Feasibility of self-cleaning photocatalytic coatings in wind turbine blade application.

摘要

Investment in wind energy has been considerable in recent years and it is important that wind turbines operate with maximum efficiency. A known culprit of power output loss is insect fouling, sometimes resulting in losses of up to 50% efficiency. The aim of this work was to investigate the feasibility of using self-cleaning photocatalytic coatings to prevent the buildup of, and remove, insect fouling. Three photocatalytic coatings were tested for the ability to decompose organic molecules and tested for their effectiveness in removing insect fouling from substrates. Indoor and outdoor testing results showed that there was no statistical difference between the coatings and untreated substrates. A theory was formulated to reveal the likely inherent problem with using such coatings and it was concluded that the use photocatalytic coatings in this application is infeasible.