Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Instead,.they.suggested.that.wind.turbines.painted.purple.would.dramati-
cally.reduce.the.number.of.insects.and,.therefore,.bats.and.birds.that.were.
brought.within.range.of.the.spinning.blades.
Researcher. Chloe. Long. told. the. BBC,. ”Our. major. conclusion. from. this.
work.is.that.turbine.paint.color.could.be.having.a.signiicant.impact.on.the.
attraction.of.insect.species.to.the.structure,.both.during.the.day.and.at.night.”
They.found.turbines.painted.pure.white.and.light.grey.drew.more.insects.
than.any.other.color.apart.from.yellow.
“We.found.it.extremely.interesting.that.the.common.turbine.paint.colors.
were.so.attractive.to.insects,”.said.Miss.Long..“If.the.solution.was.as.simple.
as.painting.turbine.structures.in.a.different.color,.this.could.provide.a.cost-
effective.mitigation.strategy.”
A.study.last.year.found.that.more.than.90.percent.of.birds.killed.within.
range.of.wind.turbines.actually.die.because.of.a.sudden.change.in.air.pres-
sure.before.or.after.each.blade,.which.bursts.their.blood.vessels.
The.heat.generated.by.turbines.may.also.play.a.role.in.attracting.insects.
and.the.spinning.blades.may.interfere.with.bats'.echolocation,.the.research-
ers.said.
The.indings.are.to.be.published.in.the. European Journal of Wildlife Research .
3.8
FieldStudyofWindTurbineBladeErosion
3.8.1  Introduction
Wind.turbine.blades.regularly.operate.in.hostile.environments.that.include.
severe.ice.storms,.wind.with.changeable.directions,.and.rainwater..Turbine.
blades.are.expected.to.endure.these.severe.environments.without.rapid.ero-
sion.to.the.leading.edge.of.their.rotor.blade..To.avoid.this.rapid.deterioration.
and. potential. irreparable. damage,. the. leading. edge. is. typically. protected.
with.erosion-resistant.materials.
3.8.2 
Field Study and Maintenance
3M.(Maplewood,.Minnesota).and.wind.turbine.maintenance.company,.Rope.
Partner.(Santa.Cruz,.California),.announced.a.new.in-ield.study.on.how.the.
erosion.of.the.leading.edge.of.wind.turbine.blades.affects.power.output. 33
The.year-long.study.will.be.the.irst.published.work.to.put.concrete.ig-
ures.on.this.kind.of.damage,.which.is.widespread.for.wind.turbine.blades,.
3M.reported.
Like.the.edge.of.a.steak.knife,.the.blades.of.a.wind.turbine.can.erode..As.
they. rotate—at. speeds. of. up. to. 180. mph. at. the. blade. tips—outdoor. condi-
tions,. such. as. rain,. hail,. and. airborne. sand. can. wreak. havoc. on. the. edge,.
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search