Life Cycle Assessment of Piezoelectric Devices Implemented in Wind Turbine Condition Monitoring Systems

Abstract

Assessing the vibration signature produced by a rotating component of the wind turbine enables the identification of operational conditions and the detection of potential faults at an early stage. The main purpose is to enhance the sustainability of wind turbines while increasing the lifespan and uptime of their operational systems. This vibration analysis is based on the processing of the signal provided by sensors, which often incorporates piezoelectric transducers. This paper evaluates the consequences of employing piezoelectric sensors used for vibration measurement on electrical machines integrated into wind turbines by conducting a life cycle assessment (LCA). The widespread use of piezoelectric materials is due to their high sensitivity to vibrations, although their selection is also influenced by regulatory restrictions. This research focuses on the environmental impact of piezoelectric accelerometers used commonly in condition monitoring systems. The collected literature data on the manufacturing processes are inputted into the LCA model which is powered by the Ecoinvent 3 database. The impact assessment is carried out using the European ILCD 2011 Midpoint+ method by calculating the unique scores of the selected impact categories. The results are presented and discussed in terms of environmental indicators, as well as ecological recommendations on the design.