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- Category: Articles
An Insight Into the Potential of Better DataWind farms are equipped with a SCADA system to monitor and collect data from the wind turbines. It is industry practice to collect data in 10-minute intervals and convert this data into specific statistics – the average, and in some cases, the maximum/minimum and standard deviation. Due to the dynamics of wind turbines, many underlying issues cannot be detected by an analysis of these statistics. This article discusses how the frequency of the dynamics of wind turbines is much higher than 10 minutes, and hence damaging behaviour and abnormalities cannot be identified with traditional SCADA data. The article also explores some examples of what could be achieved if data with a higher sampling rate is available.
By Carlos Gonzalez, Technical Director, Renewable Dynamics, Scotland
- Category: Articles
New Poul la Cour Tunnel at DTU Risø
There are many tools available to the wind turbine engineer in the pursuit of the understanding and optimisation of wind turbine blade aerodynamics. One of the most important (and sought after) is a high Reynolds number wind tunnel, which is an invaluable tool for validating computational models and cost-effectively simulating complex aerodynamic problems. In April 2018, the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) inaugurated the Poul la Cour Tunnel at its Risø campus. The tunnel is one of the largest university-owned tunnels in the world and is dedicated to wind energy research. Together with the Danish aerodynamic upgrade company Power Curve, DTU is carrying out fundamental research into the impact of blade contamination on turbine performance and the mitigation impact of aerodynamic devices such as vortex generators.By Nicholas Gaudern, Chief Technical Officer, Power Curve, Denmark
- Category: Articles
Optimising Wind Turbine Performance and Availability with Augmented Intelligence
Recently the term ‘predictive maintenance’ has received much attention across many industries. Perhaps this is due in part to the synergies with other rapidly developing areas of technology such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, the internet of things, and big data analytics.
It is certainly not all hype; in mostareas of industry where operational costs represent a significant proportion of the overall life-cycle cost of a product, a strong business case can be made for the introduction of predictive maintenance. Wind energy can certainly benefit from such innovations, and perhaps the potential reduction in the overall cost of energy would be the final push that is needed to bring the industry through grid parity and beyond. Although the use of condition monitoring in wind turbines is nothing new, recent technical innovations provide the framework that is needed for a more complete implementation of predictive maintenance.
By Christopher Gray, CEO, i4SEE TECH, Austria
- Category: Articles
Drone-Based Technology PlatformsIn this article, Sulzer & Schmid Laboratories, a Swiss company developing technology solutions for the inspection of wind turbine rotor blades, explains how drone-based technology platforms suitable for large-scale, multi-gigawatt blade inspection campaigns require a specific set of characteristics that will provide the level of scalability and deployability needed to succeed.
By Tom Sulzer, CEO and Co-Founder, Sulzer & Schmid, Switzerland
- Category: Articles
Maximising Blade Performance Through Aerodynamic Optimisation
Every wind turbine blade can be optimised. This is a bold statement but it is based on a number of factors that apply in varying degrees to all turbines: surface contamination and erosion, limitations and assumptions of standard design tools, design compromises to meet time/cost deadlines, adherence to standard wind classifications, and continual development of new technology. How can we go about optimising a blade that has already been installed? This article will describe the different technical methods and solutions available to extract more energy from a rotor, enabling wind turbines to deliver more revenue to their owners and to contribute more to global carbon reduction targets.By Nicholas Gaudern, Chief Technical Officer, Power Curve, Denmark
- Category: Articles
And the Modular CaseThe wind industry is primed for precast tower foundations. The economics point to significant returns to wind farm contractors and owners as the focus changes to longevity and expanding the construction and OEM delivery season.
By David McFeeters-Krone and Chris Fernandes, RUTE Foundation Systems, USA
- Category: Articles
New Techniques Provide Value Chain SavingsNew industrial connectors enable the rear mounting of interfaces for switch cabinets. Using this option, all relevant connection steps can be carried out from the inside of a cabinet. Moreover, many installation processes can be shifted to the pre-assembly stage, thus helping to save expensive technician hours in the field. The termination technique can also accelerate processing. For example, the radial cage clamp used by Han ES Press enables a tool-free connection, in addition to offering options for bridging contacts directly on the insert.
By Carsten Edler, Industry Segment Manager Wind Energy, Harting Electric, Germany
