Method of condition monitoring one or more wind turbines and parts thereof and performing instant alarm when needed
Disclosed is a method of condition monitoring a WTG (Wind Turbine Generator) comprising acts of collecting and storage of at least the following data sets together with their time stamps. Collection of generator power production measurements. Collection of mechanical status measurements. Collection of generator torque measurements. Collection of nacelle direction measurements. Collection of meteorological conditions measurements. The method compromises a further act of synchronizing the data sets. The invention also relates to a system for condition monitoring a WTG. The invention further relates to a system for visually inspecting a WTG.
1. A method of condition monitoring a wind turbine generator comprising acts of:
collecting at least the following data sets with time stamps:
A) generator power production measurements;
B) mechanical status measurements;
C) nacelle direction measurements;
D) meteorological conditions measurement including at least wind condition measurements;
E) and torque measurement
synchronizing and Processing the data sets to provide at least
i) Rotor/blade status information
ii) Generator power production information
iii) Tower status information
classifying the information i), ii) and iii) in at least the following states of operation:
Normal state of operation or
Non-normal state of operation, characterized in, that the said act of synchronization is performed in at least one synchronization system for synchronizing collected and time stamped data; and
controlling the wind turbine generator by feeding the processed at least one:
i) Rotor/blade status information
ii) Generator power production information
iii) Tower status information to a wind turbine generator controller conditionally based on the at least the classified states of operation.
2. The method of condition monitoring according to claim 1 , wherein the data sets A), B), C) and D) are collected, time stamped, stored and synchronized.
3. The method of conditioning monitoring according to claim 1 wherein the act of classifying includes at least one automatic self-calibrating processing of parameters for the classification of the state of operation being adjusted to the individual wind turbine.
4. The method of condition monitoring according to claim 1 , wherein yaw misalignment is classified as a normal state of operation.
5. The method of condition monitoring according to claim 1 , wherein an act of processing data to provide Yaw misalignment and/or Tower status information is via acts of:
Processing data to provide
i) Rotor/blade status information,
ii) generator power production information from
A) power production measurements
B) mechanical status measurements or load.
6. The method of condition monitoring according to claim 5 , wherein the act of processing data to provide yaw misalignment information and/or tower status information and/or information about wind gusts approaching the wind turbine is via acts of:
collecting C) nacelle direction measurements and/or D) meteorological conditions measurements from
a permanently or temporally installed high precision system
a permanently installed lower precision system corrected/calibrated to the high precision system.
7. The method of condition monitoring according to claim 1 , wherein the acts of
Collecting involves acts of collecting
A) time stamped generator power production measurements that are synchronized with
B) time stamped sensory input including
Hub sensory input
Rotor blade sensory input
Main Shaft sensory input
Nacelle sensory input
and where the act of
processing involves assessing one or more of:
Rotor imbalance
Individual blade imbalance
Yaw alignment
Icing on blades
Contamination of blade
Individual blade damage
Pitch bearing damage
Electrical or hydraulic Pitch error
Unbalanced mass of individual blades
Improved (increased or reduced) generator power production from yawing
Improved (increased or reduced) generator power production from pitching blades
Actual Yawed wind inflow angle
Actual turbulence
Actual Sloped wind inflow angle
Actual horizontal wind shear
Abnormal movements in tower
Generator power production classification
Wind gust approaching the rotor.
8. A method of operating a wind turbine generator with the wind turbine generator controller based on conditioning monitoring according to claim 1 , wherein the method of operation involves acts of:
Controlling the wind turbine generator by feeding the processed at least:
i) Rotor/blade status information
ii) Generator power production information
iii) Tower status information
to the wind turbine generator controller conditionally based on at least the classified states of operation:
Normal state of operation
Non-normal state of operation.
9. The method of operating a wind turbine generator according to claim 8 , wherein the states of operation of:
Normal state of operation
allows operation where no corrective action signals are applied to the wind turbine generator controller or where corrective action signals are applied to the wind turbine generator controller;
Non-normal state of operation
raises a flag/an alarm requiring the act of manual attendance for continued operation of the wind turbine generator.
10. The method of operating a wind turbine generator according to claim 8 , wherein the state of operation of:
Normal state of operation
involves operating the WTG with yaw misalignment.
11. The method of operating a wind turbine generator according to claim 8 , wherein the state of operation of:
Non-normal state of operation requires the act of automatic stop of continued operation of the wind turbine generator and an act of inspecting the wind turbine generator before normal state of operation is resumed.
12. The method of operating a wind turbine generator according to claim 8 , wherein the state of operation of:
Non-normal state of operation requires visually inspecting the wind turbine generator by acts of:
pointing a visual inspection system with a field of view about a line of sight of a plane where the rotor blade, the rotor system and the tower during still stand, start up and during operation will be present;
capturing multiple images of the field of view with at least multiple images with at least part of the rotor blade, the rotor system and the tower in the image;
selecting at least one reference image amongst the captured images;
comparing at least one other captured image with the reference image.
13. The method of operating a wind turbine generator according to claim 8 , wherein the method of operation involves acts of controlling the wind turbine generator by feeding the processed at least information for improved (increased or reduced) generator power production from yawing to the wind turbine generator controller for automatically controlling alignment (yawing) of the wind turbine generator nacelle to position the rotor in the optimal wind direction based on improvement of generator power production during yawing such that a wind turbine generator yaw controller in sequence forces yawing in different directions to search for optimum of generator power production and there by optimal yaw alignment.
14. The method of operating a wind turbine generator according to claim 8 , wherein the method of operation involves acts of controlling the wind turbine generator by feeding the processed information for improved (increased or reduced) generator power production from pitching blades to the wind turbine generator controller for controlling wind turbine generator blade pitch automatically to positioning the blade in an optimal angle based on improvement of generator power production during blade pitching.
15. The method of operating a wind turbine generator according to claim 8 , wherein the method of operation involves acts of controlling the wind turbine generator by feeding the processed information about gusts approaching the wind turbine by controlling WTG blade to pitch automatically to positioning the blade in an optimal angle based on improved load control reducing loads from peak wind gusts.
16. The method of condition monitoring according to claim 1 , comprising a further act of visually inspecting a wind turbine generator comprising the acts of:
pointing a visual inspection system with a field of view about a line of sight of a plane where the rotor blade, the rotor system and the tower during still stand, start up and during operation will be present;
capturing multiple images of the field of view with at least multiple images with at least part of the rotor blade, the rotor system and the tower in the image;
selecting at least one reference image amongst the captured images;
comparing at least one other captured image with the reference image.
17. The method of condition monitoring according to claim 16 , where the visual inspection is carried out by means of one or more line scan cameras.
18. The method of condition monitoring according to claim 16 , where the visual inspection is carried out by means of one or more line scan cameras and one or more area scan cameras.
19. The method of condition monitoring according to claim 18 where one or more line scan camera is used as a trigger unit to activate one or more area scan camera.
20. The method of condition monitoring according to claim 17 , where phase lock loop technology is used for triggering and activation of either one or more line scan cameras and/or one or more area scan camera based on software or methods to synchronize a computer to the real rotor.
21. A wind turbine generator condition monitoring system comprising:
data set collection means for collecting data sets with time stamps from
A) means for measuring generator power production output;
B) means for measuring mechanical status;
C) means for measuring nacelle direction;
D) means for measuring meteorological conditions including at least wind condition measurements;
E) means for measuring torque conditions for the generator;
means for synchronizing and Processing the data sets to provide at least
i) Rotor/blade status information
ii) Generator power production information
iii) Tower status information
means for classifying the information i), ii) and iii) in at least the following states of operation:
Normal state of operation or
Non-normal state of operation,
characterized in, that the said means of synchronization is performed in at least one synchronization system for synchronizing the collected and time stamped data; and
at least one processor configured to process the collected data sets and functionally to generate an output for controlling the wind turbine generator by feeding of one or more of the:
i) Rotor/blade status information
ii) Generator power production information
iii) Tower status information
to a wind turbine controller generator conditionally based on the at least the classified states of operation.
22. A wind turbine generator condition monitoring system according to claim 21 , further comprising
at least one synchronization system for synchronizing collected and time stamped data and
optionally to provide information for improved (increased or reduced) generator power production from yawing to be used for automatic control of yawing and other purposes;
optionally to provide information for improved (increased or reduced) generator power production from pitching blades to be used for automatic control of blade pitching and other purposes; and
optional optionally provide information for improved load reduction control by pitching blades to avoid loads from high gusts approaching the wind turbine.
23. A wind turbine generator condition monitoring system according to claim 21 , further comprising at least one automatic self-calibrating processing of parameters for the classification of the state of operation being adjusted to the individual wind turbine.