In 2016, Vestas decided to upgrade parts of the measurement systems at their test center in Aarhus in order to analyze and assess whether the components in question were operating optimally. More specifically, this concerned the system they use to measure vibrations in gearboxes and generators.
Vestas’ old system had a number of challenges, one of which was that they had developed the system themselves and therefore also had to handle maintenance and support. They therefore looked for a standard system from a larger supplier, while still retaining the option for subsequent customization. Vestas had identified the product InsightCM from National Instruments, a condition monitoring system that can be extensively tailored to customer needs. However, Vestas did not have the resources to carry out all the work related to installation and customization, and therefore contacted us.
Vestas wanted to replace an internally developed vibration measurement system with a more standardized solution that required less maintenance, while still being adaptable to the organization’s various data needs and able to integrate with existing systems.
Implementation and customization of NI InsightCM for condition monitoring, based on cRIO data acquisition and LabVIEW-developed server extensions, followed by an upgrade to InsightCM version 3.
A more flexible and future-proof measurement system that provides better access to vibration data for more stakeholders, reduces maintenance needs, and enables the use of third-party hardware in future solutions.
With a standardized condition monitoring system, we gain much better access to our vibration data while reducing the time and resources previously spent maintaining our own solution.
– Vestas
While our primary task in this project was to upgrade Vestas’ measurement system for condition monitoring, the project also involved a number of other tasks. For example, the collected data had to be used by various stakeholders in the organization, each of whom needed different subsets of data in different formats. In addition, the upgraded system also had to be able to be loaded into the existing systems and thus used together with data from other sources. These and a number of other requirements meant that extensive customizations and extensions to their system were needed.
InsightCM consists of a server and a number of data acquisition units. While the server consists of a set of applications installed centrally, the data acquisition units consist of cRIO devices, also supplied by National Instruments. When the server and the cRIO devices are on the same network, they can be connected, and the server then receives the measurement data.
To meet the need for data in different formats, we also developed extensions for the server. These were programmed in LabVIEW using a special development kit that can be purchased together with InsightCM.
How can we modernize our vibration measurement system so that we no longer have to maintain a complex, custom-built system ourselves—while also ensuring that data can be easily shared across the organization in a flexible and future-proof solution?
– Vestas
When we implemented the measurement system back in 2016, we did so with InsightCM version 2. However, when National Instruments developed a new and improved version that, among other things, featured a more general and modern technology, we subsequently implemented version 3 in Vestas’ measurement system. In addition to avoiding the need to maintain multiple parallel tracks with the new version, they also avoided being locked into National Instruments hardware for future projects, as version 3 makes it possible to use third-party hardware.
As a result, it will not be possible to complete purchases today, and throughout the day only the Danish version of the website will be available.
If you have any questions, or if you would like to make a purchase during the day, you are—as always—very welcome to contact us:
Gabrielle, Marketing Manager: +45 5190 5790.
Thank you for your understanding—we look forward to welcoming you to our new website!
