De-icing of wind turbine blades using Drone (UAVs)

In China, wind power equipment is distributed across vast and diverse geographical areas, where complex and variable environmental conditions pose severe challenges to the stable operation of wind turbine units. In many high-altitude, high-humidity, and low-temperature regions, the cold winter climate frequently subjects wind turbine units to freezing rain attacks, leading to widespread ice accumulation on turbine blades.

During freezing rain conditions, ice buildup on wind turbine blades not only increases fatigue loads on the blades, shortens equipment lifespan, but also reduces power generation capacity, impacting revenue and wind farm safety. If not addressed promptly, non-deiced blades may lead to grid disconnection and shutdowns. Particularly in low-temperature regions, annual power generation losses can reach 1%-10%, while in severe cases, losses may escalate to 20%-50%. Severe ice accumulation can also cause blade fractures. As temperatures rise, falling ice chunks further create safety hazards for maintenance personnel and equipment.

To protect wind turbine units during freezing rain conditions, routine deicing and anti-icing operations are essential. Currently, the most common method in the wind power industry is mechanical deicing, where workers manually break ice on turbine blades using elevated platforms, followed by centrifugal force or vibration methods to remove ice layers. This approach suffers from low efficiency, high labor intensity, and safety concerns.

In recent years, with the emergence of automated and intelligent solutions, cutting-edge technologies like wall-climbing robots and drones have been applied to wind turbine deicing and anti-icing operations. However, challenges remain including high costs and unverified safety performance. Moreover, as most wind turbines are located in remote mountainous areas with complex terrains featuring slopes and depressions, wall-climbing robots show poor adaptability in such environments, making deployment difficult.

Notably, traditional robotic tools typically feature rigid structures. During high-altitude operations, they are often affected by wind and airflow disturbances, resulting in unstable performance and safety risks. Any collision could not only damage the equipment itself but also cause irreversible harm to wind turbines costing millions or even tens of millions of RMB, leading to substantial economic losses.

In contrast, addressing the specific needs and pain points of wind turbine deicing/anti-icing, De-icing wind turbine blades with drones, the AP30-P2 high-pressure cleaning system – can perform safe, stable, and efficient anti-icing fluid spraying during aerial hovering/flight operations. Combining high-safety interactivity, lightweight design, strong protection rating, and flexible operation capabilities, this system significantly improves wind turbine anti-icing maintenance efficiency while reducing operational costs.

Specifically designed for high-altitude operations, a drone-based De-Icing System for Wind Turbine Blades, the AP30-P2 high-pressure cleaning system is compatible with heavy-duty industrial drones like the DJI FC30. Supporting various liquids including water, anti-icing/deicing fluids, and cleaning solutions, it integrates automated sweeping-washing and fixed-point pressure cleaning technologies. This provides a convenient, efficient, safe, and stable solution for large-capacity, multi-angle aerial high-pressure cleaning/spraying operations. The system finds wide applications in maintenance scenarios such as wind turbine blades, towers, solar panels, skyscrapers, walls, and high-rise structures for cleaning, painting, and deicing/anti-freezing operations.

As a crucial component in power plant lifecycle management, daily wind turbine maintenance directly impacts power supply reliability and clean energy utilization efficiency. We will continue to leverage flexible robotic technologies to promote practical implementations of wind turbine cleaning, inspection, and anti-freezing solutions, accumulating industry experience and supporting high-quality development of the wind power sector.