A review of bearing fault diagnosis for wind turbines

Abstract

Bearings are the core components of the wind turbine’s mechanical transmission system, but the bearings of wind turbines are prone to wear and failure during vibration, and it is often difficult to determine the fault-bearing status and fault location. Therefore, the monitoring and fault diagnosis of wind turbine bearing status are very necessary. This paper introduces the types of bearings of wind turbines and common faults of bearings, analyzes from the aspects of bearing vibration data and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, summarizes the existing fault diagnosis methods and systems of wind turbine bearings, and points out the basics of these methods thought. Finally, the research focus of future bearing fault diagnosis is elaborated.