Outdoor Ice Accretion Estimation of Wind Turbine Blades Using Computer Vision

In this paper, we present a new computer-vision based methodology to address the problem of remote ice detection and measurement on wind turbines operating in cold climate. Icing has a significant impact, affecting the productivity, causing premature wear, malfunction and damages that are hard to track. Manufacturers and operators are facing unpredictable losses that can reach millions of dollars. Algorithms were developed and experimented on images of wind turbines acquired by digital camera in outdoor conditions. Experiments show interesting and promising results for the future.