Rope Partner Teams Up With Bladena to Bring to Market a New-Patented Blade Reinforcement System

May 31, 2013

A recent partnership that strengthens Rope Partner’s portfolio of services will prove revolutionary to extending the operational life of turbine blades.

Bladena, comprised of leading industry blade experts and structural/aeroelastic researchers, specializes in providing blade enhancement solutions to counteract cracking and other operational failures. Preventative measures include a patented technology known as the D-String.

Research shows that a significant number of turbine blade failures are bond line related, with trailing edge failures being the most common. These problems are caused by “breathing,” which refers to blade panel deformities induced by heavy loads being exerted during turbine operation. The load changes direction relative to the blade rotation and causes the blade shell panels to bow outward, which is also known as “breathing.”  This effect has been identified in the more mature European market where industrial scale turbines have experienced longer fatigue life.

“We believe that the simplest solutions are often the best and this proves true with the Bladena D-String Solution. We are increasingly seeing the results of this type of fatigue damage in the field and strongly believe in the value of this solution for our industry. The Asset Managers with a longer-term vision, who invest in solutions like this, will reduce liability and maximize ROI over the life of their investment.” – Eric Stanfield, Rope Partner President

As a result, Rope Partner has teamed up with Bladena to provide cost-effective solutions to this widely experienced problem. D-string will help wind farm owners mitigate the effects of blade breathing such as structural cracks, de-bonding, and splitting along the trailing edge. Bladena’s innovative solution to this problem will reduce maintenance or repair costs and keep turbines online for longer periods of time.

A standard installation of the D-String by Rope Partner certified WindCorps technicians requires 10 to 12 string systems fastened between trailing edge panels effectively stiffening and neutralizing the effect. This will drastically reduce, or eliminate, critical fatigue damage to the blade during operation.

“We announced our partnership at Wind Power 2013 and are already scheduling our first project with one of our clients. Rope Partner is honored to be selected as a partner by Bladena,” Stanfield said.

Please click here to learn more about the products that Bladena offers through Rope Partner, an authorized service partner.

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