Methods and Tools for the Operational Reliability Optimisation of Large-Scale Industrial Wind Turbines

Abstract

Wind turbines (WT) maintenance management is in continuous development to improve the reliability, availability, maintainability and safety (RAMS) of WTs, and to achieve time and cost reductions. The optimisation of the operation reliability involves the supervisory control and data acquisition to guarantee correct levels of RAMS. A fault detection and diagnosis methodology is proposed for large-scale industrial WTs. The method applies the wavelet and Fourier analysis to vibration signals. A number of turbines (up to 3) of the same type will be instrumented in the same wind farm. The data collected from the individual turbines will be fused and analysed together in order to determine the overall reliability of this particular wind farm and wind turbine type. It is expected that data fusion will allow a significant improvement in overall reliability since the value of the information gained from the various condition monitoring systems will be enhanced. Effort will also focus on the successful application of dependable embedded computer systems for the reliable implementation of wind turbine condition monitoring and control technologies.

Acoustic inspection system with unmanned aerial vehicles for wind turbines structure health monitoring

“…The data were validated by a set of real motors in WT. 32 A similar approach was presented in a study by de la Hermosa Gonza´lez et al, 34 considering statistical methods. de la Hermosa Gonza´lez 35 analysed the noise and vibration signals measured in the test rig, and a pattern recognition method was employed for fault detection and diagnosis.…”

“…26 Acoustic monitoring is also being employed in CMS and SHM, [27][28][29] leading to monitor mechanical and electrical faults by employing transducers or acoustic acquisition sensors. 30,31 Different algorithms are required to study the main features of the acoustic signal, for example, Fast Fourier Transform (FT), 32 Wavelet Transform, 33 statistical methods 34 and so on. Acoustic and vibration monitoring present similarities and sometimes are employed for the same objective.…”

A Comparative Review of the Lubrication of Bearings in Wind Turbines and Spacecraft to Address Wind Turbine Bearing Failures

“…Bearings and braking systems are particularly vital parts of wind turbine systems since faults in these parts can result in catastrophic failure of the wind energy conversion systems [77]. It is estimated that only 10% of bearings are appropriately functioning without any failure till their life cycle, while 90% of bearings failures include insufficient lubrication (30%), poor installation (40%), and manufacturing defects (20%) [78]. Figure 12 [79] presents the most frequent failure modes leading to different bearings wear in wind turbines.…”

Review of Tribological Failure Analysis and Lubrication Technology Research of Wind Power Bearings

“…However, windmill machines perform under extremely unstable wind speeds, loading, and challenging operation situations, thus resulting in bearings being susceptible to damage during service [ 56 ]. It is estimated that only 10% of bearings operate properly during their life cycle, while 90% of bearing failures are due to problems such as poor lubrication (30%), improper maintenance (40%) and manufacturing defects (20%) failing to operate reliably during their life cycle [ 57 , 58 ]. The problem of bearing failure in wind turbines is one of the key reasons for the reliability life of wind turbines [ 59 ], which not only leads to loss of power generation but also increases the cost of repair and replacement parts [ 60 ].…”