Sustainability A wind turbine usually comprises of roughly 8,000 parts or more and every part is critical.
The importance of maintaining wind turbines Bestech Australia highlights the importance of monitoring maintenance for wind turbines using sensors.
W
IND energy has grown into a sustainable power technology in recent times. With various advancements going on in this sector and continued worldwide adoption and implementation, the application of condition monitoring techniques for the predictive maintenance of wind turbines becomes imperative. A wind turbine typically comprises around 8,000 parts or more including the blades, rotor, main bearing, electrical generator and other major components. Unlike the conventional power sources, wind turbines are consistently exposed to unpredictable and variable environmental conditions such as severe winds, tropical heat, hail and snow, stormy weather, and other weather conditions that affect the operations and health of a wind turbine. These variations result in constantly changing loads that lead to intense mechanical stress on the components of a wind turbine. Therefore, to estimate the remaining useful life of the equipment and to implement the best maintenance strategy before the failure occurs, condition monitoring systems are employed with the help of sensor technology to monitor various parameters such
30 JULY 2020 Manufacturers’ Monthly
Proactive monitoring of wind turbines based on precision sensor technology helps in providing a safe, productive, cost-efficient and reliable power output.
as temperature, voltage, current, noise or vibration.
Monitoring tasks for the maintenance of wind turbine Considering the huge number of components involved in the operation of a wind turbine, there are various maintenance tasks that are required to be performed on a regular basis. The maintenance is to ensure that it operates efficiently and to monitor the structural health of the wind turbine. Proactive monitoring of wind turbines based on precision sensor technology helps in providing a safe, productive, cost-effective and reliable power output. The rotor tower of a wind turbine may weigh dozens of tons and standing high up in the sky. It is an essential component to be monitored as it
may incur an astronomical cost for replacing it. Generally, the housing and tower of the wind turbine are exposed to huge wind loads. The effect of these wind loads become significant when they act on objects above 100m from the ground. To minimise the impact of these loads, the gearbox and generator are equipment with an elastic bearing. However, the relative motion of the gearbox and the generator must be balanced by the couplings in wind turbines. The offset of these metallic coupling rings is measured using non-contact displacement sensors, which leads to the measurement of the load profile. The oil gap between the bearing and the shaft is also a major concern in wind turbines for it prevents direct contact between the bearing surface
and the shaft. In cases of extreme load, the oil pressure can rise, closing the gap. This may damage the bearing and eventually result in turbine failure. Hence, the gap between the bearing surface and the shaft needs to be consistently monitored. In large generators and electric motors, the force imbalances caused by extreme wind and weather conditions during operations may close the gap between the rotor and the stator to come in contact. This may lead to component failure. For this reason, the gap between the rotor and the stator inside the motor is consistently monitored. The generator also tends to experience overheating and contact problems which may hamper the operations and compromise the efficiency. A monitoring system should be in place to detect potential overheating issues before it leads to failure.
Wind turbine monitoring sensors The advancement in sensors’ technology have led to intensive use of sensors in industrial test and measurement. A wide range of sensors instruments are available for measuring the physical parameters. They also give the capability for the user to analyse and evaluate the trends as well as predict the changes manmonthly.com.au
