An Imperial research project led by Dr Soraia Pimenta from the Department of Mechanical Engineering will receive £111,000 from Greencoat UK Wind PLC.
The three year project aims to develop an end-of-life decision-making tool to predict how much damage a wind turbine blade has accumulated in its lifetime. The tool will support the wind industry in making informed decisions about the optimal end-of-life route for wind turbine blade materials.
Many of the first wind farms constructed in the UK and Europe are reaching the end of their lifespan, raising the question of how best to dispose of old turbines after dismantling. Fibreglass material from the blades is more challenging to recycle than steel or aluminium.
“A key challenge to the successful recycling and repurposing of end-of-life wind turbine blades is determining how much damage has accumulated in the materials throughout their service life and how this impacts potential 2nd-life applications,” said Dr Soraia Pimenta.
“Our research will address this question by developing advanced methods for structural analysis, material modelling and life-cycle assessment, and integrating them into a uniquely holistic tool for end-of-life management of wind turbine blade materials.”
Greencoat UK Wind PLC is the leading listed renewable infrastructure fund, invested in operating UK wind farms.
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Nadia Barbu
Department of Mechanical Engineering
