Metallic wear debris sensors: promising developments in failure prevention for wind turbine gearsets and similar components

Jack Poley; Michael Dines

doi:10.1117/12.880171

28 April 2011 Metallic wear debris sensors: promising developments in failure prevention for wind turbine gearsets and similar components

Jack Poley, Michael Dines

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 7979, Industrial and Commercial Applications of Smart Structures Technologies 2011; 79790I (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.880171
Event: SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring, 2011, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Wind turbines are frequently located in remote, hard-to-reach locations, making it difficult to apply traditional oil analysis sampling of the machine's critical gearset at timely intervals. Metal detection sensors are excellent candidates for sensors designed to monitor machine condition in vivo. Remotely sited components, such as wind turbines, therefore, can be comfortably monitored from a distance. Online sensor technology has come of age with products now capable of identifying onset of wear in time to avoid or mitigate failure. Online oil analysis is now viable, and can be integrated with onsite testing to vet sensor alarms, as well as traditional oil analysis, as furnished by offsite laboratories. Controlled laboratory research data were gathered from tests conducted on a typical wind turbine gearbox, wherein total ferrous particle measurement and metallic particle counting were employed and monitored. The results were then compared with a physical inspection for wear experienced by the gearset. The efficacy of results discussed herein strongly suggests the viability of metallic wear debris sensors in today's wind turbine gearsets, as correlation between sensor data and machine trauma were very good. By extension, similar components and settings would also seem amenable to wear particle sensor monitoring. To our knowledge no experiments such as described herein, have previously been conducted and published.

Citation Download Citation

Jack Poley and Michael Dines "Metallic wear debris sensors: promising developments in failure prevention for wind turbine gearsets and similar components", Proc. SPIE 7979, Industrial and Commercial Applications of Smart Structures Technologies 2011, 79790I (28 April 2011); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.880171

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