HBM are leading the way with holistic structural health monitoring systems. Collecting more pertinent data leads to cost optimisation and complex life time predictions. Gilbert Schwartmann gives PES a more in depth insight…
With growing economic pressure on manufacturers and operators of wind power plants, structural health monitoring systems, etc. for measuring loads on blades, nacelles, towers and foundations have almost become the standard. The trend is clearly towards holistic systems for monitoring the plant as a whole. Hybrid measurement technology systems present an interesting new option for users here: they combine the best of “optical” and “electrical” measurement technology.
With installed power of almost 450 Gigawatts worldwide, wind power is no longer in its infancy. And although wind power has been used as a power source for thousands of years, the current form of this power generation is still young – and there are many as yet unanswered questions about its technological and commercial use. This also includes the question as to the possible service life of such a plant because so much empirical data is still lacking.
(Not only) in the offshore field are wind power plants exposed to strong physical forces, torsional moments and other influences. To be able to get the best possible economic benefit from a wind power plant, these circumstances inevitably raise questions for operators, investors and developers of wind plants:
