SAFETY CULTURE IN ARTIFICIAL ENVIRONMENTS VS. SOZOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF WIND ENERGY

This paper describes the performance of a micro vertical-axis wind turbine with variable-pitch straight blades. The proposed variable-pitch angle mechanism has an eccentric point that is different from the main rotational point. One feature of the mechanism is its ability to vary the pitch angle of the blades according to the azimuth angle of the main links, without actuators. The performance of the wind turbine was measured in an open-circuit wind tunnel. The performance of the vertical-axis wind turbine with variable-pitch straight blades was better than one with fixed-pitch blades. A wind turbine with variable-pitch straight blades has wind directivity. It was found that the performance of a wind turbine is dependent upon the blade offset pitch angle, the blade pitch angle amplitude, the size of the turbine, the number of blades, and the airfoil profile.

The construction and operation of wind turbines have become an important part of the development of smart cities. However, the fault of the main drive chain often causes the outage of wind turbines, which has a serious impact on the normal operation of wind turbines in smart cities. In order to overcome the shortcomings of the commonly used main drive chain fault diagnosis method that only uses a single data source, a fault feature extraction and fault diagnosis approach based on data source fusion is proposed. By fusing two data sources, the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) real-time monitoring system data and the main drive chain vibration monitoring data, the fault features of the main drive chain are jointly extracted, and an intelligent fault diagnosis model for the main drive chain in wind turbine based on data fusion is established. The diagnosis results of actual cases certify that the fault diagnosis model based on the fusion of two data sources is able to locate faults of the main drive chain in the wind turbine accurately and provide solid technical support for the high-efficient operation and maintenance of wind turbines.

This paper describes the performance of a micro vertical-axis wind turbine with variable-pitch straight blades. The proposed variable-pitch angle mechanism has an eccentric point that is different from the main rotational point. A feature of the mechanism is to be able to vary the pitch angle of blades according to the azimuth angle of the main-links, without actuators. The performance of wind turbines was measured by using an open circuit type wind tunnel. The performance of the vertical axis wind turbines with this mechanism was better than that those with fixed pitch blades. The wind turbine with variable-pitch straight blades has directivity for the wind. It was found that the performance of the wind turbine is dependent on the offset of blade pitch angle, the amplitude of the pitch angle, the size of the turbine, the number of blades and the airfoil profiles.

Wind is a one of the clean resources of energy and has the ability to contribute a considerable share in growing world energy consumption. The small wind turbine plays a vital role in fulfillment of energy needs preferably for household purpose. In order to unleash the budding of applicability of small wind turbine, it is necessary to improve its performance. The performance of a small wind turbine can be distinguished by the manners in which power, thrust and torque vary with the wind speed. The wind power indicates the amount of energy captured by the wind turbine rotor. It is convenient to express the performance of small wind turbine by means of non-dimensional performance curves, therefore in this paper the most graphs are drawn to power, thrust and torque coefficients as a function of the tip speed ratio. This paper presents the effect of design parameters such as the tip speed ratio, angle of attack, wind speed, solidity, number of blades, etc. on the aerodynamic performance of small wind turbine and proposes the optimum values of these parameters for the newly designed blade. The new designed blade consists of two new airfoils and named as IND 15045 and IND 09848. This new profile blade is designed for a wind turbine of 1 kW rated power. The blade is divided into ten sections. The designed length of blade is 1.5 m and it is made using IND 15045 airfoils at three root sections and IND 09848 airfoils for remaining seven sections. Q-Blade is used for the numerical simulation of wind turbine airfoils and blade. It is integrated tool of XFOIL and blade element momentum theory of wind turbine blade design. Also the effect of constant rotational speed operation, effect of stall regulation effect of rotational speed change and the effect of solidity on the performance of wind turbine is discussed. This paper delivers a broad view of perception for design of small wind turbine and parameter selection for the new wind turbine blade. Also in this paper the effect of different losses viz. tip losses, drag losses, stall losses and hub losses on the small wind turbine are discussed. The efficiency of the small wind turbine varies significantly with wind speed, but it would be designed such a way that maximized efficiencies are achieved at the wind speed where the maximum energy is available.

This paper presents the setup of an open control Research Wind Turbine and its validation in Hardware-in-the-Loop operation on a System Test Bench. The Wind Turbine is a modified NEG Micon NM80/2750 with a rated power of 2.75 MW and all components updated to the state of the art. Its original automation is replaced by an open control based on a Programmable Logic Control by Siemens. Both the control and the operation management are implemented in MATLAB Simulink and integrated by automatic code generation which allows the efficient validation of innovative control methods in experiment after model based design in simulation. Also, the simulation models of the original Wind Turbine and the Turbine on the Test Bench are introduced. The Wind Turbine is validated on a System Test Bench in Hardware-in-the-Loop operation offering a realistic test earlier in the development process. A System Test Bench enables the efficient and reproducible investigation of the behavior of an entire Wind Turbine drive train only without the big components rotor and tower. Though, due to the missing rotor inertia, the drive train behavior differs strongly from the original one on the field. The presented Hardware-in-the-Loop system consists of the models of the wind as well as the rotor and the Inertia Emulation, which reproduces the real dynamic. It is also implemented in Simulink and realized on a dSPACE computer. The Research Wind Turbine is validated with turbulent wind in the whole operating range matching the expected behavior in simulation well. This is also the first Hardware-in-the-Loop operation of a Wind Turbine on a System Test Bench at this power level.

The present paper investigates the effects of wind turbine nominal power limitation on the remaining useful life of turbine blades. It also looks at the economic impact of this limitation. In this context, the paper provides wind turbine owners and operators with an overview of how to potentially extend the remaining useful life of wind turbine blades and lays out the economic benefits that can be achieved via the modulation of nominal power. In investigating wind turbine blade damage, prior studies focused mainly on predictive models based on the 10 minutes SCADA data wind speed history, without however, trying to protract the remaining useful life of the blades. Only a handful of papers have explored the possibility of increasing the remaining useful life by adjusting the start-up and shutdown procedures with poor results. It would appear that wind turbine blade fatigue damage mainly increases when the wind turbine is in a power production regime, and the mechanical stresses associated with this regime are a function of the nominal power of the wind turbine. The present work therefore investigates the impacts of nominal power changes on both the remaining useful life of wind turbine blades and the economic value of the wind turbine in a bid to identify an optimal control mode. The wind turbine blade damage evaluation is based on 10 minutes SCADA data and the FAST simulation tool with the ultimate goal of providing wind turbine operators with an easy application. The damage evaluation is then applied considering different nominal power levels for the same wind turbine model in order to see the resulting impact on the remaining useful life. This project therefore takes a pioneering approach by proposing a remaining useful life optimization tool to wind turbine operators, in effect, a decision-making tool regarding which exploitation strategy to adopt.

With application of advanced sensing technology, the condition based maintenance and operation has been made possible to many industrial systems. In a wind turbine, there are a few hundreds of sensing signals used to monitor the component performance and operational condition. The condition information is utilized in operational control of wind turbines and the wind farm in order to reduce the down time and Cost of Energy (CoE). In this chapter, a framework of condition based maintenance and operation of wind turbines is presented. This framework starts with data collection of sensing signals through SCADA and includes data processing and modeling, failure pattern recognition, remaining useful life/health condition prediction, load prediction (prediction of wind trend), integrated decision making for maintenance and operation of wind turbines and the wind farm, and maintenance planning. The research challenges involved in each step of the framework are discussed. The framework presented in this chapter serves as a guideline which is also useful to other systems.

To develop reliable numerical models and better interpret monitoring campaigns experimental data of wind turbines, knowing the structure operation conditions, in particular the rotor angular velocity and blades’ pitch angle, is of paramount importance, but often not known due to confidentiality restrictions, or known with low time resolution (typically 10 min average values). In this work, it is shown analytically that blades accelerations measurements contain valuable information that allow for a better characterisation of the effective rotor shaft tilt and blades cone angle for different operating conditions. It is also shown that these measurements can be used to reconstruct the time history of the rotor angular velocity and blades’ pitch angle. After presented in an analytical framework, the methodology is validated with experimental data of two full scale wind turbines. The successful reconstruction of the rotor operating conditions shows that the method presented can be used to provide further insight into the dynamics of the structure that aids monitoring data analysis and provides an alternative method to monitor the SCADA systems themselves. The paper combines quite unique experimental data collected at two operating rotors with original data processing strategies that provide very valuable information to researchers and wind turbine operators.

The effect of swell on marine atmospheric boundary layer and the operation of an offshore wind turbine

Wind energy is one of the most widely used renewable energy resources. Large amounts of research and resources are being spent today in order to harness the energy from wind effectively. Large wind turbines are erected at windy site and delivering satisfactory performance. Small wind turbines are erected in low wind regions and are in development stage. Research activities are increasing at a significant rate in the field of small wind turbines. World wind energy association forecast considerable development in this field. To face the wind directions, small wind turbines are using mechanical systems in the form of tail. The conventional tail changes the direction of the wind turbine to accommodate the variation of the incoming direction of winds. Quick and steady response is important as per change in wind directions. It has considerable effect on the wind turbine performance. The tails are having different shapes, but literature is not available about it. Different manufacturers used different tail shapes for their model, but the effect of tail shapes has not been studied yet. Hence, it is necessary to study the effect of tail shapes on the performance of wind turbine. This paper presents the effect of tail shapes on the performance of wind turbine. In this work three different tail shapes; rectangular, trapezoidal and triangular are considered. The yawing performance for these tail shapes using CFD analysis is carried out and presented in this paper.

This research focuses on the effect of leading-edge erosion on the performance of wind turbines, specifically the GE1.5XLE horizontal axis wind turbine. The blade element momentum (BEM) method is used to predict the performance of the eroded blade configurations, and the open-source code QBLADE is used for simulation. The importance of including the effects of blade erosion in the design phase is highlighted, as it can optimize turbine performance and ensure operational efficiency. The high blade tip velocity in large rotors, which can reach 90-110 m/s, makes them susceptible to sand and rain erosion, which can significantly affect the turbine’s performance. The research compares the performance of clean and eroded blade configurations, with different levels of leading-edge erosion as percentages of the chord (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0%). The results show that the worst-case scenario of 2.0% leading-edge erosion reduced the lift-to-drag ratio of an airfoil by 65% and reduced the power output by 20%. The low-fidelity analysis methodology presented in this research is fast and can be easily implemented in the early design phase of wind turbines to predict the effect of leading-edge blade erosion. This allows for cost-effective and efficient design solutions that take into account the effects of erosion on wind turbine performance. The research provides valuable insights for the wind energy industry to improve the reliability and performance of wind turbines.

The development of wind energy and the increasing number of installed wind turbines make it necessary to assess them in terms of the nuisance of the emitted infrasound noise generated by such devices. The article presents the results of measurements and analyses of infrasound emitted during the operation of wind turbines installed in various locations in Poland. Comparative analysis of noise levels in the infrasound and audible range has shown that acoustic energy is mainly in the low and infrasound frequency range, and the measured levels depend significantly on the weighting curves used. On the basis of the results, it was confirmed that the sound pressure level of infrasound signals emitted by the operation of high-power wind turbines, regardless of wind velocity, weather conditions, design solutions of turbines, operating time, rated capacity, does not exceed the criteria specified in the applicable legislation dealing with the assessment of infrasound noise on the working environment.

Wind turbine operation and maintenance (O&M) faces significant challenges due to the complexity of equipment, harsh operating environments, and the difficulty of real-time fault prediction. Traditional methods often fail to provide timely and accurate warnings, leading to increased downtime and maintenance costs. To address these issues, this study systematically explores an intelligent operation and maintenance method for wind turbines, utilizing digital twin technology and multi-source data fusion. Specifically, it proposes a remote intelligent operation and maintenance (O&M) framework for wind turbines based on digital twin technology. Furthermore, an algorithm model for multi-source operational data analysis of wind turbines is designed, leveraging a Whale Optimization Algorithm-optimized Temporal Convolutional Network with an Attention mechanism (WOA-TCN-Attention). The WOA is used to optimize the hyperparameters of the TCN-Attention model. Then, the gearbox fault alarm threshold and warning threshold are set using the statistical characteristics of the residual values, and the absolute value of the residuals is used to determine the abnormal operating state of the gearbox. Finally, the proposed method was validated using operational data from a wind farm in Xinjiang. With input data from multiple sources, including seven key parameters such as temperature, pressure, and power, the method was evaluated based on EMAE, ERMSE, and EMAPE. The results demonstrated that the proposed method achieved the smallest prediction error and provided effective early warnings 18 h and 33 min prior to actual failures, enabling real-time and efficient operation and maintenance management for wind turbines.

The increasing use of onshore wind energy is leading to an increased deployment of wind turbines in structurally rich habitats such as forests. Forest-affiliated bats, in turn, are at risk of colliding with the rotor blades. Due to the legal protection of bats in Europe, it is imperative to restrict the operation of wind turbines to periods of low bat activity to avoid collisions. However, bats have also been observed to avoid wind turbines over several hundred meters distance, indicating a displacement that cannot solely be explained by modifications to the habitat. This avoidance suggests a displacement of bats by indirect factors related to wind turbine operation, e.g., wake turbulences and noise emissions. Therefore, we investigated whether the activity of forest-affiliated bats is influenced by operation mode (on/off) under variable wind conditions along transects from 80 to 450 m distance to wind turbines. We divided recordings by foraging guild, i.e., either narrow-space (Myotis, Plecotus), edge-space (Pipistrellus, Barbastella), or open-space foraging bats (Nyctalus, Eptesicus, Vespertilio), and analyzed the effects of wind turbine operation and wind speed on the recorded bat guild activity with mixed effects models. The acoustic activity of narrow-space foraging bats decreased by 77% with increasing wind speed when wind turbines were operating, while bat activity remained unaffected by wind speed when turbines were not operating. This was neither observed for open-space foraging bats nor for edge-space foraging bats, and neither wind turbine operation nor wind speed (ranging between 0 – 4 m/s at 10 m height above ground) were found to affect bat activity when considered alone. Wind turbine noise emissions are known to increase with rotor speed and consequently, wind speed, thus presenting a likely explanation for the interactive negative effect of turbine operation and wind speed specifically on noise-sensitive narrow-space foraging bats. To understand potential ecological long-term consequences for bat populations in forest areas with wind turbines and to design effective conservation measures, future research should focus on disentangling the effects of different disturbances related to turbine operation.

Rotational machinery such as horizontal axis wind turbines exhibits complex and nonlinear dynamics (e.g. precession and Coriolis effects, torsional coupling) and is subjected to nonlinear constrained conditions (i.e. aeroelastic interaction). For those reasons, aeroelastic and computer-aided models reproduced under controlled conditions may fail to predict the correct non-stationary loading and resistance patterns of wind turbines in actual operation. Operational techniques for extracting modal properties under actual non-stationary loadings are needed in order to improve computer-aided elasto-aerodynamic models to better characterize the actual behavior of horizontal axis wind turbines in operational scenarios, monitor and diagnose the system for integrity and damage through time, and optimize control systems. For structural health monitoring applications, model updating of stochastic aerodynamic problems has gained interest over the past decades. A probability theory framework is employed in this study to update a horizontal axis wind turbine model using such a stochastic global optimization approach. Structural identification is addressed under regular wind turbine operation conditions for non-stationary, unmeasured, and uncontrolled excitations by means of stochastic subspace identification techniques. This numerical framework is then coupled with an adaptive simulated annealing numerical engine for solving the problem of model updating. Numerical results are presented for an experimental deployment of a small horizontal axis wind turbine structure.