Catalog helps select the right sensor
November 16, 2011 by Paul Dvorak
Filed under Maintenance, Turbine Sensors, Wind Power News
This nearly 1,200-page resource details the company’s family of capacitive, inductive, weld immune, special application, NAMUR, ultrasonic, and photoelectric sensors.
Pepperl+Fuchs has introduced edition 1.0 of the company’s North American Sensor Catalog and Selection Guide. This nearly 1,200-page resource details the company’s family of capacitive, inductive, weld immune, special application, NAMUR, ultrasonic, and photoelectric sensors. It also details the company’s rotary encoders, cordsets, special function devices, and accessories. Complete product specifications, benefits, and ordering information are included. More than 60 pages of the guide are dedicated to educational resource material.
Pepperl+Fuchs
http://www.pepperl-fuchs.us/usa/en/17733.htm
Hall effect series with 4 to 20mA output
October 6, 2011 by Windpower Engineering
Filed under Electrical Systems, Turbine Design, Turbine Sensors
The continuous shortage of Hall Effect sensors is trouble for manufacturers. But Premo’s family of Hall effect sensors have an output current with a fixed range of 4 to 20mA. The new series provides a linearity <0.5% with a ±1% accuracy levels. The bandwidth is up to 6kHz with a response time less than 200 ms. The offset drift-versus-temperature is as low as 0.5 µA/ºC and consumption of the circuit is only 30 mA at no current condition.
Premo Group
www.grupopremo.com
WPE
Wind sensor tech – a guide
August 29, 2011 by Paul Dvorak
Filed under Turbine Sensors, Wind Power News
The brochure provides an overview of the world’s most comprehensive selection of sensing technologies for wind energy applications.
A brochure, Sensor Technology for Wind Energy Applications, provides an overview of the world’s most comprehensive selection of sensing technologies for wind energy applications, and highlights. Pepperl+Fuchs has 10+ years experience in providing reliable sensing solutions to the industry. Sensor Technology for Wind Energy Applications also provides helpful illustrations of these technologies as applied in typical wind turbine applications, including, pitch control, yaw positioning, generator rpm monitoring, and brake-pad position and wear monitoring. Other applications include rotor and hub angular position detection, cable twist sensing, and service hoist controls.
Pepperl+Fuchs,
www.pepperl-fuchs.us
How are sensors used on wind farms?
May 17, 2011 by Windpower Engineering
Filed under Maintenance, Wind Basics
Wind farms run on sensors. They make condition monitoring and SCADA systems possible. Without sensors, no system can be controlled. One pearl of wisdom often dropped by control engineers says that a control is only as good as what it measures, and an event cannot be controlled if it cannot be measured. For wind professionals, the most important sensors are vibration, temperature, and pressure. There are others, such as debris monitors for oil.
Expect to find sensors in more places in part because they are getting cheaper and MEMS manufacturing techniques are making them smaller. In addition, more powerful, less expensive sensors will allow their use in more places than previously possible. Smart sensors will allow making control- based decisions at a node, such as turn-on devices, flip-circuit breakers, or send trend data. Expect to see more intelligence at the node.
Sensors come in all sizes. A laser-based wind sensor, for instance, sits in a pod and mounts to the top of a nacelle. Particle sensors look for debris in oil. Small ones occupy less than 150 in.3 yet provide contamination control. A few features include monitoring system contamination trends, and early warning LEDs or digital-display indicators that tell of low, medium, and high contamination levels.
More recently, sensors and their controls allow for adjustments to yaw misalignment, rotor imbalance, and even blade damage. When running below rated power, a 10° yaw misalignment reduces power output by about 5%. Sensors that provide data on mass and aerodynamic imbalances allow early action to maximize power generation and avoid damage. And sensors can tell of damage affecting the structural or aerodynamic performance of a blade, allowing early remedial action.
In a related development, recent CANbus compatible valve controllers working under the CANopen protocol, have bandwidth to accommodate almost any practical load of control signals plus inputs from sensors that monitor valve and actuator performance. By identifying small degradations in performance, sensors and software in today’s systems can schedule preventive maintenance and even component replacement during scheduled downtime
Catalog features sensors for wind and solar
April 28, 2011 by Kathleen Zipp
Filed under Electrical Systems, Turbine Sensors
One sensor manufacturer has a new catalog with a range of rotary position sensors applicable to the wind and solar industries. ASM Sensors, Inc. has included their Posirot sensors, as well as their single and dual axis inclinometers, Positilt.
ASM says its Posirots use a permanent magnet to translate the angular position to the sensing element, while the PRAS/PRDS series uses an absolute, non-contact magnetic measurement technology. Furthermore, the PMIS series consists of an increment encoder with a MR-read head and a permanent magnet wheel with multiple magnetic poles. The PMIS series also offers high resolution models that yield up to 300k+ pulses per revolution.
Finally, the manufacturer says Positilt inclinometers are based on MEMS technology, which is known for its high accuracy, reliability, and stability. These inclinometers are also available in rugged, stainless steel housings to ensure a long life even under extreme environmental conditions.
ASM Sensors, Inc.
More on monitoring
December 21, 2010 by Kathleen Zipp
Filed under Electrical Systems, Turbine Design
There is a choice of SIL 2 and SIL 3 (Safety Integrity Levels in accordance with EN 62061) for all types. UL/ETL approval is available.
Flexible monitoring electronics means being able to be adapt to any kind of safety sensor system. This is what the “eloFlex” system from elobau has been designed for: flexibility of parameter selection for logic control of sensor inputs and relay outputs. This means the type of sensor can be freely chosen for each of the four inputs on the control unit. The user can choose between normally-open/normally-open sensors and emergency-stop types, as well as the normally-open/normally-closed input type. In the latter case, the order in which the two contacts are actuated is not taken into account. In addition, operation as two-hand safety control can be selected for two-sensor inputs. The monitoring of 24V PNP outputs, such as is standard for safety light curtains, is also possible.
The control unit has four outputs where one or more of the four input sensors can be assigned via a freely selectable logic gate (AND, OR, NAND, NOR, XOR and XNOR). A delay time of between 0 and 99.9 s can be set in 100 ms steps for each safety output. In addition, there is an output for error messages available that can be linked to an SPLC (as an example). Separate inputs are available for monitoring external gates. Elobau provides the programming and validation of the required configuration and then tests the functionality of the safety evaluation unit using a special test program. This saves valuable configuration and test programming time/cost for the end user. In addition, each unit is very clearly identified by a unique part number that identifies the specific programming contained.
Elobau www.elobau.com
IP68-rated hall sensors detect gear rotational and speed
November 22, 2010 by Paul Dvorak
Filed under Condition Monitoring, Wind Power News, Wind Turbine Gearboxes
The housing allows using the sensors in a diverse range of applications indoors and out. MTRM 16 magnetic hall sensors can be used for motor current control, slip control, roll-back prevention, wheel-slide prevention, optimized starting/braking, and speed control and evaluation.
A sensor for rotational direction and rpm of gears and engines has been introduced by Baumer Group. The MTRM 16 magnetic hall sensor is IP68-rated to operate reliably in harsh environments. The compact sensor has an operating voltage range from 8 to 28 Vdc. With a maximum switching frequency of 20 kHz, the durable sensor withstands temperatures from -40 to +120°C. The sensor’s IP67-rated M12 metal housing features a front face made of stainless steel protecting the sensor’s electronics from aggressive environments. The non-contact sensing principle minimizes abrasive wear and therefore maintenance. The company guarantees it a long-term, trouble free use.
The high speed MTRM 16 hall sensor meets stringent railroad standards, making it ideal for use on wind turbines and other heavy-duty applications. The completely sealed and coated all-metal housing allows continuously exposing the sensor to harsh liquids such as gear oils.
Baumer Group
Two sensors per blade makes turbine safer
August 3, 2010 by KRemington
Filed under Maintenance, Mechanical Components, Turbine Blades, Wind Power News, Wind Safety
(Above) The lower proximity sensor monitors the hub position.
The pitch control system is among the most important on a wind turbine, say engineers at German turbine manufacturer Vensys Energy AG. The control measures, monitors, and adjusts the working angle of the rotor blades on a wind turbine, which can change its power output. The control also turns the rotor into the wind on start-up, and when operating, it adjusts the blade’s working angle to hold the power output near constant despite changing wind conditions. And during storms, the pitch control positions the blades out of the wind to prevent damage.
“A malfunction can have fatal consequences,” says Vensys’ Director of Electro-Technology Stephan Joeckel. To prevent mishaps, Vensys equips its controls with inductive sensors from Turck Inc, Minneapolis. Each wind turbine has six uprox+ sensors—two on each blade—simultaneously determining the rotor position. Data from all sensors let the controls ensure each blade is in a correct position.
The pitch drive also differs a bit from other turbines. For instance, power transmits between pitch motor and rotor blade through a maintenance-free toothed belt that distributes load across several teeth, thus minimizing wear and increasing safety and reliability.
In one year, Vensys equipped 60 of its wind turbines with Turck sensors. “So far, we have only had good experiences,” says Joeckel. “In addition, the sensor has a high electromagnetic compatibility. The characteristic plays a significant
Vensys Energy turbines in China and elsewhere use several sensors to monitor blade pitch and hub positions.
role in this application because of their nearness to the generator, and the risk of lightening.”
Lastly, wind plant components must meet high sealing requirements because they are frequently located in coastal regions with salt spray and sand. Standard uprox+ sensors are encased in a chrome-plated brass housing with an IP68 protection, which meets Vensys’ requirements. WPE
Sensor detects fluid properties
November 24, 2009 by Paul Dvorak
Filed under Maintenance, Turbine Sensors
The FPS2800B12C4 is a fluid property sensor that directly and simultaneously measures viscosity, density, dielectric constant, and temperature of a fluid. The sensor, from Visyx Technologies Inc, Freemont, Calif., monitors the direct and dynamic relationship between several physical properties to determine the quality, condition, and contaminant loading of fluids such as hydraulic and gear oils, and other in applications that include wind turbines and industrial equipment. A universal digital CAN J1939 compliant protocol provides easy to connect interface to a main host controller. A simple 4 pin connector allows for cost-effective mounting options. A few other features include a:
- Rugged construction for high pressure and high-flow environments
- Proprietary corrosion and contaminant resistant coating for wetted parts
- Factory calibrated with NIST traceable fluids
- On-board microprocessor for real-time data analysis with 5, 12, or 24-V supply
- Reliable with long-term stability
Compact Weather Stations Help Measure the Wind
November 10, 2009 by Windpower Engineering
Filed under Wind Turbine Controls
Wind is a limited resource. As such, finding areas where one can harvest the most energy from this limited resource is becoming increasingly important in today’s power generation market. Proper turbine selection, controls and siting are among the top of the important decisions list.
Lufft Ventus series of compact weather stations.
Two years ago, Lufft provided a solution to your controls application problems, the WS series of compact ultrasonic weather stations. The Ventus model is ideal for wind turbine control applications and other instances where precise measurement of wind speed and direction is required in cold climates. The model includes a 200W heater for use in cold weather climates and covered design with heated roof. Additionally Lufft USA is offering a demonstration unit for a six month trial period to those who are interested.
The WS200-WS600 and Ventus wind sensor models are designed with different levels of functionality to meet specific weather monitoring applications. The WS600 for example, measures temperature, humidity, precipitation, air pressure, wind direction and wind speed. This sensor data can be polled wirelessly through the UMB or Universal Measurement Bus system.
