Cetim announces a new test bench reproducing the drive train of a wind turbine on a 1/100 scalee in terms of power and operates at variable speed. The test bench has a motor at each end. The aim is to develop predictive maintenance tools.
In France, by 2020, 20 % of the energy consumed should come from renewable energies. According to Grenelle de l'environnement projections, half of this energy should come from wind power.
In this fast-growing market, equipment reliability is a major issue. Due to the specific operating conditions (complex kinematic chain for monitoring, random and severe operating conditions in terms of temperature or accessibility, low overall rigidity, etc.), any breakage or failure generates very high costs.
Detect defects early
In order to ensure predictive maintenance for this type of equipment, Cetim is developing tools to monitor the health of rotating machines in real time. The aim is to predict the residual service life of equipment, taking into account cumulative load and the vibration environment. The aim is to detect faults as early as possible by analyzing vibration and acoustic emission signals, and then to merge this information with estimated service life.
To achieve this, Cetim has designed a test bench which reproduces the kinematic chain of a wind turbine on a 1/100 scale.e in terms of power, operating at variable speed with a motor at each end. One is used to simulate the wind that drives the propeller, while the other represents the generator. Between the two motors is the main bearing, which takes up the axial and radial forces due to wind loads on the blades and the propeller's own weight. The system features a two-stage, 1/100 ratio gearbox with an epicyclic gear train and a parallel-shaft gear train.
Degrading elements
The tests carried out on the test bench are designed to degrade mechanical components such as bearings, drive shafts and gearboxes. The aim is to gain a better understanding of the residual life of these components, and to make progress in the detection of faults by vibration and acoustic emission.
The bench will allow you to :
- define the instrumentation best suited to a harsh environment,
- develop robust signal processing methods to detect faults in real operating conditions at variable speed,
- merge data from different sensors and integrate them into an equipment monitoring system to make it autonomous and intelligent.
Tests have already been carried out on this test bench as part of three projects.
Learn more: www.cetim.fr