W8X. Inspection of 12 W2E-93/2.0 at Houston Port REPORT. H. Hoffmann F. Weber COPYRIGHT. W2E Wind to Energy GmbH 2017 PROJECT TITLE

Transcription

1 EDITED BY LANGUAGE PAGES 24 H. Hoffmann F. Weber ENGLISH CLASSIFICATION COSTUMER STATUS RELEASED DATE COPYRIGHT W2E Wind to Energy GmbH 2017 W2E Wind to Energy GmbH Strandstraße 96 D Rostock - Germany - Tel Fax info@wind-to-energy.de Firmensitz I Reg. Office: Rostock Steuernummer I Fiscal Code: UST-ID: DE Geschäftsführer Managing Director: Karsten Seul; Amtsgericht I Commercial Reg. No. at Municipal Court: Rostock, HRB 9580

2 Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary Rotor blades Rotor hubs Nacelles Inverters Pre-installation overhaul and maintenance References DATE PAGE 2

3 1. Executive Summary W2E was tasked by Spinning Star Energy, LLC and interested buyers to report on the status of twelve (12) wind turbines of type W2E W93/2.05 that have been stored at the Port of Houston since On two occasions, June 28-29, 2017 and September 25-29, 2017, they were thoroughly visually inspected by W2E personnel. The 12 units of nacelles and accompanying components (rotor hubs, inverters, cooler tops and wind speed- and direction sensor masts); and 12 sets of rotor blades are stored at the Port of Houston, at the NE corner of Buffalo Bayou and HWY 610 (Figure 1). In Table 1 we provided an overview of the storage locations of the individual items whereas Figure 2 to Figure 5 provide a visual overview. Several items, as listed in Table 1, are stored outside the port at a warehouse type storage facility. The one accompanying tower (Table 1, item no. 12) was not inspected by W2E but by one interested buyer party and had been reported as in excellent condition. Concluding from the inspection results in Sections 2, 3, 4 and 5, the wind turbines are in a condition that allows for their installation and operation - provided the pre-installation maintenance and overhaul measures, as stated in Sections 2 to 5 and summarized in Section 6, have been carried out. Figure 1: General storage location (marked by grey box) DATE PAGE 3

4 Table 1: Overview wind turbine components, auxiliary equipment and their storage locations No. Item Quantity Location 1 Blade sets (of 3 type WN453 blades ea.) 12 Port of Houston, Texas (open air) 2 Rotor hubs 12 Port of Houston, Texas (open air) 3 Rotor hub covers 12 Port of Houston, Texas (open air) 4 Nacelles (of design W2E-W93/2.05MW-60Hz) 12 Port of Houston, Texas (open air) 5 Inverters 11 Port of Houston, Texas (boxed) 6 Inverter 1 Storage facility in Houston 7 Nacelle cooler tops (radiators) 12 Port of Houston, Texas (open air) 8 Nacelle cooler top (radiators) 1 Storage facility in Houston 9 Wind sensor masts 11x2 Port of Houston, Texas (open air) 10 Wind sensor mast 1x2 Storage facility in Houston 11 Assembly tools various Storage facility in Houston 12 85m tubular steel tower 1 Broadwind Towers, Inc., 1126 N. Arnold Blvd., Abilene, TX DATE PAGE 4

5 Figure 2: 2017 Google Earth image of storage location; for a close-up view on the red box see Figure 3 and Figure 4; for a close-up on the green box see Figure 5 and Figure 6 (next pages) DATE PAGE 5

6 Figure 3: 2017 Google Earth image: 11+1 nacelles, 11 cooler tops, 1 set of rotor blades, 1 rotor hub and cover Figure 4: Photo taken Sept 19, 2017 at location marked with blue arrow in Figure 3 DATE PAGE 6

7 Figure 5: 2017 Google Earth image: 11 sets of rotor blades, rotor hubs and hub covers, each; and 11 boxes with inverters Figure 6: Photo taken Sep 19, 2017 at location marked with blue arrow in Figure 5 above DATE PAGE 7

8 2. Rotor blades Rotor blades Clean, dry, no abnormalities 1 Blade interior Rain water and dirt collected at bottom; can be easily removed and washed off 2 Blade root Exposed (outside) portion of the bolts is corroded; inside (the blade flange) portion of the bolts is still well sealed off by rubber centering rings at flange level (see item 6); the bolts can still be turned, removed and exchanged 3 Blade bolts DATE PAGE 8

9 On blade outside: well protected by GRP and paint On blade inside: traces of rust on most cross bolts; can be brushed off and sealed off with anti-rust paint (will be sealed off from weather once the blades are attached to rotor hub) 4 Cross bolts (of blade bolts) 5 Blade Nuts Still packed and stored in accompanying boxes All in place and in working order (see item 4), surface somewhat weather worn, will be easily replaced together with the blade bolts 6 rubber rings / centering rings of the Blade bolts 7 Blade connection flange All clean and level, see photos in items 3 and 6 All fully intact, except for four blades with transport dents and scratches (as seen in photos below), repairable with filler and paint 8 Blade exterior DATE PAGE 9

10 Two blade tips with transport damage, require repair by expert personnel 9 Blade tips The foam rubber between transport frame and blade leading edge compacted over time and acted as a mild abrasive to the blade s gelcoat here the blades need to be recoated 10 Blade gelcoat at interface to Transport Frame Gelcoat cracks around blade lightning receptors require sanding, filling and recoating 11 Blade lightning protection No issues found. Open / in working order 12 Blade drain holes 13 Rain deflector at the blade root Cosmetic, repairable transport damages on a few blades (no photo) DATE PAGE 10

11 3. Rotor hubs Rotor hubs Coating partially off where blade bearing is connected, to be sanded and recoated (these areas will be sealed off from weather once blades are installed) 14 Hub, exterior Rusty surfaces, to be sanded metallically blank; threaded holes to be recut 15 Flanges for hub cover and assembly lifting eyes 16 (intentionally blank) All intact 17 Blade bearing, exterior All intact 18 Blade bearing seals DATE PAGE 11

12 All intact, partially rusted surface, to be steel brushed and recoated with anti-rust pain 19 Bolts connecting blade bearing to rotor hub Located inside the hub, all intact 20 Pitch drives Superficial rust, to be sanded and painted with anti-rust paint (will be sealed off from weather once blades are installed, and greased by lubrication pinion (black)) 21 Pitch drive pinion wheels Lightly superficially rusted, to be sanded (will be sealed off from weather once blades are installed, and greased) 22 Gearwheel blade bearing DATE PAGE 12

13 All intact, connector box dry 23 Blade position encoder (wheel and connector box) 24 Lubrication pinion All intact, see black pinion in photo in item Central lubrication (grease) pump Located inside the hub, all intact, grease to be replaced Lifting the seal (see item 18) the bearings look as good as new, no standstill marks are discernible; the grease looks as new but should be replaced for good measure 26 Blade bearing (balls and raceways) Located inside the hub, all very clean and dry (fully sealed boxes) 27 Pitch box 28 Pitch distribution box Located inside the hub, fully sealed box, all very clean and dry (no photo) DATE PAGE 13

14 All intact, clean, dry, partially light dust cover 29 Cabling inside the hub 30 Hub from inside, general Clean and dry, partially light dust cover Minor scratches, pooled water and dust, ready to go after cleaning and some paint 31 Hub cover DATE PAGE 14

15 4. Nacelles Nacelles All intact, some superficial rusty spots to be cleaned and recoated with zinc spray 32 Wind speed- and direction sensor masts All intact, 4 (out the 12) show superficial rusty patches on front top (photo); 6 show similar light superficial rusty patches at back bottom, to be cleaned and recoated 33 Nacelles, exterior 34 Yaw bearings All intact, no damage, no rust; 35 Yaw bearing seals / bearing balls and raceways Seals all intact, dry and clean; lifting the seal the bearings inside look as good as new, no standstill marks discernible; the grease looks intact but to be replaced for good measure All intact, no leakages anywhere 36 Gearbox exterior (two additional photos on next page) DATE PAGE 15

16 All activate, have properly functioned in keeping moisture and dust out of the breathing oil volume in the gearbox; when new the beets in filters are golden yellow, they show almost black now (a sign that they filtered the moisture as supposed to), to be exchanged; see also u.l. photo in item Gearbox air filter (air breather) Flawless in appearance, no dust, water or any sign of rust; no standstill marks discernible 38 Gearbox interior (spur stage) Oil in the filter and inside the gearbox clean and clear; oil filter like new; gearbox oil exchange only if oil analysis suggests it 39 Gearbox oil filter / gearbox oil DATE PAGE 16

17 All intact, like new 40 Ultra-bushings 41 Gearbox alignment Not checked, to be checked and aligned if necessary (standard procedure) Exterior: all bearings covered / protected by transport hood - all intact Interior: seals all intact, dry and clean; lifting the seal the bearings inside look fully intact, no standstill marks discernible; grease shows sign of aging (matrix-oil separation), to be replaced 42 Main bearings Exterior clean and dry, elastomer supports intact; grease is to be replaced (matrix-oil separation, see photo at right), 43 Generators Area clean and dry; carbon brushes not activated yet, like new; ventilation filter mats clean 44 Generator carbon brushes DATE PAGE 17

18 All intact, radiators partially clogged with accumulated dust (u.r. photo) and to be cleaned 45 Cooling racks /radiators Ventilators clean and dry (photo below at left); Hose connection pieces mostly corroded, to be replaced; all radiators to be flushed with clean water All intact, all hydraulic hoses in good condition 46 Yaw brake calipers Thinly rusted over surface (top and bottom), to be sanded off 47 Yaw brake discs DATE PAGE 18

19 Very clean and dry, inside and out 48 Low Voltage Units (LVU) cabinet incl. Exception: plug ST15 totally oxidized in 8 cabinets, the corroding fluid originated from aviation lighting UPS batteries (see item 50), batteries and plugs to be replaced Display and controller visually in as good as new condition 49 MITA controllers (LVU cabinet) UPS batteries for controller (Phoenix, photo at left) and the aviation lighting (Powerfit, right) are fully discharged. Powerfit to be replaced. 50 UPS batteries DATE PAGE 19

20 All intact, brake disks superficially rusted in spots, no impact on function 51 Rotor brakes Visually fully intact, clean, dry 52 Air Conditioning LVU Visually fully intact, with the exception of one broken Ethernet cable (photo at right) 53 Wind farm communication 54 Onboard crane Clean, dry, visually fully intact All o.k., but many floor panel screws rusted to various degrees (lower right photo), to be replaced 55 Floor panels DATE PAGE 20

21 Pumps and bladder accumulator visually intact, bladder accumulators to be re-filled with nitrogen to 1.5 bar, high pressure side hoses to be replaced 56 Cooling system Connector pieces (nacelle based cooling hoses to cooler top): most protective plastic caps disintegrated, the connector pieces incl. stopcock (in the photo on right seen as they connect to the hose inside the nacelle) need replacement, cooling system to be flushed All pumps visually intact, high pressure side hoses and grease to be replaced 57 Central grease lubrication unit All intact 58 Medium voltage power cables DATE PAGE 21

22 5. Inverters The inverter for this wind turbine model is not installed inside the nacelle but (when the wind turbine is installed) inside the tower base. Consequently, the inverters have been stored at the port separately, in their wooden transport boxes. Inside the wooden boxes the inverter steel cabinets are wrapped in plastic. These steel cabinets (IP54 class, protection against splash water) are encapsulating the inverter electronics. The cabinets are equipped with a heat exchanger at their upper back for air conditioning of the inverters during operation. The transport boxes are well weathered, here and there with gaps between the boards. Some boards are broken and the plastic wrapping, thus visible, has torn in a few boxes. One box and wrapping, however, has fully disintegrated, allowing for a full view onto one cabinet (photos below). W2E was not able to open this cabinet s doors for an inside inspection of the inverter electronics, as the cabinet was too tightly stacked between the adjacent boxes. The very good and intact visual appearance of this cabinet strongly suggests that it, and more so the other cabinets that are still in boxes, prevented rain water penetration as designed to. Inverters see comments in text above 59 Inverters DATE PAGE 22

23 6. Pre-installation overhaul and maintenance In addition to the to-do items provided in the inspection items in Sections 2, 3 and 4, the following tasks need to be carried out. For this, we strongly recommend to move the rotor hubs and nacelles to a roofed facility. Nacelles, Hubs: - Remove nacelle covers and place them beside the nacelle (or where their cleaning and repainting takes place) - Clean: within the nacelle there is a thin layer of mold and mildew throughout on rougher plastic and rubber surfaces, incl. rust on blank and also in spots on painted steel surfaces due to the long and unspecified for interior humidity as rain water had dripped in through the regular attachment wholes for the cooler tops and pooled in the hold below the floor panels (see photos below). Wisely, but not helpful with the humidity, the ventilation openings at the back of the nacelle were covered up to prevent dust penetration. While W2E removed the pooled water, there is residue dirt to be cleaned out and washed off the hold floor. We suggest that the mold and mildew and also the rust (for exception see below) are merely cosmetic and will discontinue under operating conditions. - Pitch- and yaw slewing ring teeth: brush and sand off rust - Brake disks (drivetrain and yaw): sand off rust, wipe clean - Other steel / cast surfaces: brush and sand off rust, repaint - All bearings: check condition of greases and either top up with fresh or fully replace (by refilling) - Grease pumps and hoses: empty old grease and flush with new - Gear box and oil pump: check oil level and check system for leaks; take oil sample for analyses; if free of water: keep, otherwise replace - Cooler tops: complete with hoses and gaskets; will be mounted onto nacelle and filled with (new) coolant at wind farm site - Sensor masts: complete with sensors and sensor wiring; will be mounted onto cooler top at wind farm site DATE PAGE 23

24 -align gearbox and generator - Power up 400V (3-phase, ca. 75 kva) and test all motors (yaw, pitch) and pumps (oil, grease, water) - Re-mount nacelle covers Rotor blades: Limiting potential transport damage by transporting straight to the wind farm site is advantageous. At the overhaul site / facility or at the wind farms site: - Repair according to level of damage, blades need to be lifted out of cradles in order to inspect surfaces at recoat at interfaces to cradle - Replace current blade bolts 7. References In 2012, Availon United Wind Services (now Vestas Wind Systems) had carried out a preinstallation inspection on this equipment at Houston Port and written a detailed report on their findings on each individual turbine [1]. We refer to this report and its listed outstanding tasks as integral part of the overhaul and maintenance procedures suggested above. Additionally, all W2E specified pre-installation maintenance procedures are defined in W2E s respective manuals [2]. [1] W2E(Avic)-W93-2.0MW; Availon-Pre-Commissioning-Report [2] W1205-S021-INST-304-W2E EN, Standstill maintenance instructions DATE PAGE 24