Lighting Protection

Protection in case of direct lightning strikes and transient surges Lightning is particularly likely
to strike wind turbines due to their exposed location, height and complexity. As lightning
strikes often cause considerable material and economic damage, it is important to protect your
turbines. The chief objective is to prevent lightning from damaging the rotor blades, bearings
and electrical systems. Permanent availability is the top priority, both for on- and offshore wind
turbines.
Lightning and surge protection for wind turbine system
LSP has a full suite of surge protection products available for wind turbine applications. The
offering from LSP to various DIN rail mounted protection products and surge and lightning
monitoring. As we enter a time in history when the push towards green energy and technology
is continually causing more wind farms to be built, and current wind farms to be expanded,
both turbine manufacturers and wind farm owners/operators are increasingly aware of the costs
associated with lightning strikes. The monetary damage that operators sustain when there is an
instance of a lightning strike comes in two forms, the costs associated with replacement of
machinery due to physical damage and the costs associated with the system being offline and
not producing power. Turbine electrical systems face the continual challenges of the landscape
that surrounds them, with wind turbines generally being the tallest structures in an installation.
Due to the harsh weather that they will be exposed to, combined with the expectations of a
turbine being struck by lightning several times throughout its lifespan, costs of equipment
replacement and repair must be factored into the business plan of any wind farm operator. The
direct and indirect lightning strike damage is created by intense electromagnetic fields that
create transient over voltages. These over voltages are then passed through the electrical system
directly to sensitive equipment within the turbine itself. The surge propagates through the
system producing both immediate and latent damage to circuitry and computerized equipment.
Components such as generators, transformers, and power converters as well as control
electronics, communication and SCADA systems are potentially damaged by lighting created
surges. Direct and immediate damage may be obvious, but latent damage that occurs as a result
of multiple strikes or repeated exposure to surges can occur to key power components within
an effected wind turbine, many times this damage is not covered by manufacturer’s warranties,
and thus the costs for repair and replacement fall on operators.

Braking System
Aerodynamic Braking System: Tip Brakes
The primary braking system for most modern wind turbines is the aerodynamic braking system,
which essentially consists in turning the rotor blades about 90 degrees along their longitudinal
axis (in the case of a pitch controlled turbine or an active stall controlled turbine ), or in turning
the rotor blade tips 90 degrees (in the case of a stall controlled turbine ).These systems are
usually spring operated, in order to work even in case of electrical power failure, and they are
automatically activated if the hydraulic system in the turbine loses pressure. The hydraulic
system in the turbine is used turn the blades or blade tips back in place once the dangerous
situation is over. Experience has proved that aerodynamic braking systems are extremely safe.
They will stop the turbine in a matter of a couple of rotations, at the most. In addition, they
offer a very gentle way of braking the turbine without any major stress, tear and wear on the
tower and the machinery. The normal way of stopping a modern turbine (for any reason) is
therefore to use the aerodynamic braking system.
Mechanical Braking System
The mechanical brake is used as a backup system for the aerodynamic braking system, and as
a parking brake, once the turbine is stopped in the case of a stall-controlled turbine.
Pitch controlled turbines rarely need to activate the mechanical brake (except for maintenance
work), as the rotor cannot move very much once the rotor blades are pitched 90 degrees.

How does the brake work on a wind turbine?

Electrical wind turbine brakes work better for small wind turbines. They take energy from the
generator and put it in the resistor bank. ... By braking in this way, the blades slow down,
keeping the turbine rotating at a safe speed even in fast winds without expelling too much
energy to the brake system.
Hydraulic System
“Hydraulics in wind turbines usually refers to the assemblies for brake control and regulating
the blade setting through pitch control,” said Bob Pettit, Corporate Technical Director at
HAWE Hydraulics. ... For example, the pump and motor are usually mounted in the nacelle
while hydraulic pistons are mounted in the hub. Hydraulic used effectively in wind-energy
industries mostly. These days wind turbines has been changed in the way that they handled by
hydraulic systems in mostly industries. Hydraulic has become an essential part in industries
and it performs many operations also. a linear (hydraulic cylinder) or rotary (hydraulic motor)
actuator from a hydraulic pump coupled to an ac motor, similar to those used in high-precision
industrial applications. The motor is controlled by a plug-and-play interface, familiar to the
industry. Another benefit to the system is a directed oil flow and discharge design that
eliminates inefficiencies, leak-points, and packaging challenges common to traditional
hydraulic systems, thereby significantly reducing system size and complexity.

Do wind turbines use hydraulic fluid?

The synthetic lubricants, which are typically polyalphaolefin-based, that are used for wind
turbine maintenance can be further subdivided into hydraulic fluid, grease and gear oil, which
is considered to be the most important synthetic lubricant for wind turbines.

Wind turbine controls

Wind turbine control systems continue to play important roles for ensuring wind turbine
reliable and safe operation and to optimize wind energy capture. The main control systems in
a modern wind turbine include pitch control, stall control (passive and active), yaw control,
and others. Under high wind speed conditions, the power output from a wind turbine may
exceed its rated value. Thus, power control is required to control the power output within
allowable fluctuations for avoiding turbine damage and stabilizing the power output. There are
two primary control strategies in the power control: pitch control and stall control. The wind
turbine power control system is used to control the power output within allowable fluctuations.
Pitch control
The pitch control system is a vital part of the modern wind turbine. This is because the pitch
control system not only continually regulates the wind turbine's blade pitch angle to enhance
the efficiency of wind energy conversion and power generation stability, but also serves as the
security system in case of high wind speeds or emergency situations. It requires that even in
the event of grid power failure, the rotor blades can be still driven into their feathered positions
by using either the power of backup batteries or capacitors or mechanical energy storage
devices. Early techniques of active blade pitch control applied hydraulic actuators to control
all blades together. However, these collective pitch control techniques could not completely
satisfy all requirements of blade pitch angle regulation, especially for MW wind turbines with
the increase in blade length and hub height. This is because wind is highly turbulent flow and
the wind speed is proportional to the height from the ground.

Hydraulic pitch control system

the hydraulic pitch control system uses a hydraulic actuator to drive the blade rotating with
respect to its axial centreline. The most significant advantages of hydraulic pitch control system
include its large driving power, lack of a gearbox, and robust backup power. Due to these
advantages, hydraulic pitch control systems historically dominate wind turbine control in
Europe and North America for many years.

Electric pitch control system

The electric pitch control systems have been developed alternatively with the hydraulic
systems. This type of control system has a higher efficiency than that of hydraulic controlled
systems (which is usually less than 55%) and avoids the risk of environmental pollution due to
hydraulic fluid being split or leaked.
the motor connects to a gearbox to lower the motor speed to a desired control speed. A drive
pinion gear engages with an internal ring gear, which is rigidly attached to the roof of the rotor
blade. Alternatively, some wind turbine manufacturers use the belt-drive structure adjusting
the pitch angle. The use of electric motors can raise the responsiveness rate and sensitivity of
blade pitch control. To enhance operation reliability, the use of redundant pitch control systems
was proposed to be equipped in large wind turbines.
Stall control
Besides pitch control, stall control is another approach for controlling and protecting wind
turbines. The concept of stall control is that the power is regulated through stalling the blades
after rated speed is achieved. Stall control can be further divided into passive and active control
approaches. Passive stall control is basically used in wind turbines in which the blades are
bolted to the hub at a fixed installing angle. In a passive stall-regulated wind turbine, the power
regulation relies on the aerodynamic features of blades. In low and moderate wind speeds, the
turbine operates near maximum efficiency. At high wind speeds, the turbine is automatically
controlled by means of stalled blades to limit the rotational speed and power output, protecting
the turbine from excessive wind speeds. Compared with pitch control, a passive stall control
system has a simple structure and avoids using a complex control system, leading to high
reliability of the control system. In addition, the power fluctuations are lower for stall-regulated
turbines. However, this control method has some disadvantages, such as lower efficiency, the
requirement of external equipment at the turbine starts, larger dynamic loads acting on the
blades, nacelle, and tower, dependence on reliable brakes for the operation safety.

Yaw control
In order to maximize the wind power output and minimize the asymmetric loads acting on the
rotor blades and the tower, a horizontal-axis wind turbine must be oriented with rotor against
the wind by using an active yaw control system. Like wind pitch systems, yaw systems can be
driven either electrically or hydraulically. Generally, hydraulic yaw systems were used in the
earlier time of the wind turbine development. In modern wind turbines, yaw control is done by
electric motors. The yaw control system usually consists of an electrical motor with a speed
reducing gearbox, a bull gear which is fixed to the tower, a wind vane to gain the information
about wind direction, a yaw deck, and a brake to lock the turbine securely in yaw when the
required position is reached. For a large wind turbine with high driving loads, the yaw control
system may use two or more yaw motors to work together for driving a heavy nacelle.

Sensors:
• Generator speed, rotor speed, wind speed, yaw rate
• Temperature of gearbox oil, generator winding, ambient air, etc
• Blade pitch, blade azimuth, yaw angle, wind direction
• Grid power, current, voltage, grid frequency
• Tower top acceleration, gearbox vibration, shaft torque, blade
root bending moment, etc
• Environment (icing, humidity, lightning)

What sensors are on a wind turbine?

Eddy current and displacement sensors, accelerometers, and wind and temperatures sensors
are the key to monitoring turbines and communicating potential and needed maintenance.
A typical wind turbine has eight accelerometers installed. These are normally based on our
improved response, low frequency HS-100SF vibration sensors, designed especially for
monitoring relatively slow (low frequency) movements.

How do wind turbines communicate?

All wind turbines are connected to an optical-fibering network with a Contemporary Controls
managed Ethernet switch in each turbine. There are several fiber rings and if an individual
ring is broken at any one point, communication is not impacted due to the redundant path
inherent to a ring topology.

In which part do we commonly find sensors in wind turbine

system?
Wind sensors are mounted on the top of the nacelle and are either mechanical or ultrasonic.
Because ultrasonic types do not need recalibration, they are increasingly used in areas where
maintenance is difficult to perform.

What role does a vibration sensor play in a wind turbine?

Accelerometers, which measure changes in velocity or speed, are used in wind turbines to
detect and monitor vibration within main, yaw, and slew bearings, as well as other rotating
components such as the main generator output shafts.

WHAT IS WIND TURBINE CERTIFICATION?

Wind turbine type certification is the accreditation, done by a reputable third party
(“Certification Body”), that a manufacturer is selling a wind turbine that meet relevant
standards and codes.
TUV, DNV-GL, Bureau Veritas (among others) are examples of Certification Body.
The scope of certification, according to the industry standard IEC 61400-22, can be:
Prototype certification: the evaluation of a new wind turbine design
Type certification: the evaluation of a wind turbine design and serial manufacturing process
Additionally, there are 2 other type of certifications are available:
Component certification: this is usually done for the most critical main components (e.g. the
gearbox, transformer, etc.)
Project certification: the expected behavior of a group of WTGs on a specific project site. It
would include the assessment of country specific laws and regulations, foundations, electrical
network, etc.
In general type certification has several benefits, such as better credibility of a new WTG model
and easier access to financing and to new markets. It makes clear that it’s possible to
manufacture, install and maintain wind turbines of a certain model.
Therefore the type certification process is usually the most important - even if it's often
achieved starting with prototype certification in a previous phase.
Type certification goes through several steps, some mandatory and some optional.
Mandatory steps are:
Design basis evaluation. This step check if standards, assumptions, methodologies, etc. used in
the design are in line with IEC 61400-22.
Design evaluation. In this step the certification body verify that the design has been made
following the design basis of the previous step.
Manufacturing evaluation. Here a quality system evaluation and a manufacturing inspection
are performed.
Type testing. This is a set of laboratory and field tests to blades, gearbox, loads and power
performance.
Final Evaluation. In this step the findings of the evaluation are provided.
The optional steps are the evaluation of the foundation design and foundation manufacturing
plan and the measurement of type characteristics.