Polytech - Model ELLE - Leading Edge Protection for Wind Turbine Blades
It all comes down to expertise and experience that we have built over 25+ years
- Proven to provide the most optimal AEP over the lifetime of your turbine
- Most durable solution on the market
- Tested and validated according to DNV and ASTM standards
- Field validated on 18,000+ turbines on 5 continents
Durability
The most durable material on the market
We know materials. We are born out of polyurethane (PUR); one of the strongest, most versatile, and most durable industry materials, hence our name Polytech.
25+ years of material R&D, accredited laboratory testing, field exposure tests, and field validation on more than 55,000 blades.
All this is behind the chosen material for ELLE™.
The ELLE™ surfaces are designed and dimensioned to absorb the kinetic energy from all airborne particles, including rain, hail, and sand.
As such, ELLE™ perfectly protects the rigid fiberglass surface of the blade.
Verified by DNV
DNV verified ELLE™'s
- erosion strength,
- risk of delamination,
- test results, and
- lifetime durability calculations
according to DNV-RP-0573.
As such, ELLE™ is currently the only leading edge protection solution on the market that is verified by DNV. You can therefore trust its durability – and the expertise that lies behind our ELLE™ solutions.
Ease of application
ELLE™ can be applied during manufacturing but can also be retrofitted to your installed base.
Require your OEM to install ELLE™ during blade manufacturing for your turbines. Installation in this controlled environment eliminates any dust, air bubbles, etc. under ELLE™, and can lower common installation mistakes.
And if you have operating turbines, then it is not too late. You can easily apply ELLE™ using rope or basket. We know that installations might be postponed at the very last minute due to, e.g., bad weather. That is why we designed our solutions with a wide application window.
Leading edge protection with Polytech
Enhance your blade performance, reduce your operating costs, and improve the levelized cost of energy (LCoE). Top that with a solution designed to protect for a lifetime, and you get ELLE™- Everlasting Leading Edge. For any site. Offshore. Onshore.
Leading edge erosion – a billion-dollar problem
Micro-scale surface erosion can already reduce aerodynamic performance. And in worst cases, erosion can compromise the blade's structural integrity.
Leading edge erosion is a current and future problem. Energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie forecasts that the money spent repairing leading edges globally will surpass one billion dollars per year by the end of the decade.
Site-specific leading edge protection
Your turbines will experience significantly different leading edge erosion rates depending on their location and types. This makes it difficult to choose the right leading edge protection – and complicated to forecast its durability and financial value.
But once you know your erosion risks, you can decide on the most optimal LEP strategy.
At Polytech, we have developed site-optimized leading edge protection solutions to make your choice easier:
- ELLE™ Onshore for onshore environments and moderate-risk sites
- ELLE™ for offshore environments and high to very-high risk sites
Leading edge erosion calculator
Our leading edge erosion calculator follows the DNV-RP-0573 and evaluates and predicts the durability of erosion protection systems. This way, we can calculate leading edge erosion at your specific site for your specific turbine.
You will also get to see how our ELLE™ solutions would protect your turbines at the site.