Abstract
This study details the development of a mathematical thermal model of a small wind turbine gearbox for use in condition monitoring. The model was optimised and partially validated using experimental data from a wind turbine drivetrain test rig. The model was then used to mimic bearing faults, by simulating additional heat losses at respective faulty components. The extent to which the thermal behaviour changed as a result of a fault was studied, with a view to use such an approach to detect and locate faults.
Highlights
In this work, the authors propose creating a mathematical model of a wind turbine gearbox so that when a fault occurs, the failure can be diagnosed, located and a prognosis can be developed
Thermal modelling based on the principles of heat transfer theory is used to develop this understanding, exploiting temperature measurements to understand a ‘healthy’ gearbox and use it to detect and locate abnormal gearbox operating conditions
Thermal network modelling can be equated to electrical circuit theory by analogy where resistance to heat transfer is equivalent to electrical resistance, heat flow equates to current, temperature difference is equivalent to the potential difference and thermal mass to capacitance [6]
Summary
The authors propose creating a mathematical model of a wind turbine gearbox so that when a fault occurs, the failure can be diagnosed, located and a prognosis can be developed. Through this modelling, a better understanding of the physics of failure will be obtained allowing failure prediction and in turn, reduce downtime when a failure occurs. A better understanding of the physics of failure will be obtained allowing failure prediction and in turn, reduce downtime when a failure occurs This is especially useful when historical operational data is unavailable and/or diagnostic/ prognostic models are transferred from other gearbox types. The variable speed nature of modern wind turbine operation can be challenging for a conventional spectral-based method of fault diagnosis [4]
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