CONDITION MONITORING SYSTEM AND WIND POWER GENERATION SYSTEM USING THE SAME

• US 20170130700A1
• Filed: 05/29/2015
• Published: 05/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTN Corporation
• Original Assignee: NTN Corporation, Tomoya Sakaguchi
• Inventors: SAKAGUCHI, Tomoya, KATOU, Kouma
• Granted Patent: US 10,519,935 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 7/04 Automatic control; Regulation
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 80/00 Details, components or accessories not provided for in groups F03D1/00 - F03D17/00
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 9/25 the apparatus being an electrical generator F03D9/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2220/706 an electrical generator
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/912 on a tower
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2260/80 Diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/728 Onshore wind turbines

Abstract

A condition monitoring system for a wind turbine includes: each sensor to sense a condition of equipment; a monitor device configured to generate a diagnosis parameter based on a detection result of each sensor; a data server configured to diagnose a failure of the equipment based on the diagnosis parameter; and a rotation angle sensor for sensing the nacelle'"'"'s rotation speed. The data server is configured to correct the diagnosis parameter based on a sensed result of the rotation angle sensor, and diagnose whether the equipment has a failure by comparing the corrected diagnosis parameter with a predetermined threshold value.

Claims

1. A condition monitoring system for monitoring a condition of equipment configuring a wind turbine, the wind turbine including a nacelle rotatably supported on a top of a tower, the condition monitoring system comprising:

a first detector configured to detect the condition of the equipment;

a monitor device configured to generate a diagnosis parameter based on a detection result of the first detector;

a controller configured to diagnose a failure of the equipment based on the diagnosis parameter; and

a second detector configured to detect a rotation speed of the nacelle,

the controller being configured to diagnose whether the equipment has a failure by correcting the diagnosis parameter based on a detection result of the second detector and comparing the corrected diagnosis parameter with a predetermined threshold value.

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

the controller is configured to correct the diagnosis parameter by using a correction function with the rotation speed of the nacelle used as a variable; and

the correction function is a function which corrects the diagnosis parameter so that as the nacelle has a higher rotation speed, a ratio of the diagnosis parameter after the correction to the diagnosis parameter before the correction becomes smaller.

3. The condition monitoring system according to claim 2, wherein the correction function is a function of a dimensionless diagnosis parameter obtained by dividing the diagnosis parameter by a diagnosis parameter obtained during non-rotation of the nacelle, the correction function using as a variable a dimensionless rotation speed of the nacelle which is obtained by dividing the rotation speed of the nacelle by a maximum speed thereof.

4. The condition monitoring system according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to calculate an average value of the rotation speed of the nacelle in a predetermined period before the diagnosis, and correct the diagnosis parameter using the correction function based on the average value.

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

the monitor device is configured to transmit the diagnosis parameter and a detection result of the second detector in a first period before the diagnosis to the controller;

the controller is configured to (i) store data received from the monitor device, (ii) when the first period ends, correct the diagnosis parameter of the first period based on the detection result of the second detector and (iii) generate the threshold value based on the corrected diagnosis parameter;

the monitor device is configured to transmit to the controller the diagnosis parameter obtained in a second period after the first period elapses; and

the controller is configured to correct the diagnosis parameter of the second period based on a detection result of the second detector in the second period, and diagnose whether the equipment has a failure by comparing the corrected diagnosis parameter with the threshold value.

6. The condition monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to correct the diagnosis parameter based on the rotation speed of the nacelle obtained from information from SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) separately monitoring the wind turbine.

7. The condition monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the second detector includes at least one of a direction sensor, a gyro sensor, and a GPS (Global Positioning System).

8. The condition monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the second detector includes a detector to detect at least one of a driving current and a driving voltage of a drive device driving the nacelle.

9. A wind power generation system comprising:

the wind turbine; and

the condition monitoring system according to claim 1.

10. A condition monitoring system which monitors a condition of equipment configuring a wind turbine, comprising:

a first detector configured to detect the condition of the equipment;

a monitor device configured to generate a diagnosis parameter based on a detection result of the first detector; and

a controller configured to diagnose a failure of the equipment based on the diagnosis parameter, the wind turbine including;

a blade converting wind power to a rotation torque of a main shaft;

a nacelle housing a power generator converting the rotation torque of the main shaft to electric power;

a tower supporting the nacelle rotatably; and

a drive device configured to rotate the nacelle to cause the blade to face upwind, the diagnosis parameter varying as the nacelle rotates,

the monitor device being configured to transmit to the controller the diagnosis parameter obtained in a first period before the diagnosis,

the controller being configured to generate a threshold value for diagnosing a failure of the equipment, based on the diagnosis parameter in an effective period of the first period,

the monitor device being configured to transmit to the controller the diagnosis parameter obtained during a second period after the first period elapses,

the controller being configured to diagnose whether the equipment has a failure based on the diagnosis parameter in the effective period of the second period and the threshold value.

11. The condition monitoring system according to claim 10, wherein the effective period of the diagnosis parameter is a period in which the nacelle does not rotate.

12. The condition monitoring system according to claim 10, wherein the effective period of the diagnosis parameter is a period in which an average value in magnitude of a rotating angular velocity of the nacelle per a predetermined time is smaller than a predetermined value.

13. The condition monitoring system according to claim 11, further comprising a second detector configured to detect a rotating angular velocity of the nacelle, wherein:

the monitor device is configured to transmit a detected value of the second detector to the controller together with the diagnosis parameter; and

the controller is configured to determine whether a period in which the diagnosis parameter is generated is the effective period based on the detected value of the second detector.

14. The condition monitoring system according to claim 11, wherein the controller determines whether a period in which the diagnosis parameter is generated is the effective period based on a rotating angular velocity of the nacelle included in information from SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) separately monitoring the wind turbine.

15. The condition monitoring system according to claim 13, wherein the second detector includes at least one of a direction sensor, a gyro sensor, and a GPS (Global Positioning System).

16. The condition monitoring system according to claim 13, wherein the second detector includes a detector to detect at least one of a driving current and a driving voltage of the drive device.

17. A wind power generation system comprising:

the wind turbine; and

the condition monitoring system according to claim 10.