Very low-frequency IEPE accelerometer calibration and application to a wind energy structure
Abstract. In this work, we present an experimental setup for very low-frequency calibration measurements of low-noise Integrated Electronics Piezo Electric (IEPE) accelerometers and a customised signal conditioner design for using IEPE sensor down to 0.05Hz. AC-response IEPE accelerometer and signal conditioners have amplitude and phase deviations at low frequencies. As the standard calibration procedure in the low-frequency range is technically challenging, IEPE accelerometers with standard signal conditioners are usually used in frequency ranges above 1 Hz. Vibrations on structures with low eigenfrequencies like wind turbines are thus often monitored using DC-coupled micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) capacitive accelerometers. This sensor type suffers from higher noise levels compared to IEPE sensors. To apply IEPE sensors instead of MEMS sensors, in this work the calibration of the entire measurement chain of three different IEPE sensors with the customised signal conditioner is performed with a low-frequency centrifuge. The IEPE sensors are modelled using IIR filters to apply the calibration to time-domain measurement data of a wind turbine support structure. This procedure enables an amplitude and phase-accurate vibration analysis with IEPE sensors in the low-frequency range down to 0.05 Hz.