Weidmüller's BLADEcontrol® condition monitoring system has proven to be key to ensuring optimized wind turbine output. It has attracted attention from users worldwide.
The blades are the most stress-bearing components of a wind turbine. Gusts, storms, freezing temperatures, and lightning can all cause minor damage, often only detected during routine inspections. In the worst-case scenario, the damage escalates to the point where blade replacement is costly but inevitable. Therefore, to prevent all indirect damage, the turbine needs to be shut down for several weeks without generating any electricity. This is where predictive maintenance comes in handy.
Excellent monitoring work
Weidmüller's BLADEcontrol® continuously records the condition of each blade and detects minute changes such as loose components within the blade and tears or delamination of the aerodynamic cover. Damage to the blade support structure constitutes a critical form of damage. Failure to detect this damage in a timely manner not only increases maintenance costs but also raises the risk of tower contact or blade breakage.
To detect variations, Weidmüller's BLADEcontrol® records the natural vibration of the blades and measures the leading and trailing edges as well as blade orientation for differentiation. BLADEcontrol® also records the structural noise of the entire blade, using various calculation methods to filter out any irregularities or deviations in the data. In the case of icing, the vibration frequency of the rotor blades will decrease slightly due to the additional weight. BLADEcontrol® can measure ice thickness to the millimeter based on ice distribution.
For any damage detected, Weidmüller BLADEcontrol® will immediately transmit the relevant data to the monitoring center, where experts will evaluate the data and then provide operators with a list of specific action recommendations.
Assessing an emergency
A key feature of Weidmüller systems is a two-dimensional accelerometer with a built-in temperature measurement channel. BLADEcontrol® collects data from the rotor blades in a hub and transmits it to the nacelle. For example, an assessment unit installed at the bottom of the tower can analyze the data, categorize all damage according to severity, transmit this information, and send a signal recommendation to the control unit. If a risk occurs, the installed control unit immediately initiates a system shutdown. If there is ice on the blades, even when the installation is stopped and running, the system can detect when the ice thickness becomes less critical and signal to restart the installation. Dr. John Reimers, Head of Marketing for Weidmüller Monitoring Systems, explains, “This allows us to better realize equipment usage, resulting in significant long-term revenue growth.”
Replace reaction with action
Weidmüller's BLADEcontrol® typically transmits all detected damage to the wind turbine via Modbus TCP. "In principle, BLADEcontrol® supports all standard protocol types," Reimers added. This protocol provides BLADEcontrol® with crucial information such as blade wind speed and pitch angle, enabling its operation to proceed even with deviations and, if necessary, to determine the cause of those deviations. The monitoring center can also communicate with the equipment, for example, transmitting additional measurement data to be investigated during post-processing. The system can also directly signal severe damage to the wind turbine.
Experts at the monitoring center respond immediately to deviations detected by the system. The first step involves creating a help desk entry in the ticketing system for the affected wind turbine. Clients will receive detailed notifications via email. To ensure immediate access to relevant information in the event of severe damage, customers will also be notified by phone.
4000 years of experience in machinery monitoring
Dr. Daniel Brenner, Head of Monitoring at Weidmüller Monitoring Systems, said, “Thanks to our more than 4,000 years of experience in machine monitoring, we have a wealth of data and corresponding empirical knowledge to help us make action recommendations and correct all errors.” The company boasts over 1,600 online systems and has sold more than 2,000 systems worldwide.
Weidmüller's BLADEcontrol® hardware includes robust accelerometers and measurement and evaluation computing units that can be easily retrofitted into existing equipment.
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