New Condition Monitoring module AIC214 and revised software allows operators to monitor more features of wind turbine generators.
Additional features for the secure and continuous acquisition of turbine data for condition monitoring, for the measurement of an unbalance of the rotor and for blade monitoring.
Feldkirch, 7 January 2019 – The new AIC214 Condition Monitoring module from Bachmann introduces a range of additional features which extend the capabilities. The ring buffer enables continuous values to be produced, so the CMS can also be part of your machine or plant protection system, based on values from ISO standards. This also enables continuous monitoring and event triggered recording with no danger of missing any sections of data for remnant life monitoring. The specification includes three extra IEPE channels (which not only measure but also power the sensors) and an increased range of selectable sample rates and filters. The new module features improved signal-to-noise ratio performance through 24bit A-D resolution, giving a dynamic range in excess of 95 decibel. Bachmann is also launching the cut down four channel version AIC206 which provides the same functionality in a reduced-cost package.
The software to drive these modules provides the opportunity to add extra functionality through plug-ins. The goal is integration, to help plant operators use the CMS to identify and monitor all the relevant issues on wind turbines. “There are lots of useful technologies coming to the market to support wind turbines, but if each has its own communications requirements this is a point of failure, and a burden on the wind farm” said David Futter, product manager at Bachmann Monitoring.
By integrating the functionality into a single system, the existing communications and security infrastructure is also used for the additional functionality. “This gives owners a much easier path to holistic health monitoring for their turbines” David Futter suggests.
Bachmann’s first plug in – The Blade Unbalance Calculator – provides a measure of rotor unbalance based on a single additional accelerometer,
a 2D MEMS motion sensor added in the nacelle. The calculator uses a simple mathematical model of the tower to identify both mass and aerodynamic unbalance from this motion. The calculation is merged seamlessly with the normal condition monitoring functions, and so provides this valuable extra information via the existing system.
The Bachmann team is currently working on another feature. A sensor designated for blade monitoring. Visitors to the AWEA Windpower will see the early results. This sensor detects the bending of the blade, which is something that can be used for detecting ice, monitoring the fatigue loads and changing the control to pitch the blades individually to get the most power from the wind.
About Bachmann Electronic GmbH in the wind energy sector
Bachmann electronic, founded in 1970, is an internationally operating high-tech company based in Feldkirch (Vorarlberg, Austria), which provides complete system solutions in the field of automation technology. The company has 451 employees worldwide and is the market leader in the automation of wind turbines, with over 100,000 installed systems and a market share of over 50 percent.
About Bachmann Monitoring GmbH
Bachmann Monitoring GmbH is based in Rudolstadt (Thuringia, Germany) and was established in 1998 with the name µ-Sen. The 50-employee company developed the world’s first condition monitoring system integrated into the control systems of wind turbines. A team of specialist data analysts monitors the condition of about 9000 turbines and detects complex fault patterns at an early stage. Its customers include operational management companies, energy producers and turbine manufacturers.