Condition monitoring of offshore wind turbines Condition monitoring of offshore wind turbines | HBM

Condition Monitoring of Wind Turbines' Critical Components

Wind turbines are often subject to extreme mechanical stress. Condition Monitoring Systems (CMS) help ensure the stability, long service life, and optimal design of your wind turbine components (rotor blades, drivetrains, inverters…). Thus, it prevents complete failures, which are expensive, and allows significant savings.

Gearbox-failure represents a big part of wind turbines' downtime; therefore, gaining reliability is key. Efficiency is also important in the drivetrain; hence, measurements can be used as a tool to increase both. Using monitoring, it's possible to keep track of the component's condition and detect potential breakdowns in time, thus preventing damage and most probably increasing the components' operational lifetime. 

HBM has available Condition Monitoring Systems (CMS) by putting together precision sensors and instruments for testing and monitoring wind generator components. Depending on the country, on-site installation support is also provided by a certified team of skilled Project Engineers. Additionally, Brüel & Kjaer Vibro, HBM's affiliate, offers permanent and reliable condition monitoring solutions for wind turbines. 

Condition Monitoring Solutions by HBM

Complete solutions for test bench applications including torque and force measurements with traceability in the MegaNewtonmeter range

High-precision torque transducers for maximum torque requirements (up to 5 MN)

Electrical strain gauges and/or optical strain sensors combined with data acquisition systems for fatigue testing, e.g. of rotor blades, high-voltage components, and so on.

High-end power analyzers to qualify inverters according to EN61400-21:2008 Wind turbines

nCode professional software to perform fatigue analysis throughout the design of wind energy facilities

Why Engineering and Services from HBM?

 
  • Follow industry guidelines
  • Improve planning for service and maintenance
  • Minimize the costs by avoiding unplanned downtime
  • Increase wind generators' reliability and efficiency 
  • Eliminate uncertainties with the help of professional engineers
  • Create new business opportunities

 

Validating theoretical design work


Following industry guidelines


Ensuring a long and profitable lifecycle for your wind turbine generator (WTG)

Our Track Record

Since 2003, when we first installed sensors for CMS on FINO in the Baltic Sea, we have worked on many large wind farm projects, primarily in the North Sea. Other monitoring projects on wind generators were conducted in Germany, France, Spain, Estonia, the US, and China. HBM has proved to be a reliable partner by providing a range of services from installations in rotor blades, monopiles and jackets of simple strain gauges to commissioning complex CMS packages including inclinometers, accelerometers and HBM's DAQ systems.

"It was the first time we used field measurements at this scale. To ensure that strain gauges were correctly mounted on our equipment, we decided to bring in specialists from HBM. The dialogue with HBM flowed very well. Going forward, we now have a much better idea of how we can take advantage of measurement technology” says Mats Idoff, development engineer at Bromma Conquip.

Some Success Stories