New whitepaper from leading predictive analytics partner ONYX InSight highlights restrictions on turbine performance data access and empowers owner operators to hold suppliers to account
Nottingham, 8 January 2019 – Of the top CMS hardware providers, who between them account for over 80% of the market, only one gives turbine owners and operators full access to CMS data, and seven of them give no access to data at all, limiting the maintenance and servicing options of turbine owners. This is according to Standing in the Way of Control, the first in series of whitepapers published as part of a working group initiative on data access, convened by ONYX InSight to highlight the costs to the industry of restrictions on data access.
While it is well understood that data access restrictions limit the industry’s ability to improve the performance of operational turbines, owners need clarity on what types of data are being restricted, how they are restricted, and the effects this may have on turbine performance. Full access for O&M teams to relevant data, could reduce turbine operational costs by nearly one fifth and allow operators to hit ambitious, yet achievable, targets. Failure to secure access to all data needed for an accurate assessment of turbines often compromises the diagnosis and correction of performance issues.
One way or another, owner operators experience restrictions on a wide range of data relating to turbine performance, including SCADA data and alarm codes, CMS data, oil and grease data, and inspection and RCA reports, as well as gearbox kinematics. The whitepaper addresses the full array of operational data streams required by wind farm operators, but which are often found to be missing, restricted or incomplete.
The whitepaper outlines there are three broad types of data restriction, comprising processing, where raw data is processed, packaged and aggregated across discrete time periods, limiting owners’ ability to understand fully what is happening in their machines; encryption, where owners are restricted access to their data by a gating process such as a fee; and obstruction, where the owner simply gets no access to data at all.
The whitepaper also includes a procurement checklist, which indicates the level of data access required for effective predictive maintenance. This checklist can be used by owners to assess levels of data access across their own turbine fleets, and to hold suppliers to account for access levels.
“Wind farm owners and operators are leaving money on the table if they fail to secure access to all the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) data necessary for the full scope of operational management and performance optimisation techniques on offer, says Bruce Hall, CEO at ONYX InSight
“Better data access across the board can lead to incremental gains, but there are also giant strides to be made, if owners and operators can obtain a better view of just a handful of critical data streams.”
ONYX InSight is calling on stakeholders from across the wind energy sector who have encountered data access restrictions during the operation of wind energy assets to join a Data Access Working Group, with a view to raising awareness of and tackling this obstacle to effective, profitable operation. All interested parties are invited to join the Data Access Working Group by visiting https://onyxinsight.com/data-access/#register.
The whitepaper, Standing in the Way of Control, and the accompanying Procurement Checklist, can be downloaded at https://onyxinsight.com/data-access.
About ONYX InSight
ONYX InSight is a joint venture, combining Romax Technology’s 30 years of expertise in software, services and data analytics for gearbox, bearings and rotating machinery with Castrol’s global reach and knowledge of wind turbine lubrication.
The venture will deliver reduced operations and maintenance costs through smart and unbiased predictive analytics underpinned by real-world engineering expertise for wind energy industry and beyond.
For more information, visit: www.onyxinsight.com
