"Alert! Blade clearance with the tower is too close—risk of tower strike!"

At 17:22:22 on December 11, the "Beidou + Microwave Radar Wind Turbine Safety Monitoring System" issued an alert. The system detected that the blade clearance (minimum distance between blades and tower) of a wind turbine at a mountainous wind farm was too small, posing a risk of tower strike.

"At that time, the wind farm was experiencing heavy fog, which rendered optical photogrammetry and LiDAR inoperable. However, Beidou high-precision measurement, millimeter-wave radar, and audio recognition technologies, due to their unique physical characteristics, remained unaffected by the fog. This enabled continuous monitoring and early warning of the tower’s center point, blade-tower safety distance, and blade health."

— Site Manager at the Customer’s Facility

On June 10, 2023, a wind turbine collapse occurred at a wind farm in Yanjin, Henan.
On April 11, 2023, a tower collapse accident happened at a wind farm in Huang County, Henan.
Industry experts estimate that the direct economic loss from such tower collapse accidents ranges between 25-30 million RMB, while additional losses from power generation interruptions or limited operations due to accident investigations can reach up to 30 million RMB.

In recent years, incidents such as turbine collapses and blade-tower strikes have increasingly come into focus. These accidents not only cause significant economic losses but also pose serious safety risks and liabilities. To address this, Nanoradar has developed an innovative millimeter-wave radar-based safety monitoring system to safeguard wind turbines.

Customer Pain Points

Traditional monitoring methods (e.g., strain gauges, vibration sensors, fiber Bragg grating sensors, LiDAR) suffer from high costs, complex maintenance, and susceptibility to environmental interference. Particularly in adverse weather conditions such as heavy fog or snow, monitoring performance is severely compromised, increasing the risk of turbine collapses and blade-tower strikes.

Millimeter-Wave Radar-Based Solution

Utilizing dynamic ranging technology, millimeter-wave radar enables real-time monitoring of the distance between blades and the tower with high precision, spatial resolution, and strong anti-interference capabilities. It operates effectively in fog, dust, rain, and snow, providing 24/7 all-weather early warnings for tower strike risks.

The system records the operational trajectory of each blade as it passes through the radar’s measurement area and monitors blade data deviations in real time. It automatically identifies blades deviating from their normal trajectory, preventing negative impacts such as vibrations and power generation losses caused by aerodynamic imbalances.

The Eye of the Wind Turbine – Nanoradar NRA24 Millimeter-Wave Radar

The NRA24 acts as the eyes of the wind turbine, capturing critical intelligence in real time. Unfazed by darkness or harsh weather, it offers a detection range of 50/200 meters, monitoring target distance, angle, and speed with precision up to 0.1m/0.16m. Its lightweight, compact, and highly integrated design ensures sensitive detection, capable of penetrating fog, smoke, and dust to effectively safeguard wind turbines.

Customer Benefits

Strong environmental adaptability, enabling 24/7 all-weather monitoring of blade clearance and aerodynamic imbalances.

Significantly enhances the real-time performance, reliability, and accuracy of wind turbine safety monitoring, reducing economic losses and increasing operational efficiency.