How do you measure the movements of a wind turbine blade in operation, and how do you link these movements to the turbine’s energy production? At first glance, it may sound like a simple task, but when you consider the scale of today’s wind turbines—with blade lengths of around 80 meters—it can quickly become a complex undertaking to measure.
Add to that the challenges of installing measurement equipment externally on a wind turbine at heights of more than 100 meters and operating in all kinds of wind and weather, day and night, and you have a real challenge. Nevertheless, this was the starting point for an exciting assignment from Vestas.
Vestas wanted to measure and analyze the dynamics of wind turbine blades up to 80 meters long during operation and link these movements to the turbine’s energy production—under demanding conditions at great height and in changing weather.
A camera-based measurement instrument based on a PXI real-time system, FPGA, and modular software, with real-time data analysis, data compression, and extensive server-based data storage.
A flexible and robust measurement system that can collect and analyze large volumes of data from wind turbine blades in operation and provide Vestas with valuable insights into blade dynamics and turbine performance.
One of the system requirements was that it had to be able to measure blade dynamics on blade lengths of up to 80 metres. In addition, it also had to be able to forward measurement results to our data acquisition system, which GPower has delivered in full.
– Vestas
In collaboration with Vestas’ engineers, we initially mapped the system’s operational requirements. It is important to meet current requirements, but just as important is to create a solution that can be adapted to future requirements for new blades, changed operating conditions, and desired features. This significantly increases return on investment and minimizes the time from idea to action when new needs arise.
The solution was a custom-designed, camera-based measurement instrument involving a high-performance real-time PXI system with a large FPGA for real-time data analysis and a PC server with 12 TB of storage for raw data. This system, mounted in and on the blade, operates while the wind turbine is running.
The system provides real-time data acquisition and analysis, continuous transmission of processed measurement data to third parties, and backup of all raw data for later review and system optimization. It was also necessary to implement real-time lossless data compression in order to move the enormous amount of raw data over the network at all. In addition, a live-view function was developed, enabling remote monitoring during installation and operation. This live view also facilitated troubleshooting during development.
We would definitely recommend GPower to others who need experts for innovative development projects in test and measurement.
– Vestas
As always at GPower, the measurement instrument is built with modular software, making it easy to adapt the instrument to different needs via configuration. The configuration allows, for example, adaptation to different blade dimensions, and it also allows hardware replacement so that the right balance between measurement parameters can be set. Features that enable Vestas to quickly adapt the instrument themselves to current and future blades.
At GPower, we were responsible for the design, development, and implementation of both the hardware and the software. In addition, we were involved in developing the analysis algorithm to interpret the measured data. The equipment has now run several measurement campaigns since September 2018 and has generated valuable knowledge for understanding blade dynamics.
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!
