Condition Monitoring Concept
Our online Condition Monitoring System (CMS) is tailored to the specific drivetrain design. A set of different sensors record vibrations in the form of structure-borne sound and other specific indicators, e.g. generated by the translational motion in the bearings and by the intermeshing of teeth in gearboxes.
Our diagnostic engineers program a measurement configuration for the specific drivetrain. Our concept is the interaction of sensor application and measurement configuration which allows us to provide accurate information about the mechanical components of the drivetrain, such as gears and bearings.
This information can then be used to identify the location of wear and degradation in the drivetrain. In this way, wear and damage developments in the drivetrain can be detected, located and corrected at an early stage.
“Prevention is better than cure – this old saying follows the idea of our Condition Monitoring Services. Operation of a wind turbine is a commitment of a large investment that should provide good returns for several decades. Major damage and downtime can quickly slash those profits. In order to avoid this, it is better to act early and achieve maximum reliability with a minimum of effort.”
This will save you unnecessary expenditure of time and money. Further system extensions are available to name a few, the displacement of drivetrain components can be monitored; gearbox oil can be analysed with the aid of online particle counters and oil quality sensors on the basis of many specific characteristic values. The condition of the rotor blades can be monitored using different technologies.
Our clients benefit from tailored concept which results in a high diagnostic confidence with the aim if the early fault detection based in cutting edge technology.
Behind the Scenes - If you want to know more!
Vibration transducers of various sensitivities, which are calibrated for specific measurement point, record the vibrations of the gearbox bearings and gears, the main bearings and generator bearings as well as other rotating components and transmit this information time-synchronously to the CMS in the nacelle together with other selected system extensions.
Based on our specific configuration those raw data are temporarily stored in the CMS, and processed by mathematical algorithms taking into account machine and operating data (SCADA), kinematics, rotational speed and electric power output, and optionally also wind speed. Then we continuously transmit the data packets online via secured VPN to our in-house database server, where our engineers receive them for analysis.
The CMS becomes fully functional after a initial adjustment phase, in which the operational characteristic of the wind turbine is synchronized completely with the back-end in our Control Room. Then the warning and alarm thresholds are established by our engineers, if necessary, in coordination with our customers. Customer interaction is key!
The best condition monitoring system is only as good as the useful information for our customers. Therefore you will receive monthly reports from our Control Room, based on our collected data, with detailed diagnoses and recommendations for action.
In the case of significant condition changes we will send you an immediate interim report with the relevant information. We aim to establish a continuous line of communication between the technical management or operators and our Control Room. The more information we receive about the day to day activities the better we can advise on recommended actions.
