The present disclosure relates in general to wind turbines, and more particularly to a system and method for determining water contamination in oil of a wind turbine gearbox.
Generally, a wind turbine includes a tower, a nacelle mounted on the tower, and a rotor coupled to the nacelle. The rotor generally includes a rotatable hub and a plurality of rotor blades coupled to and extending outwardly from the hub. Each rotor blade may be spaced about the hub so as to facilitate rotating the rotor to enable kinetic energy to be converted into usable mechanical energy, which may then be transmitted to an electric generator disposed within the nacelle for the production of electrical energy. Typically, a gearbox is used to drive the electric generator in response to rotation of the rotor. For instance, the gearbox may be configured to convert a low speed, high torque input provided by the rotor to a high speed, low torque output that may drive the electric generator.
The gearbox generally includes a gearbox housing containing a plurality of gears (e.g., planetary, ring and/or sun gears as well as non-planetary gears) connected via one or more planetary carriers and bearings for converting the low speed, high torque input of the rotor shaft to a high speed, low torque output for the generator. In addition, each of the gears rotates about a pin shaft arranged within the one or more planetary carriers. Further, a journal bearing is generally positioned around each of the pin shafts between a respective pin shaft and a rotating gear. In addition, lubrication via oil is generally provided between the various bearings and/or the rotating gears.
During operation, in onshore and offshore wind turbines alike, the oil in the gearbox can become contamination with water. Such water compromises the integrity of the oil, thereby decreasing component life. As such, oil sampling is generally required at certain intervals over the lifetime of the wind turbine to monitor the health of the oil as well as the gearbox. Typical oil sampling requires collection from a remote site and shipping of the collection to a laboratory for testing, which can be expensive. In addition, even though the amount requirement for replacement is minimal, the overall replacement process can be time-consuming and/or costly depending on the location of the wind turbine. However, the consequence of continuing to operate the gearbox with contaminated oil is even more costly.
Accordingly, the present disclosure is directed to a system and method for predicting water contamination in oil of a wind turbine gearbox so as to address the aforementioned issues.
Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention
In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a method for determining an amount of water contamination in oil of a gearbox of a wind turbine. It should be understood that the method may be applied to both off-shore and on-shore wind turbines. The method includes receiving, via a controller, one or more operational parameters of the wind turbine. The method also includes receiving, via the controller, one or more weather conditions at the wind turbine. Further, the method includes calculating, via the controller, the amount of water contamination in the oil of the gearbox as a function of the one or more operational parameters of the wind turbine and the one or more weather conditions at the wind turbine. In addition, the method includes implementing a corrective action based on the calculated amount of water contamination in the oil of the gearbox.
In one embodiment, the step of calculating the amount of water contamination in the oil of the gearbox as a function of the one or more operational parameters of the wind turbine and the one or more weather conditions at the wind turbine may include inputting the one or more operational parameters and the one or more weather conditions into at least one physics-based model. For example, in such embodiments, the physics-based model(s) may include an adsorption isotherm model for desiccant, an evaporation model for water from oil, a water vapor pressure model, a water solubility model in oil, a relative humidity to water vapor fraction model, a water mass balance model for air and oil, a leakage flow model for one or more labyrinth seals, an air flow model for air breather, or any other suitable model.
In another embodiment, the operational parameter(s) may include generator speed, a temperature within a nacelle of the wind turbine, a temperature of the oil, differential pressure across the gearbox, oil type, gearbox volume, desiccant specifications, labyrinth leakage flow, water balance in the oil and/or an atmosphere surrounding the wind turbine, an evaporation rate from the water in the oil, absorption, adsorption in desiccant, condensation of the water, and/or water dissolution, or similar or combinations thereof.
In further embodiments, the weather condition(s) at the wind turbine may include air pressure, air temperature, humidity, dew point, wind speed, wind direction, wind turbulence, or any other weather parameter or combinations thereof.
In additional embodiments, the step of implementing the corrective action based on the calculated amount of water contamination in the oil of the gearbox may include scheduling a maintenance procedure. In such embodiments, the step of scheduling the maintenance procedure may include notifying a user, triggering an automated notification or alarm, scheduling an oil sampling procedure, scheduling an oil filtration procedure, replacing a desiccant of the gearbox, replacing the oil in the gearbox, replacing the gearbox, and/or any other suitable maintenance procedures.
In several embodiments, the method may include calculating a remaining desiccant life, a remaining oil life, and/or a remaining bearing life based on the amount of water contamination in the oil of the gearbox.
In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a system for determining an amount of water contamination in oil of a gearbox of a wind turbine. The system includes at least one sensor for monitoring one or more operational parameters of the wind turbine and one or more weather conditions at the wind turbine. In addition, the system includes at least one controller communicatively coupled to the sensor(s). As such, the controller includes one or more processors and one or more memory devices. Thus, the memory device(s) are configured to store computer-readable instructions that when executed by the processor(s) cause the processor(s) to perform one or more operations, including but not limited to receiving the one or more operational parameters of the wind turbine, receiving the one or more weather conditions at the wind turbine, calculating an amount of water contamination in the oil of the gearbox as a function of the one or more operational parameters of the wind turbine and the one or more weather conditions at the wind turbine, and implementing a corrective action based on the calculated amount of water contamination in the oil of the gearbox. It should also be understood that the system may further include any of the additional features described herein.
In yet another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a method for determining an amount of water contamination in oil of a gearbox of a wind turbine. The method includes receiving, via a controller, one or more weather conditions at the wind turbine. The weather condition(s) include air pressure, air temperature, humidity, dew point, wind speed, wind direction, and/or wind turbulence. The method also includes calculating, via the controller, the amount of water contamination in the oil of the gearbox as a function of the one or more weather conditions at the wind turbine. Further, the method includes implementing a corrective action based on the calculated amount of water contamination in the oil of the gearbox. It should also be understood that the method may further include any of the additional features and/or steps described herein.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which:
Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Generally, the present disclosure is directed to a system and method for predicting water in oil contamination for onshore and/or off-shore wind turbines alike. In one embodiment, the system uses a combination of sensor data from the wind turbine, including but not limited to air pressure, air temperature, wind speed, generator speed, nacelle temperature, gearbox oil temperature, desiccant specifications, and/or local weather information as inputs to one or more physics-based models for predicting the rate of contamination of water in the gearbox oil. In addition, additional parameters, such as labyrinth leakage flow, water balance in the oil and/or the atmosphere, evaporation of water from the water in the oil emulsion, absorption, adsorption in desiccant, condensation of the water, and/or water dissolution, may also be included in the physics-based model(s). Thus, the system and method of the present disclosure uses local weather data (e.g. primarily relative humidity) to predict the water contamination in the gearbox oil. Further, the system and method of the present disclosure can eliminate and/or optimize the conventional oil sampling and also improves condition-based maintenance (i.e. replacing the oil only when needed).
Referring now to the drawings,
As shown, the wind turbine 10 may also include a turbine control system or a turbine controller 26 centralized within the nacelle 16. For example, as shown in
Referring now to
In addition, as shown in
In addition, as shown, a wind sensor 76 may be provided on the wind turbine 10. The wind sensor 76, which may for example be a wind vane, and anemometer, and LIDAR sensor, or another suitable sensor, may measure various weather conditions including but not limited to air pressure, air temperature, humidity, dew point, wind speed, wind direction, wind turbulence, or any other weather parameter or combinations thereof.
The sensors 74, 76 described herein may further be in communication with the controller 26, and may provide related information to the controller 26. It should also be appreciated that, as used herein, the term “monitor” and variations thereof indicates that the various sensors of the wind turbine 10 may be configured to provide a direct measurement of the parameters being monitored or an indirect measurement of such parameters. Thus, the sensors described herein may, for example, be used to generate signals relating to the parameter being monitored, which can then be utilized by the controller 26 to determine the condition.
Referring now to
As used herein, the term “processor” refers not only to integrated circuits referred to in the art as being included in a computer, but also refers to a controller, a microcontroller, a microcomputer, a programmable logic controller (PLC), an application specific integrated circuit, and other programmable circuits. The processor 66 is also configured to compute advanced control algorithms and communicate to a variety of Ethernet or serial-based protocols (Modbus, OPC, CAN, etc.). Additionally, the memory device(s) 68 may generally comprise memory element(s) including, but not limited to, computer readable medium (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), computer readable non-volatile medium (e.g., a flash memory), a floppy disk, a compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM), a magneto-optical disk (MOD), a digital versatile disc (DVD) and/or other suitable memory elements. Such memory device(s) 68 may generally be configured to store suitable computer-readable instructions that, when implemented by the processor(s) 66, configure the controller 26 to perform the various functions as described herein.
Referring now to
Further, the gear assembly 38 includes a first planetary carrier 40 and a second planetary carrier 42 operatively coupling a plurality of gears. Further, as shown, the gear assembly 38 includes, at least, a ring gear 41, one or more planet gears 44, a sun gear 46, one or more first pin shafts 43, and one or more second pin shafts 45. For example, in several embodiments, the gear assembly 38 may include one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or more planet gears 44. Further, each of the gears 41, 44, 46 includes a plurality of teeth. The teeth are sized and shaped to mesh together such that the various gears 41, 44, 46 engage each other. For example, the ring gear 41 and the sun gear 46 may each engage the planet gears 44. In addition, it should be understood that the gears 41, 44, 46 described herein may include any suitable type of gears, including but not limited to spur gears, face gears, helical gears, double helical gears, or similar.
In some embodiments, one or both of the planetary carriers 40, 42 may be stationary. In these embodiments, the input shaft 32 may be coupled to the ring gear 41, and input loads on the input shaft 32 may be transmitted through the ring gear 41 to the planet gears 44. Thus, the ring gear 41 may drive the gear assembly 38. In other embodiments, the ring gear 41 may be stationary. In these embodiments, the input shaft 32 may be coupled to the planetary carriers 40, 42, and input loads on the input shaft 32 may be transmitted through the planetary carriers 40, 42 to the planet gears 44. Thus, the planetary carriers 40, 42 may drive the gear assembly 38. In still further embodiments, any other suitable component, such as the planet gear 44 or the sun gear 46, may drive the gear assembly 38.
Still referring to
The gearbox assembly 36 may also include a lubrication system or other means for circulating oil throughout the gearbox components. For example, as shown in
Referring now to
It should be appreciated that, although
As shown at 102, the method 100 includes receiving one or more operational parameters of the wind turbine 10, e.g. via the controller 26. For example, as mentioned, the operational parameter(s) may include generator speed, a temperature within the nacelle 16, a temperature of the oil, differential pressure across the gearbox, oil type, gearbox volume, desiccant specifications, labyrinth leakage flow, water balance in the oil and/or an atmosphere surrounding the wind turbine, an evaporation rate from the water in the oil, absorption, adsorption in desiccant, condensation of the water, and/or water dissolution, or similar or combinations thereof.
As shown at 104, the method 100 also includes receiving one or more weather conditions at the wind turbine 10, e.g. the controller 26. More specifically, in certain embodiments, the weather condition(s) at the wind turbine 10 may include air pressure, air temperature, humidity, dew point, wind speed, wind direction, wind turbulence, or any other weather parameter or combinations thereof.
Thus, as shown at 106, the controller 26 is configured to calculate the amount of water contamination in the oil of the gearbox 36 as a function of the operational parameter(s) of the wind turbine 10 and the weather condition(s) at the wind turbine 10. In such embodiments, the controller 26 may be configured to receive the operational parameter(s) and the weather condition(s) as inputs for at least one physics-based model. As used herein, a physics-based model broadly refers to any model used to generate and visualize constrained shapes, motions of rigid and/or non-rigid objects, and/or object interactions with an environment. As such, in particular embodiments, the physics-based model(s) of the present disclosure may include an adsorption isotherm model for a desiccant, an evaporation model for the water from the oil, a water vapor pressure model, a water solubility model in the oil, a relative humidity to water vapor fraction model, a water mass balance model for the air and the oil, a leakage flow model for one or more labyrinth seals of the gearbox 36, an air flow model for air breather, and/or any other suitable model that correlates weather data to the gearbox oil.
Accordingly, still referring to
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.