Wind Turbine User Group 2023

One Birdcage Walk, London

17 May 2023 - 18 May 2023

Booking multiple tickets (group discounts available) or on behalf of someone else? Email us

Overview

Organised by engineers representing the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the second Wind Turbine User Group event offers attendees two days of technical content and knowledge sharing to support all engineers involved with wind turbine assets.

This event is part of a popular series of power industry user groups that enable those involved in the management, operation and maintenance of wind turbines to discuss common problems and issues. Join us to exchange ideas, identify potential solutions and learn about new developments at our technical conference offering peer reviewed and high level content.

Join us to hear directly from OEMs, service providers and end users of wind turbines about the latest technologies available. Learn from case studies that will address the challenges facing the delivery of wind turbine O&M services and opportunities for cost reduction and health and safety improvements.

Whether you are involved in the design, manufacture, operation, management and maintenance of wind turbines, this event will enable to stay up to date and benefit from the shared experience of your peers and industry leaders.

Attendee feedback from our previous wind power events:

"Industry leading technology shared and discussed in an open environment between experts in their respective fields."
Test & Validation Director, ORE Catapult

"I liked how much the event was focused on technical subjects and collaboration, unlike any other wind conferences I have attended in the past."
Service Engineer, Siemens Gamesa

"A good conference with the right presenters covering key topics to the right level of detail."
Senior Risk Consultant, Allianz

"I was very pleased to attend this event, and I think that I gained a lot of knowledge from other industry areas that I can apply in my own work."
Senior Engineer, Siemens Gamesa

"Very good event with informed speakers and well organised overall."
Senior Engineer, Xodus Group

"This event provided me with up-to-date information about the state-of-the-art in the RAS Offshore industry."
Research Associate, University of Edinburgh

"Excellent event with industry leaders spot on target with their presentations."
Business Development Manager, ULC Robotics

Organising Committee:

Renewable Power Committee, Power Industries Division, Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Member Credit:
Tony Quinn, Test and Validation Director, ORE Catapult

Booking multiple tickets (group discounts available) or on behalf of someone else? Email us

Support your career development

Attending this event supports your Professional Development; if you're an IMechE Member, this can be tracked in the Career Developer section of your online account.

Covid-19 guidance for attendees:

The Institution takes every endeavour to operate all our events as “COVID-safe” as possible. This includes additional preventative measures, such as cleaning rotas and air ventilation. For further information on our activities in this area, view our infection control solutions webpages.

Day 1

08:30 - Conference programme

	Wednesday, 17 May 2023
08:30	Registration and Refreshments
09:30	Chair’s Opening Remarks Tony Quinn, Technology Director, ORE Catapult
09:40	Keynote Presentation: Focus areas of innovation to support future wind turbine projects Yannis Dragotis, Head of Renewable Energy Innovation, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero An introduction to the directorate of Science Innovation and Climate Energy Key focus areas for the Renewable Innovation team in 2023 Insight into the 11 projects from the Floating Offshore Wind Demo programme
10:00	Question and Answer Session
10:05	An Insight into BP’s Wind Turbine Projects Chris Royle, Senior Technical Project Manager, UK Offshore Wind Projects, BP Approach to project development Approach to technology development and associated risk Approach to asset management Approach to skills and a transitioning workforce
10:25	Question and Answer Session
10:30	Case Study: Pentland Floating Offshore Wind Farm Richard Copeland, Project Director - Pentland Floating Offshore Wind Farm, Copenhagen Offshore Partners Project Overview Technology Innovations Supply Chain Opportunities
10:50	Question and Answer Session
10:55	Networking Refreshment Break
	Innovation and Developments for the Future Wind Industry
11:25	Offshore Wind: An Operator's View Ed Hall, Engineering Manager, RWE A walk through the key aspects, challenges and issues in the operational phase of offshore wind parks Take a look at the progress and successes as the UK Offshore Wind industry hits 20 years old An insight into some of the perhaps lesser known, but technically intriguing, innovations which will continue to drive the industry forward
11:45	Question and Answer Session
11:50	Composites in wind – Opportunities for Innovation for the Future of the Wind Industry Tom Andrews, Technology Project Lead, National Composites Centre Composite materials and their application are imperative for the continued advancements in the wind industry. The National Composites Centre is leading several key research initiatives and developing cutting edge technology to meet the challenges of the industry This presentation will give an overview of the opportunities and challenges of composites in wind, including the innovations and advancements that are to be seen in next generation design and manufacture, alongside considerations for the end of life decommissioning and disposal of the blades
12:10	Question and Answer Session
12:15	Wind Turbine Innovation and Management: An engineer’s perspective Rosie King, Mechanical Engineer, EDF Energy Main issues with defects A risk-based approach to maintenance What are the challenges as an operator with blade repair Innovation opportunities
12:35	Question and Answer Session
12:40	Networking Lunch
	The evolution of inspection techniques and maintenance processes
13:40	The digitisation of asset management and what it means for Wind Turbines Rebecca Corley, Condition Monitoring Engineer, SSE Renewables
14:00	Question and Answer Session
14:05	Hybrid Digital Twin: An end-to-end demonstration Benoit Chassaigne, Lead Application Engineer, Ansys Driver: avoiding unscheduled shutdowns and reducing maintenance times Predictions, comparisons and measurements to alert for warning signs Root cause analysis and deployment
14:25	Question and Answer Session
14:30	Current and Emerging Technologies for Wind Turbine Inspection Peter Childs, Professor, Imperial College London, Director and Chairperson, BladeBUG Ltd Overview of the current wind turbine blade methodologies for inspection and repairs Forecast growth of wind and the shortage of skilled personnel to perform vital maintenance tasks Overview of new and emerging robotic technologies to improve the current approach to provide to H&S improvements, reduced costs and increased repeatedly of tasks Overview of the BladeBUG robotic platform to provide remote detailed inspections
14:50	Question and Answer Session
14:55	Using Drone-based Inspection Imagery to Calculate Turbine-Specific Aerodynamic Performance Loss Nicholas Gaudern, Chief Technology Officer, PowerCurve Wind turbine blade surface degradation and contamination can have a significant impact on energy production The inspection of blades using drones is now commonplace but focuses on structural defects Using an aerodynamic digital twin of the turbine, the output from existing drone inspection methodologies can be used to calculate performance loss The resulting data can provide insight in to how to manage assets to maximise their energy production through blade maintenance and aerodynamic upgrade
15:15	Question and Answer Session
15:20	Networking Refreshment Break
	Data and Future Design Considerations for Next Generation Wind Turbines
15:50	Optimising the Next Generation of Wind Turbines with Bayesian Networks Ruth Augarde, Senior Engineer, Frazer-Nash Consultancy The conceptual design of next generation wind turbines presents several challenges due to uncertainty The optimisation of a new concept turbine can be treated as a complex probabilistic calculation A Bayesian Network for the problem was constructed culminating in the Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE), with uncertain parameters and relationships accounting for opportunities and risks in R&D The results highlight which design areas drive uncertainty in performance and what set of parameters is most likely to meet LCOE targets
16:10	Question and Answer Session
16:15	Unified Modelling and Simulation for Wind Turbines – streamlining the process Michael Clarke, Composites R&D Senior Manager, Dassault Systemès Optimisation requires holistic simulation including many domains: fluid flow, structural, mechanics, dynamics, aero and vibro-acoustic Each domain has specific modelling requirements for optimal performance conversion between models can be a significant effort and risk Workflows have been developed to enable MDAO of rotor blades which will be the focus of the presentation. These keep one master digital twin, allowing any changes to the design to be automatically carried through to all models
16:35	Question and Answer Session
16:40	Using Data to Develop Aero-elastic Models of Operational Wind Turbines George Elderfield, Reliability Engineer, Natural Power Wind turbine life extension will become increasingly in demand in the near future with existing approaches relying on generic reference models A methodology has been developed to build and validate models of operational turbines based on data typically available to wind farm owners These models are validated using on site load measurements of an operational turbine and then used for improved lifetime extension analysis
17:00	Question and Answer Session
17:05	Chair’s Closing Remarks
17:15	End of Day One and Evening Drinks Reception

Day 2

09:00 - Conference programme

	Thursday, 18 May 2023
09:00	Registration and Refreshments
09:30	Chair’s Opening Remarks Graham Hawkes, Engineering Manager - Energy Technology, Frazer-Nash Consultancy
09:40	Keynote Address: Delivering sustainable offshore wind programmes across the UK Patrick Harnett, Head of European Execution Programmes, Ørsted Background to Hornsea 1 and Hornsea 2 Current challenges and how best to overcome them Future thinking for Hornsea 3 and beyond
10:00	Question and Answer Session
10:05	Floating Wind Offshore Turbines - Installation Engineering Alan Crowle, Research Associate, University of Exeter Floating wind turbines nearshore construction Requirements for installation vessels and onshore cranes for floating wind Technical advances for floating wind installation
10:25	Question and Answer Session
	Responding to failures and embedding prevention strategies
10:30	Offshore wind maintenance; data driven optimisation and emerging technologies Benjamin Cayless, Research Engineer, EDF UK R&D Demitri Moros, Research Engineer, EDF UK R&D & IDCORE Methods to perform major component replacement offshore are generating interesting research across industry as a promising alternative to tow-to-port strategies for floating wind Part 1 of this presentation will focus on Demitri’s doctoral research on data driven component failure prognosis and optimisation of the maintenance job scheduling Part 2 will focus on the emerging technologies and engineering challenges surrounding major component replacement for offshore floating wind
10:50	Question and Answer Session
10:55	Case Study: Wind Turbine Failure David Dimelow, Senior Vice President, Thornton Tomasetti Endurance E3120 Wind Turbine failures Blades, rotor shaft and bedplate design issues Shock loading phenomena Braking system problems Redesign for reliability
11:15	Question and Answer Session
11:20	Failure Mechanisms of Wind Turbine Gearing in Transient Dynamics Hamza Mughal, Doctoral Researcher, Loughborough University Introduction to the wind turbine power transmission/gear systems and its various failure mechanisms Review of recent advances in predictive computational tools for root cause analysis of such failures Presentation of the developed tribo-dynamic model which includes the integrated dynamics, tribology, and sub-surface failure model of gear contacts Discussion on the predicted gear contact response based on various operational scenarios and potential failures
11:40	Question and Answer Session
11:45	Networking Refreshment Break
	Hydrogen and Energy Storage
12:15	Dolphyn – The Emerging Commercial Case for Green Hydrogen from Offshore Wind Simon Gomm, Technical Director, ERM Dolphyn Green hydrogen from offshore wind Dolphyn design approach – not typical for electrical WTG Key insights and learnings from Dolphyn
12:35	Question and Answer Session
12:40	The role of hydrogen in future wind turbine projects Matthew Hammond, Hydrogen Innovation Engineer, National Gas Transmission
13:00	Question and Answer Session
13:05	Networking Lunch
	Sustainability, Recyclability and Decommissioning
14:05	Sustainability of composites in Wind Turbines Malcolm Forsyth, Sustainability Manager, Composites UK Understanding sustainability in terms of composites, especially the end-of-life challenge Composites UK’s role in developing sustainable composite solutions Future plans for composite sustainability, especially for wind turbine blades & the renewable energy sector
14:25	Question and Answer Session
14:30	Recyclability of blades David Reetham, Senior Project Manager, Global Installation & Commissioning, Vestas Wind Systems
14:50	Question and Answer Session
14:55	Decommissioning – expectations and reality checks Lorna Bennet, Project Engineer, ORE Catapult The life expectancy of wind turbines Effective decommissioning approaches when needed Challenges around life-extension and the decommissioning of assets
15:15	Question and Answer Session
15:20	Chair’s Closing Remarks
15:30	End of Conference

Patrick Harnett: Head of European Execution Programmes, Ørsted

Patrick Harnett is the Head of European Execution Programmes at Orsted, overseeing a portfolio of over 6GW of offshore wind projects – notably Hornsea 3, which will be the largest offshore wind project in the world. Patrick has worked in various roles across Orsted since joining in 2016 and most recently was the Senior Programme Director for Hornsea 2, currently the world’s largest offshore wind farm. Patrick has previously held senior positions in Centrica including being the Head of Solar, Head of Operational Excellence and Project Director for Lincs offshore wind farm. Patrick is passionate about people, engineering and the construction and commissioning of world leading projects.

Ed Hall: Engineering Manager, RWE

Ed has worked in the Wind industry for 14 years, primarily focusing on Engineering aspects in the operational phase of large scale wind assets. In 2009 he joined Siemens Wind Power, a turbine OEM, working in the Engineering Teams which supported onshore and offshore turbines, in the UK as well as globally. In 2017 he made the switch to join an owner-operator, London Array Limited, at the time the world’s largest offshore wind park. His role there broadened to consider much wider aspects than just the turbine technology itself, but to also manage the supporting electrical, civil and marine infrastructure as well as also developing the digital systems which support the operations and asset management. More recently he has transitioned to one of London Array’s Joint Venture owners, RWE, who are no. 2 worldwide in offshore wind.

Ruth Augarde: Senior Engineer, Frazer-Nash Consultancy

Ruth Augarde is a mechanical engineer within the Asset Integrity area at Frazer-Nash. She has worked on a range of structural analysis and modelling problems across the energy industry since joining Frazer-Nash in 2019. Ruth has a particular interest in combining mechanical and materials understanding with probabilistics and data analysis methods, to promote a better understanding of the uncertainties, risks, and opportunities inherent in engineering problems.

George Elderfield: Reliability Engineer, Natural Power

George Elderfield is a Reliability Engineer working for Natural Power. At Natural Power George carries out through life monitoring services for wind farm owners. He spent two years completing a knowledge transfer partnership (KTP) in collaboration with the University of Strathclyde to develop this through life management methodology. Prior to working as a KTP associate George was a PhD researcher at the Wind and Marine Energy System Centre for Doctoral Training at the University of Strathclyde. He is currently writing up his thesis which investigated the load implications of low level jets on offshore wind turbines.

Demitri Moros: Research Engineer, EDF UK R&D & IDCORE

Demitri is a doctoral research engineer on the IDCORE programme, a joint programme with the universities of Edinburgh, Exeter and Strathclyde, doing his research at EDF UK R&D. His research is focusing on the optimisation of maintenance scheduling and incorporating failure predictions for offshore wind farms. Demitri holds a master’s degree in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering from St John’s College, University of Cambridge and is an associate member of the IMechE, working towards chartership.

Benjamin Cayless: Research Engineer, EDF UK R&D

Ben is a research engineer at EDF UK R&D, focusing on the hydrodynamic modelling of installation, maintenance, and towing of floating offshore wind turbines. Prior to joining EDF, Ben spent four years in engineering consultancy, investigating the global blockage effect for The Carbon Trust, developing hybrid wind & solar energy yield assessment methodologies, and working on turbine loads & control systems for wind turbine OEMs. Ben holds a master’s degree in Mathematics from The University of Bath, is an associate member of the IMechE, and has recently applied for chartership.

Tom Andrews: Technology Project Lead, National Composites Centre

Tom is a Technology Project Lead within the Energy business unit at the NCC, managing a range of research projects with a focus on the renewables and sustainability. A chartered mechanical engineer, prior to joining the NCC Tom worked in the construction and nuclear industries. Tom leads the SusWIND programme, delivered in partnership between the National Composites Centre and Offshore Renewable Catapult.

David Dimelow: Senior Vice President, Thornton Tomasetti

David Dimelow joined the Thornton Tomasetti’s Forensics practice in the UK in early 2022, bringing over 30 years of experience in engineering losses and investigations, including both leading and managing teams. His extensive experience includes investigating issues with gas/steam turbines, generators, transformers, motors, power generation, CHP equipment, Biomass, boilers, renewable energy (solar, hydro and wind turbines), gas powered diesel engines, printing presses, furnaces, process equipment, mobile and static cranes, mining and quarry equipment, rolling stock and locomotives, installed machinery and plant, etc. David also has experience in the installation and commissioning of gas turbine propulsion equipment and projects. He has undertaken numerous professional expert witness assignments and given evidence. David is also focusing on expanding the Forensic practice in the UK.

Nicholas Gaudern: Chief Technology Officer, PowerCurve ApS

Nicholas has been PowerCurve’s Chief Technology Officer since joining the company in 2019. Nicholas has worked in the wind industry for 13 years and has held a number of senior engineering positions. He is a blade aerodynamic specialist and has designed many blades, aerofoils, and aerodynamic upgrade products. At PowerCurve he is responsible for the technology roadmap. Nicholas holds a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Pembroke College, University of Cambridge and is a Chartered Engineer with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Peter Childs: Peter Childs, Professor, Imperial College London, Director and Chairperson, BladeBUG Ltd

Professor Peter Childs FREng, FIMechE is the Co-Director of the Energy Futures Lab and Professorial Lead in Engineering Design at the Dyson School of Design Engineering, Imperial College London. His professional interests include creativity tools and innovation, design, heat transfer and rotating flow, sustainable energy and robotics. Former roles include director of the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre for Aero-Thermal Systems, director of InQbate, professor at Sussex University, and Founding Head of the Dyson School of Design Engineering at Imperial. He is Chairperson and Director at both Q-Bot Ltd and BladeBUG Ltd.

Alan Crowle: Research Associate, University of Exeter

Alan Crowle is a naval architect at the University of Exeter, where the research subject is the installation of floating offshore wind turbines. He has a BSc (1974) from University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and MSc (2019) from the University of Plymouth. He has over 52 years marine experience in design, construction and offshore installation. His experience includes steel jackets, semisubmersibles, FPSOs, modules, near-shore pipelines and LNG facilities. He has design experience in the installation of floating and bottom fixed offshore wind turbines and High Voltage Direct Current offshore platforms. He is a chartered engineer and chartered marine engineer.

Hamza Mughal: Doctoral Researcher, Loughborough University

Hamza Mughal is a Doctoral Researcher at Loughborough University. His research focuses on the dynamic refinement of Electric Vehicle (EV) powertrains. He is a recipient of the IMechE 31st Mission of Tribology Research award for his publication on the development of an efficient tribo-dynamic analytical model to assess the root cause of gear whine in EV powertrains. He holds an MSc in Mechanical Engineering from Loughborough University and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from University of Bahrain. Prior to his MSc, he has worked as a Maintenance and Reliability Engineer working on industrial rotating machinery.

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