Ilika and WindTak are collaborating to design a Smart Vortex Generator (VG) for Wind Turbine Blades. WindTak’s first generation VG can, when placed on the blade, increase the efficiency of turbine operation by 1-3% equating to a saving to the operator of up to $20,000/year.
WindTak and Ilika are designing of a second-generation, perpetual, Smart VG, incorporating vibration sensor, BLE communication and an autonomous power circuit including a 2 mAh rechargeable solid state battery and vibration harvesting. The smart VG can sense changes in the vibration frequency spectrum of the blade, and provide a signature related to potential cracks, delamination, erosion… and avoid loss of operation until the next scheduled maintenance stop.
Ilika plc (LON:IKA) is a pioneer in solid state battery technology enabling solutions for applications in Industrial IoT, MedTech, Electric Vehicles and Consumer Electronics.