DTU researchers developed simple method for monitoring and diagnosing wind turbines

DTU’s Associate Professor Henrik Niemann’s and his research team developed simple method which makes possible to both monitor the wind turbine while simultaneously establishing the location of any wear or fault, as well as the nature of the fault.

Henrik Niemann said that they use data from sensors positioned at the point where the wind turbine blade is attached to the axis. There are two torque sensors on each blade. These are sensors which are already found on newer wind turbines in order to monitor the blade load. A wind turbine has three blades, so this provides three sets of measurements in total. They collect the data and then conduct a simple signal analysis. If the turbine is functioning as it should, the picture from the measurements will be completely symmetrical, whereas there will be fluctuations if there is a fault on one of the three blades.

Niemann further added that different kinds of faults can crop up on wind turbine blades. It may be a fault with one of the sensors such as bias, where the sensor measures incorrectly. Or there might be a blade fault, for example a crack in the material which can lead to an ingress of water. Or it might be an actuator fault, which might mean that a blade is being incorrectly pitched. With their new method, it is possible to clarify where the fault is on the wind turbine, which then makes it simpler to repair.

The new method has been thoroughly tested in the laboratory, and is now ready to be tested in the field. In this connection, the researchers have been in contact with several different wind turbine manufacturers.

Image Source: DTU