequent lightning strikes or heavy rainfall. The imaging system we developed allows us to check for subsurface features,听such as structural cracks听to ensure the blade remains in good condition throughout its operational life.鈥�

Current test methods for studying subsurface features require large amounts of manpower and take roughly four hours per blade. Rope access technicians rappel from the tops of wind turbine towers and survey the area with heat-sensitive cameras. 听

鈥淚t鈥檚 very time-consuming and expensive,鈥� said Alexandra Jaros, a senior studying mechanical engineering. Jaros said these methods are especially costly when wind turbines are located offshore or when evaluating hundreds of wind turbines at a time.

With this challenge in mind, the team succeeded in creating a solution requiring only three minutes per scan and far less manpower.

To do so, the team mounted an infrared camera to a drone, allowing them to detect differences in temperature. Because subsurface features like cracks are filled with air, they cool at a slower pace, making them stand out in a different color when viewed through a heat-sensitive camera. This allows the team to identify features invisible to the naked eye.

Behind the scenes, students studying computer science like Richard Poulson have added metadata so the operator can tell which section of the blade is being shown.

鈥淯sing time stamps to organize information from the GPS unit, inertial measurement unit and magnetic sensors which track absolute position, tilt and orientation, we have been able to map the infrared images of the blade to the blade鈥檚 location in 3D space,鈥� Poulson said.

This project allowed students to further their experience in systems engineering, providing them with opportunities to build skills in CAD, manufacturing, hardware debugging, electronics debugging, intersystem communication and integrated circuits. It also gave students the chance to use project management tools, practice communication and talk about functional requirements with a client.

To future capstone design students, the team said they recommend taking ownership of individual roles while also trusting the efforts of teammates.

鈥淭rust can be hard at first,鈥� said Molitor, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 amazing how proud you can be of what you accomplish together.鈥澨� 颅颅

Project Video

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