Developing RCM Strategy for Wind Turbines Utilizing Online Condition E-Monitoring

Abstract

The number of offshore wind turbines installed in the seas around Britain’s coasts is likely to increase from just fewer than 150 to 7,500 over the next 10 years with the potential cost of £10 billion. Operation and Maintenance activities are estimated to comprise 35 % of the cost of electricity. However, the development of appropriate and efficient maintenance strategies is currently lacking in the wind industry. The current reliability and failure modes of offshore wind turbines are known and have been used to develop preventive and corrective maintenance strategies which have done little to improve reliability. Unplanned maintenance levels can be reduced by increasing the reliability of the gearbox and individual gears through the analysis of lubricants. In addition, the failure of one minor component can cause escalated damage to a major component, which can increase repair and or replacement costs. A Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) approach offers considerable benefit to the management of wind turbine operations, since it includes an appreciation of the impact of faults on operations. Due to the high costs involved in performing maintenance and the even higher costs associated with failures and subsequent downtime and repair, it is critical that the impacts are considered when maintenance is planned. The paper will provide an overview of the application of RCM and on line e-condition monitoring to wind turbine maintenance management. Finally, the paper will discuss the development of a complete sensor-based processing unit that can continuously monitor the wind turbine’s lubricated systems and provide, via wireless technology, real-time data enabling onshore staff the ability to predict degradation, anticipate problems, and take remedial action before damage and failure occurs.