The company recently expanded into a new 25,000-ft2 manufacturing facility near Boston to support the wind industry's growing demand for Triton.

A provider of wind measurement technology, software, and services, has announced a suite of wind farm operations services based on the company’s Triton Sonic Wind Profiler and SkyServe Wind Data Service. Triton, a remote wind sensor, uses sodar (sound) to provide wind measurements across the turbine rotor sweep. SkyServe, a cloud-based data delivery tool, has been adopted by wind farm developers for use in wind-resource assessment.

“A well-qualified remote sensing system, such as the Triton, can be extremely valuable in assessing wind farm performance,” says Matt Hendrickson, Senior Director of Energy Assessment at 3TIER. “Measuring the vertical structure of the wind profile and relating it to turbine efficiencies goes a long way in explaining varying production patterns. Used properly, this technology will ultimately increase the skill of one’s predictive models.”

Wind farms have a number of operating issues that can be explained and resolved based on thorough understanding of the onsite wind conditions. With the rapid growth of wind energy and improvements in turbine technology, advanced wind information systems are needed to provide more comprehensive information about wind conditions. The applications for Triton on working wind farms include:

• Complementing or replacing expensive hub height reference towers for operational support, compliance, power marketing and improved wind forecasting
• Mobile applications providing turbine performance, wake and, sector analysis
• Complete wind-farm assessment for warranty and financial purposes

Second Wind
www.secondwind.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

The schematic is for the Multimedia Messaging System (MMS) client, part of the software of the Bachmann M1 Automation System.

Ethernet interfaces to wind turbines were previously operated mostly by Scada and control stations. A connection to a controller is implemented mainly using discrete data signals. Bachmann’s Multimedia Messaging System (MMS) Client now accesses the Ethernet interface and acts in a similar way to a fieldbus driver: It’s an exclusively software-based development and requires no special hardware.

The application program can be written in IEC61131-3 or C/C++. Bachmann also provides programming tools to ensure a simple connection of the MMS Client. The graphical test and diagnostics monitor in the device manager of the Bachmann SolutionCenter allows testing communication with the peripheral device without extensive programming.

The open configuration interface of the MMS Client also enables typical wind-power units such as meteorological masts, anemometers, and monitoring devices as described in IEC61400-25, to operate in accordance with IEC61850. Thanks to the open configuration interface of the MMS Client, devices compliant with IEC61400-25 and IEC61850 can be mixed as required in the network since the basic communication structure is the same.

Bachmann Electronics
www.bachmann.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

The Triton from Second Wind can measure wind speed and direction at hub heights to give operators data to gauge a wind plant’s efficiency.

To increase the uptime and operation of wind turbines, the Association of German Engineers, Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI), in collaboration with manufacturers, helped develop the VDI 3834 vibration and evaluation standard for wind-power plants. The standard will help to close a gap between this and other well established standards for threshold values of specific components. This means vibration signals of wind power turbines are no longer a problem to measure and evaluate when using vibration analyzers that feature built-in VDI measurement standards.

Manufacturers and plant operators benefit from using the vibration threshold values of drivetrain components. Consequently, they can deal with maintaining these components in well running conditions. Proper alignment between the drivetrain and balancing of the rotor blades are important to condition monitoring on wind turbines.

At least one laser alignment device lets maintenance crews measure and align main shafts with generators for low vibration. The developer says its device works on turbines regardless of OEM or coupling. Some alignment devices come with features that ensure good measurement accuracy and mounting hardware. The device features a continuous-sweep measurement mode which evaluates hundreds of readings during shaft rotation. This compares to shooting a movie versus a few pictures at intervals. The result is said to be less shimming and horizontal moves to correct alignment, because of more accurate measurements.

To better test and measure new drivetrain ideas, the DOE says Clemson University will receive up to $45 million for a wind energy test facility that will enhance the performance, durability, and reliability of utility-scale wind turbines. The Department says this investment will support jobs and strengthen American leadership in wind energy technology by supporting the testing of nextgeneration wind turbine designs.

The Large Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing facility will let the U.S., expand domestic development and testing of large-scale wind turbine drivetrains. Wind turbines have increased with each new generation, and, according to the Department, have outgrown the capacity of existing U.S. drivetrain testing facilities. The new testing capability is intended to improve U.S. competitiveness in wind energy technology, lower energy costs for consumers, and maintain rapid growth in the deployment of wind-energy systems.

The facility will feature power analysis equipment capable of performing highly accelerated life testing of land-based and offshore wind turbine drive systems rated at 5 to 15 MW. Dynamometer tests of drivetrains are required to show compliance with wind turbine design standards, reduce wind turbine costs, secure product financing, and reduce the technical and financial risk of deploying mass-produced wind turbine models.

Lastly, another way to get a handle on tests and measurements that would tell when a drivetrain is underperforming, is with a drivetrain diagnostics simulator. It’s a small scale wind turbine drive train that generates drivetrain faults so users can learn to recognize signatures in a controlled environment. The setup lets users learn signatures of component faults such as gear surface wear, cracks, chips, and missing teeth. Sharpening the skills of student analysts with the bench-top system lets them minimize failures to gearboxes, bearings, and blade-mechanisms thereby avoiding unexpected downtime and production loss. The system also shows bearing inner and outer race defects and bearing ball damage. And it shows signatures for gear backlash, eccentricity, and misalignment.

Windpower Engineering & Development

In this webcast, a brief overview of state of art simulations tools available from Altair Engineering will be presented. Following the introduction of the tools, two of the most influential simulation technologies will be discussed. Namely, multibody dynamics (MotionSolve) and computational fluid dynamics (AcuSolve). The webcast proceeds with a discussion of case studies that demonstrate areas in which these technologies have been successfully applied to wind power engineering.

3 Bullet Points of What Participants Can Expect to Learn:

1. Computer Simulation Technologies that will help deliver optimal wind turbine design and as a result improve turbine power output and overall operating efficiency and performance

2. State of Art Simulation Technologies for Wind Turbine Designers and Engineers

3. Reduce Time to Market and Reduce Dependency on Physical Testing

REGISTER BELOW

Windpower Engineering & Development

Ultrasonic sensors function without moving parts. On a typical sonic anemometer, a transducer sends a pulse of ultrasonic sound from a ‘north’ facing side of the sensor. A microprocessor measures the time it takes to travel to a ‘South’ transducer. The wind speed is calculated from the time it takes the ultrasound to travel to the opposite transducer. Measurement times are affected by the wind speed and direction blowing along the line between the transducers. Without moving parts, measurement is said to be immediate and precise.

In the cases above, the instruments are small enough to mount on a nacelle. Larger, ground-mounted sonic instruments, however, can take the place of a met tower and measure wind speed and direction at several elevations.

This latter device, also called a sonic wind profiler or a sodar (sound detection and ranging) unit, detects wind speeds and directions at several levels up to about 300 m. The unit is said to work unattended to capture accurate wind data at turbine heights in any weather and location. one model runs on as little as 7 W from a battery recharged by a solar panel, and it can be relocated by one man with a truck. Readings from these devices look like anemometry results and so need no expert analysis. Users can often access data in real time from a computer over a satellite wind data service.

Sodar uses short-wavelength sound waves to measure the Doppler shift of emitted sound and calculate wind speeds. Sodar units are reported have performed well in tests.

Laser-based wind sensors use laser Doppler velocimetry – an optical remote-sensing technique similar to Doppler radar – to measure minute frequency changes of light reflected by microscopic air particles moving with the wind which precisely determines wind speed and direction. One laser wind sensor mounts atop the turbine nacelle (pointing through the rotor) to measure real-time horizontal and vertical wind speed and directions in front of the turbine. This sensor looks out to 300 m ahead of the turbine to measure wind speed and direction as it approaches the turbine blades. It transmits that data to the controls in time (20 sec of lead time for a 35-mph wind) to reorient the turbine. The system is comprised of a base laser and a remote lens. The base unit, housed in a separate assembly, can be mounted inside the turbine’s nacelle. The remote lens mounts atop the nacelle. According to one report, reacting to oncoming wind before it reaches a turbine improves power production by about 10%.

Windpower Engineering & Development

The WindTracer from Lockheed Martin can measure wind over a large area.

Mean wind speed and wind direction variability can be determined as a function of space and time with both polar and Cartesiangridded data. Single Doppler and dual-Doppler implementations can be tailored to meet site requirements. The manufacturer notes  the sensor provides an advantage over mast anemometers that are used to selectively sample specific points on the site. During site prospecting and wind power production assessments, the wind energy developer can use WindTracer to map large spatial areas simultaneously. Also, model predictions that are highly sensitive to boundary conditions and parameterizations can be robustly scrutinized and improved.

Lockheed Martin www.lockheedmartin.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

The ND 2100G Gage-Chek has a color LED lit display which shows results numerically or graphically as a bar graph or dial indicator.

The Acanto Absolute Length Gage with EnDat 2.2 has the benefits of an optical encoder and solves many of the problems of different length gages. Quality managers will not have to worry about gages drifting, linearity over the entire measuring range, or referencing upon startup. The device does not drift over time nor does it require mastering. “Sweet spots” are nonexistent because 2 µm accuracy is held throughout the entire measuring length. Controls let the unit know its position on power up without need for reference. The device comes in spring or pneumatically operated models and is offered in 12 mm and 30-mm measuring lengths.

In addition, the ND 2100G Gage-Chek handles gaging and inspection tasks with ease, from simple pass/fail detection up to complex logic statements to and from a PLC. They can be configured for basic or advanced operations where inputs can be assigned and combined as needed, along with mathematical, trigonometric or statistical formulas, making it possible to measure even complex dimensions such as thickness, flatness, volume, and more. Rapid acquisition of measured data can monitor dynamic events such as the eccentricity of a rotating shaft.

The unit can manage up to 100 parts, each with up to 16 visible measurement features and 16 hidden ones and can save thousands of data entry points for internal statistical process control or export. User customization is easy with programmable soft and hot keys. Min/Max functions monitor and store data, and warning and tolerance limits can be set to each display value.

A new plug-and-play routine allows easily interfacing the Acanto and ND 2100G GAGE-CHEK. The ND 2100G can interface with 1 to 8 Acanto Gages and will be an effective solution for many gaging applications. The ND 2100G Gage-Chek also accepts EnDat 2.2 encoders from Heigenhainincluding linear, rotary, and angle.

HEIDENHAIN CORP
http://www.windpowerengineering.com/directory/?s=Heidenhain&searchsubmit=Search

Windpower Engineering & Development

NRG Systems, manufacturer of wind measurement equipment, has introduced the Symphonie iPackGPS, an upgraded communications module used to transmit wind resource data from the field.

Compatible with GSM, CDMA or Satellite networks, the iPackGPS offers automated GPS coordinate reporting, updates for Symphonie iPackGPS firmware and configuration settings remotely, variable call interval range, and an upgraded data logger display to support users in troubleshooting directly from the field.

NRG
Windpower Booth 2953
www.nrg.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

FreeWave data radios allow keeping tabs on wind turbines with data transmissions for condition monitoring, SCADA data, met towers, and productivity reporting. Met towers and wind turbines would transmit data to a nearby (line of sight) O&M office, which is more likely to have an internet connection to those responsible for interpreting the data.

Vibration monitoring
A common monitoring solution wires certain equipment in the nacelle. Many operators, however, find it is unfeasible to install additional wire. This is more true for turbines in remote locations and for the high costs associated with installing additional wire. Sometimes, it’s simply not possible to run wire back to the O&M office.

In these situations, wireless technologies have become an option for various monitoring applications in the renewable energy industries, including wind power. Satellite systems, for example, have generally reliable broadband capabilities, but involve monthly recurring costs. Cell-phone systems function in a similar fashion, use existing networks of communication devices and have monthly charges. When users are within range of a cell tower, these systems are a simple solution for sending data back to the O&M office. However, the monthly costs associated with satellite or cell phone systems become a burden on an operating budget.

More recently, operators can choose Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) radios to send critical vibration data to the O&M office without the added cost of a fiber installation and monthly, or reoccurring, fees that tend to accompany cellular and satellite solutions. FHSS radios are well suited for installations in remote locations and difficult environments. They can reliably transmit real-time data up to 60 miles line-of-sight. In terms of the key drivers associated with adopting wireless technologies, the cost benefits are the most intuitive. A few other drivers include:

• Installation savings are probable because wirelessly connected assets cost as little as 10% of the wired alterative and offer faster startups and accelerated profits. In addition, engineering costs reduce significantly because extensive surveys and planning are no longer required to route wire back to junction boxes or control rooms.
• Better information comes by replacing manual readings with automated measurements that give more accurate, timely, and consistent information.
• Economy of scale allows deploying additional points to a network at incremental cost and may include integration into legacy systems.
• Operational savings come from actively focusing on condition monitoring that supports predictive maintenance. Savings also come by identifying turbine problems before they become a costly issue.
• Safer operations result when making more frequent measurements that allow early detection of issues, which helps reduce or even prevent incidents or accidents.

Evaluating the attributes of various wireless technologies allows making essential decisions that guarantee successful implementation of a wireless architecture. Attributes include the RF technology, security, interference rejection, sensitivity, and power management. Furthermore, it’s necessary to determine whether or not new systems interface with existing equipment to preserve investments in existing infrastructure. The determination might also be made with respect to the radio providers’ commitment to backward compatibility to extend the life of the system and drive down the overall lifetime cost of implementation.

Conventional condition-monitoring equipment hard wires sensors to data acquisition systems and controllers. But landlines may be unavailable when the wind farm is remotely located.

Hybrid options
Hybrid networks, a blend of different technologies, are often important to consider especially in the wind-power markets. Wind installations can be remote. In such locals situations, there are benefits to implementing a system that uses data radios from location to location with a satellite modem at a site-data concentrator. Hybrid networks might also include a mix of fiber, data radios, and satellite or cell phone-based equipment. A hybrid system can be a more cost-effective and useful solution for remote networks through lower hardware costs, fewer points requiring monthly fee-based satellite or cell-connection modems, and lower power-consuming equipment.

For example, consider a 10-turbine wind farm in an isolated region. Land-line access does not exist. Cell coverage is not present, although there is satellite coverage. A viable hybrid solution would include data radios on each turbine communicating to one “master station” turbine. The radios can provide reliable communications with backwards compatibility without monthly fees. At the master station, a master radio wired to a satellite modem uplinks data to and from the wind farm.

This system eliminates monthly fees for nine of the ten towers. The ability to gather time-critical information, digest it, and react upon it is key to continuously adapting to change with increasing reliability and profitability.

Standard RS232 ports on FreeWave radios make for simple connections.

No single type of wireless technology solves all problems. Therefore, it becomes important to evaluate necessary monitoring, management, and security capabilities to ensure the wireless architecture selected maximizes limited resources. At the same time, the equipment must let disparate applications share the spectrum within the context of their importance and time sensitivity.

FHSS wireless data radios can reliably serve as the Ethernet link between a wind turbine and O&M office. Wind-power companies are finding that the right wireless provider and installation can be equally effective and far less expensive than a wired solution. Reliable wireless devices are easily installed as operators inspect wind turbines nearing the end of their warranties. After deployment, the turbines get continuous real-time monitoring that indicates vibration issues before they cause damage.

WPE

Windpower Engineering & Development

Since it is battery operated, the MotorAnalyzer can be used to test electric motors even under difficult circumstances (e.g. when the test object is placed on a crane). The operator will be able to make a clear “good/bad” statement via the 11 test methods and modern software analyses with optimum graphic support through the graphics display.

The MotorAnalyzer is available through Motor Diagnostic Systems

Windpower Engineering & Development