Method and Device for Monitoring the State of Rotor Blades on Wind Power Installations

• US 20080206052A1
• Filed: 07/06/2005
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Weidmüller Monitoring Systems GmbH (WEIDMÜLLER Holding AG & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: IGUS - Innovative Technische Systeme GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Volkmer, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 7,883,319 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 416/61
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 17/00 Monitoring or testing of wind motors, e.g. diagnostics testing during commissioning of wind motors F03D13/30
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 80/40 Ice detection; De-icing means
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/333 Noise or sound levels
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/81 Microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 1/006 of the rotor of turbo machines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for monitoring the state of rotor blades on wind power installations. According to the invention, structure-borne noise is measured by means of at least one displacement sensor arranged on the rotor blade, the output signals of said sensors determine a frequency spectrum in an evaluation unit by means of suitable methods, the frequency spectrum is compared to reference spectra corresponding to defined states of damage and other particular states and stored in the evaluation unit, and the state of the rotor blade is determined therefrom. The aim of the invention is to provide a method and a device which enable existing local inner and outer damage, and other particular damage-causing states of the rotor blades, to be rapidly identified and evaluated, in order to take into account the effect thereof on the operation of the installation in an automatic manner. To this end, structure-borne noise is measured from a sequence of individual measurements carried out directly one after the other, the beginning of each of said individual measurements being triggered according to a uniform rotational angle of the rotor blade in relation to the rotational axis of the rotor, and all of the determined frequency spectra of each individual measurements are accumulated before being compared with the reference spectra.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring the state of rotor blades on wind power installations by measuring structure-borne noise of at least one rotor blade with at least one sensor fastened on the rotor blade, which sensor is connected to a unit for wireless transmission of the output signals of the sensors to an evaluation unit that comprises a central computer unit and storage devices, the output signals of the sensor being wirelessly transmitted to the evaluation unit where, from the signals by means of suitable methods, a frequency spectrum is determined, the frequency spectrum is compared with parameterized reference spectra corresponding to defined states of damage and other particular states and stored in the evaluation unit, and the state of the rotor blade is determined therefrom,

a structure-borne noise is measured from a sequence of several individual measurements carried out directly one after the other, the beginning of each of said individual measurements being triggered according to a uniform rotational angle of the rotor blade in relation to the rotational axis of the rotor, and

all of the determined frequency spectra of each individual measurement being accumulated before being compared with the reference spectra.

2. The method for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 1, wherein the structure-borne noise of a rotor blade is measured in a multidimensional manner with several sensors, which are preferably differently aligned and synchronized.

3. The method for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 2, wherein the vibration characterization is carried out in a suitable coordinate system.

4. The method for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 1, wherein the triggering of each individual measurement of a measuring period is actuated according to a uniform rotational angle by means of an additional sensor that passes on up-to-date rotational angle information to a sensor supply and measuring value pre-processing unit that controls the measurement.

5. The method for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 1, wherein each individual measurement of a measuring period is triggered according to a uniform angle on the basis of software in the evaluation unit by selecting each individual measurement from larger measuring ranges of one or more measurements by means of periodicity-specific starting criteria.

6. The method for monitoring the state of rotor blades according claim 1 wherein the reference spectra are parameterized by means of at least one of meteorological and installation-specific data.

7. The method for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 6, wherein the parameters of the reference spectra are determined in an up-to-date manner in parallel with the structure-borne noise measurement by means of additional measurements and transferred to the evaluation unit.

8. The method for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 1, wherein the frequency spectra of the individual measurements of the rotor blade are adjusted for the interference that is transmitted from the installation to the rotor blade by performing structure-borne noise measurement by means of one or more one-dimensional or multidimensional sensors.

9. The method for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 1, wherein synchronized measurements of all rotor blades of a wind power installation are performed and the state change of a rotor blade is determined from the difference of the accumulated frequency spectra of all rotor blades and the comparison of the difference spectrum with reference spectra.

10. The method for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 1, wherein the reference spectra are subdivided into at least two state groups and the state of a rotor blade is assigned to one of the state groups by means of the spectrum comparison.

11. The method for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 1, wherein harmonic waves in the accumulated frequency spectrum are determined.

12. The method for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 11, wherein the harmonic waves of the rotational frequency of the rotor blades in the accumulated frequency spectrum are determined.

13. The method for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 1, wherein with defined states of a rotor blade, a state message is generated in the evaluation unit and passed on to the installation control system of the wind power installation and influence is exerted on the operation of the wind power installation.

14. The method for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 1, wherein a rotor blade is actively stimulated by means of a vibration exciter.

15. The method for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 14, wherein stimulation is carried out with the vibration exciter continuously passing through a relevant frequency range.

16. The method for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 1, wherein the measured frequency spectra are compared with the reference spectra by means of suitable pattern detection methods.

17. The method for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 1, wherein the measured frequency spectra are assigned to the reference spectra by means of suitable statistical methods.

18. The method for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 1, wherein the measured frequency spectra are subjected to a spectrum analysis and the determined natural frequency values as well as their amplitudes are represented in vectors or matrices.

19. The method for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 1, wherein the reference spectra are determined from statistically evaluated and equivalence-assessed frequency spectra of preceding structure-borne noise measurements of the relevant rotor blade.

20. The method for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 1, wherein the wireless transmission of the pre-processed and reprocessed measuring signals of the sensor is carried out by means of radio transmission.

21. A device for monitoring the state of rotor blades on wind power installations according to claim 1, wherein the sensor or sensors inside and outside the rotor blade is/are firmly attached to at least one of a surface of the aerodynamic shell and internal components of the rotor blade.

22. The device for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 21, wherein the sensors are accelerometers.

23. The device for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 21, wherein at least one one-dimensional sensor is arranged.

24. The device for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 21, wherein at least one multidimensional sensor is arranged.

25. The device for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 21, wherein a displacement orientation of a sensor is largely aligned vertical to the surface on which the sensor is fastened.

26. The device for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 21, wherein a sensor is fastened in the lower third of the rotor blade facing the rotor blade base on a surface of the aerodynamic shell of the rotor blade.

27. The device for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 21, wherein a sensor is fastened to the load-bearing components inside the rotor blade.

28. The device for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 21, wherein an additional sensor is arranged on the rotor as a trigger sensor that is suitable for rotational angle measurements.

29. The device for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 21, wherein a temperature sensor for measuring the rotor blade temperature is fastened to the rotor blade.

30. The device for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 21, wherein a position sensor for measuring the pitch angle is fastened to the rotor blade.

31. The device for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 21, wherein a database that enables fast, selective access is stored in the evaluation unit as a spectrum library with reference spectra of rotor blades with damage-free and defined states of damage and particular states.

32. The device for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 21, wherein the evaluation unit is connected to a decentralized, remotely set-up backup server.

33. The device for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 21, wherein the evaluation unit comprises an output unit, with a binary output module that is externally and intrinsically safe and outputs redundant signals.

34. The device for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 21, wherein the output signals of several wind power installations are transmitted to a joint evaluation unit and evaluated by said unit.

35. The device for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 21, wherein additional sensors for measuring at least one of meteorological values, installation-specific measuring values and installation-specific vibration states are arranged on the wind power installation.

36. The device for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 21, wherein attachments for holding sensors are arranged at least one of inside and outside the rotor blade at different vibration-relevant points.

37. The device for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 21, wherein at least one one-dimensional or multidimensional vibration exciter is arranged on the aerodynamic shell or on an internal component of the rotor blade.

38. The device for monitoring the state of rotor blades according to claim 35, wherein the actuator is a shaker with a power amplifier.