CBMvisionMD is a cost-effective online, wireless, condition-based monitor that installs easily to periodically monitor and diagnose assets. It can archive and deliver near real-time diagnostics and detailed machine condition data globally using cloud computing and the developer’s CBMvision Explorer Software.

CBMvisionMD is a mobile diagnostic system that lets users monitor rotating machinery on an on-going basis. The system can collect data for hours, days, or months, as necessary to collect the required data and can be easily moved to another machine or site when the task is complete. Cloud-based technology ensures the data is available anywhere in the world in near real time.

CBMvisionMD is built on the philosophy of easy installation, rapid configuration, and clear diagnostics, and is intended for remote applications, such as wind turbines, pumping stations, offshore platforms, or for collecting additional data on-site when a hand-held device will not suffice. 3G/4G cellular communication technology makes data transfer easy and secure. The right information gets to the right people, at the right time, anywhere in the world.

 CBM Enterprise Solutions LLC
Cbmenterprise.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 Magnum 10C computer lets applications withstand extreme temperatures, power surges, and fast transients, as well as other issues present in harsh environments.

The Magnum 10C substation-hardened computer is said to provide mission-critical applications in harsh environments. The computer lets applications withstand extreme temperatures, power surges, and fast transients, as well as other issues present in harsh environments. Options include a sealed chassis and convection cooling using a GarrettCom-patented thermal design. The substation computer meets or exceeds IEC 61850 and IEEE 1613 global standard to support substation communications needs with error-free operation.

“Our 10-Series product family offers a new generation of innovation in hardened substation solutions to support today’s smart-grid initiatives and the evolving needs of data-intensive industrial applications,” said Lee House, general manager. “The Magnum 10C substation-hardened computer and previously announced Magnum 10KT Managed Switch and 10ETS Ethernet Terminal Server products ensure mission-critical applications will run in the most extreme environmental conditions. Substation designers and operators also benefit from the reduced cost of deployment and energy efficiency the 10-Series product family provides.”

The computer is built on the low-power consuming 1.6 Hz Intel Atom processor. Tests indicate its support for multiple operating systems including Windows 7, Windows XP/XPE; Linux OpenSUSE, Ubuntu, and Debian. The Magnum 10C has two Ethernet ports, six USB ports and six optional serial ports, as well as a 16GB flash drive and optional disk bays.

A backup power supply and hot-swappable replacements give the computer offers the highest level of reliability available in substation-hardened computers. Dual hot-swappable power supplies are available with multiple voltage options, including 90 to 250V ac-dc, 50-60 Hz, IA, 85W high voltages, and 22 to 60 Vdc, 4.5A and 81W low voltages. Access the Magnum 10C  data sheet here.

GarrettCom LLC
www.garrettcom.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

Transformers serve as a hub for collection and distribution of energy changing the voltage level at different locations of the grid. They are a key component of the Smart Grid, loosely defined as an automated, widely distributed energy delivery network, characterized by a two-way flow of electricity and information, and capable of monitoring everything from power plants to customer preferences to individual appliances.

There is some ways to go before the vision of the Smart Grid is realized, but recently monitoring transformers has taken a leap forward, as energy production sites seek solutions to lower maintenance costs. Remote monitoring is seeing increasingly wider use especially remote wind farms and solar-powered production sites where having someone present to monitor transformers at fixed intervals is a costly proposition. As more renewable energy production sites come online, utilities have been investing in monitoring technology that keeps labor costs to a minimum.

Predictive maintenance gains favor over preventive

Remote monitoring and communication capabilities let utilities conduct “predictive” maintenance of transformers, which means conducting maintenance only when a parameter starts deviating from a pre-set standard. This typically does not occur at a pre-determined interval. Remote management let operators“see” how a transformer is operating and send someone to fix it only when it’s necessary.

The schematic show how Visizmax would network a wind farm for predictive maintenance.

Daniel Lambert, of Vizimax, a Montreal, Canada-based company that offers remote monitoring and control systems for public utilities and the industrial and private sectors, notes that remote management is being widely embraced, especially as operators need more profitable maintenance functions. “It is similar to today’s cars that tell you when to change your oil or conduct other maintenance based on specific driving habits,” said Lambert. “Rather than changing your oil at 6,000 mile intervals, electronic sensors can determine if you do mainly city or highway driving and signal the need for an oil change accordingly. That basic principle has been adapted for use in monitoring transformers.”

When maintenance is done purely in preventive mode, operators have no idea what is really happening inside and next to the transformer, and may tend to unnecessarily shorten intervals between each maintenance activity. With predictive monitoring, utilities can save money by having a real understanding of the key transformer parameters, which include temperature, liquid level, pressure vacuum, outgoing voltage, and ingoing voltage.

Utilities that conduct preventive maintenance programs usually use either time or quantity of energy consumed as the determining factor. Once they install remote monitoring capabilities, most switch to predictive-maintenance modes. Payback on the investment in remote monitoring equipment is estimated between 9 and 15 months.

Among those moving in the direction of this type of remote monitoring are GE, Siemens, Alstom Grid (Areva T&D), Schneider Electric, BHEL, Crompton Greaves, New York Power Authority, National Grid, Power Grid of India, and Hydro-Quebec, among others.

Building transformers that incorporate digital monitoring

Many transformer manufacturers are recognizing this growing demand for online transformer monitoring products and diagnostic services, and investing in building them, especially for step-up transmission, high-voltage transformers.

These technologies will be critical for improving grid reliability and helping utilities avoid transformer failures and resultant blackouts. They will also reduce maintenance costs and defer capital expenditures by extending a transformer’s useful life.

In addition to monitoring vital statistics such as temperature, pressure, and vacuum levels, there has also been a burgeoning interest in conducting dissolved gas analysis (DGA) of the oil in transformers. A DGA takes samples of an oil’s exhaust gases to determine if events have occurred that might be detrimental to the transformer and reduce its life. Industrial transformer maintenance people and utilities are setting up these planned sampling programs, using online devices that can monitor oil quality.

This can greatly improve reliability, because users will know in advance when something has to be replaced, rather than risk unscheduled outages. For food-processing plants and mills, which can lose millions of dollars when power is interrupted, this type of sampling program is being undertaken to ensure reliable power.

Transformers in place now are already using various smart devices for load switching. In the 21st century, the move will be towards monitoring systems that promote transformer reliability. Ensuring reliability on the grid by replacing equipment before it fails and anticipating upcoming problems is what transformer manufacturers will be focusing on.

Remote monitoring equipment

The latest technology used for remote transformer monitoring includes a combination of a remote terminal unit, a programmable language controller, a gateway (a network node equipped for interfacing with another network that uses different protocols), and a protocol converter. The complete monitoring system is usually placed in service by a system integrator or a power manufacturer.

One type of control panel can show the essentials for each turbine. Why is #2 not producing?

An example of one such system is Vizimax’s RightWON, a secure, modular, rugged automation remote terminal unit (RTU), programmable logic controller (PLC), gateway, communication conversion protocol platform that connects circuit breakers, transformers, IEDs, meters, sensors, control and monitoring devices at the substation level or anywhere on the distribution network. In addition to energy applications, the monitoring devices are used in water and telecommunications monitoring.

The unit is for remote management applications, providing support for equipment through its data acquisition, monitoring, control and remote maintenance functions. At renewable energy sites, the system shuts down and locks circuit breakers (CBs) and inverters remotely, which avoids traveling to an energy-production site for distribution-line maintenance. The production site is still operational while maintenance is occurring on the network.

The unit is often used in substations, where it usually connects to transformers, circuit breakers, intelligent electronic devices (IEDs), protective relays, and meters through the electric utility’s private network. In some instances, in can be used strictly for monitoring transformers in substations, using wireless connectivity (through GSM, GPRS, 3G or CDMA networks). Parameters such as temperature, liquid level, pressure vacuum, outgoing voltage, and ingoing voltage will be measured and transferred to a utility’s supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system. Wireless monitoring calls for specialized Web service interfaces.

The system makes it economical to conduct monitoring, because it can convert older controls and sensors already implemented to newer communication protocols without having to replice or modify them. The monitoring system connects to the SCADA using fiber optic cables or web interface through a wireless device. It offers a remote and local view on event logs charting key assets status changes and alarm signals about exceeding thresholds.

Remote access is made possible through networking, security, and telecommunication functions, and is supported by a broad range of integrated interfaces. These interfaces support a wide variety of industrial protocols (IEC 61850, DNP3, ModBus, and IEC 60870) as well as Web access and remote maintenance functions. The information collected is easily viewed on smart phones from anywhere, any time. The system supports sending notifications by email, text messages, or pager. Users who receive a message can access the system using a Web browser to view the data and operate the site remotely.

The system is IEC 61850 KEMA certified and can also be used for a variety of other Smart Grid applications, including remote default detection and automated reclose/disconnect operations within distribution networks, and alarms and operational data broadcast and commands, usually to or from the SCADA of power utilities, IPPs, integrators and equipment manufacturers’ team management applications.

Monitoring equipment also used in re-energizing transformers

In addition, new flux management monitoring technology is being deployed more at the end of transmission lines during re-energizing a transformer, a regular process that takes place every time a production site connects to the grid. The need to re-energize varies considerably, but there are always times when required maintenance requires stopping the connection between the production site and transmission lines. When maintenance is completed, the transformer must be re-energized.

The flux management units avoid network inrush that may create network outages while transformers are re-energized, something that in the past had been a frequent occurrence. This is extremely important, because several hours of lost revenue in a month can mean the difference between a profitable energy production site and an unprofitable one.

The system calculates the residual flux while a transformer is reenergized at the last operation, and ensures that the next transformer operation is performed at the exact millisecond such that residual flux is identical to the previous operation, which minimizes current inrush and stress on both the high voltage transformer and circuit breaker.

The unit measures relevant parameters from the transformer and sends a command to the circuit breaker of the transformer to achieve this operation. Using this equipment increases the quality of the network, decreases network outages, and decreases the frequency and the cost of maintenance operations.

Last thoughts

Remote monitoring makes it possible to manage maintenance of remote power equipment in the field in a predictive mode instead of the more traditional and more expensive preemptive or preventive mode. By remotely monitoring power equipment in remote locations, electric utilities now only must execute maintenance operations on their equipment when it is required. This is going a long way to cutting costs for the many renewable energy production sites that are coming online.

Pacific Crest Transformers
http://www.pacificcoasttransformers.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

The idea is to mount sensors on bearings, gearboxes, and generators. Pressure sensors can tell that the hydraulic system is up and running, while temperature sensors report on general oil, bearing, and generator conditions. Accelerometers, however, may be most useful because they can track vibration in a bearing or gear train and, with special software called Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), provide useful information such as vibration frequency, which helps identify a particular bearing or gear. Then as a bearing wears, its frequency amplitude increases. This signal can be monitored from a location well away from the wind farm. The specifics of condition monitoring, however, are changing fast with many ideas for how it can be done.

Today’s accelerometers are extremely compact, which allows easily mounting them near rotating components such as bearings and gears. Typical installation is by glue on mounting bases that require no modifications to turbine components.

The process, according to one expert, breaks into four action points: identify accelerometer locations inside the turbine, determine a monitoring method appropriate for each location, analyze the data, and communicate the data collection.

Other condition-monitoring issues involve adapting traditional sensors to today’s larger distributed base of wind turbines. These have thousands of measurement points which diminish the cost effectiveness and adds additional system and organization complexity. By applying recent devices such as MEMS accelerometers and low-cost digital signal converters with ethernet communication, wind-farm operators can deploy condition-monitoring systems without a high level of vibration analysis knowledge, say some experts.

Effective blade-load sensing, a relatively new capability, allows rotor monitoring and load measuring on the turbine hub. Such a system can be designed-in during manufacturing or retrofitted. The system detects operation and maintenance issues such as blade icing, in which the system lets operators predict when they ought to shut down turbines because blade damage or “ice throw” is possible. Sensing when the ice has been shed from a blade also lets operators restart sooner. Such controls and sensors would allow for adjustments to:

• Yaw misalignments. When running below rated power, a 10° yaw misalignment reduces power output by about 5%.

• Rotor imbalance. Sensors that provide data on mass and aerodynamic imbalances allow early action to maximize power generation and avoid damage.

• Blade damage. Sensors can detect damage affecting the structural or aerodynamic performance of a blade, allowing early remedial action.

Also, sensors that count particles in oil may give a better idea when the oil needs cleaning or changing.

Windpower Engineering & Development

Research will be conducted near Marseilles, Illinois on a GE 1.5-MW wind turbine, like this one, operated and maintained by Invenergy.

GE says it is working with Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) to investigate ways to improve wind-farm productivity and efficiency. Results of the study will directly contribute to future product and service designs. The project is part of a larger Department of Energy (DOE) investment of $9 million to an IIT-led consortium to enhance the leadership of the U.S. in testing and producing the most advanced and efficient wind turbines in the world.

The two-year project will focus on helping wind farms reduce maintenance costs and improve availability through predictions of impending problems. The project’s research will be conducted near Marseilles, Illinois on a GE 1.5-MW wind turbine operated and maintained by Invenergy, the nation’s largest independent wind power generation company.

“With skyrocketing costs, wind farms must know ahead of time what needs fixing—and what doesn’t,” said Stacey Kacek, GE Intelligent Platforms’ General Manager, Asset Intelligence. “If they have credible early warning of impending equipment problems, farms can prioritize tower inspections, optimize crane usage, and leverage resources in remote locations. Avoiding surprises and taking control of maintenance in a proactive way translates to significant cost savings for the industry.”

IIT students will be conducting research using GE’s Proficy SmartSignal software on the wind turbine to learn how to detect faults even earlier and more accurately than currently possible. The project includes adding more sensors than the industry standard to improve condition-monitoring precision, and enhancing the software model to include measurements of vibration, lube oil, and blade pitch motors. The IIT team will monitor the turbine remotely from the IIT campus and analyze the energy output and overall equipment performance.

“SmartSignal software essentially acts as a supporting experienced operator and technician, leveraging past experience and working 24/7,” said Dave Parta, Project Manager, GE Intelligent Platforms. “In the wind industry, the software monitors sensors on remote turbines and provides exception-based notifications when a turbine is not acting as it should. This is particularly challenging, given constantly changing wind speed, direction, shear, and turbulence. The software collects and analyzes tens of thousands of data points daily on wind farms across the country and provides early warning of impending turbine and instrumentation failures.”

“The project goal is to illustrate how advanced and automated Predictive Diagnostics can improve the availability, reliability, and cost performance of wind power generation,” said Mohammad Shahidehpour, IIT Bodine Professor and Director of the Robert W. Galvin Center for Electricity Innovation. Dr. Shahidehpour is serving as the principal investigator for the consortium. “As a result of this research, we hope to improve the sensoring and modelling of wind farms. We’ll also be developing wind energy courses to address the technical, operational, social, and environmental aspects of wind energy. This will ensure that we have not only the technology, but also the talent necessary to compete and further innovate in the global marketplace.”

GE.com/wind
www.ge-ip.com/smartsignal

Windpower Engineering & Development

The T925 works with AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, Midwest Wireless, Cellular One and 16 international carriers. Depending on customer preference, contracts with cellular providers can either be direct billed to the customer, or billed through developer Xenon by a software-as-a-service model.

Xenon announces the T925 Wireless Cellular Controller for connecting remote wind-project sites with central control and monitoring stations through cellular networks. A T925 remote communications network eliminates need to make hardwired Ethernet connections to the Internet or to an intranet at each remote site. The network operates from any location worldwide with cellular coverage.

Recent widespread proliferation of high-speed 3G and 4G cellular networks has increased communication bandwidth and performance to a level more than sufficient for most industrial automation control and monitoring applications. This makes cellular network communications a best option in many applications because of its superior price-performance ratio along with its ease of installation and use.

A T925 remote communications network lets end users, Scada OEMs, security-monitoring system OEMs, and other firms to monitor and control their automation and monitoring systems through the cellular network at sites thousands of miles away. Typical applications include pipelines, pump stations, and electrical substations.

A remote communication network is usually configured with a T925 at each site. Up to 250, T925s can simultaneously communicate through the cellular network with a virtual personal network (VPN) router installed at a central control and monitoring station. Each T925 is custom-configured by Xenon, and is ready for deployment and operation without communications programming required by the user.

Once one or more T925s and the VPN are installed and communicating, a user need only connect required hardware to the VPN to enable full remote monitoring and control all components connected to the T925 at the remote site. Hardware components at the central control and monitoring station are hardwired to the VPN and are typically one or more PCs running Scada software 

The T925 can be connected to a variety of components at the remote site. It can accept up to seven Ethernet inputs, as well as four digital inputs, four analog inputs, and two temperature inputs, either thermocouples or RTDs. The T925 has four digital relay outputs that can control components and systems at the remote site, and it features on-board data logging with up to 2 gigabytes of storage. 

The T925 also lets users connect to local devices serially through RS232, RS422, and 2 and 4-wire RS485/422 communication links. OPC communications are supported with all digital data links.

The T925’s local HMI operator interface panel with push button inputs gives personnel at the remote site an ability to monitor operation, set alarm ranges and set points, and control local devices. The T925 is housed in a NEMA 4X enclosure suitable for installation in Class 1, Division 2 hazardous area locations, and it meets FCC, C/UL, CSA and CE requirements.

The T925 works with AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, Midwest Wireless, Cellular One and 16 international carriers. Depending on customer preference, contracts with cellular providers can either be direct billed to the customer, or billed through developer Xenon by a software-as-a-service model. Cellular network communications are typically through an always-on cellular gateway, with charges based on data usage.

With a T925 system, communications are transparent between components at the remote sites, and control and monitoring hardware and software at the central station.

Xenon
www.xenoninc.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

TopView Free works like this but monitors only five alarms.

Exele Information Systems, a developer of manufacturing and process control software, has made availabile a free version of its TopView Alarm Management and Notification software. TopView Free is a non-expiring version of TopView intended for applications with at most five monitored points. It provides one Remote Viewer (TopView client) connection. There are many processes and systems with a limited number of critical measurements where it is imperative that measurement conditions are monitored and appropriate personnel notified of the abnormal events.

The software is said to be easy-to-use and works well with various data sources including SCADA, PLC, Historian, and SQL Database products.  “The software has all the same notification, alarm logging, alarm reporting, and alarm-analytic capabilities as the full TopView version. It’s not a trial system that only runs for limited a period,” says Mike Fishman, Exele VP.

Exele Information Systems Inc.
Exele.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

Exele
www.exele.com

WPE

Windpower Engineering & Development

Any wind farm with a Repower turbine and those from other manufacturers can refit with a standard IEC interface for a more uniform look and more efficient plant management.

The REguard Interface B IEC 61400-25 is available for any wind farm that uses REpower turbines. The system means the variety of interfaces that might be used in a wind farm can be replaced by a standardized, international version. Even wind farms with turbines from other manufacturers can be controlled with one interface. This considerably reduces project complexity and susceptibility to error. Operators benefit from more efficient operations and lower investment costs.

IEC 61400-25 describes the multi-manufacturer standardization of communication between the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system and wind farm components, such as the wind turbines or the wind-farm-management system. SCADA  monitors, controls, and it records power station and industrial systems data. REpower Systems is said to offer a comprehensive range of SCADA products under the REguard name. The product includes hardware and software for controlling the turbines, communicating with the wind farm, and visualizing the operating data.

The wind farms are connected by the internet with REguard. In the wind turbines, the REguard Control B control system monitors the operation and technical condition of the turbines with many sensors. This operating data is regularly transmitted to a data centre for user review.

The REguard Interface would be built into control systems of wind farm units. It needs no additional hardware or software. This gives the operator direct access to the turbines. Various wind farm units can also receive control signals to start, stop, and reset. The Power Management Unit can receive, process, and distribute target values over the wind farm units to regulate performance. The Interface also provides a report function in accordance with the IEC standard. Data includes analogue measured values, 10-minute mean values, digital signals, status information, data counters, control signals, and target values for controlling performance.

“The future speaks IEC”, says Repower Systems CTO Matthias Schubert.  “The managers of major power station portfolios must be in a position to “talk” to their turbines. All international wind turbine manufacturers, major energy suppliers, and the independent software manufacturers of SCADA systems are involved in the standardization work required for this. So we expect manufacturer-specific models to be replaced over the next few years by comprehensive systems”.

Repower Systems
www.repower.com

Windpower Engineering & Development