While the number of offshore wind turbines is growing and turbines getting bigger and more expensive, the need for good condition monitoring systems is rising. From the research it is clear that failures of the gearbox, and in particular the gearwheels and bearings of the gearbox, have been responsible for the most downtime of a wind turbine. Gearwheels and bearings are being simulated in a multi-sensor environment to observe the wear on the surface.
This paper presents a cost benefit analysis for wind turbine condition monitoring systems. It is widely acknowledged that performing proactive maintenance actions can reduce the number and severity of wind turbine failures. However, the use of condition monitoring systems to determine the health of the system is often viewed as costly and of little financial benefit. In this analysis the increased costs associated with condition monitoring were offset by the positive effect of early fault detection, with faults being detected before they reach a critical stage. The continual growth in turbine output and the emergence of far-offshore wind farm sites make the economic case for cost of energy reduction from timely and accurate fault detection ever stronger.
An assessment of the capability of the monitoring system was undertaken through allowance for the true to false condition monitoring detection ratio and the ability of the system to detect the severity of a fault. The analysis also compared onshore and offshore assets where the access availability can severely influence the downtime.
The results show a clear financial justification for wind turbine condition monitoring and indicate the successful detection ratio required before a condition monitoring system can offer a financial benefit.
Remote data acquisition for condition monitoring of wind turbines
