Belzona 5721 Protects Wind Turbine Blades' Leading Edges in a Single Coat

KHIA ID: 8084

Industry: Power (POWR)
Application: FBC-Fans, Blowers and Compressors (FBC)
Substrate: GRP

Customer Location: Yorkshire, UK
Application Date: August 2019

Products:
Belzona 5721

Problem: The wind turbine blades were suffering from damage due to rain erosion and from mechanical lifting of the blades.The existing tape system had begun to peel in patches, as well as some noticeable areas of erosion and impact damage present through the tape.

Photograph Descriptions

1. Blades taken down from the turbine before cleaning

2. Existing tape system had started to peel

3. After preparation, Belzona 5721 was applied to the leading edge

4. Finished LEP application

Application Situation

At a UK wind farm, one of the Endurance E-3120 turbines was undergoing maintenance and inspection, specifically to the wind turbine blades.

Application Method

The blades were removed by the asset owner for inspection and general cleaning, before the existing tape system was removed. Positioned on stands at 45°, the area to be coated was masked off and sanded using an orbital sander and then cleaned of any debris. Belzona 5721 was mixed and applied by brush to a band of 20cm (8”) around the leading edge in a single coat. Finally, the masking tape was removed before the coating could fully cure.

Belzona Facts

The operator chose Belzona 5721 for this application for two key reasons. After having used other products in the Belzona range for various wind turbine maintenance applications, including leak sealing and metal rebuilding, the operator had confidence in the performance of Belzona's solutions. Secondly, the simple application method and reduced downtime offered by this one-coat system was not present with other options they had seen available. Due to the fast turnaround, the blades could be reinstated that same day.

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