Automatic Tracking of the Modal Parameters of an Offshore Wind Turbine Drivetrain System

Mahmoud El-Kafafy, Christof Devriendt, Patrick Guillaume and Jan Helsen
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Mahmoud El-Kafafy: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050-B, Belgium
Christof Devriendt: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050-B, Belgium
Patrick Guillaume: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050-B, Belgium
Jan Helsen: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050-B, Belgium

Energies, 2017, vol. 10, issue 4, 1-15

Abstract: An offshore wind turbine (OWT) is a complex structure that consists of different parts (e.g., foundation, tower, drivetrain, blades, et al.). The last decade, there has been continuous trend towards larger machines with the goal of cost reduction. Modal behavior is an important design aspect. For tackling noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) issues and validating complex simulation models, it is of high interest to continuously track the vibration levels and the evolution of the modal parameters (resonance frequencies, damping ratios, mode shapes) of the fundamental modes of the turbine. Wind turbines are multi-physical machines with significant interaction between their subcomponents. This paper will present the possibility of identifying and automatically tracking the structural vibration modes of the drivetrain system of an instrumented OWT by using signals (e.g., acceleration responses) measured on the drivetrain system. The experimental data has been obtained during a measurement campaign on an OWT in the Belgian North Sea where the OWT was in standstill condition. The drivetrain, more specifically the gearbox and generator, is instrumented with a dedicated measurement set-up consisting of 17 sensor channels with the aim to continuously track the vibration modes. The consistency of modal parameter estimates made at consequent 10-min intervals is validated, and the dominant drivetrain modal behavior is identified and automatically tracked.

Keywords: modal parameters; offshore wind turbine; drivetrain; tower modes; mode tracking (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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