Risk-based maintenance strategy selection for wind turbine composite blades

Blades are one of the most important components, in terms of capital and operational costs, of wind turbines. In contrast with some other elements of the turbine, the knowledge regarding the failure modes and processes of the composite materials that form the blade are less known. Therefore, providing a systematic study breaking down the individual components of the blade and analyzing the criticality of each of the failure modes affecting them is the first step toward the implementation of measures reducing operational and maintenance costs. The scarce information that is publicly available regarding wind turbine blade failures and their constant evolution inclines risk analysis toward studies based on expert opinion. In this study, the criticality of the failure modes is determined through a failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) that examines the severity and likelihood of occurrence of the failure modes identified. In light of the results of criticality, the current and potential maintenance strategies covering the different failure modes will be identified, along with the applicable monitoring techniques found in the literature, to propose risk mitigation strategies. The results of this study may be utilized for further exploration of operation and maintenance analysis toward the development of dynamic decision support systems