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Specialist UAV services for Wind Power
Cole Aero provide an extensive mapping and inspection service to the wind energy sector, from a single wind turbine to an extensive wind farm, both on and off-shore, Cole Aero have services to suit all scales of wind energy projects and infrastructure.
With in house former renewable energy sector design engineers as well as engineers with a background in aerospace including composite and metal structures including aerodynamics the Cole Aero team are well positioned to support the wind power industry, from planning and construction stages, to maintenance and continued support as well as eventual decommissioning, Cole Aero's services provide a valuable tool throughout the lifetime of a wind turbine or wind farm.
3D Mapping, Digital Twins and site survey work
Cole Aero provide an extensive 3D Mapping of both sites and surrounding areas suitable for the planning and on going monitoring of wind turbine and wind farm sites. From a full site survey combining LiDAR Point cloud maps, photogrammetry and gaussian splatting for survey grade data gathering, to vegetation management, flood risk assessment, environmental surveys and more, Cole Aero aim to provide a full range of UAV based mapping and survey services to suit all requirements.
Other data gathered includes stockpile and quantity assessments of construction material such as highly accurate quantity surveying of on-site aggregates for the construction of supporting infrastructure, build progress inspection reports as well as decommissioning progress reporting.
Cole aero also provide services to suit for carrying out highly accurate and detailed 3D digital twins of turbines & associated infrastructure as well as full site models.
Turbine Inspections
Cole Aero have a range of UAV payloads well suited to the inspection of wind turbines and associated infrastructure. With AI enabled zoom cameras, range finding and thermal imagery and 45MP full frame mechanical shutter cameras, identification of defects and points of note during inspection and survey work is made much easier, faster, safer and cost effective than traditional inspection methods. AI capabilities and CM level RTK guidance also enable repeat inspections from exactly the same vantage point time and time again allowing identical comparative data over time, as well as AI identification of defects.
Cole Aero can provide in house condition reports, cleaning requirement or damage report assessments and data for your specialist teams and engineers to act upon without the need for manned inspection of entire structures. Inspection data and imagery can be combined with 3D twins for complete assessment of your turbines.
Inspections include but are not limited to:
- Blade inspections (leading edge erosion assessment, lightning strike damage, crack detection, surface coating blistering/defects, delamination inspection and water ingress, bird strike damage assessment).
- Lightning protection equipment inspection (inspection of lightning receptors, burn marks and strike damage, carbon tracking, tip damage).
- Tower inspections - (identification of corrosion and surface coating failure, cleaning requirements, crack detection, fatigue and weld defects, bolt and connection issues, deformation or buckling).
- Nacelle inspections - (cooling system defects, oil leaks, structural damage and bearing failure, sensor, anemometer and aviation warning equipment condition/serviceability).
- Thermal inspections - (generator and brake inspection, bearing inspection, pitch motor inspection, identification of delamination and water ingress, transformer inspection).
- Foundation and support inspection - (monitoring settlement and subsidence issues, drainage issues, anchoring and cable condition of guy-wire stabilised turbines).
- Emergency/insurance inspections - (storm damage, lightning or fire damage, one off or repeat insurance assessment inspections).
Bespoke & specialist solutions
Cole Aero also offer specialist and bespoke solutions to industry experts.
Current projects include the integration of UAV mounted aerial Eddy current and ultrasonic testing equipment to our aircraft.
for bespoke solutions please contact us via info@coleaero.co.uk to discuss your requirements.
Cole Aero are always looking for new and innovative technology's to introduce for our customers.
