CONDITION MONITORING SYSTEM

• US 20150116131A1
• Filed: 02/19/2013
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTN Corporation
• Original Assignee: NTN Corporation
• Inventors: Ikeda, Hiroshi, Haseba, Takashi, Takeuchi, Akitoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,458,835 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.07
• 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: F05B 2260/83 Testing, e.g. methods, components or tools therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0235 based on a comparison with predetermined threshold or range, e.g. "classical methods", carried out during normal operation; threshold adaptation or choice; when or how to compare with the threshold
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

A condition monitoring system that diagnoses an abnormality of an apparatus provided in a wind turbine includes a monitoring apparatus including a sensor provided for the apparatus, a monitoring-side control apparatus that sets a threshold value to be used by the monitoring apparatus for diagnosing the abnormality of the apparatus, and diagnoses the abnormality of the apparatus based on the threshold value, and a monitoring terminal that monitors a condition of the apparatus. The condition monitoring system can correctly diagnose an abnormality of the apparatus provided in the wind turbine.

Claims

1. A condition monitoring system that diagnoses an abnormality of an apparatus provided in a wind turbine comprising:

a monitoring apparatus including a sensor provided for said apparatus;

a monitoring-side control apparatus that sets a threshold value to be used by said monitoring apparatus for diagnosing the abnormality of said apparatus, and diagnoses the abnormality of said apparatus based on said threshold value; and

a monitoring terminal apparatus that monitors a condition of said apparatus,

said monitoring apparatus transmitting data for setting a threshold value measured in a first period before diagnosis to said monitoring-side control apparatus,

said monitoring-side control apparatus generating said threshold value based on said data for setting the threshold value,

said monitoring apparatus transmitting data measured in a second period after passage of said first period to said monitoring-side control apparatus, and

said monitoring-side control apparatus diagnosing whether said apparatus has an abnormality or not based on said data and said threshold value corresponding to said data, and transmitting a diagnostic result to said monitoring terminal apparatus.

2. The condition monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein

said data for setting the threshold value is measured for each operation condition of said wind turbine,

said threshold value is determined for each said operating condition, and

said operation condition is defined as at least any one of physical quantities representing a wind velocity, a rotational speed of a main shaft, a rotational speed of a power generator shaft, an amount of power generated, and a torque of the power generator shaft.

3. The condition monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein

said data includes data on any one of vibrations of said apparatus, an acoustic emission generated from said apparatus, a temperature of said apparatus, and an operating sound of said apparatus.

4. The condition monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein

said data is converted into a diagnostic parameter representing the condition of said apparatus, and

said diagnostic parameter includes any one of a root-mean-square value, a peak value, an average value, a crest factor, a root-mean-square value after envelope processing, and a peak value after envelope processing.

5. The condition monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein

said monitoring apparatus includes a transmission unit connectable to the Internet,

said transmission unit transmits said data for setting the threshold value, and

said monitoring-side control apparatus generates said threshold value from said data for setting the threshold value, by using a statistical method.

6. The condition monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a monitoring terminal that controls said monitoring apparatus, wherein

said threshold value to be used by said monitoring-side control apparatus for the diagnosis can be modified via said monitoring terminal.

7. The condition monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein

said condition monitoring system monitors a plurality of said apparatuses,

said condition monitoring system further includes a monitoring terminal that controls said monitoring apparatus,

said monitoring terminal includes a display that displays said diagnostic result, and

said display displays an apparatus, out of said apparatuses, diagnosed by said monitoring-side control apparatus as having an abnormality in said second period, as well as information on the abnormality of said apparatus.

8. The condition monitoring system according to claim 7, wherein

said display displays said data corresponding to the same operation condition with passage of time.

9. The condition monitoring system according to claim 7, wherein

said data for setting the threshold value is measured for each operation condition of said wind turbine,

said threshold value is determined for each said operating condition, and

said display simultaneously displays a frequency spectrum of latest data out of said data, and a frequency spectrum of data stored in said monitoring-side control apparatus, corresponding to the same operation condition as said operation condition of said data, and determined until now as being normal using said threshold value.

10. The condition monitoring system according to claim 7, wherein

said data for setting the threshold value is measured for each operation condition of said wind turbine,

said threshold value is determined for each said operating condition, and

said display simultaneously displays a frequency spectrum after envelope processing of latest data out of said data, and a frequency spectrum after envelope processing of data stored in said monitoring-side control apparatus, corresponding to the same operation condition as said operation condition of said data, and determined until now as being normal using said threshold value.