In a future-focused on renewable energy, offshore wind farms will soon stand tall as beacons of progress in Australia’s fight against climate change.
With up to 58 offshore wind farm projects currently on the horizon, engineers and construction firms will be tasked with ensuring the stability of such mammoth structures.
Planning, safety, and reliability will become critical if the nation is to achieve its net zero by 2050 emission targets, with turbine technicians are now turning to smart technology to improve the efficiency of Australia’s renewable energy future.
These smart tech changes are set to revolutionise how engineers construct offshore wind zones, enabling construction to commence with secured confidence by the decade’s end.
The importance of bolting precision
Offshore wind turbines are now bigger than ever. Weighing around a thousand tonnes and standing around the same height as the Eiffel Tower, they feature blades as long as a football field and can include up to 100,000 bolted joints each.
Place these engineering enigmas out to sea amid some of the harshest environmental conditions in the world, and it’s easy to see why structural security is one of the most challenging aspects of building offshore wind turbines.
This is particularly true of their bolted joints, which have become more difficult to install and maintain as the structures’ sizes have increased.
Traditional bolting methods, like torque wrenches, are labour-intensive and lack the accuracy needed for larger turbines, which can threaten the structure’s functionality and safety.
However, recently developed smart bolting solutions promise to make both on and offshore wind farms safer and more efficient through remote preload monitoring.
What is smart bolting?
Smart bolting technology uses sensors installed on each bolting joint to monitor its preload parameters around the clock.
This data is then transmitted via Wi-Fi or cloud-based technology to the wind farm’s maintenance team, who ensure every bolted joint remains secure without the need for dangerous manual checks.
Bolting manufacturer Nord-Lock Group is one of the leading developers in this space, launching its superbolt load-sensing tensioner (LST) and a superbolt load-sensing flex nut (LSF) based on multi-jackbolt tensioning technology (MJT).
Aussie distributor Hobson Engineering told Build-it that this smart-tech combination was set to become a game-changer for installing and maintaining offshore wind technology.
“The LST is a direct replacement of an original nut. It enables easier and safer tightening, and it’s equipped with a strain-measuring sensor that analyses the variation of the tensioner’s circumference in proportion to the variation in bolt preload,” a Hobson Engineering spokesperson said.
“This offers precise tightening of large bolts and ensures bolted joints in wind turbines remain secure and stable.”
Once installed, these smart sensors can transmit preload data for the turbine’s lifetime, enabling real-time monitoring, detection and forecasting of potential issues.
Maintenance teams can schedule updates as frequently as 100 times per second, ensuring consistent monitoring that is particularly useful for turbines in remote or difficult-to-reach locations.
Hobson Engineering says the data collected by LST and LSF devices enables detailed analysis of bolted joints, which can identify potential failures early and allow for preventive maintenance.
“Historical analysis of preload data alongside meteorological conditions can predict future issues, aiding in the planning and development of new wind farms,” they explained.
“This proactive approach enhances the reliability and efficiency of wind turbines.”
More “smart” solutions to secure offshore wind efficiency
But smart tech isn’t the only “smart” solution set to boost the reliability of offshore wind turbines.
Newly developed bolting technology developed by Bumax has seen the manufacturer launch a stainless steel fastener specifically designed to withstand some of the harshest conditions possible.
With a class 12.9 strength rating, the Bumax DX129 has become the ultimate choice for wind turbine applications where a unique combination of very high strength, ductility, and corrosion resistance is required.
The high-strength duplex stainless steel fastener has already been used to replace coated 12.9 carbon steel bolts in demanding applications with excellent results.
Additional Advantages
Smart preload monitoring offers more than just ensuring turbine reliability and efficiency.
The monitoring tech can also help reduce labour costs by reducing the reliance on emergency engineering teams and improving maintenance scheduling.
This added reliability minimises the risk of worker injuries and eliminates the need for further monitoring device investment in the future.
Similar to other areas of infrastructure technology, smart tech clearly has an important role in developing Australia’s clean energy future, which could see this smart bolting technology expand into other areas of use and development.
