Kit media
Cetim announces new test bed that replicates the drive train of a wind turbine to scale 1/100 in terms of power and functions Variable speed. This bench has a motor at each end. Objective: to develop predictive maintenance tools.
In France, by 2020, 20% of the energy consumed should come from renewable energies. According to the Grenelle de l'Environnement projections, half of this energy should be supplied by wind power.
In this rapidly developing market, equipment reliability is a major issue. Due to the particular operating conditions (complex kinematic chain for monitoring, random and severe operating conditions in terms of temperature or accessibility, low rigidity of the assembly, etc.), any breakage or failure indeed generates very significant costs.
Detect faults as early as possible
In order to ensure predictive maintenance of this type of equipment, Cetim is working to develop tools to monitor the state of health of a rotating machine in real time. Objective: to predict the residual life of the equipment by taking into account the cumulative load and the vibratory environment. This involves detecting faults as early as possible by analyzing vibration and acoustic emission signals, then merging the information with the estimate of the service life.
To achieve this result, Cetim has developed a test rig which reproduces the drive train of a wind turbine scale 1/100 in terms of power, which operates at variable speed with a motor at each end. One is used to simulate the wind which drives the propeller, the other represents the generator. Between the two motors, there is the main bearing with a bearing which takes up the axial and radial forces due to the stresses of the wind on the blades and the self-weight of the propeller. The device comprises a two-stage 1/100 ratio multiplier with an epicyclic train and a parallel shaft train.
Degrade elements
The tests carried out on the bench aim to degrade mechanical elements such as bearings, transmission shafts, and the multiplier. This is in order to better understand the residual lifespan of these components, and to progress in the vibration detection and by acoustic emission of defects.
The bench will thus make it possible to:
- define the instrumentation adapted to a severe environment,
- develop robust signal processing methods to detect faults in real operating conditions at variable speed,
- merge the data from the various sensors to integrate them into an equipment monitoring system to make it autonomous and intelligent.
Tests have already been carried out on this bench within the framework of three projects.
Find out more: www.cetim.fr
