As part of the AIRE project, a field inspection campaign was carried out at the Arinaga port wind turbine (Gran Canaria, Spain) to characterize the surface condition of wind turbine blades operating under real subtropical climate conditions. The campaign contributes to the data collection activities of Task 2.4, focused on understanding how atmospheric conditions such as airborne dust, precipitation and marine exposure affect wind turbine performance and component durability.
The inspection took place in December 2025 at the Siemens Gamesa 5 MW research wind turbine of the Arinaga Port, located near the PLOCAN experimental infrastructure. This turbine operates in an environment particularly relevant for the project, where Saharan dust events (calima), trade winds and marine conditions frequently interact, providing a valuable real-world test site for studying the impact of environmental factors on wind turbine blades.
During the campaign, a specialized team of technicians performed vertical rope access operations from the turbine nacelle, allowing direct access to the blade surface. The turbine was safely positioned and immobilized to enable the inspection and sampling activities.
To characterize the blade surface, the team used high-precision replication resin, a technique widely used in aerodynamic surface analysis. Small quantities of resin were applied directly to selected areas of the blade surface, where it remained in place for approximately 15 minutes until curing. Once removed, the resin retains an exact microscopic imprint of the blade surface, capturing roughness, deposits or erosion features with micrometric precision.
Several samples were collected along the leading edge of one of the blades, focusing on areas of particular interest previously identified during earlier inspections. The campaign also included detailed photographic documentation of the blade surface and the sampling locations.
The collected resin replicas will be analyzed in the laboratory using profilometry techniques, allowing researchers to quantify surface roughness and the characteristics of possible particle deposition. These measurements will be combined with other datasets gathered at the site — including SCADA turbine data, lidar wind measurements and drone inspections — to better understand how environmental conditions influence aerodynamic performance and power production.
The results obtained from this campaign will contribute to the development and validation of advanced numerical models within the AIRE project, supporting improved wind turbine design, operation strategies and site assessment methodologies under realistic climate conditions.
Author: Iván Prada
March, 2026
