Shore Systems has reached a milestone by completing its first infrastructure inspection of an onshore wind turbine. The drone startup completed the inspection flight in December 2022 in the Eemshaven (Groningen, NL), together with Dutch Drone Company (DCC), a leading inspection service provider. Shore demonstrated that its innovative land-based inspection platform was able to deliver results of the highest quality.
Currently, drone inspections are limited by the drone’s capability to fly for long distances and longer times. This makes the inspections of remote and large infrastructure assets difficult and expensive. Consider offshore wind farms. The ever-increasing need for renewable energy has accelerated the installation of offshore wind turbines. Once installed, these turbines must be inspected periodically for corrosion, damage and other abnormalities that could influence the life expectancy and productivity of the turbine.
To examine the infrastructure of an offshore wind farm, a boat trip and inspection crew must be scheduled at least 6 months in advance. During the inspection campaign, the crew needs to deploy a drone at each wind turbine. This process can be hazardous, often in dangerous conditions due to the combination of unpredictable weather and open water. This whole operation makes the inspection of offshore wind turbines a labour-intensive and expensive process.
Unique capabilities offered by the Shore’s drone technology
The infrastructure investigation is simplified using Shore System’s drone technology, which has unique hover endurance and range capabilities. The Shore Based Inspection Drone (SBID) allows for extended hover time capabilities during inspection and an increased flight range to reach remote assets from a fixed base. Using the SBID, a turbine inspection can be launched from the shore without the inspection crew being dispatched.
For a mission like this, the SBID drone has been designed with a 120-minute hover endurance, which allows for the inspection part of the mission, and a flight range of 500 km to reach the remote asset. Furthermore, the aircraft produces almost null emissions and can fly with winds up to 50 km per hour. The use of the Shore drone means the inspection process is quicker, cheaper, carbon neutral, safer and on-demand.
Milestone demonstration of onshore wind turbine inspection
Shore Systems has now successfully completed the first inspection flight of an onshore wind turbine using its drone prototype. The team worked closely with DCC Smart Inspections for the technical design, logistical matters and data processing to deliver inspection results of the highest quality.
This demonstration marks the final stage of the development project conducted by Shore together with DCC Smart Inspections. The aim of this project, which was partially funded by the European innovation fund of Robotics for Inspection and Maintenance (RIMA), was to develop a prototype of the SBID concept and demonstrate that it can indeed be used to inspect wind turbine infrastructures. While this demonstration was performed on land, the following iteration of the concept will be capable of inspecting a turbine offshore. To reach the performance needed for offshore missions, the next design (that will be tested in fall 2023) will incorporate the use of hydrogen and include a fuel cell system.
This press release, issued by Shore Systems, was uploaded to the company’s website in January 2023 and shared via LinkedIn.
###
NOTES FOR EDITORS
Photos from the demonstration are available in the press kit and videos can be supplied upon request.
Contact
For further information, please contact the Shore team (info@shoresystems.nl or +31 15 4550188).
About Shore Systems
Shore Systems is a drone manufacturing startup based in Delft, the Netherlands, specialising in the development of innovative drone technology. The company is currently incubated at ESA BIC Noorwijk. shoresystems.nl
About DDC Smart Inspection
DDC Smart Inspection is a leading inspection service provided based in the Netherlands. dcc.works
About RIMA
Robotics for Inspection and Maintenance (RIMA) is a European subsidy aimed as stimulating the development and implementation of robotics in the field of inspection and maintenance. rimanetwork.eu
Discover everything you need to know about ESA BIC Noordwijk’s programme:
