This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.
A sample of healthy wind turbines from the same wind farm with identical sizes and designs was investigated to determine the average vibrational signatures of the drive train components during normal operation. The units were variable-speed machines with three blades. The rotor was supported by two bearings, and the drive train connected to an intermediate three-stage planetary/helical gearbox. The nominal 2 MW output power was regulated using blade pitch adjustment. Vibrations were measured in exactly the same positions using the same type of sensors over a six-month period covering the entire range of operating conditions. The data set was preliminary validated to remove outliers based on the theoretical power curves. The most relevant frequency peaks in the rotor, gearbox, and generator vibrations were detected and identified based on averaged power spectra. The amplitudes of the peaks induced by a common source of excitation were compared in different measurement positions. A wind speed dependency of broadband vibration amplitudes was also observed. Finally, a fault detection case is presented showing the change of vibration signature induced by a damage in the gearbox.
Xavier Escaler; Toufik Mebarki. Full-Scale Wind Turbine Vibration Signature Analysis. Machines 2018, 6, 63 .
AMA StyleXavier Escaler, Toufik Mebarki. Full-Scale Wind Turbine Vibration Signature Analysis. Machines. 2018; 6 (4):63.
Chicago/Turabian StyleXavier Escaler; Toufik Mebarki. 2018. "Full-Scale Wind Turbine Vibration Signature Analysis." Machines 6, no. 4: 63.
A series of continuous vibration measurements in 14 upwind wind turbines of the same model and belonging to the same wind farm have been conducted. The data were acquired over a period lasting approximately half a year. The tower axial vibration acceleration has been monitored in the frequency band from 0 to 10 Hz with an accelerometer mounted on the gearbox casing between the intermediate and the high-speed shafts. It has been observed that the average frequency spectrum is dominated by the blade passing frequency in all the wind turbines. The evolution of the vibration magnitudes over the entire range of operating conditions is also very similar for all the wind turbines. The root-mean-square (rms) acceleration value has been correlated with the wind speed, and it has been found that a linear fit with a positive slope is a useful model for prediction purposes.
Xavier Escaler; Toufik Mebarki. Wind Speed Dependency of Low-Frequency Vibration Levels in Full-Scale Wind Turbines. Journal of Solar Energy Engineering 2015, 137, 064505 .
AMA StyleXavier Escaler, Toufik Mebarki. Wind Speed Dependency of Low-Frequency Vibration Levels in Full-Scale Wind Turbines. Journal of Solar Energy Engineering. 2015; 137 (6):064505.
Chicago/Turabian StyleXavier Escaler; Toufik Mebarki. 2015. "Wind Speed Dependency of Low-Frequency Vibration Levels in Full-Scale Wind Turbines." Journal of Solar Energy Engineering 137, no. 6: 064505.