In this BONUS episode, Joel and Allen discuss blade pitch alignment with Lars Bendsen of AC883 and blade structural damage with Morten Handberg of Wind Power Lab. Pitch errors create power losses AND bearing damage. Lars explains how a simple laser alignment check can save operators big sums. Resident Blade Whisper Morten Handberg gives us the latest on structural blade issues and the most recent technology to help detect and possibly repair blades.







Visit Pardalote Consulting at https://www.pardaloteconsulting.com



Wind Power Lab - https://windpowerlab.com



Weather Guard Lightning Tech - www.weatherguardwind.com



AC883 - https://www.ac883.com



















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Allen Hall: This is a special bonus episode of the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast. While Joel and I were at the Wind Energy Hamburg exhibition, we had the opportunity to sit down with Lars Benson of AC 8 83. Lars is based up in Canada, and Lars talked to us about blade pitch angle measurements and how to correct them and why pitch angle measurements are so important to extend the lifetime.



Of your wind turbine. And then I meet with our resident Blade Whisperer Morton. Hamburg, a wind power lab. And Morton provides an update on blade structural issues, leading edge erosion, always a problem, and how robots can help improve blade damage inspections. So stay tuned for a large and Morton. This is a great episode.



We're here with my cohost Joel for Wind Power Lab, and we have a special. Quasi Canadian guest, but , I don't 



Morten Handberg: know if you'll claim that. I don't think you'll claim 



Lars Bendsen: it either. Canadian. Dans. There you go. 



Joel Saxum: Canada with a K. Exactly. , 



Lars Bendsen: yeah. 



Allen Hall: This is Lar Benson from AC 8 83 and Joel and I have talked about Lars as this company a number of times on the podcast because Lars does pitch alignment and pitch measurements that dramatically reduce damage to wind turbines.



And so we thought we saw Lars here in Hamburg. And we thought what was just corner and find out all the details. So lar walk it to 



Lars Bendsen: the program. Thank you so much. So 



Allen Hall: can you explain a little bit of what Pitch Alignment is and why it is so 



Lars Bendsen: important? Yeah, I think it's thank you for inviting with this podcast.



I think it's critical that you need a role that is in balance. Yeah. So all three blades have to have the same pitch angle to keep the road I balance. So there's the aerodynamic balance, and then you have a mass imbalance. Right. They're equally bad. Right. But we can measure it both if we have a mass imbalance on aerodynamic balance, it's important to to distinguish those two things.



Sure. 



Allen Hall: So how are you actually making those measurements? I assume it was from the ground. I said that's, how about explained to me what is 



Morten Handberg: all involved in 



Lars Bendsen: this? Yeah. It's a it's a German developed 15 years ago, laser. Ah, two lasers, one in front of the tower up wind. Mm-hmm. and measuring on the root max.



Root of the blade. Okay. And on the blade tip. Okay. And that means every time the blade passes the tower, we scanning the blade on the max and on the tip, every time it pass passes the tower. Okay. So 



Allen Hall: why, why there? 



Lars Bendsen: Because we need to have the laser pointing at the tower as well, because then we are measuring the tower.



So as soon as the blade is not in front, the laser, our laser points at the, the,