Earlier this year we made a framework agreement with @Fjernvarme Fyn, a four-year-maintenance agreement of the heating district of the Danish Island, Funen.
At this point, we have already executed on the first five cases and solved them with great success.
We are beyond excited about this agreement and thankful for the trust, we have been given.
We are looking very much forward to collaborating with Fjernvarme Fyn the coming years.
We are happy to introduce our new Finance Manager, Helene Hansen, who has recently become a valuable addition to our office in Esbjerg, Denmark.
Helene has a background from the Transport & Logistics Industry, where she until now has worked the last 10 years.
A fun fact about Helene:
When she is not crushing numbers and budgets, she drives her motorcycle (Suzuki) across the Danish countryside.
We are eagerly anticipating the collaboration with Helene and enjoying having her as a part of our office environment. Welcome to the team!
Introduction:
As the first commercial models of wind turbines that are still standing today, are reaching 30 years of service, turbine owners begin to face the challenge of either continuing to maintain and optimize these older wind turbines or dismantle them. There comes a certain point where expenses to maintain the wind turbine might overdue the turnover from energy production. Some of the critical components that often require attention within wind turbines, are among others the mainframe, flanges, bolts and yaw rings. Traditionally, damages to some of these components on older turbines has led to the consideration of dismantling, if the turbines have outlived their designed lifetime and the guarantee-period from the developer is expired. This is where we at 3WIS offer our conceptual repair solutions, a proactive procedure that reinforces bearing steel structures, where deterioration appears. Wind turbine owners hereby can extend the lifetime of their assets with up to 10 years, hereby achieving increased return on their investment while reducing the environmental impact from decommissioning or installing new turbines.
What to consider when prolonging the lifetime of your assets
Taking all scenarios into account, here are some key figures that turbine owner should make when considering extending the life of their assets:
Calculating TOC is relative for each turbine, depending on wind site affecting the average AEP (Annual Energy Production), general condition of the other components on the turbine, potential local tariffs, and more.
The Impact of Reinforcing Solutions
Deterioration of exposed structures in older wind turbines or new turbines in general can be a quite concerning issue for turbine owners. In the past, damages to crucial components often meant extended repair and downtime, involving removement of the nacelle with heavy lifting equipment (among others) and replacing the damaged components. Hereby resulting in significant financial losses and contributing to environmental waste as well. However, by investing in reinforcing solutions, owners can now significantly extend the lifetime of their assets.
Preventive maintenance through Core Integrity Testing
One of the solutions we provide at 3WIS is a preventive maintenance-based multipoint inspection of exposed areas, at an early stage. Preventive maintenance through on-going NDT inspections, may also be a solution that helps service companies as part of their core integrity checks, as well as turbine owners, in maintaining quality- & safety demands from their insurance companies. Adopting a procedure that reinforces the mainframe aligns with regulatory standards and certification requirements. he turbine in peak condition and in compliance with safety guidelines, enhancing the credibility within the wind energy sector.
Maximizing Return on Investment:
The implementation of the proactive procedure for reinforcing exposed structures allows wind turbine owners to protect their investments and increase their return on invest over more years. By addressing deterioration at an early stage, operators can prevent further damage, costly repairs, and unplanned downtime, through a cost-friendly and fast reinforcement procedure. If other mechanical or electrical parts of the turbine is in good condition, reinforcement of exposed structures is a cost-friendly and highly beneficial solution.
Environmental Benefits:
Sustainable development requires the optimization of existing resources and minimizing waste. Extending the life of older wind turbines through reinforcement of the mainframe is a solution that contributes to a significant reduction in the environmental impact associated with producing new turbine. The mainframe is a highly exposed steel structure of the wind turbine, that most turbines experience within their designed lifetime. By keeping functional turbines in operation, the industry can decrease the amount of waste that the industry produces, through manufacturing processes, and energy consumption involved in building new units.
Conclusion:
Wind turbine owners face the dual challenge of either keeping their turbines running or dismantling them when they have reached their designed lifetime and that service and repair expenses exceed turnover from energy production. The implementation of a procedure such as reinforcing exposed steel structures, when deterioration appears, represents a significant step towards keeping older turbines running. By extending the life of older wind turbines by up to 10 years, operators can continue to generate more renewable energy and therefore improving total cost of ownership while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact of installing new turbines. Embracing these reinforcing solutions underscores the wind industry's commitment to sustainability, safety, and responsibility of resources, paving the way for a greener and more resilient exploitation of wind power.
It is with great pleasure that we have welcomed a new colleague!
Allan Madsen recently stepped into the position as our new Head of Quality, Health, Safety & Environment. He comes to 3WIS with a strong record of similar positions and has throughout his career been employed within the renewable industry working with implementation and operation of QHSE systems.
Allan states about his new position as Head of QHSE:
“When 3WIS reached out and presented the position as Head of QHSE, I was again motivated to work with the whole spectrum of QHSE-standards. By drawing on my experience within this field, I believe I can contribute to improving the QHSE work and at the same time learn more about this industry though my very professional skilled coworkers.”
A warm welcome to 3WIS, Allan. We are looking very much forward to working with you
Feasibility and validation studies makes us able to test and develop various repair methods before implementing them on-site, thus providing validated and documented repair solutions that mitigate the risk of technical, financial, and operational aspects.
The method is typically applied in more complex repair projects and is designed to determine:
Recently we completed a test and validation project to document a repair concept we have been working on for one of our clients.
The study
After detecting welding flaws, compromising the strength of the weld of the bottom flange of the wind turbine towers, our client reached out to get answers on the following questions:
With the project scope defined, we manufactured a mock-up of a tower, simulating the welding defects and thereafter tested the validity of the repair concept. The aim was to create a validated, and documented repair solution to our clients before the actual repair campaign on-site which not only solve the technical issue, but also mitigate on the overall complexity and HSE related concerns. On this basis we concluded on the repair method which is applicable for the actual situation on-site.
Learn more about our engineering competencies right here Or reach out to Daniel Stenstrup Rasmussen at dsr@3wis.dk or tel. +45 20 277 951.
We are proud and excited to announce that Muehlhan Wind Service has become the majority stakeholder of 3WIS.
Simon Øland states:
“Over the past few years, we at 3WIS have manifested our position in the market as a leader in welding and NDT solutions in the wind industry. I see the new partnership as a positive and progressive investment that will provide the foundation for further expansions and continued growth both at 3WIS and MWS”.
The past few years have been an exciting journey and we would like to thank all our colleagues at 3WIS who has played a huge role in the development and positioning of 3WIS as a significant provider of global repair solutions.
Read the full press release from Muehlhan Wind Service here:
Muehlhan Wind Service acquires majority stake in 3WIS
Muehlhan Wind Service (MWS), a leading full-scope independent service provider delivering wind turbine installation and maintenance solutions to the wind industry in more than 35 countries around the world, announced today that it has acquired a majority stake in 3WIS, a Danish company providing expert solutions in welding and NDT services within the wind industry.
The acquisition of 3WIS is yet another milestone for Muehlhan Wind Service, adding additional expertise to the Muehlhan Wind Service portfolio, across both onshore and offshore wind turbines. With this strategic move, Muehlhan Wind Service will take one further step towards being a one-stop service provider to the wind industry, providing its customers with high quality services that align with the dynamic requirements of the market.
3WIS will continue to operate under the leadership of Simon Øland and the rest of existing 3WIS management team. The acquisition will allow 3WIS to tap into Muehlhan Wind Service’s vast network and resources while retaining its ability to provide innovative welding and NDT solutions to the market.
Commenting on the acquisition, Søren Høffer, CEO of Muehlhan Wind Service said: “We are delighted to have this exciting opportunity to expand our services and capabilities even further. Muehlhan Wind Service and 3WIS have very complementary offerings, enabling us to offer a broader range of services across both on- and offshore. Together, we can capitalize on our increased scale and maximize the benefits.”
CEO of 3WIS, Simon Øland, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, saying: "Over the past few years, we at 3WIS have manifested our position in the market as a leader in welding and NDT solutions in the wind industry. I see the new partnership as a positive and progressive investment that will provide the foundation for further expansions and continued growth both at 3WIS and MWS”
Performing yaw and pitch gear repair, including NDT inspections on large offshore project in Taiwan.
YAW RINGS – PITCH REPAIR SOLUTION!
Yaw rings are a vital component for power production. However, worn-down yaw rings are a common challenge, often requiring taking down the nacelle and replacing the entire yaw ring - An extensive and costly repair, causing critical downtime for the wind turbine.
At 3WIS we offer a welded repair solution performed both on- and offshore with no need for removing and replacing the entire yaw ring. Our certified yaw ring repair procedure, including pre and post inspections, is performed onsite, repairing only the worn-down teeth, and thereby reducing the downtime of the turbine to only a few days.
With our yaw rings pitch repair, we offer our customers a solution at minimum cost and risk with no need for lifting operations and thereby getting the wind turbine back to producing power as fast as possible.