The Trianel Wind Farm Borkum is in operation day and night.
To ensure that it can be managed around the clock, nearly 30 employees of Trianel GmbH are on standby to look after the operation, maintenance and upkeep of the wind farm. Together with our service provider Siemens Gamesa, this ensures the availability of the wind farm.
Switching on and off the wind farm
The turbine switches on at a wind speed of 3.5 m/s, which corresponds to wind force 3. At wind speeds of over 25 m/s, i.e. at wind force 10, it switches off automatically to prevent damage. It reaches its full power – i.e. the entire 5 MW per turbine – at a speed of 12.5 m/s and above. At that speed, the turbine runs at full load.
Fault clearance and maintenance
The 24/7 manned control room handles, among other things, remote fault clearance, fault analysis and preparation of maintenance stops.
On-site fault clearance is carried out by the Service Operations Vessel (SOV). This is a hotel ship that travels back and forth between wind farms. For two weeks, it is the home of the technicians, who work in shifts to carry out necessary work in the wind farms. Smaller Crew Transfer Vessels (CTV) are then used to transport the technicians to the individual turbines.
In high waves, however, the CTV cannot land. In this case, the wind turbine can be approached by helicopter. A winch platform is mounted on each nacelle, onto which people can abseil from the helicopter.
The Trianel Wind Farm Borkum itself cannot accommodate any people. As the park can be reached from the mainland within two hours, this is not necessary.
A live overview of each wind turbine is displayed via a dashboard. In case of an error message that cannot be rectified by the turbine itself or via remote control, the CTV brings the technicians to the turbine to carry out the fault clearance/repair work on site. Marine coordination also takes place via the dashboard that displays when a technician enters the turbine and when he has finished working.
Even when the turbine is not malfunctioning, preventive missions are carried out in the park, so-called preventive trouble shooting to work through open items that are not relevant to operation. The standard-compliant maintenance of the wind turbines is regularly checked/verified by an external inspection officer by means of a recurring inspection (WKP).
Maintenance and emergency management
An operation-specific turbine maintenance campaign takes place annually to ensure the safety and technical availability of the systems as well as to comply with legal requirements. From underwater to rotor blade inspection, specialised teams check the required items on a recurring basis.
Trianel Wind Farm Borkum is also prepared for emergencies: Each wind turbine has a shelter equipped with a survival kit. The SOV houses a fully equipped infirmary. In addition, injured persons can be brought to the mainland via helicopter rescue.
