The production of energy from renewable sources has grown considerably in recent years, resulting in a significant increase in the installed capacity of wind power and number of turbines in service on-shore and off-shore. Turbine technologies, whether geared or direct drive, are rapidly evolving in terms of power and complexity, and there is an urgent need for cost effective operation and maintenance (O&M) strategies. Unplanned downtime represents one of the main cost drivers of wind farms.
Electrical machines are usually reliable compared to other components such as drivetrain and gearboxes, but in the wind industry, generators have proven to be the cause of significant downtime. This is because their failure rate and downtime per failure, are unacceptably high.
For this reason, ENGING has developed a specific solution, the PreditWindT, for the real-time monitoring of the main components of the power module in wind turbines, namely the generator, power electronics (frequency converter and soft starter) and transformer, that will allow operators to apply preventive maintenance strategies instead of corrective actions, with increased availability and significant operation cost savings.
