Abstract

The Industry 4.0 concept of a Digital Twin will bring many advantages for wind energy conversion systems, e.g., in condition monitoring, predictive maintenance and the optimisation of control or design parameters. A virtual replica is at the heart of a digital twin. To construct a virtual replica, appropriate modelling techniques must be selected for the turbine components. These models must be chosen with the intended use case of the digital twin in mind, finding a proper balance between the model fidelity and computational load. This review article presents an overview of the recent literature on modelling techniques for turbine aerodynamics, structure and drivetrain mechanics, the permanent magnet synchronous generator, the power electronic converter and the pitch and yaw systems. For each component, a balanced overview is given of models with varying model fidelity and computational load, ranging from simplified lumped parameter models to advanced numerical Finite Element Method (FEM)-based models. The results of the literature review are presented graphically to aid the reader in the model selection process. Based on this review, a high-level structure of a digital twin is proposed together with a virtual replica with a minimum computational load. The concept of a multi-level hierarchical virtual replica is presented.

Highlights

  • The share of wind energy in the global energy mix has seen exponential growth in recent years

  • The literature overview given aims to assist the reader with selecting the proper subcomponent models based on a compromise between fidelity and computational load, depending on the predefined set of required behaviours and time scales determined by the specific use case of the digital twin

  • This effectively results in a digital twin using a Finite Element Method (FEM) model, with condition monitoring focused on structural loading as a use case

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Summary

A Literature Review of Potential Modelling Techniques

Citation: De Kooning, J.D.M.; Stockman, K.; De Maeyer, J.; Jarquin-Laguna, A.; Vandevelde, L. Fidelity and Computational Load. Department of Electromechanical, Systems and Metal Engineering, Ghent University, Tech Lane Ghent Department of Maritime and Transport Technology, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials

Introduction
Definition of a Digital Twin
Modelling Techniques for Direct-Drive Wind Turbine Components
Turbine Aerodynamics
Structure and Drivetrain Mechanics
Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator
Power Electronic Converter
Pitch and Yaw Systems
Virtual Replica and Digital Twin of a Direct Drive Wind Turbine
Digital Twin Architecture
Graphical Overview of the Literature Study for Model Selection
Virtual Replica
Conclusions
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