Mistras Group Inc. (Princeton Junction, N.J., U.S.), a “one source” multinational provider of integrated technology-enabled asset protection solutions, has received a U.S. patent (patent #11168668) for the technology behind Sensoria, its 24/7/365 rotor blade monitoring system and sensors that enable blade integrity management for wind turbine owners and operators.

Sensoria is a remote rotor blade monitor that detects and reports damages in real time, including cracks, lightning strikes, skin ruptures and perforations (including those caused by leading-edge erosion), delaminations and more. By sending immediate damage alerts to operators, Sensoria is said to enable them to maximize blade uptime and generating capacity while preventing damages from worsening.

“Wind turbines may be at the forefront of the 21^st century energy industry, but the tools available for maintaining them have historically lagged further behind,” says Dennis Bertolotti, president and CEO. “Sensoria bridges this gap and provides value for owners and operators by helping to detect problems before their turbine assets are forced offline and this new patent helps protect the investment we have made in developing this innovative technology.”

According to Mistras Group, Sensoria is also equipped with the company’s acoustic emission (AE) technology, so that it can “listen” for signs of damage before they become visible. Mistra also notes that valuable assets, including bridges, refineries, transformers and iconic structures, depend on its AE technology to help operators make earlier, better-informed integrity decisions.

“Sensoria empowers our customers to operate more productively, cost-effectively and safely,” says Jon Wolk, Mistras Group senior executive vice president and COO. “The combination of our advanced technology, monitoring expertise, and maintenance resources digitalizes the blade integrity management process for our wind energy customers, helping to minimize maintenance costs and maximize uptime.”