WTSMonit: Wind Turbine Structure Monit

Smarter Asset Management can cut costs dramatically for operators. After more than two decades of delivering subsea and topside instrumentation in harsh environments, for clients with the world’s toughest requirements – we are now offering our technology and expertise to the offshore wind power market.

—In the offshore wind power market, as in any other industry, the need for asset control is ever present. Effective and efficient asset management is crucial for maintaining reliability and being a successful operator. Operators can now monitor key risk-based inspection points with one integrated sensor package and followed up remotely to avoid unnecessary physical visits to each turbine, says CEO Torkel Fyrvik.

Based on (ultra) sound technology

Access to already existing technology and expertise enables Sensorlink to solve this problem before other satisfactory remote monitoring solutions have even reached the market.

Sensorlink has been delivering sensors for nearly 20 years. The groundwork for the uniquely new Condition Monitoring system is based on this engineering expertise. With a focus on accurate measurements, robust hardware, and the user-friendly data collection the Condition Monitoring system delivers a single system interface to several integrity challenges facing offshore wind turbines. The wind turbine monitoring technology is close in design and application to the popular Swarm-technology.

User friendly

Thanks to small and easily installable sensors, operators can install a series of small, cost effective and accurate sensors on selected locations. Since the sensors monitor continually, maintenance and operations can be planned in real time.

The sensor offers a unique integrated set of services:

Corrosion and erosion sensors in WTSMonit enable the system to measure corrosion and erosion on the wind turbine structure, especially in the mud zone for fixed units and in the splash zone for both fixed and floating units, to uphold asset integrity.

Further, movement sensors in WTSMonit monitor the bending force exerted on fixed structures, in addition to the roll- and pitch motion on floating units. These movements can affect the apparent wind speed at the nacelle, which is why the roll- and pitch motion measurements can be used by the generator control system to optimize the pitch of the blades.

Finally, humidity sensors measure the humidity inside the turbine. Around 20% of wind turbine downtime and breakdowns are related to humidity factors. Thus, monitoring humidity allows for increased planning and maintenance. The humidity can cause issues such as corrosion, condensation leading to mechanical and electrical problems, as well as mould, fungi and bacterial growth – where the latter creates health and safety issues for the service teams.

Further, with WTSMonit you can add customizable features such as:

• Functionality of cathodic protection
• Location movement (GPS/ Inertial positioning)
• Vibration measurements

A combination of earlier success formulas

— At Sensorlink we are always looking for new applications and markets for our technology. By adapting our technology for the wind turbine market, we are combining the best aspects from our existing subsea and topside deliveries, adds Torkel Fyrvik. For more information – or a discussion about the possibilities with WTSMonit? Contact us.