Abstract
Nowadays, the availability of wind turbines usually approaches the 98%. The objective is to increase the turbines availability, by improving the wind turbine reliability especially for offshore plants. The wind turbines reliability is a pivotal factor in the successfully function of a wind power plant. High reliability can be achieved by understanding and minimizing the failures of the system. Maintenance planning could make maintenance more efficient and could lead to a reduction of failure events. In order to decide the most effective maintenance strategy, it should be identified the most critical components of the wind turbines, which are prone to failures. The maintenance strategy should take into both the reliability improvement and the reduction of maintenance cost. Moreover, it is essential to determine and record the main cause that provokes the failure event. The data logging and statistical processing of failure information could improve the reliability of the system components. A wind turbine is a complex power generating system consisting of several structural, electrical and mechanical components. Its efficiency depends largely on its reliability level. In the present study, the factors that affect the reliability of a wind turbine are presented, as well as the analytical way of calculating its reliability. The reliability analysis of the wind turbine is based on the systemic approach of the wind turbine subsystems, as its total reliability depends directly on the reliability of the subsystems. Moreover, it is based on a technical analysis of the reliability of complex systems. The model used is the Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), which is an identification method for probable causes of system failure. The relation of reliability, maintainability and availability is also presented and explained by the example of a small wind farm.
Highlights
Continuing population growth and the effort to improve the standards of living lead to an increasing energy demand globally
The energy needs are met by conventional energy sources which are based on fossil fuel resources
Information related to a wind farm reliability can be drawn by analyzing the failure data, which can lead to redesigning a component or changing the maintenance strategy
Summary
Continuing population growth and the effort to improve the standards of living lead to an increasing energy demand globally. The main goal of a wind farm operator is the increase of the produced energy in order to achieve the highest possible profit. This can be reached by improving either the reliability of the wind turbines or their maintenability or both, if this is possible. The reliability of a wind turbine does not depend exclusively on the reliability of its subsystems, and on external, indirect factors like the maintenance strategy used, the existence of spare parts, the time needed to repair, the existence of control systems of the subsystems, the type of wind turbine related to the operational environment (onshore, nearshore, offshore) and the training of the personnel.
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