Method and apparatus for condition-based monitoring of wind turbine components

• US 7,322,794 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2005
• Issued: 01/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company), Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Moroz, Emil M, LeMieux, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kershteyn; Igor
• Application Number:
  US11/218,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20060070435A1
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 416/40, 416/41, 416/43, 416/44, 416/61, 415/118, 415/26, 415/49, 415/48, 290/44, 290/55
• US Class Current: 416/40
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 15/00 Transmission of mechanical power
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 15/10 using gearing not limited to rotary motion, e.g. with oscillating or reciprocating members
• 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 2270/332 Maximum loads or fatigue criteria
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/808 Strain gauges; Load cells
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/821 Displacement measuring means, e.g. inductive
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0221 Preprocessing measurements, e.g. data collection rate adjustment; Standardization of measurements; Time series or signal analysis, e.g. frequency analysis or wavelets; Trustworthiness of measurements; Indexes therefor; Measurements using easily measured parameters to estimate parameters difficult to measure; Virtual sensor creation; De-noising; Sensor fusion; Unconventional preprocessing inherently present in specific fault detection methods like PCA-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0283 Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/00 Registering or indicating the condition or the working of machines or other apparatus, other than vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

Condition-based monitoring functionality using sensors that monitor wind turbine component movement. A main shaft flange displacement sensor system can be used to provide signals used to perform fatigue assessment of the wind turbine rotor blades as well as drive train components. Output signals from the main shaft flange displacement sensor system are used to perform fatigue assessment, failure trending, diagnostic analysis, etc.

Claims

1. A wind turbine comprising:

a sensor coupled to detect movement of a wind turbine component from a base position and to generate one or more signals indicating the movement; and

a control circuit coupled with the sensor to receive the one or more signals indicating the movement, to perform a condition-based monitoring operation based on the one or more signals and to selectively generate an output signal based on the condition-based monitoring operation, wherein the condition based monitoring operation comprises at least rainflow fatigue assessment.

2. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein the selectively generated output signal comprises providing a visual representation of an estimated remaining service life for the component.

3. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises at least one of:

a proximity sensor to detect movement of a main shaft flange, a set of proximity sensors facing the shaft to detect displacement of the shaft with respect to a relatively non-deflecting component, two proximity sensors facing the shaft, and further wherein the two sensors are approximately 90°

apart with respect to a cross-sectional axis of the shaft, four proximity sensors facing the shaft, and further wherein the four sensors are approximately 90°

apart with respect to the axis of the shaft, and two pairs of proximity sensors facing the shaft, and further wherein the two pairs of sensors are approximately 90°

apart with respect to a cross-sectional axis of the shaft.

4. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises at least one of:

an accelerometer connected to a bedplate, a proximity sensor connected to a reference frame and to a gearbox to measure displacement of the gearbox, a proximity sensor to detect rotor blade azimuth and rotational speed, a proximity sensor connected to a reference frame and to a gearbox ring-gear to measure displacement of the gearbox ring-gear, a strain gauge attached to a hub, a proximity sensor connected to a rotor blade, and a strain gauge disposed within a T-bolt.

5. The wind turbine of claim 1 further comprising a blade pitch control circuit coupled with the sensor to mitigate a load causing the movement of the component in response to the one or more signals from the sensor.

6. The wind turbine of claim 5 wherein the blade pitch control circuit mitigates bending loads on the shaft by controlling pitch of one or more wind turbine blades.

7. A method comprising:

receiving signals from a sensor indicating movement of a wind turbine component;

performing condition-based monitoring analysis of the wind turbine component using the sensor signals, wherein the condition based monitoring operation comprises at least rainflow fatigue assessment; and

generating an output indicating results of the condition-based monitoring analysis.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein condition-based monitoring analysis further comprises performing one or more of:

fatigue assessment, failure trending and diagnostic analysis.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the condition-based monitoring analysis comprises rainflow fatigue assessment and/or component service life trending analysis.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

determining a load placed on the wind turbine based on the signals from the one or more sensors; and

causing one or more blades of the wind turbine to change pitch based on the determined load.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein generating an output indicating results of the condition-based monitoring analysis comprises selectively providing a visual representation of an estimated remaining service life for the component.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the sensor comprises at least one of:

a proximity sensor to detect movement of a main shaft flange, a set of proximity sensors facing the shaft to detect displacement of the shaft with respect to a relatively non-deflecting component, two proximity sensors facing the shaft, and further wherein the two sensors are approximately 90°

apart with respect to a cross-sectional axis of the shaft, four proximity sensors facing the shaft, and further wherein the four sensors are approximately 90°

apart with respect to the axis of the shaft, and two pairs of proximity sensors facing the shaft, and further wherein the two pairs of sensors are approximately 90°

apart with respect to a cross-sectional axis of the shaft.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein the sensor comprises at least one of:

an accelerometer connected to a bedplate, a proximity sensor connected to a reference frame and to a gearbox to measure displacement of the gearbox, a proximity sensor to detect rotor blade azimuth and rotational speed, a proximity sensor connected to a reference frame to measure displacement of the gearbox ring-gear, a strain gauge attached to a hub, a proximity sensor connected to a rotor blade, and a strain gauge disposed within a T-bolt.

14. An article comprising a computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to:

receive signals from a sensor indicating movement of a wind turbine component;

perform condition-based monitoring analysis of the wind turbine component using the sensor signals, wherein the condition based monitoring operation comprises at least rainflow fatigue assessment; and

generate an output indicating results of the condition-based monitoring analysis.

15. The article of claim 14 wherein the instructions that cause the one or more processors to perform condition-based monitoring analysis comprise instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more of:

fatigue assessment operations, failure trending operations and diagnostic analysis operations.

16. The article of claim 14 wherein the instructions that cause the one or more processors to perform condition-based monitoring analysis comprise instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform rainflow fatigue assessment operations and/or component service life trending analysis operations.

17. The article of claim 14 further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:

determine a load placed on the wind turbine based on the signals from the one or more sensors; and

cause one or more blades of the wind turbine to change pitch based on the determined load.

18. The article of claim 14 wherein the instructions that cause the one or more processors to generate an output indicating results of the condition-based monitoring analysis comprise instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to selectively provide a visual representation of an estimated remaining service life for the component.

19. The article of claim 14 wherein the sensor comprises at least one of:

a proximity sensor to detect movement of a main shaft flange, a set of proximity sensors facing the shaft to detect displacement of the shaft with respect to a relatively non-deflecting component, two proximity sensors facing the shaft, and further wherein the two sensors are approximately 90°

apart with respect to a cross-sectional axis of the shaft, four proximity sensors facing the shaft, and further wherein the four sensors are approximately 90°

apart with respect to the axis of the shaft, and two pairs of proximity sensors facing the shaft, and further wherein the two pairs of sensors are approximately 90°

apart with respect to a cross-sectional axis of the shaft.

20. The article of claim 14 wherein the sensor comprises at least one of:

an accelerometer connected to a bedplate, a proximity sensor connected to a reference frame and to a gearbox to measure displacement of the gearbox, a proximity sensor to detect rotor blade azimuth and rotational speed, a proximity sensor connected to a reference frame and to a gearbox ring-gear to measure displacement of the gearbox ring-gear, a strain gauge attached to a hub, a proximity sensor connected to a rotor blade, and a strain gauge disposed within a T-bolt.